Riskrem (Rice Pudding) is a traditional Norwegian Christmas dessert, made from leftover rice porridge (recipe in this link) and whipped cream, with some sugar and vanilla added. Topped with a red berry or fruit sauce, it is fluffy and creamy with a little tang from the sauce. This dessert should not be confused with the rice pudding often found in grocery stores in the U.S., which tends to be overly sweet, the rice not as tender, and sometimes cinnamon added. Cinnamon has no place in Norwegian riskrem! My recipe delivers fluffy, creamy, and pleasantly sweet vanilla flavored riskrem, the rice kernels cooked until completely tender.
If you do try this recipe, I would really appreciate a quick comment with a star rating (option found immediately under each recipe). It helps me out tremendously! Thanks in advance!
How to Make Riskrem / Norwegian Rice Pudding
The first part in making this delicious dessert is to mix together a little bit of whole milk and 4 cups of leftover rice porridge, which should be stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Dilute with 1/2 cup whole milk, as rice porridge thickens as it sits. A rubber spatula makes it easier to mix together.
Next, prepare the whipped cream. Use well chilled heavy whipping cream, 2 cups in all, with 6 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon vanilla-sugar added.
You may be able to find vanilla sugar at certain super markets or specialty stores, perhaps in international sections. Otherwise, Amazon carries it as well; Just click this link to find it. If you are unable to find any you may also use vanilla extract, although it will cause your rice pudding to be slightly discolored. Using vanilla sugar will ensure a bright white rice pudding. The following picture was taken at an international store where I found some:
Using the wire attachment if your mixer comes with one, whip the cream until very fluffy and stiff peaks form. Be careful not to beat it to butter though!
Add the whipped cream to the rice and gently fold it in until blended together. Don’t over mix it; you’ll want the pudding to stay nice and fluffy. As you can see, the whipped cream is rather stiff, which makes for a thicker but fluffier pudding in the end.
The pudding is now mixed together and is very creamy, soft, and fluffy. Immediately place in the refrigerator until ready to serve, and store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Red Topping Sauce
The Norwegian tradition is to top the rice pudding with a red fruit or berry sauce, served on the side. I typically make the topping sauce before the pudding itself, as the sauce needs to chill for several hours. The riskrem is very quick to put together.
The sauce consists of only red juice and corn starch as thickening agent, so it is quite simple to make. Since the sauce will be added to the top of the rice pudding, the color is important. For the prettiest result I try to look for a red juice that leans toward pinks rather than the ones that have a slight brown tint to them. When you see the sauce against the white pudding, those differences do come through even if the juices look similar on the shelf at the store. I went hunting the other day, to find something to recommend:
Of concentrates (Old Orchard brand), which are nice to use as you can decide how strong to make the juice, these are the ones I tried:
The middle one, Apple Raspberry (which I thought would be the winner), surprised me by having a bit of that brown tint that I don’t like. Cherry Pomegranate to the left, and Cranberry Blend to the right, however, looked much better. I ended up preferring Cranberry Blend as I can’t quite accept cherry flavored sauce on my rice pudding. It just doesn’t do for the Norwegian in me (and since I’m all Norwegian, that’s a pretty big part!) The only thing about the cranberry blend was that it was a bit tart, so I added 1/3 c sugar to it when making the sauce. 1 can plus 2 c water was just right to get the perfect blend otherwise.
Of already mixed juices, these are the ones I chose to bring home to compare to the rest:
The true Berry Punch color does not come through very well in this picture, unfortunately. It looks pretty close to the color around the name “Berry Punch”, a pretty plum pink. This color works well in my opinion, to the contrary of Welch’s juice, which looks more orange.
How to Make the Topping Sauce
Mix together juice concentrate and water to a somewhat strong tasting juice for best flavor, or use regular pre-mixed juice. Measure up 3 cups, pour into a pot, and add 10 teaspoons corn starch (or potato starch). Mix well with a wire whisk until completely smooth. Also add a little sugar if the juice is tart, like cranberry blends can be. Just taste it and see what you think.
The whisk style in the picture below is commonly used in Norway and my absolute favorite! I just love how easy it makes it to whisk together batters, sauces and such; it just works so much better for me than the more commonly used whisks. Here’s a direct link to where you can find it on Amazon.
Bring to a boil while stirring occasionally. The juice will look cloudy when the corn starch is added, but will become transparent again once it comes to a boil. The sauce will seem very thin at this point.
Chill in the refrigerator while covered to prevent a membrane from forming. The sauce won’t thicken completely until cold. When the sauce is completely chilled, whisk well to achieve a uniform texture, otherwise it will seem gel-like and lumpy. If you think the sauce ends up too thick, just thin it with more juice. If it’s too thin, this is more difficult; you’ll need to add more cornstarch and bring it to a boil again, then cool down completely.
The sauce can also be served while still lukewarm if enough corn starch has been added, but it will then be necessary to thin the leftover sauce later as it continues to thicken.
Game time!
A fun Norwegian tradition when eating this delicious rice pudding, is to play a “who’s got the almond” game: One single almond is first blanched to remove the brown “skin”. The now creamy-white almond is then secretly mixed into the pudding in the serving bowl. It stays hidden as it blends in well. When serving and eating the pudding, the person who ends up finding it in a mouthful wins a prize. Traditionally, the prize is a chocolate covered marzipan pig.
This wonderful, traditional Norwegian rice pudding is usually only served for Christmas in Norway, and is a dessert that my family always looks very much forward to. For us, Christmas wouldn’t be the same without this fluffy, white and pleasantly sweet riskrem! Please consider leaving a comment and star rating below if you decide to try my recipe, I would very much appreciate it! Thanks in advance!
- Topping sauce:
- Juice concentrate and water to make 3 cups somewhat strong tasting juice
- 10 teaspoons corn starch (3 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon)
- Rice Pudding:
- 4 cups rice porridge leftovers
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 half-pint cartons (or 2 cups altogether) heavy whipping cream
- 6 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, but vanilla sugar strongly preferred)
- Prepare the topping sauce by whisking together juice and cornstarch until smooth and no lumps remain.
- Bring to a boil while stirring, until thickened.
- Cool while covered, until well chilled.
- Beat again with a wire whisk if needed, until smooth.
- Rice Pudding:
- Mix together cold rice porridge leftovers and milk. Set aside.
- Beat heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold whipped cream into porridge until blended together, careful not to beat air out of the whipped cream.
- Serve with the topping sauce on the side.
This looks delicious! I might have to make this for the holidays…after all Dave is Norweigian!! How do I get rice porridge?
Hope you’ll love it as much as we do! To get rice porridge, click the link toward the very top of this post, or go to the main page and find Traditional Norwegian Risgrøt, Rice Pudding Recipe under the category “Holiday”. Here’s a direct link as well (hope it works): http://thecountrybasket.com/norwegian-riskrem-rice-pudding-christmas-dessert-recipe/
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I lived for a few years in Norway, and absolutely LOVE Christmas there. This recipe along with your risgrøt recipe have made my Christmas feel a little more complete! Awesome job, and thanks again! God jul!
Thank you so much, what a fun comment to receive! I’m glad to hear you found my post helpful and that you enjoyed these recipes! My kids always look forward to these foods during Christmas; we eat risgrøt for lunch Christmas Eve, then riskrem for dessert from the leftovers for however long they last. Now that my kids are getting older and eating more, I usually have to repeat the process a few days after Christmas since we finish everything too soon (even though I double the risgrøt recipe), before we’ve had out fill. Nobody complains when I make more!
God yule
My (foster) brother is Norwegian and I just had Christmas eve dinner with them, and we ended the meal with rice porridge to which he added cream and then topped with Lingonberry jam. Amazing how much a person can eat when already full!
His recipe is nearly identical to yours, tho he used cardamom. I shall make this for myself.
Thank you so much! This was a very delicious and well described recipe. It turned out almost as good as I remembered from my two years in Norway. Brought back such wonderful memories.
I used a Bacardi berry concentrate, and the color and flavor were wonderful. I added the 5 tsp of cornstarch, but even after chillimg it overnight, it was very runny. I have some left, so i will try to bring it to a boil again and add some more starch.
Wow, can’t believe I missed your comment earlier, sorry about that! Thank you for your comment and for sharing your experience with the sauce. I agree that it can be a bit runny, so I’ve changed the recipe to use 10 tsp instead of 5. That seems to work better.
i know this is an old post, but we love your recipe! my hubby is from norway and we always make your recipes ! thank you so much for posting them all! 🙂
That’s wonderful to hear! Thanks for letting me know! My kids can’t wait for Christmas season and riskrem, but they have this odd way of mixing the red sauce into the riskrem so it turns pink, and that’s just not how it’s done! It really disturbs me, but that’s how they like it. Haha! In Norway it always stays on top and you grab a little of both on each spoonful. THAT’S how a good Norwegian does it. 🙂
I make the sauce with defrosted frozen raspberries mashed thru a strainer plus cornstarch, sugar brought to a simmer. Thin with water if desired.
That sounds delicious!
Every year we would have this for Christmas. This year dynamics have changed and I had neglected to get the recipe from my sister or my aunt who were the ones to make it. I resorted to going to the internet and in doing so I found your recipe, it sounded closest to the pudding that my family members made. The recipe is perfect! Sometimes they would use a product called Junket Danish Dessert it works but I prefer raspberry juice thickened with cornstarch etc. Thank you so much for posting this, I’m so grateful you posted this.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! It is so nice to be able to make those special dishes, which is why I decided to share in the first place. Many people really miss these foods, so I’m always happy when I can help by sharing recipes. Thank you for leaving a comment and a 5 star rating! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!
Hei! I haven’t made risengrot or riskrem for my family in a while and they’ve asked for both, so it looks like I’ll be heading to IKEA this week for some ingredients. I don’t want the red sauce to be too sweet, and I wondered if you’ve every made the sauce from the IKEA lignon saft? I’ll try the cranberry juice concentrate as well.
One more question: Have you ever used a pressure cooker to make the risengrot? I was going to try that and treat it like risotto. Any thoughts on that?
I’m so happy to have found your blog. I’m always looking for good recipes and I like to bring some Norwegian foods and traditions into our family. (I lived and studied in Norway years ago.)
Mange takk!
Værsågod! Kjekt at du likte bloggen min! 🙂
I would think that the juice concentrates from IKEA would be excellent to use, just make sure it’s blended to be a little bit stronger than how you would drink it from a glass. If you have access to that, I don’t see why you should even try the cranberry concentrate, unless the IKEA juice is too sweet for you.
I have never cooked rice in a pressure cooker, so I have no idea how it would work for this recipe. Just keep in mind that milk tends to burn if the parts of the pot that is in direct contact with the heat source, is too thin. If you do try it, I would love to hear how it goes and what you think.
There will be more Norwegian recipes coming, so I hope you check back in again! 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
I now have experimented with making risgrøt in an electric pressure cooker. Here are a couple of good ways to do it: http://thecountrybasket.com/norwegian-risgrot-rice-porridge-pressure-cooker-recipe/
My mouth is watering!
We have riskrem also at other times in my family – I grew up with “grøt på lørdag, riskrem på søndag”, and cannot see why you reserve this yumminess only for Christmas! ;p
We make the sauce from raspberries, too – frozen or fresh. It doesn’t blend with the cream at all! We use potato flour for thickener – maybe that’s why? – 1tbsp dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water that is added slowly to the sauce made from 2dl water, 300g frozen berries, and 150g sugar (pressed through a sieve before adding thickener – scrape the outside of the sieve well). Bring to a boil again and boil until it thickens, and cool.
Yes, this sounds like way too little sauce, but there’s only the two of us, usually. You can double and triple the recipe as needed.
I have never tried adding vanilla sugar – that’s a great tips I surely will try some time! We add some finely chopped almonds instead.
Yeah, why wait until Christmas for something so yummy! I’ve never seen it served other times than during Christmas, and it does make Christmas extra special for us, so that’s why I refuse to make it other times of the year. 🙂 My kids can’t wait!!
Your raspberry sauce sounds heavenly!! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for posting this! My family just got back from Disney World, and one of the many highlights was having this dessert at Akershus (don’t know if I spelled that right), in Norway at the World Showcase in Epcot. Our waiter (who was Norwegian) told us more about it and encouraged us to try making it. That night was my favorite dinner. I can’t wait for Christmas to have this again!
How fun!! I’ve been there as well. 🙂 And you are correct on the spelling of Akershus. You should know about the showcase in Epcot, that some of the foods there are “Americanized”, meaning bigger and sweeter etc. The food is not necessarily fully authentic. But my recipe is. 😉 It just won’t necessarily taste exactly like Epcot’s. 😉
Thanks for this recipe, I was born in Norway, and was 8 before I came to Australia, I alway have miss this riskem as serve in Norway, am constantly looking for in supermarket, only to be disappointed everytime. Was so happy when I found this, I will try it out this Christmas. God jul. Tak
Værsågod! I’m glad you found my blog and riskrem recipe! I hope you’ll love making your own. My daughter and I just made a pot of risengrøt yesterday, which we enjoy now and again throughout the year. Riskrem, however, won’t be on the menu until Christmas. God Jul to you as well, and god appetitt!
The best red sauce is one my Norwegian grandmother makes with a package of frozen raspberries and a jar of red currant jelly. Cook on stove top and strain seeds. You can add a bit of arrowroot to thicken if need be but usually once chilled it’s becomes a beautiful and delicious sauce.
Sounds very yummy! Thank you for sharing and for your comment!
It is perfection. I didn’t have the supplies to make the red sauce, so I made a sauce our of strawberry preserves, some lemon juice, and some water. It turned out okay, but this rice pudding doesn’t even need it. We are excited to see who gets the almond this year!
I took a shortcut and bought Lingonberry jam from IKEA. Penzey’s carried vanilla sugar. What a yummy treat!
Great idea! Thanks for your comment!
cool! i will put this on my web!
Love at first taste!
Wonderful!
Hi Terese, We just found your 2 rice pudding recipes on line and being half Norwegian on my father’s side (scottish from my mom’s) my son and I are going to make both for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day this season. Thank you.
Carol
Thank you for your nice comment and star rating! I hope you and your son will love both dishes!
I made this for our Sons of Norway Julebord last night and got rave reviews! I used Langers frozen cranberry juice for the sauce and added a few drops of red food coloring. I only diluted the juice with one can of water, which was perfect.
I made this for our Sons of Norway Julebord last night and got rave reviews! I used Langers frozen cranberry juice for the sauce and added a few drops of red food coloring. I only diluted the juice with one can of water, which was perfect. I forgot to leave my rating before I submitted. A hearty 5 stars. God Jul.
Wow! How nice to hear! I’m so glad you shared it for others to enjoy as well! And thank you for the sauce idea, it is so nice to have some different options! I really appreciate the nice star rating and that you took the time to comment and rate this recipe! Thank you very much, and have a God Jul yourself as well!
Hello! My paternal grandma came from Norway, and my dad passed along to us his love of lefse, which I typically make at Christmas. When I saw this recipe, I had to add it to our menu. I don’t know if he is familiar with it, but it will be fun to find out!
My husband had a French Canadian uncle who brought the Christmas Eve tradition of meat pie (tourtière) to their family, which is what I have perpetuated. My extended family all come over Christmas Eve for tourtière, and those that want to, carry on to midnight Mass. I’m really looking forward to adding a Norwegian twist to the French Canadian menu. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing your traditions, how interesting and nice it sounds! It is so special to have certain things that you do during Christmas that is unique to your family! Sounds like you all have a fun time together, sharing in the French Canadian food and now maybe something Norwegian as well! Wishing you a wonderful Christmas celebration!
Nam-nam og God Jul & Godt Nytt År!
– Sånn litt på etterskudd, men bedre sent enn aldri.
This was *the best* recipe I’ve found, at home and here in the US. Well described and just as good as I remember Mamma’s. It was shared and enjoyed by Irish, English, Americans and this Norwegian alike – big hit! When making another random recipe last year and searching for a stand-in for the Lerum’s Solbær sirup we always used (right out of the bottle), I stumbled upon Smuckers Boysenberry Syrup. It is *so perfect* for this (right out of the bottle) and will be my staple with this recipe from this day onward. Cost Plus/World Markets also carry the Vanilla Sugar on their website as well as on the shelves of their stores, for those of you who have one in the vicinity.
Tusen takk for flott oppskrift og fine bilder! 🙂
Tusen takk for kjempefin kommentar, så koselig og kjekt å høre! I appreciate such a sweet comment and it is really fun to hear that you enjoyed this recipe so much! Also, thank you for the suggestions both regarding where to find vanilla sugar, and on the berry sauce. I’ll be very curious to try the Boysenberry syrup! Thanks again for taking the time to comment and leave a star rating, I appreciate it very much!
My husband lived in Norway for 18 months. This was one of the recipes he has always cherished. We make it periodically for parties, etc. I just barely made a batch of porridge so I can make this for a Christmas Party tomorrow. The only thing we do different – we just warm up some lingonberry or strawberry jam for the topping.
That’s nice that he really came to love this dessert! My kids think it is very special as well. It isn’t quite Christmas without it. The jam on top sounds good, whatever works. It makes it a little easier, too.
Question: It seems that you are serving this Riskrem cold. Can it be served hot as well? I’d like to make it for our traditional meal. We usually have Risengrøt before dinner, but I’m anxious to try this!
Yes, it should be served cold. I don’t think it would work very well to heat it due to the whipped cream, as the cream would probably not stay fluffy. Although you could try, of course. I suppose I’d put it in the oven then, covered, on lower heat, and avoid stirring it. I still think it will deflate a bit, but if you like it like that, then why not! 🙂
Otherwise, for a hot meal, tradition is to make risengrynsgrøt and eat that hot, and use the cold leftovers to make into riskrem. One more option is to add extra cream, sugar, and vanilla to your risengrynsgrøt and serve with red sauce of some kind, to make it more like a hot dessert than a lunch. I hope that helps give you some ideas!
It does, thank you! I think I’ll go with your original, served cold!
One more question… How far in advance can I cook the rice? We’re having it on Sunday and I was thinking about cooking the rice today. Or would Saturday be better?
Oh good! And it will keep in the refrigerator for several days, so Friday should definitely be fine if you’re using it on Sunday. I hope it will work out well for you!
Thank you! Thank you! Growing up in Montana my mother served Risengryn Grod every Sunday evening in fall and winter usually accompanied by crackers, cheese, sardines and hot chocolate. Her mother was Norwegian and her father Swedish and she spoke neither Norwegian or Swedish. She called Risengryn Grod,” milk and rice”. I assumed the milk and rice was an economic and easy meal after a week of cooking. Now I fully appreciate the origin of the meal. While looking for a recipe for the “milk and rice bowl” I stumbled across The Country Basket. I will be serving the Risengrn Grod this weekend and Riskrem for Christmas Day dessert.
I do wonder when rice became a staple in Norwegian cooking and where it ws imported from-Italy?
How nice! I hope you’ll love these recipes! I don’t know when rice was first imported to Norway. Interesting question though!
This has to be the best and easiest recipe. I started making this a few years ago and my family and friends look forward to it every Christmas. Thank you for keeping it up.
That’s absolutely wonderful to hear! I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know! Thank you!
Have been making this recipe every year since you posted it, and it is truly wonderful! Also, we have been following the much older tradition of adding more more whole milk or whipping cream each day and Re warming each day for the 12 days of Christmas. It has become a family tradition that is eagerly anticipated each year.
Interesting! How fun! Thank you for leaving a comment, it was nice to hear!
Hello Terese, I missed the Christmas Holiday being with my Norwegian family in NY, because I retired and moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon! No family here, but the Elders that I visit locally at Marys Woods just loved the Norwegian Rice Pudding! I’m making it today in memory of my dear cousin in NY, Sylvia Hansen that recently past away. Every Christmas Eve on Long Island many of us cousins, parents, kids, etc would gather together to celebrate and at the end of our meal, Sylvia always served her creamy rice pudding, and whomever got the almond was to recieve a gift. My Norwegian Mom, Dad, Aunts, Uncles all gone too, but many extended family are still in Arendal, Norway. Blessed with 64 yrs of fond Norwegian memories!
I added some different ingredients this time, which gave it a lovely flavor, Coconut Milk instead of reg milk and the Cardsmom spice.
Topped it with some Huckleberry sauce that I bought at our local Famers Market. Enjoy!
Have a blessed New Year 2018! Karen Molin
Thank you very much! And how sweet of you to make them rice pudding! I’m sure they appreciate you! I am so sorry for your loss, Sylvia sounds like she must have been such a lovely lady, and it seems to me that you are, too! And you’ll always have the blessing of many special memories, how wonderful! Wishing you God’s protection and blessings for the years to come!
I just finished making Riskrem and red sauce for Christmas. I bought a bottle of natural Raspberry syrup at a German store nearby. I combined 2 cups syrup with 1 cup water and 10 tsp. of cornstarch and cooked it on low with a whisk. Then I added 1 package of frozen raspberries with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Riskrem
1/2 gallon milk
1 1/2 cups Carolina rice
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. Almond extract
1 pint heavy cream whipped
Salt
My Mom and Dad were born in Norway and I lived there also for a few years. I made Krumkake yesterday.
That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing! And I too made krumkaker a few days ago!
We are preparing this dish to represent Norway at our Migration Mass. My family has always used strawberries in syrup for the sauce. I saw this juice sauce and had to try it. I’m so glad I did! Thank you for your wisdom.
How interesting to hear, and exciting that you’re making this for the occasion! I hope it will be well received and that it will be fun for you to serve it. Thank you so much for your great comment and star rating, how nice of you to take the time!
Can this be made a day in advance, refrigerated? Or does it really need to be served the day the whipped cream is folded into the risgrøt?
You can absolutely make it ahead. We never finish all of it the day I make it, and we enjoy the leftovers for several days. It’s still delicious then as well.
We have adopted Christmas traditions from around the world. My son lived in Norway for several years and introduced us to this yummy dish. It is a perfect dessert for our Christmas Eve dinner! We can never get enough! Thank you so much for posting this recipe!!
I’m so happy to hear it’s been such a welcomed and delicious dessert in your household! My adult kids are always so excited when I make it, especially since I only make it for Christmas. So they have to wait an entire year to be able to have it again!
This Recipe is not good.
my family is from norway and we have never cooked it like this.
how dare you insult my husbands favourite dessert.
i am reporting you to the police for this, be ready.