Rice Pudding

This low-FODMAP rice pudding uses lactose-free milk and maple syrup in place of regular milk and honey, then finishes with a strawberry-blueberry sauce kept within Monash serving limits.

Prep 10 min

Cook 40 min

Serves 4

Gluten-freeVegetarian

Ingredients

For the pudding:

• 3/4 cup (150g) arborio or short-grain white rice
• 4 cups (960ml) lactose-free whole milk
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons (45ml) pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or 1 cinnamon stick)
• Optional: 2 tablespoons lactose-free cream or extra lactose-free milk, to loosen at the end

For the berry sauce:

• 1 cup (about 150g) strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1/2 cup (75g) blueberries
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or white/cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water

Portion note: lactose-free milk is low-FODMAP at 1 cup. Strawberries have a tested serving of 10 medium and blueberries 20 berries (about 40g); maple syrup is low-FODMAP up to 1 tablespoon (20g). Split across 4 bowls, each serving carries roughly a quarter of the berries and about 1 tablespoon of maple syrup total, within every cap. Check the Monash app for current tested serving sizes if you scale the recipe up.

Instructions

Cook the rice pudding

1. Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear, then drain.
2. Combine the rice, lactose-free milk, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring often so the rice does not stick.
3. Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered, stirring every few minutes, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the rice is tender and the mixture is thick and creamy. It will thicken more as it cools.
4. Stir in the maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. If the pudding is thicker than you like, stir in the lactose-free cream or a splash more milk.

Make the berry sauce

1. Combine the strawberries, blueberries, maple syrup, lemon juice, and water in a small saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the berries soften and release their juice and the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Mash a few berries for a looser sauce.
3. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Serve

1. Spoon the warm pudding into bowls and top each with the berry sauce. Serve warm, or chill and serve cold.

Tips & Substitutions

• Use lactose-free dairy. Lactose-free whole milk is low-FODMAP and gives the creamiest result. Regular cow's milk adds lactose, the FODMAP you are avoiding here.
• Sweeten with maple or cane sugar. Both are low-FODMAP in normal amounts. Skip honey and agave, which are high in fructose, and avoid polyol "sugar-free" sweeteners like xylitol or maltitol.
• Keep the berries within range. Strawberries and blueberries are low-FODMAP at 10 medium berries and 20 berries per serving. This recipe stays well under both across four bowls, so scale the sauce carefully if you make extra.
• Pick the right rice. Short-grain or arborio white rice breaks down into a creamy pudding. Brown rice works too but stays chewier and needs a little more liquid and time.
• Make it dairy-free. Swap the lactose-free milk for almond milk, or a low-FODMAP oat milk labeled as such (check the label for added inulin or chicory root). The pudding will be a little thinner and less rich.
• Warm or cold both work. Serve it straight from the pot, or chill it until set. Cold pudding firms up, so stir in a splash of lactose-free milk to loosen it back up.

Why This Works

• Lactose-free milk carries no lactose. Regular milk's FODMAP is lactose. Lactose-free milk has the same taste and body with the lactose already broken down, so it stays low-FODMAP even at a full cup per serving.
• White rice is naturally low-FODMAP. Rice has no meaningful FODMAP load at normal serving sizes, which makes it a safe base for a large, filling dessert.
• Maple syrup instead of honey. Honey is high in excess fructose. Maple syrup is low-FODMAP up to 1 tablespoon, so it sweetens the pudding without the fructose load.
• Small berry portions. Strawberries and blueberries only become a problem in larger amounts. A quarter of the sauce per bowl keeps each serving under the tested limits.

Storage

Store leftover pudding and berry sauce in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. The pudding thickens as it chills, so reheat it gently on the stove or in the microwave with a splash of lactose-free milk to loosen it. The berry sauce also keeps 3 days refrigerated, or freeze it for up to 1 month. Keep servings to about one bowl to stay within the berry limits.

Not sure about an ingredient? The FODMAP Foods app rates 1,000+ foods low, moderate, or high FODMAP, with the safe portion for each, so you can cook with confidence.