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Two bowls of risalamande next to golden spoons
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5 from 11 votes

Risalamande (Danish Christmas Rice Pudding)

I love the tradition of serving Ris a La Mande (Danish Rice Pudding) on Little Christmas Eve! A delicious, traditional dessert if you have Danish roots!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Danish
Keyword: Rice Pudding
Servings: 16
Calories: 194kcal
Author: Erica Walker

Ingredients

For the rice pudding:

  • 1/2 cup Arborio rice (it MUST be this kind of rice)
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 3 Tablespoons vanilla sugar (do NOT use vanilla extract...this can be tricky to find, see above)
  • 3 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 cup almonds finely chopped using knife
  • 2 1/4 cups whipping cream whipped

For the sauce:

  • 2 cups frozen raspberries
  • 2 Tablespoons water
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 Tablespoons water

Instructions

RICE PUDDING:

  • Bring milk to a simmer slowly in a large pot over low heat.
    Milk in a Dutch oven
  • Add rice, keep simmering until rice is tender, stir every 3 min or so to prevent rice and/or milk burning at the bottom. This step takes approx 40 minutes. 
    Arborio rice in a Dutch oven with milk being stirred
  • While the rice is simmering you can make the raspberry sauce and chop the almonds.
    Raspberry sauce in a bowl
  • When rice is tender and has thickened, remove from heat and let it cool slightly.
    Softened rice on a spoon to make rice pudding
  • Add vanilla sugar, sugar and almonds.
    Arborio rice in a Dutch oven with milk being stirred
  • Fold in whipped cream.
    Whipped cream being folded into rice pudding to make risalamande
  • Keep warm or chill before serving (we actually like the rice pudding warm... but some like it chilled. Either way works).
    Whipped cream being folded into rice pudding
  • Serve with raspberry sauce or warm cherry sauce.
    A bowl of risalamande with warm raspberry sauce

SAUCE:

  • In medium sauce pan, place frozen raspberries and 2 Tablespoons of water, heat until thawed, add sugar and stir. Let simmer for approx. 3-5 minutes.
    Frozen raspberries in a saucepan with sugar
  • Strain seeds (catching the juices/pulp over a bowl), discard seeds and put juices back in the sauce pan.
    Raspberries being pressed through a strainer to remove seeds
  • Mix cornstarch with water and add to the sauce SLOWLY to thicken. You probably won't need all the mixture. This step can be omitted if you want a more natural and thinner sauce.
    Raspberries being simmered into a sauce on a stovetop
  • Serve sauce warm.
    Raspberry sauce in a bowl

Notes

A note on the serving size: 
This recipe makes approximately 8 cups of rice pudding. With the serving size of 1/2 cup for a dessert, this recipe will serve 16. If serving 3/4 cup per serving, it will serve 12. If serving 1 cup per serving, it will serve 8. 
Storing leftovers: This risalamande dessert can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for five to seven days.

Nutrition

Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.001g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 45mg | Potassium: 230mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 224IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 1mg