Risalamande is a classic Danish Christmas dessert—a creamy rice pudding mixed with whipped cream and crunchy almonds, served with a sweet and tangy cherry sauce. The combination of creamy, crunchy, and sweet creates a perfect balance of textures and flavors in every bite. Whether it’s your first time making it or a tradition you love, this recipe is easy to follow and always a crowd-pleaser.
For more Danish Christmas recipes, try our Aebleskiver (Danish Pancake Balls) recipe or this Glogg recipe (Danish Mulled Wine).
Risalamande
Risalamande has been a part of Danish Christmas traditions since the early 1900s. The name comes from the French “riz à l’amande,” meaning “rice with almonds,” but the dish itself is unmistakably Danish. It was created as an elevated version of rice pudding, made special for the holidays with whipped cream, chopped almonds, and cherry sauce.
A fun tradition is hiding a whole almond in the dessert—whoever finds it wins a small prize, often a marzipan pig. This little game brings some extra excitement to the Christmas Eve dinner and is loved by both kids and adults.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this easy recipe:
The best type of rice for Risalamande: In Denmark, Risalamande is traditionally made with a special type of rice called grødris, which is a short-grain, starchy rice. It’s similar to the type of rice used for making risotto, rice pudding, or German Milchreis. You can substitute with Arborio rice or any other kind of rice that is used for risotto.
Vanilla beans: For a richer flavor, many Danish recipes use a whole vanilla pod rather than vanilla extract. If you serve this special dessert for Christmas, I really think it’s worth to splurge. To use a vanilla pod, slice it lengthwise and scrape out the seeds inside. Add both the seeds and the pod to your rice as it cooks, then remove the pod before serving. If you don’t have a vanilla pod, pure vanilla extract is be a good substitute—just two or three teaspoons, depending on your taste.
Almonds – You will need whole blanched (skinless) almonds for this recipe. We’ll chop them into smaller pieces to add a delightful crunch to the pudding. You might wonder if there are too many almonds in this recipe, but remember—it’s not just rice pudding; it’s rice and almond pudding, so the almonds are essential. Flaked almonds aren’t ideal for this recipe as they don’t provide enough crunch.
If you only have skin-on almonds, you can easily blanch them to remove the skins. To blanch almonds at home, bring a pot of water to a boil, add the almonds, and let them sit for about 1 minute. Then, drain and rinse them under cold water. The skins will slip right off, leaving you with smooth, blanched almonds ready to use.
Cherries – Since fresh cherries aren’t in season, it’s best to use preserved cherries in a jar with cherry juice. I used a jar with lightly sweetened juice, but the sweet and sour levels can vary depending on the brand, so be sure to adjust the sweetness to your liking.
How to make it step-by-step
Make the risalamande:
Add rice and water to a large pot. Bring to a boil then cook for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat or until water is almost evaporated.
(1 cup (195g) rice, 3/4 cup (180ml) water)
Add milk and salt. Bring the milk to a boil over medium/medium-low heat. While it is coming to a boil, scrape the seeds out of the vanilla beans. Add the scraped seeds and the remaining pods to the milk.
(2 vanilla beans, 4 1/2 cups (1080ml) whole milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt)
Reduce the heat to the minimum, cover the pot, and cook until the rice is soft, about 35 minutes (the cooking time may vary depending on the rice variety used). Make sure to stir the rice from time to time to prevent it from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot.
The rice pudding will be very runny at first but will thicken quickly once you remove the pot from the heat.
Stir in 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar.
Leave the rice pudding to cool completely. Do not skip this step – if you add whipped cream to warm rice pudding, it will melt. (This is a good time to make the cherry sauce, see below).
Stir in roughly chopped almonds. Leave one almond whole as a surprise and add it as well.
(1 cup (125g) whole blanched (skinless) almonds, 1 single whole almond)
Make whipped cream: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.
(2 cups (480ml) heavy cream)
Gently fold the whipped cream into the rice pudding in three additions.
Use immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Remove the vanilla pods.
Make the cherry sauce:
Drain the cherries and reserve the juice. Add the cherries to a medium pot.
(2 jars cherries in cherry juice (24 oz/680g net weight))
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the cherry juice with 2 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch until combined. Add this mixture to the cherries.
Add the remaining ingredients. (1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice)
Bring to a boil, then cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Adjust the sweetness to your liking. You may need to add more sugar if you are using cherries in unsweetened juice, as the sweetness can vary depending on the brand.
Let the sauce cool until warm but not hot. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.
Serve:
Spoon the risalamade into bowls (it should be cold or at room temperature) and spoon the warm (but not hot) cherry sauce over the top.
Enjoy!
Storage
Risalamande can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Be sure to cover it tightly with plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container to keep it fresh and prevent it from drying out. You can also prepare just the rice pudding 2-3 days before and fold in the whipped cream and almonds just before serving (this is a better make-ahead option).
The cherry sauce can also be prepared in advance and stored separately in the fridge. Just reheat the sauce before serving. If you have leftovers, they’re just as delicious the next day! You can serve Risalamande cold or at room temperature (I prefer it at room temperature).
This dessert doesn’t freeze well, as the texture of the whipped cream can change when thawed.
Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!
Risalamande – Danish Rice and Almond Pudding
Ingredients
for the risalamande:
- 1 cup (195g) risotto rice such as Arborio or Grødris or Milchreis
- 3/4 cup (180ml) water
- 2 vanilla beans
- 4 1/2 cups (1080ml) whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (125g) whole blanched (skinless) almonds
- 1 single whole almond
- 2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
for the cherry sauce:
- 2 jars cherries in cherry juice 24 oz/680g net weight, I used lightly sweetened
- 1 1/2 cups cherry juice from the jar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
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Instructions
Make the risalamande:
- Add rice and water to a large pot. Bring to a boil then cook for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat or until water is almost evaporated.1 cup (195g) risotto rice, 3/4 cup (180ml) water
- Add milk and salt. Bring the milk to a boil over medium/medium-low heat. While it is coming to a boil, scrape the seeds out of the vanilla beans. Add the scraped seeds and the remaining pods to the milk. Reduce the heat to the minimum, cover the pot, and cook until the rice is soft, about 35 minutes (the cooking time may vary depending on the rice variety used). Make sure to stir the rice from time to time to prevent it from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot.2 vanilla beans, 4 1/2 cups (1080ml) whole milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- The rice pudding will be very runny at first but will thicken quickly once you remove the pot from the heat.
- Stir in granulated sugar.1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
- Leave the rice pudding to cool completely. Do not skip this step – if you add whipped cream to warm rice pudding, it will melt. (This is a good time to make the cherry sauce, see below).
- Stir in roughly chopped almonds. Leave one almond whole as a surprise and add it as well.1 cup (125g) whole blanched (skinless) almonds, 1 single whole almond
- Make whipped cream: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the rice pudding in three additions.
- Use immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Remove the vanilla pods.
Make the cherry sauce:
- Drain the cherries and reserve the juice. Add the cherries to a medium pot.2 jars cherries in cherry juice
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the cherry juice with cornstarch until combined. Add this mixture to the cherries.1 1/2 cups cherry juice from the jar, 2 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
- Add the remaining ingredients.1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Bring to a boil, then cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Adjust the sweetness to your liking. You may need to add more sugar if you are using cherries in unsweetened juice, as the sweetness can vary depending on the brand.
- Let the sauce cool until warm but not hot. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.
Serve:
- Spoon the risalamade into bowls (it should be cold or at room temperature) and spoon the warm (but not hot) cherry sauce over the top.
- Enjoy!
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