Vegan Rice Pudding with Apple Purée

Have you ever noticed how certain foods can bring back so many memories? This is one of the many reasons I love cooking so much. Last week I made a Rice Pudding with Apple Puree recipe I used to eat with my dad when I was a kid, we both loved it, it was one of my favourite dishes and until this day it still remains on top of the list.

This Rice Pudding has become a comfort food at home, and I love that it's so simple to make. I've veganised the original recipe by switching a few ingredients but there are certain things where I follow mum's recipe to the dot to make sure I'm getting it right. 

First of all, it is crucial to use the right kind of rice to get that comforting consistency that pudding has. Whenever I've used something different it just doesn't come out the same, so I religiously stick to medium size grain rice.

Also, I would recommend cooking everything from scratch, that's one of the main reasons that make this recipe so special. Your whole house will smell amazing if you make your own apple sauce, it's quite easy to make and the taste is worth the effort. You can even make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge in an air tight container after you opened it.

Since I am trying to cut down on sugar wherever I possibly can, whenever I make apple sauce I don't add any processed sugar. For this recipe I just was stirring in some maple syrup to add a bit of sweetness; you won’t need much, the natural sweetness of the fruit will be just fine. If you opt for the store bought apple sauce, get one without sugar so your pudding doesn't turn out to be overly sweet. 

When you reduce the amount of sugar you're consuming on a regular basis your body goes through a detox period, at the beginning you might crave it a lot, depending on how much sugar you were consuming before, but this doesn't last long and the benefits are worth keep pushing through. 

If you keep limiting your sugar consumption your body will completely adjust and you won't crave sweets as much. And the best part is that when you do eat sweets, because we all need some sugar sometimes, you won't have to use as much as before to get your tastes buds satisfied.

Since this recipe is not too sweet it's a great option to have not only as a dessert, you can definitely have a bowl for breakfast or make it a cheeky snack when those sweet cravings kick in.

I love making this recipe for my family when we are having a stay-in weekend but since it's so easy to scale, it's also a good option to bring to a party o gathering, it's easy enough to pack and take with you, putting it together isn't too much fuss either and it's always a big hit.