Arroz con Leche Costa Rica - Easy Recipe - Pura Vida Moms (2024)

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Costa Rican arroz con leche combines white rice, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla for the perfect sweet dessert served warm or cold!

About Costa Rican arroz con leche

Arroz con leche (rice with milk) is a favorite food across Latin America. Young children are introduced to the food before they can even walk through the popular Spanish folk song “Arroz con leche, me quiero casar…” The food is a Latin cultural and culinary phenomenon.

This dish isn’t just a Latin American or Costa Rican favorite though. Known as rice pudding in English, this dessert is popular in Asia, Europe, and even Canada and the United States. It’s a gluten-free food.

Arroz con leche originated in Spain during the Middle Ages and is thought to have been inspired by Arabic culinary tradition. While the Spanish style of arroz con leche usually requires cinnamon and vanilla, the recipe exists all over in different variations.

In Costa Rica, arroz con leche is most often a dessert that is eaten at celebrations. This is for several reasons- it’s relatively easy and inexpensive to make, but also it’s really easy to make a LOT of it at once. Like so many Costa Rican recipes, each family has their own twist on the recipe- some people add raisins, pineapple, vanilla, nutmeg, you name it.

It’s usually eaten with a nice hot cup of coffee or agua dulce, and always with your favorite company. Here is our family’s arroz con leche recipe from the town of San Ramon, Costa Rica. I hope you love it.

Related post: Costa Rican Tres Leches Recipe

Arroz con Leche Costa Rican Recipe

(Printable recipe below)

Ingredients

white rice
water
margarine or butter (optional)
cinnamon stick
whole cloves
granulated white sugar
sweetened condensed milk
evaporated milk
pinch of salt lime zest
vanilla extract
raisins (optional)

Instructions

In a large saucepan, combine the rice, margarine, 3.5 cups water, rice, cinnamon stick, and cloves. Boil over high heat until the water dries up, stirring occasionally to avoid the rice sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Arroz con Leche Costa Rica - Easy Recipe - Pura Vida Moms (4)

Once the rice dries up add the hot water, sugar, and evaporated milk, stirring constantly.

Add half the can of sweetened condensed milk, the lime zest and pinch of salt. Boil and stir until the desired consistency is reached.

Arroz con Leche Costa Rica - Easy Recipe - Pura Vida Moms (5)

Serve warm and sprinkled with ground cinnamon or nutmeg powder.

Related post: Miel de coco- Costa Rican Dessert Recipe

Arroz con Leche Costa Rica - Easy Recipe - Pura Vida Moms (6)

Substitutions

You can use coconut milk in place of the evaporated milk.

You can use butter in place of margarine, or omit all together.

You can really use any kind of citrus zest- orange, lemon, grapefruit, etc.

You can use any type of rice, but we have found in the United States that the rice that most resembles the home-grown Costa Rican rice is Thai Jasmine rice.

Variations

The last time I visited Costa Rica I made arroz con leche with our matriarch and then I took it to some friends so they could enjoy it. And they turned their nose up at my dessert!

Turns out there are two ways to make arroz con leche- seco y aguado. Our family prefers seco- where you allow the rice to almost fully absorb all of the liquid, and the arroz con leche gets almost crispy in texture.

Aguado is when the arroz con leche has a bit more liquid in it. If you want to get the aguado texture, just cook the rice pudding for less time- let it heat through but don’t allow all of the liquid to absorb before removing it from the heat.

Another variation is the raisins- our family is totally anti-raisin, but so many recipes include them. Some traditional recipes also include chunks of pineapple, and even use a cup of pineapple juice in place of water.

Many people add a good tablespoon of vanilla extract to the recipe too. I love it like that- but it’s not our family recipe so I omitted it.

Related post: Empanadas de Chiverre – Costa Rica

Serving Suggestions

Arroz con leche is served warm in small bowls. If you make it ahead of a party, it’s customary to chill it in the refrigerator for up to a week and serve cold.

Printable Recipe

Yield: 16 servings

Arroz con Leche

Arroz con Leche Costa Rica - Easy Recipe - Pura Vida Moms (11)

Costa Rican arroz con leche combines white rice, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla for the perfect sweet dessert served warm or cold!

Cook Time30 minutes

Total Time30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups white rice
  • 3.5 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons margarine or butter (optional)
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tablespoon whole cloves
  • 1 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 can of evaporated milk
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a large saucepan, combine the rice, margarine, 3.5 cups water, rice, cinnamon stick, and cloves.
  2. Boil over high heat until the water dries up, stirring occasionally to avoid the rice sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  3. Once the rice dries up add the hot water, sugar, and evaporated milk, stirring constantly.
  4. Add half the can of sweetened condensed milk, the lime zest, and pinch of salt.
  5. Boil and stir until the desired consistency is reached.
  6. Serve warm and sprinkled with ground cinnamon or nutmeg powder.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 317Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 93mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 1gSugar: 37gProtein: 5g

Please double-check this information with your favorite nutrition calculator.

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Arroz con Leche Costa Rica - Easy Recipe - Pura Vida Moms (17)
Arroz con Leche Costa Rica - Easy Recipe - Pura Vida Moms (2024)

FAQs

What is arroz con leche made of in Costa Rica? ›

Costa Rican arroz con leche combines white rice, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla for the perfect sweet dessert served warm or cold!

What does Pura Vida mean in Costa Rican? ›

In Costa Rica, the phrase “Pura Vida” is commonly used interchangeably with “hey”, “what's up”, “how are you?”, “take care”, “goodbye”, and almost any other greeting, well wishes, or farewell you can think of.

How do ticos use pura vida in their daily lives? ›

Locals use “pura vida” as a greeting, where the term “pura vida” is comparable to saying “hi” or “how's it going?” Costa Ricans also use it to say “I'm doing well,” “You're welcome,” “Everything's cool,” “Everything's good,” “That's great,” and even “Oh well.” However, the expression focuses on molding the attitude and ...

What is the national dessert of Costa Rica? ›

Tres leche – which literally translates to 'three milks' – is more than a dessert in Costa Rica, it's a bona fide culinary institution. National Geographic even went as far as to name this the country's 'national dessert' due to it being ubiquitous and insanely delicious.

What are the three most famous foods in Costa Rica? ›

Costa Rica Food, An Authentic Experience

Pinto and beans are a staple of Costa Rica and common denominator among different culinary tastes in different regions of the country. As a whole, the three most famous dishes of the country are Casado, Gallo Pinto and Arroz con Pollo.

Why is my arroz con leche hard? ›

If the problem is that the rice grains themselves are hard and crunchy, they did not have adequate time to cook — or it could be that you did not add enough liquid. Go ahead and add about a ½ cup of water (or milk). Stir thoroughly and let the pot simmer for as long as is needed.

Do Mexicans say Pura Vida? ›

“Ahhh, it is the pura vida bureaucracy.” The story goes that this saying was first used in the 1956 Mexican movie of the same name— Pura Vida. However, it was the Costa Ricans who picked up the term and ran with it.

How do Costa Ricans say hello? ›

How do Costa Ricans say hello? Aside from the standard hola, buenos días and buenas tardes, the Spanish phrases used by Costa Ricans include the single word buenas, especially when greeting strangers in passing.

Do many Costa Ricans say Pura Vida? ›

You'll hear Pura Vida (poo-rah vee-duh) a lot. More than just “pure life” in its literal English translation, it's the quintessential Costa Rican phrase. It's a lifestyle, a feeling, a perspective, encapsulating how Costa Ricans cherish life's simplest pleasures and find joy in the little things.

What do you say when someone says Pura Vida? ›

If someone says hello or goodbye, you can say Pura Vida back. If someone asks how you are, you can say Pura Vida, meaning you're doing well.

What is the motto of Costa Rica? ›

The term Pura Vida can work in any situation really. It translates into English as “pure life” but this isn't the only way you can take it. It can also translate as “nothing but life” which is a closer translation as it is a way of life.

What do Costa Ricans call themselves? ›

Costa Ricans are usually called ticos by themselves as well as by people of other Spanish-speaking countries. “Tico” and “tica” (male and female) are colloquial terms that Costa Ricans gave themselves, due to their linguistic tendency to add the diminutive “tico” to the end of words.

What is the pink fruit in Costa Rica? ›

Guava | Guayaba

There are three “guavas” on our list, but this is the OG – the original guava of Costa Rica fruits! Its bitter rind protects a gorgeous, light pink interior with hard seeds.

What fruit is Costa Rica known for? ›

Bananas are Costa Rica's main export. The banana industry is a vital part of Costa Rica's economy and employs many people in rural areas of the country. Bananas are a popular fruit in the U.S. and other countries, but many people are used to imported bananas.

What ingredients are used in Costa Rica? ›

Basic elements. Rice and beans are included in nearly every Costa Rican meal, especially breakfast. Potatoes are another Costa Rican staple, part of the starch-rich Tico diet. Pork and beef are the most commonly eaten meats, but chicken and fish dishes are also widely available, especially on the Caribbean coast.

Where does arroz con leche come from? ›

Originating from arabic culture, this dish was introduced into Spain centuries ago during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. Cinnamon, raisins, vanilla, or lemon is added for additional flavor, and is acceptable to be served hot or cold. There are several variations throughout the hispanic world.

References

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