Black sticky rice pudding with coconut milk is an easy to make sweet and nutty dessert or snack, delicious with fruit and crispy coconut.
Black Sticky Rice with Coconut Milk
Many of the recipes for black rice pudding that I’ve come across online are made quite runny and served in a bowl, like the Indonesian dessert bubur ketan hitam, which you most definitely can create with this recipe. However, when I think of rice as a dessert, my mind takes me back to Thailand – to mango sticky rice.
Therefore, I’ve made my black rice pudding relatively dry so that it can be moulded with a spoon and served on a plate alongside fresh, grilled or caramelised fruit–think fresh mango for a black sticky rice mango, grilled peaches or caramelised banana.
Have I whetted your appetite yet?
About Black Rice
Black rice is a type of glutinous rice –meaning that it is glue-like or sticky, not that it contains gluten. Rice is a gluten-free grain. Glutinous rice is used for many desserts throughout Asia.
Black rice has a slightly sweet (although suitable for both sweet and savoury dishes) and nutty taste and texture. It is high in fibre, comparable to brown rice. The outermost layer (the bran hull) contains some of the highest levels of anthocyanins of any food.
Anthocyanins are a water-soluble pigment in plants that give a red, purple, blue or black colour. They have potent antioxidant properties, which can help reduce free-radical damage and inflammation in the body.
However, the potential to swerve illness is no reason to eat Black Sticky Rice. Eat it because it is delicious and filling; that is all the reason I need!
NO LIFESTYLE PROGRAM, SUPERFOOD, SUPPLEMENT OR EXERCISE REGIME CAN GUARANTEE OPTIMAL HEALTH OR EVEN THE PREVENTION OF DISEASE AND ILLNESS.
— Tansy Boggon, Joyful Eating: How to Break Free of Diets and Make Peace with Your Body.
Black Sticky Rice Pudding with Coconut Milk
Ingredients
Ingredients – Rice Pudding
- 1 cup black rice
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 400 g can light coconut milk* reserve ¼ can for serving
- 2-3 tablespoons brown or coconut sugar to taste
Ingredients - Topping of Your Choice:
- Fresh mango sliced
- Canned mango or peaches sliced
- Fresh or canned pineapple sliced
- Fresh banana sliced
- Caramelised banana whole or sliced
- Coconut flakes raw or toasted
- Frozen or dehydrated coconut chunks thinly sliced
- Sesame seeds toasted
- Wedge of lime
Instructions
- Rinse rice in a sieve under running water and place in a large pot with water and salt.
- Bring to boil, uncovered. Then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes; until water mostly absorbed.
- Then add coconut milk, remembering to reserve ¼ for serving.
- Turn up the heat slightly and simmer for 10 – 20 minutes, uncovered, until the rice is tender but still retains its shape. If the rice gets too dry before softening or if you want a runny consistency, add extra water, ¼ cup at a time.
- Once soft, add sugar and simmer until pudding is desired texture and taste.
- Serve warm, drizzled with remaining coconut milk (cold or warm), and top with chosen toppings. Serve as a dessert, brunch or snack. Enjoy.
Notes

Black Sticky Rice Pudding served with tinned peaches.