Pistachio Rice Pudding
Instant rice, milk powder, and cranberries left to sit until it thickens. Nuts go on last so they stay crunchy.
- calories
- 610
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 122
- protein
- 17 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 2 min
- total time
- 4 min
- water
- 180 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Dessert
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant rice | 1/2 cup | instant brown rice works, but only in the pot |
|---|---|---|
| Dried cranberries | 1/4 cup | |
| Powdered milk | 1/4 cup | |
| Brown sugar | 1 tbsp | packed |
| Ground cinnamon | 1/2 tsp | |
| Pistachios | 1/4 cup | chopped, lightly salted and roasted; about 50 shelled nuts |
Method
- Boil 180 ml of water.
- Dump the rice, cranberries, milk powder, sugar, and cinnamon into the pot and stir until no dry powder is left on the surface.
- Lid on, stove off. Set the pot aside for 15 minutes. Use a cozy or wrap it in a jacket if it is cold out.
- Stir again, then scatter the pistachios over the top and eat.
This is a soak, not a simmer. Instant rice is already cooked and dried, so hot water and a covered fifteen minutes do all the work while the stove sits cold. Cutting the heat early is what keeps the pot bottom clean and the fuel use to a single short boil.
The milk powder is the structural piece. It thickens as the rice swells and turns the water into something that coats the grains instead of pooling under them. Cranberries pull in a little of that liquid too, which is why 3/4 cup of water is enough. Nuts go on at the end because anything crunchy stirred in at the start comes out of a cozy soft.
Packing
Everything but the nuts goes in one sandwich bag at home. Pistachios ride in their own small bag, added at the end so they do not go soft.
Variations
- Swap the milk powder for powdered soy, rice, or finely grated creamed coconut to make it dairy-free.
- Rehydrate in a quart freezer bag inside a cozy instead of the pot if you would rather not scrub rice out of titanium.
- Hold back a few whole pistachios and drop them on top.
https://trailcooking.com/breakfast/breakfast-pistachio-rice-pudding