Many prefer dairy-free and gluten-free alternatives to the traditional dairy foods (e.g., noodle kugels, cheese blintzes, and cheesecake) served on Shavuot. This vegan recipe uses short grain sweet brown rice as the base for a rich pudding. Sweet brown rice takes on a creamy texture, yet keeps its chewy texture after simmering for awhile, ideal for a satisfying rice pudding.
Serve this healthy, gluten-free recipe for Shavuot, or year-round, even for breakfast. A dash of cardamom and fresh mango take you to a far-off land.
- In a medium pot, combine the sweet brown rice, cardamom, banana, mango, almond milk, and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer 30-35 minutes, until the rice is tender. Remove the lid and cook another minute, just to “tighten up” the rice into a creamy pudding.
- Serve the pudding into bowls. Top with extra diced mango.
Chef Katie Simmons' Tips
- If you can’t find sweet brown rice, substitute with another short grain brown rice, purple sticky rice, or brown sushi rice.
- Save over-ripe bananas in the freezer: Simply peel, break into pieces, and store in a plastic bag. When ready to make this recipe, thaw out in your refrigerator overnight.
- You can use leftover rice pudding for sticky rice balls. Once completely cooled, just portion off about 1 tablespoon, roll into ball, and chill until ready to snack.
Chef Katie Simmons is a classically-trained personal chef in Chicago. Her journey to cooking has been a winding path from Kentucky to backpacking in New Zealand through culinary school at Kendall College and working for Whole Foods Market. Her own frustrations of being an overweight fitness professional finally led her to embrace a plant-based, vegan diet.
