Rýžový nákyp is a Czech version of baked rice pudding with canned plums (švestky). 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.
Taste of Memory
When I was young, rýžový nákyp showed up in the menus of Czech school canteens from time to time. It was always a Big-Day for us, and one portion was never enough! Most kids went back and asked for more, so delicious this rice pudding is.
Psst... here is my next ultimate tip: Žemlovka, Czech apple bread pudding (definitely worth trying!)
Pronunciation
I recorded a short audio clip on how to pronounce the Czech word "rýžový nákyp" (rice pudding).
Ingredients
- 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.
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 Czech-style 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
Recipe
Czech Rýžový Nákyp – Baked Rice Pudding
Ingredients
For rice pudding:
- 1.⅓ cups (250 g) white rice (uncooked)
- 3 cups (700 ml) milk
- ½ cup (100 g) white coarse sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter
- 5 egg yolks
- 3 egg whites
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest (freshly ground)
- 12 oz (340 g) canned plums
For white top layer:
- ¾ cup (150 g) white coarse sugar
- ¾ cup (180 ml) water
- 2 egg whites
Misc.
- 1 tsp butter + breadcrumbs (to grease and dust a baking pan)
Instructions
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.
Rice pudding:
- 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.
- Meantime, pre-heat the oven to 340 °F (180 °C). Grease the baking pan with butter and dust it with breadcrumbs.
- Cream softened butter with remaining sugar in a large bowl. Add and stir in 5 egg yolks and lemon zest.
- Combine the egg custard with cooled rice.
- Whip 3 egg whites and add them to the rice mixture. Stir in by hand carefully.
- 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.
White top layer:
- While rice pudding is baking, whip the whites for the final layer.
- In a pot, add water with sugar, 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. Bake for a further 10 minutes until golden.
Notes
- Use any baking dish about 10x12 inches you have on hand.
- Instead of plums, use canned apricots or peaches.
- Drizzle some fruit juice over rýžový nákyp when served.
- The best rice for rice pudding is any short-grained type, for example Italian Arborio.
DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:
Conversion chart
Emily
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
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" 🙂