Vegan Muhallebi (Mahalabia)
Servings: 2 cups
Calories: 292kcal
Cost: $4.90 per cup
Muhallebi, a smooth and silky rice pudding with just three ingredients, was invented in the 7th century but still tastes wonderful today. (Based on 10th-century instructions from Arab writer Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq, the earliest muhallebi recipe recorded. Check out what the original version of muhallebi looks like here.)
Print Recipe
Equipment
- Small saucepan or pot
- Flexible spatula
Ingredients
Mahalabia
- ¼ cup white rice (or equivalent weight of rice flour (around 1/3 cup))
- 2 cups milk of your choice (see Note 1
) - ¼ cup sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract, rosewater, or orange blossom water (*optional)
Optional Toppings
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground cardamom
- Roughly chopped nuts and seeds (pistachio, almonds, sesame)
- Sugar syrup
- Rose jam
- Shaved or shredded coconut
- Dried fruit (raisins, diced apricots)
Instructions
- If using whole rice, grind the rice into a fine flour. (You can use a high-powered blender like Vitamix or Blendtec for this.)
- Mix rice flour and 1 cup of almond milk together until smooth and no lumps remain. Also stir in vanilla extract if using.
- Pour the remaining cup of almond milk into a small saucepan on high heat. Bring to a simmer.
- While stirring constantly, slowly drizzle in the rice-milk mixture.
- Turn the heat down to low and add the sugar. Continue to stir. The mixture will begin to thicken within minutes.
- When the mixture reaches the consistency as pictured below
, pour into a glass bowl or mold. (Simmer for a few minutes longer for a thicker pudding.) 
- Set in the fridge for at least 12 hours before serving. You can either unmold it onto a plate or eat it directly from the bowl.
Notes
- I've tried this with a couple of different plant-based milks, from Soy Milk to macadamia to almond. While all of them have worked well, almond milk in particular makes a perfect base for muhallebi: rich, smooth, with a subtle almond flour. The history of almond milk in Middle Eastern cooking goes wayyy back, so using almond milk here is quite appropriate!
Nutrition
Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 435mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 4mg