⏱ Prep: 10 min 🔥Cook: 45 min ❄️Chill: 3 hrs 👤Serves: 4–6
Turkish rice pudding, sutlac, is the dessert sold in nearly every muhallebici, the milk-pudding shops scattered across Turkey that specialize in nothing but creamy, comforting things like this. Rice simmered slowly in milk until soft, thickened with cornstarch rather than eggs, poured into individual dishes and broiled until the top turns deep golden brown and slightly bubbled. No fuss, no special equipment. Just patience and a good broiler.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup short-grain rice, rinsed well. Short-grain rice releases more starch as it cooks, which helps thicken the pudding naturally alongside the cornstarch.
- 1 cup water, for cooking the rice first, before the milk goes in
- 5 cups whole milk, whole milk only. Lower-fat milk makes a thinner, less creamy pudding.
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup whole milk, reserved separately, for mixing with the cornstarch into a smooth slurry
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or 1 teaspoon rose water, or both. Either is traditional.
- Pinch of salt
- Ground cinnamon, for dusting at the end, optional
Step by step
- Cook the rice in water first. Place the rinsed rice and water in a pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the water is mostly absorbed and the rice is soft, about 10 minutes.Cooking the rice in water before adding milk keeps it from sticking to the bottom of the pot the way it would if it went straight into milk. It also lets the rice fully soften without the milk scorching.
- Add the milk. Pour in the 5 cups of milk. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20–25 minutes, stirring frequently, until the rice is fully tender and the milk has reduced slightly.
- Thicken with cornstarch. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch into the reserved ½ cup of milk until completely smooth with no lumps. Pour this slurry into the pot in a steady stream while stirring constantly. Add the sugar and salt. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring, for 10–15 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly. The pudding will still look thinner than you expect at this stage, almost like a thick drinkable yogurt rather than a firm pudding. This is correct. It firms up properly once chilled.
- Finish and divide. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla or rose water. Divide the mixture evenly between 4–6 oven-safe ramekins, leaving a little space at the top since the pudding puffs slightly under the broiler.
- Broil until golden. Preheat the broiler. Place the ramekins on a baking tray and broil on high, watching closely, until the tops turn deep golden brown with a few darker bubbled spots, usually just a few minutes. Do not walk away; broilers move from perfect to burnt very quickly.
- Cool and chill. Let the ramekins cool to room temperature on the counter, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until fully set and cold. Dust with cinnamon before serving if using.
Why it looks thin until it’s cold
Sutlac is one of the few puddings where the finished texture has almost nothing to do with how it looks coming off the stove. Hot, it pours like a thick drinkable yogurt. Cold, after a few hours in the fridge, it sets into something properly spoonable. Resist the urge to keep cooking it longer on the stove to thicken it further, overcooking on the stove just risks scorching the milk, and the real thickening happens in the fridge.
Make it your own
Claire’s note
Rose water and orange blossom water are both traditional flavorings here, and either one turns this into something a little more floral and special-occasion. A spoonful of kaymak (Turkish clotted cream) on top is the indulgent way it’s often served in Turkey. Sutlac keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days, it actually firms up a little more by day two. Skip freezing; the texture doesn’t hold up well once thawed.
Serve with
Turkish rice pudding is its own dessert and needs nothing alongside it beyond a light dusting of cinnamon or a few crushed pistachios. For more from the Turkish collection the complete Middle east recipes guide has it all.
Add Turkish rice pudding to your weekly meal planner, make a batch on the weekend and have dessert ready all week. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.
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Turkish Rice Pudding (Sutlac)
- Total Time: 195 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A creamy and comforting Turkish rice pudding thickened with cornstarch and topped with a golden broiled finish.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup short-grain rice, rinsed well
- 1 cup water
- 5 cups whole milk
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup whole milk, reserved separately
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or rose water
- Pinch of salt
- Ground cinnamon, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the rice in water first. Place the rinsed rice and water in a pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the water is mostly absorbed and the rice is soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add the milk. Pour in the 5 cups of milk. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20–25 minutes, stirring frequently, until the rice is fully tender and the milk has reduced slightly.
- Thicken with cornstarch. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch into the reserved ½ cup of milk until completely smooth. Pour this slurry into the pot while stirring constantly. Add the sugar and salt. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring, for 10–15 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly.
- Finish and divide. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla or rose water. Divide the mixture evenly between 4–6 oven-safe ramekins.
- Broil until golden. Preheat the broiler. Place the ramekins on a baking tray and broil on high, watching closely, until the tops turn deep golden brown.
- Cool and chill. Let the ramekins cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until fully set and cold. Dust with cinnamon before serving if using.
Notes
Sutlac keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days. It firms up more by day two. A spoonful of kaymak can be served on top for extra indulgence.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop & Broiling
- Cuisine: Turkish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 44g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 8g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
