What do you get when you combine everyone’s favorite pumpkin pie with my all-time favorite rice pudding? These Mini Arroz Con Leche Pumpkin Pies! That’s Spanish for a super fancy pumpkin rice pudding, in case you were wondering. This recipe is a riff off of this Caramelized Banana Rice Pudding from way back when, and because I wanted this recipe to mimic pumpkin pie in a way, I poured the rice pudding into golden graham cracker crusts and topped them all with sweetened whipped cream and ground cinnamon. It’s the ultimate dessert mash-up and the one you need to be making all autumn long. Of course, if pies aren’t your thing, you can just make the pumpkin rice pudding and call it a day. It is still just as delicious on it’s own, so no excuses. Just make this recipe and watch it disappear. Like magic.
Let’s get started with the crust. Every pie needs a crust, and these mini pies have a graham cracker crust base. In a large bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt and butter until evenly combined.
**Tip: You can also use chocolate graham crackers or crushed up chocolate sandwich cookies for the crust instead, if you want to add a bit of a chocolate twist to this dessert!**
Divide evenly among the prepared tart pans and then press down on the bottom and up the sides of each pan. Place on a baking sheet and bake until lightly golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
**Tip: To prepare the pans, preheat oven to 350°F. Grease eight individual tart pans (or one large 10-inch tart pan) with cooking spray; set aside.**
While the crusts cool, let’s work on the main event; the pumpkin rice pudding. In a large pot, combine 3 cups of the whole milk, pumpkin purée, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt salt.
Add the cooked rice (along with the cinnamon sticks). Cook over medium heat, stirring often so that it doesn’t stick and burn, until thick and creamy, about 15 to 20 minutes.
**Note: I didn’t show the step-by-step of the cooking of the rice, but it’s super simple. All you have to do is bring the water, salt and cinnamon sticks to a boil. Stir in the arborio rice, lower the heat, cover and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.**
Stir in the remaining cup of milk, and beaten eggs. Cook for another 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
**Note: As soon as you add the eggs, you want to stir as fast as possible so as to prevent the eggs from cooking in the pudding. Beating them before hand, ensures they incorporate evenly into the pudding.**
Once the pudding has thickened, turn off the flame and stir in 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter and vanilla extract. You’ll want to do this at the very end because the butter creates a silky smooth finish and the vanilla taste won’t cook off this way.
Divide the pudding among the baked tarts, spreading it out evenly. Cover them with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until chilled through, about 3 to 4 hours, or overnight.
To make the topping, beat together the cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar until stiff.
**Tip: You can either dollop the whipped cream on top of the chilled pies or pipe out using a decorating pastry bag with a star tip. You can have it be rustic or a bit more formal, just depends on what you like!**
To really bring out those pumpkin flavors, I like to dust the tops with a tiny bit of ground cinnamon at the very end. I think it really finishes the pies perfectly, but it’s completely optional.
I love these pies because you can either make them mini, like I did, or you can create one large tart for a show-stopping dessert. They’re also better if you make them ahead of time, so that the pudding can chill and the flavors blend, which makes this a great recipe to entertain with. You can also serve these pies warm, if you prefer your rice pudding warm. I like it cold, so I chill the pies. If you do serve them warm, just dollop the cream right before serving. Ice cream would be great too! Enjoy!
Mini Arroz Con Leche Pumpkin Pies
Ingredients
Crust:
- 3 cups graham cracker crumbs about 18 full sheets
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter melted
Filling:
- 1½ cups arborio rice
- 3 cups water
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 cup canned pumpkin purée
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
- 1 cup very cold heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ground cinnamon for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease eight individual tart pans (or one large 10-inch tart pan) with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt and butter until evenly combined. Divide evenly among the prepared tart pans and then press down on the bottom and up the sides of each pan. Place on a baking sheet and bake until lightly golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Bring the water, salt and cinnamon sticks to a boil. Stir in the rice, lower the heat, cover and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- In a separate pot, combine 3 cups milk, pumpkin purée, sugar, ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and cooked rice (along with the cinnamon sticks). Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until thick and creamy, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the remaining milk, and beaten eggs. Cook for another 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Divide the pudding among the baked tarts, spreading it out evenly. Cover them with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until chilled through, about 3 to 4 hours, or overnight.
- To make the topping, beat together the cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar until stiff. Either dollop on top of the chilled pies or pipe out using a decorating bag with a star tip. Dust with a bit of ground cinnamon and serve. Enjoy!
