Recipes

Arroz doce with millet

Millet deserves more love! This cereal needs way less water to grow than quinoa and can easily replace semolina in most recipes – and of course, it can also be used as replacement for dessert rice, which is what we’re going to do today!

Naturally gluten-free*, this dessert is very similar to the Portuguese “arroz doce”, a Christmas staple in that country. It can easily be made vegan by replacing the milk with its vegan alternatives (I use oat milk).
Tip: it’s very nice with a raspberry jam!

*Be careful with your ingredients, as millet and vegan milks can often contain traces of gluten through cross-contamination, which makes it okay for someone with a mild gluten sensitivity, but not for someone with coeliac disease.

  • Pour the millet and milk into a saucepan and turn the heat to small-medium. Cover and cook for about 15-20 minutes.
  • When the millet has absorbed all the milk, turn off the heat and add polenta, corn starch, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract.
  • Mix well and let it cool down, covered, until lukewarm. The millet should be sticky; if not, add more corn starch.
  • Shape it into small balls and let them cool down completely.
  • Serve plain or with jam, yields 12 millet balls.