Coconut Rice Pudding

* This is a sponsored post for Hermesetas *
This super creamy rice pudding, that happens to be vegan too, is total comfort food with a tropical twist. Coconut milk not only makes it rich and creamy, but adds that tropical taste to it, which is just enhanced with the sweet caramelised pineapple on top. What's even better is this Coconut Rice Pudding is much lighter than most, as we have sweetened it with Hermesetas Granulated Sweetener.

I am sure we all have happy childhood memories of rice pudding. It was always served up in the school canteen (topped with jam) and we would also open a can of it on a weekend as an after Sunday dinner treat.

We have taken a childhood classic and given it a quick and easy tropical twist with coconut and pineapple.

It can be tempting to just buy a tin of it, but it is so easy to make it yourself with just a few ingredients that you probably already have in your cupboard and fridge. Making it yourself means you can control exactly what goes in to it too, and make it lower in sugar.

Jump to:

• Why should you try it?
• Step by step
• What is Hermesetas?
• Topping
• FAQs
• Extra Tips:
• More recipes that use Hermesetas
• Recipe card

Why should you try it?

Step by step

One: Put the rice into a pan.

Two: Add the coconut milk, almond milk, 3 tbsp Hermesetas Granulated Sweetener and vanilla extract.

Three: Put on a medium heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and gently cook for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is thick and creamy and the rice is tender.

Four: While the rice is cooking, chop the pineapple in to 1 inch/2cm chunks. Tip: To see how to store the leftover pineapple, look at our post on how to reduce food waste.

Five: Put the pineapple and rest of the sweetener into a frying pan.

Six: Gently heat for 10 minutes.

Seven: Spoon the cooked rice pudding in to bowls and top with cooked pineapple, coconut flakes and a dusting of nutmeg.

What is Hermesetas?

Hermesetas is a sugar alternative and one teaspoon provides the same degree of sweetness as a teaspoon of sugar, but with no or a very low amount of calories. Switching sugar to low calorie sweeteners, like Hermesetas, can reduce your daily calorie intake by 10% and lead to a statistically significant weight loss of 0.2kg (0.44lbs) a week.

The best thing is, it's such a simple swap as you just replace it for the same amount of sugar you would have used.

Don't just take our word for it - NHS Choices says: “Like sugar, sweeteners provide a sweet taste but what sets them apart is that, after consumption, they don’t increase blood sugar levels”.

I have struggled with sugar crashes in the past and desserts like this would usually cause me to have a sugar crash about an hour later, but that doesn’t happen since I have made this swap.

We have been using Hermesetas Granulated Sweetener in our baking, sweet breakfast and hot drinks for about a year now and I have noticed such a difference in my energy levels, but no difference in taste of our recipes.

Where can I buy it?

It is readily available too and you can pick it up in Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Savers and independent pharmacies and it’s also easy to use in all your favourite sweet treats.

Have you tried our Apple Hand Pies or Healthy Chocolate Raspberry Brownies? They both use this sweetener.

All Hermesetas products are heat-stable, so they won’t lose their sweetness even when exposed to the high temperatures involved in baking. Don’t be nervous about making this swap with all your favourite recipes, as it’s a really easy swap.

Head over to the Hermesetas website to find some more childhood memory recipes - sweet but low in calories, supporting healthy diet swaps.

Topping

As the main flavour of the rice pudding is coconut, we wanted to stick with the tropical flavours and went with pineapple and some extra coconut. But you could really use anything.

Not a fan of pineapple? Swap it for mango and cook it in the same way. You could even caramelise some bananas to go on top.

Keep it simple and go with some homemade jam or chocolate chips, or it is good plain too. We have also topped with with peanut butter, berries, chopped nuts and pomegranate.

FAQs

Extra Tips:

• You can swap the coconut and almond milk for any kind of milk, but it won't be as creamy.
• Swap the pineapple for mango, but cook it in the same way, to mix things up a bit.
• You can cook this in the slow cooker on high for 2-2.5 hours, but you might need to add a little bit more milk towards the end if it is too thick.
• You can freeze this in individual portions or keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Just make sure it has cooled completely before putting it in the fridge or freezer.
• If you don't want to use sweetener, you can use brown sugar, but this will alter the nutritional values considerably.
• To see how to store the leftover pineapple, look at our post on how to reduce food waste.

More recipes that use Hermesetas

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