Sutlac

My Sutlac is a creamy Turkish rice pudding made with milk, rice, sugar, cream, and vanilla. The rice cooks slowly in the milk until it is completely soft and starts to break down, thickening the pudding naturally without cornstarch, rice flour, or eggs.

You can serve this Turkish rice pudding chilled with cinnamon and chopped nuts, or brown the top under the grill for Fırın Sütlaç. The baked version has the dark, blistered top often seen in Turkish restaurants, while regular Sütlaç stays pale and silky.

Jump to:

• What is Sutlac?
• Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredients You'll Need
• How to Make Sutlac
• Recipe Tips From the Chef
• Serving Suggestions
• Make Ahead and Storage
• Recipe FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Sutlac Dessert - Turkish Rice Pudding

The main thing to remember is that Sutlac should still look slightly loose when you take it off the heat. It thickens much more as it cools, so cooking it until it looks very thick in the saucepan can leave you with a pudding that is too firm after chilling.

From a Reader’s Kitchen

“I have made this 4 times now in the past week. I follow the recipe exactly as it’s written and it turns out perfect every time.”
Andrea

What is Sutlac?

Sütlaç is a Turkish rice pudding made by cooking rice in milk with sugar until the rice is very soft and the milk has thickened.

You will find Sutlac in Turkish homes, restaurants, pastanes, and muhallebici shops. A muhallebici is a traditional shop that specializes in milk desserts such as Muhallebi, Keskul, Kazandibi, Tavuk Göğsü, and Sütlaç.

There is no single version of Sutlac. Some cooks prefer a thick, firmly set pudding with lots of rice, while others make it looser with fewer rice grains. Some recipes add rice flour or cornstarch for a firmer texture. My recipe is naturally thickened by the starch from the rice, which gives it a softer and creamier finish.

Sutlac is different from Muhallebi. Muhallebi is smooth and uniform, usually thickened with rice flour or cornstarch. Sutlac contains whole rice grains, which contribute to its texture.

Sutlac and Fırın Sütlaç

Regular Sutlac is cooked on the stove, divided into bowls, cooled, and chilled. It is usually finished with ground cinnamon, chopped hazelnuts, walnuts, or pistachios.

Fırın Sütlaç means oven baked rice pudding. The pudding is first cooked on the stove in the same way, then poured into small oven safe bowls and browned under a hot broiler.

The water bath is worth doing for Fırın Sütlaç. It gives the bowls gentler heat from below while the broiler browns the top. Fill the roasting pan halfway up the sides of the ramekins with hot water, taking care not to splash any into the pudding.

Why This Recipe Works

• Short grain rice releases enough natural starch to thicken the milk without cornstarch, rice flour, or eggs.

• Whole milk and cream give the pudding a rich texture without making it overly heavy.

• The recipe gives you two serving options. Make chilled Sutlac for a pale, creamy pudding or turn it into Fırın Sütlaç with a browned top.

• The sugar goes in after the rice has started to soften, so you can clearly see how much the rice has thickened the milk.

• You can make it a day ahead, which gives the pudding time to chill and set properly.

Ingredients You'll Need

Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.

• Milk - Use whole milk for the best flavor and texture. This recipe relies on the rice to thicken the pudding naturally, so skim milk or low-fat milk can leave it too thin. Use fresh pasteurized milk. There is no need to use unpasteurized milk to make homemade Sutlac.

• Rice - Baldo rice is a traditional choice for Sutlac. Osmancık and Tosya rice also work well. Arborio, pudding rice, and sushi rice are good alternatives if you cannot find Turkish rice. Do not rinse the rice. The starch on the grains helps thicken the milk. Broken rice also works well and cooks more quickly. Start checking the rice around 10 minutes earlier if you use it.

• Cream - Heavy cream (double cream in the U.K.) gives the pudding a richer texture. You can leave it out if needed, but the finished Sutlac will be less rich. Do not add extra milk in its place unless you prefer a looser pudding.

• Vanilla - Vanilla paste, vanilla extract, or vanilla sugar all work. Vanilla sugar is commonly used in Turkey and gives Sutlac a familiar bakery style flavor.

• Sugar - Caster sugar or granulated sugar both work well. The amount in the recipe gives a lightly sweet pudding, but you can add a little more if you prefer a sweeter dessert.

• Toppings - Ground cinnamon is most often used on plain chilled Sutlac. Chopped pistachios, hazelnuts, and walnuts are all good choices. I usually keep the toppings simple, especially for Fırın Sütlaç, so the browned surface stays the focus.

How to Make Sutlac

Add the milk and unrinsed rice to a large heavy-based saucepan. Set the pan over low heat and bring the milk to a gentle simmer. Don't be tempted to wash it, as we need the starch from the rice to thicken our pudding!

Stir often from the beginning, scraping across the base of the pan each time. Rice settles at the bottom quickly and can catch before you notice it.

Cook the rice for 35 to 40 minutes. It should swell, soften, and start to release starch into the milk. Add the sugar, cream, and vanilla once the rice has softened. Continue cooking over low heat for another 35 to 45 minutes, stirring regularly. The rice should be completely soft with no firm center left. Taste a grain before taking the pan off the heat. It should almost melt when you press it against the roof of your mouth.

The pudding should coat the spoon and leave a trail across the base of the pan for a second or two before slowly filling back in.

Do not cook it until it becomes very thick in the pan. It will continue to thicken as it cools.

How to Make Chilled Sutlac

Divide the hot pudding between small serving bowls. Leave them uncovered until they are no longer steaming, then refrigerate within two hours.

Chill for at least 3 hours before serving. The pudding will set as it cools. Sprinkle with cinnamon or chopped nuts just before serving.

How to Make Fırın Sütlaç

Heat your oven broiler to its highest setting.

Divide the hot pudding between oven safe ramekins or small clay bowls. Leave about ½ inch or 1 cm of space at the top because the pudding can rise slightly under the broiler.

Place the ramekins in a deep roasting pan. Carefully pour hot water into the pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the bowls.

Put the pan under the hot broiler and cook until the tops have dark golden brown patches. This usually takes 5 to 10 minutes, but broilers vary a lot, so check them closely from the 4 minute mark.

Rotate the pan halfway through if one side browns faster than the other.

Let the ramekins cool slightly before lifting them from the water bath. Chill before serving for the traditional finish, or serve warm if you prefer. 

Recipe Tips From the Chef

• Use a wide, heavy-based saucepan. It gives you more surface area for stirring and makes it easier to prevent the rice from catching on the bottom.

• Keep the heat low. Sutlac needs a gentle simmer, not a rapid boil.

• Stir more often during the first 30 to 40 minutes, when the rice is most likely to settle at the bottom of the pan.

• Do not rely only on the cooking time. Different rice varieties soften at different speeds. Taste the rice before deciding it is ready.

• The pudding should look slightly looser than you expect before chilling. A firm pudding in the pan can become too thick after a few hours in the refrigerator.

• If the pudding looks too thick before you portion it, stir in a small splash of warm milk.

• If it thickens too much after chilling, stir a spoonful of cold milk into each serving before eating.

• Do not overfill the ramekins for Fırın Sütlaç. Leave room at the top so the pudding does not spill into the water bath.

• Keep water out of the ramekins. Even a small splash can spoil the smooth top.

Serving Suggestions

Serve chilled Sutlac after a Turkish meal with a cup of Turkish tea - Cay or black tea.

It is a light finish after Chicken Shish Kebab and Turkish Rice, or you can have it as a snack when feeling peckish.

You can also serve it as part of a Turkish dessert table with Pistachio Baklava, Şekerpare, or Revani.

Make Ahead and Storage

Sutlac is best after it has chilled for a few hours, so making it a day ahead works very well.

Keep the bowls covered in the refrigerator and eat them within 3 to 4 days.

I do not recommend freezing Sutlac. The milk can separate after thawing and the rice becomes softer and grainier.

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes

For more delicious Turkish desserts why not try:

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

I hope you enjoy the process of making this light and creamy Turkish rice pudding "Sutlac" as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂