Easy Homemade Cream of Rice
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If you grew up loving the cozy comfort of Cream of Wheat, this delicious homemade Cream of Rice Cereal is sure to warm your heart! It’s a wonderful gluten-free alternative to store-bought Cream of Rice made with just a few simple ingredients.
This warm and tasty bowl is seriously comfort food at its very best.
Growing up, Cream of Wheat was one of my favorite foods. I remember the small red box on the kitchen countertop, knowing the yumminess that was inside. I loved diving into that bowl of creamy goodness topped with brown sugar, a little milk, and a dollop of margarine (yikes. Yes, I said “margarine.”)
Simply delicious, but not very healthy.
Since our family eats gluten-free and mostly whole foods, I don't have that box in our house ever, and in fact, my kids have never tried the original Cream of Wheat. But I wanted them to experience the same goodness that I'd experienced.
So one day, I realized that it should be pretty simple to make my own Cream of Rice cereal. I did, and now this Cream of Rice Cereal is a favorite in our house.
It’s a simple but also special treat for any day, but it's also very soothing for an upset stomach. It's our go-to whenever there's a stomach bug in the house.
I know you’re going to love this gluten-free cream of rice cereal, and your family will, too!
What is Cream of Rice?
The boxed cereal called Cream of Rice® is a processed hot cereal made from ground, uncooked white rice. It's the gluten-free counterpart to the popular boxed cereal Cream of Wheat®. Both cereals are fortified with vitamins.
This homemade version can be made with either white or brown rice.
It's a simple dish, but the real magic happens when you add a bit of creamy liquid like coconut milk, a little butter, and a sweetener. Then, it turns into a delicious bowl of cozy comfort!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
The boxed brand of Cream of Rice is gluten-free, making it great for those who are avoiding gluten, but it contains synthetic vitamins that you might not want to eat.
Don’t you just love tasty, hearty recipes that you can feel good about sharing with your family? Plus, it will save you quite a bit of money over the boxed brand.
The ingredients in this homemade cereal are very inexpensive. Basically, you only need rice (white or brown) and liquid, which can be water, milk, or a dairy-free milk substitute.
At the time of publishing this post, a serving of the homemade variety cost only 14 cents each, which was about one-fifth the price of boxed Cream of Rice cereal.
This recipe also comes together in just five easy steps, and you most likely have the ingredients on hand in your pantry.
What You Will Need
- Uncooked Rice: I recommend brown rice, but white rice works too.
- Coconut Milk: water, milk, or non-dairy milk like coconut milk, almond milk, or rice milk. I prefer coconut milk, or almond milk to add extra fat to balance out the carbs.
- Salt: optional, but optimal in my book. Salt really makes this dish.
- Optional Toppings: butter (or other fat), sweetener, cinnamon, cinnamon sugar (here's a link to our “best” homemade cinnamon sugar), etc.
How to Make Cream of Rice Cereal from Scratch
This recipe is so simple, it can be made on even the busiest of mornings. And what busy mom doesn’t love having yummy recipes you can make in a matter of minutes?
Here are the basic instructions to make cream of rice. For the full details, see the recipe card below.
- Grind rice coarsely in a blender or coffee grinder.
- Heat liquid over medium heat to a slow boil.
- Add rice gradually, stirring while adding.
- Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Serve with desired toppings.
Topping/Add-In Options
Because the rice makes such a neutral and comforting base, you can have a lot of fun with the toppings and can also add other ingredients to boost nutrition. Here are some ideas to add to your homemade cream of rice:
- Cinnamon or Healthy Cinnamon Sugar
- Chocolate Chips
- Protein powder: a great way to add protein to this dish.
- Cocoa powder: for chocolatey cream of rice. So yummy!
- Fruit Jam, Jelly, or Curd (Elderberry Jam and Lemon Curd are two great options.)
- Butter, and lots of it!
- Heavy Cream or Coconut Cream
- Coconut Chips or Shreds or Toasted Coconut Chips
- Chopped Nuts
- Berries
- Almond Butter Fruit Dip
- Colostrum: a super creamy heavy duty boost of nutrition.
You could even make this into a savory dish by adding in scrambled eggs, tofu, and/or some cooked veggies.
The way we love this is cooked in coconut milk with even more coconut milk on top, stevia extract, lots of grass-fed butter, a dash of cinnamon, and salt. Nothing like it!
Recipe Tips and Dietary Notes
- Grinding tips: It’s up to you how finely you want to grind the rice, as this will affect the texture of the cereal. I prefer a coarser grind for a heartier feel.
- Coconut milk alternatives: You can use any type of milk or even water. I prefer coconut milk for its creaminess and also to add more fat to an otherwise carb-heavy dish.
- Rice options: You can use any variety you choose. White rice will cook faster, but you will be giving up the fiber and nutrition of the bran and germ. White rice also has a higher glycemic index. I always use brown rice, which makes a hearty and filling dish. You could also use basmati rice, jasmine rice, wild rice, black Japonica rice, or any other variety. Each one will give a different flavor profile.
- Salt: I mention in the recipe card that salt is optional, but for me, it most certainly is mandatory. Try it and you'll see what I mean. It accents the sweetener, and the cereal just isn't the same without it.
- Nutrition/digestion tip: Boost the nutritional value of this dish by soaking the rice overnight.
More Processed Food Replacements
Here are some more alternatives to packaged foods that you'll love.
- Homemade Taco Seasoning: So good, you'll never buy packets again!
- Homemade Vegetable Broth | All-Purpose Seasoning: Tastes great on everything.
- Homemade Chocolate Chips: Fun to make, and they taste amazing.
- Keto Powdered Sugar: A simple way to save on a pantry staple made low-carb.
- Homemade Truvia Copycat: A great low-carb sugar substitute.
Cream of Rice Cereal
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked rice (I prefer to use brown rice.)
- 4 1/2 cups coconut milk (See Recipe Notes for alternatives)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- sweetener
- optional toppings (cinnamon, coconut shreds, butter, etc).
Instructions
- Grind rice coarsely in a blender or coffee grinder.
- Heat coconut milk or other milk or water over medium heat to a slow boil.
- Add rice gradually, stirring while adding.
- Cover and simmer for 5-15 minutes, until thickened. Stir occasionally and add more liquid as needed.
- Serve with desired toppings.
Notes
- Watch the pan when cooking the cereal. If necessary, add more liquid to keep the cereal from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- You can boost the nutritional value of this dish by soaking the rice overnight.
- Rice: You can use any variety you choose. I prefer whole grain brown rice. If you use white rice it will cook much faster, but it has less fiber and nutrition. White rice has a higher glycemic index as well.
- Coconut milk alternatives: You can use any type of milk or even water. I prefer coconut milk for its creaminess and also to add more fat to an otherwise carb-heavy dish.
- Optional toppings: I recommend butter or another fat like coconut oil, plus sweetener, cinnamon, chopped nuts, or fruit.
- Salt: I mention in the recipe card that salt is optional. For me, it most certainly is not. Try it with a dash and you'll see what I mean. It accents the sweetener, and the cereal just isn't the same without it.
- Cooking Time: Your cooking time will depend on the size of the grains after processing, so adjust accordingly.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.
Note: This post was originally published in April, 2013. It has since been updated with new information and new photos. Here is an original photo for reference:
Once you've tried this Cream of Rice Cereal, I'd love to hear how you liked it and what toppings made it delectable for you!
Is it more difficult to grind sprouted basmati? For some reason, it didn’t work. Maybe I should have resoaked? Thanks for posting this recipe!
Good question. I have never tried it! I wouldn’t think so.
this dish is pure carbs. the glycemic index value of cream of rice is through the roof; you may as well be eating a bowl of sugar, because that’s what you’re body is turning it straight into, it’s even worse than cream of wheat. this “gluten free” fad is leading people to make some really uninformed choices. there is a lot more to diet than whether you’re eating gluten.
No, if you make this dish with brown rice it is not like eating pure sugar and you can grind this as large as you wish. So there is that difference and there is of course some nutrition in rice. Furthermore, you can add butter and whole milk or coconut milk and coconut oil and protein as well if you like or use a white rice that is lower in glycemic load like jasmine or basmati.
For many “gluten-free” is not a fad – it’s a life necessity and that’s what it is for us. We actually eat few carbs these days, but your body does need some and for some people grains serve a good purpose. Thanks for reading. Perhaps if you spent more time on my blog instead of just making a nasty comment on one post you would know better whom you are conversing with.
Furthermore, there are ways to lower the glycemic load of foods like white rice – have you heard of resistant starch? Thanks.
Well for body builders it is the “best and most easily digestible carb” for sedentary people not the best choice
Hi there. Are you saying that people who are sedentary digest it in a different way? I’m not advocating for people to be sedentary but wondering where you got that information. Thanks.
As in bodybuilders looking to consume more calories use rice as it’s an easily digestible source of carbs.
Eat more = more gym gains
Not the best choice for sedentary ppl as eating more and not burning those excess calories will lead to unwanted weight gain – obesity etc
Hi Ben. I think it depends on the quality and your perspective. Some people do well on grains, especially gluten-free ones and rice is known to be a resistant starch which is a whole different topic that you might not have heard about. Thanks for reading.
no, rice is not sugar…don’t be ridiculous. rice is a staple food for billions of people, and contains protein, fiber, vitamins (particularly B vitamins), minerals, etc. rice is good for you and i have lived on mainly rice for weeks on end before.
on top of that, you can mix in other stuff here….damn near anything mixes with rice…you can make it like a breakfast with raisens or like a dinner (they call it “jook” in Korea and mix it with even seafood like abalone, vegetables, pork, etc.) ….
try not to be so ignorant and narrow-minded…educate yourself before making such comments, please.
Thank you for posting this cooking method. I like to mix equal parts corn grits, farina and cream of rice together for a very hearty breakfast cereal. I also use this mixture to make dosa and idli (Indian dishes). Commercial cream of rice is very expensive and this will be very economical for my family.
We lived off of it for months at a time. breakfast lunch and dinner. We started getting creative and made savory versions of it too.
I would you be so kind to post your recipes
sure, you could add sesame oil to make it very savory…maybe sesame oil, tuna, green onions, mushrooms….wow i’m getting hungry just thinking of that. rice is extremely versatile.
I thought I was good having Lowan Gluten Free Brown Rice Porridge until I recently realised it has 2 preservatives added. I was soaking the above porridge in coconunt/almond milk & cinnamon in a pyrex dish and taking it to work most mornings to heat up in the microwave as my mid morning snack/additional breakfast (I am lacking in nutrients and get hungry every couple of hours). I have just come across your recipe and wonder if after washing brown rice, I can then do the same as above and soak it to overnight and heat the next day at work?? Thanks
I think that should work – please let me know after you try!
I used the same proportions as cream of wheat cereal.
1 1/4 cup boiling water
3 T ground rice
Cooked for 2 1/2 Minutes on low
Keep stirring
Makes one serving
Has anyone tried freezing this? I am the only one who would eat it and I would probably eat the whole pan, which would be bad, so freezing in portions would be better for me. Any ideas???
Yes I think you could do it. Ice cube trays for very small portions.
You can use 1/4 cup rice to 1 cup water and dash of salt for one serving.
Grind into fine powder coarse grains become more lumpy since I can not have cream of wheat which was my favorite this recipe was excellent for myself since I can not have iron fortified cereal
Glad to hear you liked it! I don’t eat wheat anymore and I don’t like that fortified stuff either. Thanks for reading!
This did not work at all for me. I followed the directions and used these portions, but after ten minutes of simmering and waiting for it to thicken, I still ended up with liquid milk with ground rice sitting at the bottom.
I’m sorry – did you figure out why this possibly happened? It has worked for me every time.
The key is mixing throughout – I used a very low temperature on the stove and stirred madly whenever I stirred bringing up what was on the bottom of the pot stirring out any lumps. Then when it started to boil used the whisk and whisked for the 5 minutes. It was amazing the most silky, almost pudding like porridge with no lumps. We served with a little Breton butter, brown sugar, bananas and walnuts. Plus I cooked it in a blend of coconut milk and water. Absolutely delish! I am also thinking of making a savory version to serve instead of polenta with a stew of roasted root vegetables. Thank you!
Sounds lovely (the savory version!). You might enjoy the topping on this shepherd’s pie. Sorry about the icky photo! https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/adzuki-bean-shepherds-pie-with-low-carb-topping/
You need to cook it for 40 minutes. I made it with almond milk. Absolutely delicious.
how about soak that uncooked rice for 2 hour or more or overnight before make this.
Actually, white rice is preferred on the “Perfect Human Diet” for its safe starch properties. Let the rice cool to room temperature and you get resistant starch. The body doesn’t burn as much of it as fuel and sends it to the gut to build gut bacteria…prebiotics.
Fiber isn’t totally necessary as it irritates the lining of the stomach, but the gut bacteria is.
I’ve been reading some about that. Thanks. Isn’t there an amount of time you need to cook it for?
No, I believe it is normal cooking time. The key is to let it cool to at least room temperature. What I was doing before I came across your recipe was cooking it, putting it in the fridge over night, then in the morning add sweetener, cinnamon, vanilla extract and some cream and eating it cold, almost as a rice pudding.
Sounds good. I am pretty much off grains right now but perhaps down the road….
I Like how that sounds