Authentic Honduran Arroz Con Leche Recipe

A meal is not complete until you have dessert. In Honduras, this is not an exception. Honduran cuisine is simple to make and is usually made with the purpose of religiously sharing a meal with your family. At least in my home, my parents established the rule of eating “as a family,” where we were all expected to wait for each other to sit down on the dining room table and share a meal together. To this day, I thank them for raising me with a strong sense of family unity and for teaching me the best of Honduran cuisine, including this authentic arroz con leche recipe.

Arroz con leche is a classic dessert all around Central America. It’s similar to rice pudding, but has the final kick added with the cinnamon spice. Apart from being super simple to make, it is an all-time comfort food that most, if not all, Hondurans have grown up loving and appreciating. 

Authentic Honduran Arroz Con Leche Recipe

• Prep Time:5 mins
• Cook Time:40 mins
• Total Time:45 mins
• Servings:8
• Easy

Ingredients

• 1 cup white rice
• 2 cups milk
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 100 g can sweetened condensed milk
• cinnamon sticks and ground cinnamon to taste

• Step 1

  Before you begin gathering your ingredients, wash the rice that you will be using thoroughly with water. In a big cooking pot, bring the water to a boil.

  

• Step 2

  Add the rice, sugar, and cinnamon sticks to the boiling water and let it cook for approximately 30 minutes. Once the rice is fully cooked, add in the milk and the sweetened condensed milk.
  
  #spoontip: if you'd like a thicker consistency, drain the rice before adding the milk.

  

• Step 3

  Cover the pot with its lid and let it cook for about 10 more minutes. Stir occasionally so that the rice does not clump together.

  

• Step 4

  Serve and enjoy hot or cold, you choose! Sprinkle ground cinnamon on top for more flavoring.

  

This Honduran-style arroz con leche recipe will hopefully give you a glimpse of all that Honduran cuisine, specifically dessert is about—simplicity and palatable taste. This recipe will have you coming back for more (and trust me, that’s totally acceptable).