This Vegan Risalamande is a traditional Danish Christmas dessert that is absolutely delicious and made without dairy! This easy gluten-free sweet rice pudding comes together quickly and easily. You'll love the creamy, light and fluffy texture of it. Perfect for Christmas but also easy enough to whip up at any time of the year.

Risalamande is a traditional Danish dessert made at Christmas with rice pudding, whipped cream, almonds, and a cherry sauce. This recipe is based on my traditional Risalamande recipe, but this version is totally vegan!
This rice pudding is perfect for vegans and non-vegans alike, or great if you prefer not to eat dairy or gluten. It's just as delicious and creamy as the original with a sweet, warm cherry sauce on top, dressed up with some fresh mint leaves and sliced almonds.
Traditionally, a whole almond would be hidden inside one of the serving glasses or bowls of risalamande. The prize for finding the almond is usually something like a marzipan pig (a piece of candy shaped like a pig) or a chocolate heart, but you can make your prize whatever you like!
This vegan rice pudding is perfect for making a fun new Christmas tradition at holiday parties or just with your family.
📋 Ingredients
For the pudding:
- Arborio rice – an Italian variety of superfine rice, it helps make this pudding creamy
- water
- almond milk – soy milk or oat milk may be used instead
- vanilla extract
- sugar
- chopped almonds
- one whole almond
- sliced almonds
- coconut cream – from 1 can of whole fat coconut milk
- powdered sugar
- fresh mint
For the cherry sauce:
- frozen cherries
- granulated sugar
- water
- cornstarch
- lemon juice
🔪 Instructions
1. Cook the rice
In a medium saucepan combine the rice and water over medium heat. When the water starts to boil, add the almond milk, vanilla extract and sugar.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the rice absorbs all water and is soft, about 30 minutes. Stir it occasionally while it's cooking. Remove rice from the heat and stir in the chopped almonds. Let the rice cool completely.
2. Make the whipped cream
In a large bowl, combine the coconut cream and powdered sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream on a medium speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cooled rice and almond mixture.
3. Make the cherry sauce
In a small saucepan combine the frozen cherries, sugar and water. Meanwhile, dissolve the cornstarch in the lemon juice in a small bowl. When cherries start to boil, add the cornstarch mixture and cook until the sauce slightly thickens, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Serve!
This step is optional, but really fun! Place the whole almond in one of the serving glasses. (Whoever finds the almond, wins a small prize – usually it's a marzipan pig).
Spoon a few tablespoons of vegan Risalamande into each serving glass. Drizzle with cherry sauce and place a few mint leaves on top. Sprinkle with some chopped or sliced almonds.
🍰 Similar Recipes
If you're looking for a quick overview of the recipe, please check out my vegan Risalamande web-story.
If you make this recipe, please leave me a comment below and rate it. I always appreciate the feedback. Also, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.
Recipe
Vegan Risalamande (Coconut Rice Pudding)
Ingredients
Pudding
- ½ c (125 gr) Arborio rice
- ¼ c (59 ml) water
- 2 c (500 ml) almond milk soy milk or oat milk may be used instead
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ c (65 gr) almonds chopped
- 1 almond whole
- 1 c (225 gr) coconut cream from 1 can of whole fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 6 teaspoon sliced almonds optional
- ¼ c (7 gr) fresh mint optional
Cherry sauce
- 15 oz (320 gr) frozen cherries
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- ½ c (120 ml) water
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
For the pudding
- In a medium saucepan combine rice, water and put it on a medium heat. When water starts to boil, add almond milk, vanilla extract and sugar.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and stirring occasionally cook until rice absorbs all water and is soft, about 30 minutes. Remove rice from the heat, stir in chopped almonds and let the rice cool completely.
- In a large bowl, combine coconut cream and powdered sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream on a medium speed until stiff peaks. Fold whipped cream into the cooled rice and almond mixture.
For the sauce
- In a small saucepan combine frozen cherries, sugar and water.
- While the cherries are cooking, dissolve cornstarch in lemon juice in a separate small bowl.
- When cherries start to boil, add cornstarch mixture and cook until the sauce slightly thickens, about 3-5 minutes.
To serve
- This step is optional - Place 1 whole almond in one of the serving glasses. (Whoever finds the almond, wins a small prize like a marzipan pig.)
- Spoon a few tablespoons of vegan Risalamande into each serving glass. Drizzle with cherry sauce, place a few Mint leaves and sprinkle with some chopped or sliced almonds.
Kulia says
Yum!!!
JANE T RITCHUK says
I understand this is a vegan version of a favourite Christmas dessert but the use of Cocconut instead of whipped cream would be Blasphemous at our house. And cooking the rice in a non-dairy beverage equally unheard of. That said, I am sure this is delicious, if not exactly authentic.
Iryna says
Jane, I agree, Risalamande is not quite a vegan dessert. I do have an original non-vegan Risalamande on my website.
However, substitution of dairy ingredients worked perfectly in this recipe and the dessert comes out really delicious as well:)
Heather says
Hi, I love your recipe! It was always a tradition in my family to eat this pudding for Christmas, with my grandparents being both Swedish and Danish. It was the highlight of the Christmas meal. Once I went non-dairy this changed everything, including eating this. I was saddened that a family tradition would no longer be done due to the dairy. However with your recipe you have once again allowed me and my family to partake of this wonderful dish.
Iryna says
Hi Heather! Thank you so much for your comment! I'm happy you like this recipe and I'm glad that with my recipe you found a way to keep the family tradition going.
Sue says
This is technically NOT a Danish recipe, but a Scandinavian one seeing both Swedes and Norwegians claim this dessert. As a Norwegian myself we make “Rispudding med Bringebær saus” for dessert every Xmas.
(In Norway we use a light seedless raspberry sauce, not a cherry sauce).
Iryna says
Sue, thank you for your comment! Yes, you're right, it's not just a Danish recipe. I know that Sweden and Norway have the same dessert but just under different names. Thank you for explaining the difference. I'd love to try Norwegian version one day. I bet it's delicious.
Hannah says
This looks like a great recipe but could you add metric measurements?
Iryna says
Hi Hannah, just added the metric measurements. Hope this helps:)