Rýžový nákyp is a Czech version of baked rice pudding with canned plums. It's served as a sweet main dish in the Czech Republic, and today, I want to share our family's old-fashioned recipe with you.
Rýžový nákyp is baked rice pudding made with cooked rice. Pour the custard over cooked rice, cover with sweet plums and bake in the oven. Finally, spread the whipped egg whites on the surface and leave it in the oven for a short time until golden brown.
MY TIP: If you are looking for an authentic Czech dessert, try Žemlovka bread pudding (it tastes fantastic!)
➜ Pronunciation
I recorded a short audio clip on how to pronounce the Czech word "rýžový nákyp" (rice pudding).
Ingredients
To make baked rice pudding, you will need:
- Rice - uncooked, the best type is short-grained white rice such as Italian Arborio rice. However, don't be stressed if you use any white rice you have in your pantry.
- Milk
- Sugar - I used white coarse sugar
- Butter - unsalted, and an important rule: the butter must be softened at room temperature before using!
- 5 eggs - yolks and whites separately; you will need 5 yolks and 3 whites. The remaining 2 whites will go into the top white layer spread on the surface of rice pudding (see further).
- Lemon zest
- Canned plums
Get on hand some butter and breadcrumbs to grease the baking dish, too.
✅ You'll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
Ingredients for whipped whites
- 2 egg whites
- Water
- Sugar
➜ Instructions
The rice for this pudding is cooked first. Then cooled and mixed with egg custard and baked in the oven. In the end, you spread whisked egg whites on the surface and put the rice pudding back into the oven for a few minutes to get a golden crust.
Make ahead:
- Take the eggs and butter out of the fridge, they should be warmed at room temperature. Especially at butter, it is a must.
- Drain the canned plums.
- Wash the uncooked rice in a colander under streaming warm water.
LET'S COOK!
STEP 1: In a pot with a thick bottom, bring to a boil milk with half of the sugar and a pinch of salt, be aware of burning the milk.
Reduce temperature to a minimum, add rice to milk, cover the pot with a lid and cook until soft. The cook time depends on the type of rice you used. Read the instructions of the manufacturer.
Let the cooked rice cool down.
STEP 2: Meantime, pre-heat the oven to 340 °F (180 °C). Grease the baking pan with butter and dust it with breadcrumbs.
STEP 3: Cream softened butter with the remaining sugar in a large bowl. Add and stir in 5 egg yolks and lemon zest. (photo 1)
Combine the egg custard with cooled rice. (photo 2)
Whip 3 egg whites and add them to the rice mixture. Stir in by hand carefully. (photo 3)
STEP 4: Transfer half of the rice mixture to the prepared baking pan. Cover with plums.
Spread the rest of the rice mixture over plums, make the surface smooth-bake for 30 minutes.
STEP 5: While rice pudding is baking, whip the whites for the final layer. You'll need to whip whites with a hot sugar solution to maintain a firm white layer on rýžový nákyp.
In a pot, add water with sugar (ratio 1:1), bring to a boil, reduce temperature over medium and cook for 5 minutes.
Start whipping the whites while you slowly stream the hot sugar solution in it. Whip for at least 5 minutes into a smooth, silky mass; the whole sugar solution must be used up.
Take the rice pudding out of the oven and spread the whipped mass as the top layer. (photo 1 + 2) Bake for a further 10 minutes until golden. (photo 3)
➜ Serving
This baked rice pudding is served warm as a main dish, less often as a dessert.
A warm pudding tends to fall apart while serving. When cooled, it holds the shape a bit better. No stress, in all cases, it tastes delicious!
➜ Cook's Tips
- Instead of plums, use canned apricots or peaches.
- You can drizzle some fruit juice over rýžový nákyp when served.
- For a quick version, omit the top layer with whipped egg whites. The rice pudding will look a bit poorer, but there will not be a big difference in taste.
More Czech desserts:
- Bábovka - white and cocoa coffee cake
- Moravské koláče - double filled kolache
- Krupicová kaše - Czech-style Cream of wheat
Tried this recipe?
Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Other readers and I love hearing what you think. Stay in touch by following me on Facebook and Pinterest. For more Czech stuff, subscribe to my newsletter!
📖 Recipe
Czech Rýžový Nákyp - Baked Rice Pudding
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
For rice pudding:
- 3 cups milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar divided, half for the rice, half for the custard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ⅓ cups white rice uncooked, rinsed; short-grain such as Arborio
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest freshly grated
- 3 egg whites
- 12 ounces canned plums drained
For the optional meringue top (sníh):
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 egg whites reserved from the separated eggs
For the pan:
- ½ Tablespoon butter to grease
- ½ Tablespoon breadcrumbs to dust; or line with parchment paper
Instructions
Cook the rice
- In a heavy saucepan, bring 3 cups milk to a boil with half ½ cup granulated sugar and the ¼ teaspoon salt, watching so the milk does not scorch.
- Reduce the heat to its lowest setting, add 1 ⅓ cups white rice, cover, and cook until soft (follow your rice's package time). Let it cool until no longer hot.
Prepare the pan and oven
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease the pan with ½ Tablespoon butter and dust with ½ Tablespoon breadcrumbs, or line it with parchment paper.
- Make the custard
- Cream 1 stick unsalted butter with the remaining sugar until pale and fluffy. Stir in 5 egg yolks and 1 Tablespoon lemon zest.
- Fold the custard into the cooled rice. Whip 3 egg whites until softly peaked, then fold in gently.
- Layer and bake
- Spread half the rice mixture in the pan. Cover with 12 ounces canned plums, spread the rest of the rice on top, and smooth it. Bake for 40 minutes.
- Snow top (optional)
- Whip the reserved 2 egg whites to stiff peaks, then beat in the sugar a little at a time until glossy and firm.
- About 10 minutes before the pudding is done, spread the snow over it and return it to the oven to finish, until golden.
Notes
- The butter must be softened to room temperature so it creams properly.
- Cool the rice before mixing it with the yolks, or the yolks may scramble.
- You need 5 eggs in total: all 5 yolks go into the custard, 3 whites are folded into the rice, and 2 whites are reserved for the snow top.
- The meringue top (sníh) is optional; skip it for an everyday version.
- Serves 6 as a sweet main dish, or closer to 8 in smaller dessert portions.
- Serve warm (soft) or slightly cooled (holds its shape better).
- Store in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Best fresh; not suited to freezing.
- Oven temperatures are for a conventional (non-fan) oven; for convection, lower by 25°F
Emily says
In my opinion, rice puddings and other desserts like those little buns with vanilla sauce (forgot how they're called in Czech, sorry) are a really underrated part of Czech cuisine. This rice pudding is easy to make, tastes delicious and tastes great even when paired with other fruit, like apricots (my favorite).
Petra Kupská says
Hi Emily, thank you for your comment! In the Czech Republic, rice pudding is most often made with compote plums, but other fruits can also be used. Btw, those little buns with vanilla sauce are called "dukátové buchtičky" 🙂
Seda says
Great recipe, thank you!
Do you store this pudding/cake in the fridge or is it ok to leave it in room temperature for a few days?
Petra Kupská says
I thank you for your comment! I store the rice pudding in the fridge, where it will keep for about four days. I reheat it in a microwave.