Instant Pot Eggnog Rice Pudding With Cranberries

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Feeling a little festive and want an easy dessert to make? Kick the festivities up a notch with this deliciously easy Instant Pot Eggnog Rice Pudding with Cranberries.

This dish is the perfect holiday dessert (or breakfast!) with a unique spin that everyone is going to go crazy for. You will love the creamy rice pudding with plump juicy cranberries throughout, the perfect spicy eggnog flavor, and Arborio rice.

Crowd-pleasing Instant Pot Eggnog And Cranberry Rice Pudding

What I love about this recipe is that it’s the epitome of comfort food. It is practically impossible to have a bad day when you are savoring this sweet dish.

Ingredients Needed To Make This Delicious Instant Pot Dessert

Rice: The best type of rice for rice pudding is Arborio rice. It has a higher starch content than most other rice and it’s short grain as well.
Eggnog: Use your favorite brand of eggnog. Also, if you use light or full-fat eggnog, it doesn’t matter, it’s your choice.
Cranberries: Using fresh cranberries will be too tart for this recipe so you want to use sweetened, dried cranberries and rehydrate them. More on that below.
Sugar: I’ve made this with both white and brown sugar. Both are delicious. Use what you have on hand.
Milk: Go big or go home, I say. I always use full-fat, whole milk for this recipe. It’s decadence that we’re after right?
Cream: Heavy whipping cream for the same reason I mentioned above.
Nutmeg: To echo those warm wonderful eggnog flavors.
Eggs: Freshest you can get, and beaten. I don’t recommend using carton eggs like egg beaters. You want the real deal for this festive dessert.

If you haven’t used your Instant Pot very much, you need to dust it off and start cooking! You will be amazed by all the awesome recipes you can make. If you’re feeling a little apprehensive about using a pressure cooker, this handy little guide to using your Instant Pot can help you feel more confident.

How To Use Dried Cranberries

I mentioned in the ingredient list that you would need to prep your dried cranberries for this recipe. It’s incredibly simple, and I recommend taking the time to do it.

Place your cranberries in a bowl and pour boiling water over them to help them rehydrate. Let them sit for about 30 minutes and they’ll plump up and become nice and soft, perfect for nestling into the rice pudding.

*****Salty Pot Tip: For an extra twist on the cranberries, there’s an extra opportunity for added flavor here. Carefully heat some orange-flavored liquor or almond-flavored liquor to give the whole dish a wonderful hint of orange. Don’t worry about the alcohol, it will be cooked out in the pressure cooking process with the rice.

Rehydrating dried cranberries in water, in a red bowl.

How To Make Instant Pot Eggnog Rice Pudding

PREP STEP: I like to first rehydrate the dried cranberries so they’re nice and soft. Add them to a bowl of boiling water (or juice!) for about 30 minutes. This step is optional, but completely worth the time in the flavor payoff!

STEP 1: Measure and add the rice, eggnog, milk, and sugar to the instant pot inner bowl. Press the SAUTE button and when it boils, put the lid on and set it to “seal”.

STEP 2: When the lid is on and sealed, press the “rice” button and set it to cook.

STEP 3: After the timer goes off, do a natural release for 20 minutes.

STEP 4: While you wait, add together in another bowl, the beaten eggs, remaining ½c eggnog, heavy cream, cranberries and nutmeg together. Mix well.

STEP 5: Add it to the rice mixture in the pot and stir continuously, very well. Press the SAUTE button again and when it comes to a boil, turn off the Instant Pot. Replace the lid and let it sit for about 30 minutes. It will thicken up to a genuinely mouthwatering recipe you can’t get enough of.

Adding the sugar to the eggnog mixture in a bowl.

The egg mixture in a silver bowl with nutmeg on top.

A finger demonstrating where the 'rice' button is on the instant pot.

Tips and Variations

This eggnog rice pudding recipe is sure to be a hit but if you want to switch up some flavors to make the recipe unique to you, can do a few simple things by adding:

Ground cinnamon to the custard portion of the recipe.
Dark spiced rum
Crushed walnuts or pecans sprinkled on top
Sprinkled granola for a streusel-type topping
Instead of drizzling cream when serving in the bowls, use warmed eggnog instead.
Want to try making your own eggnog? This homemade eggnog recipe can help you out.

Questions You Might Have

Which rice is the best to use for this eggnog rice pudding?

I absolutely go wild for Arborio Rice. Due to the higher starch content, this rice is slightly sticky and tastes phenomenal. If you don’t have Arborio rice in your cupboard, don’t stress a bit!
You can also use Basmati, regular long-grain, Japanese short-grain of Jasmine. Keep in mind, if you use Jasmine rice because it is fragrant it may change the flavor of your pudding.

What Is The Benefit Of An Instant Pot?

Cooking with an Instant Pot can save you tons of energy and time. You will have fewer dishes to wash, and it creates food that retains those fantastic vitamins and minerals we all need. You also get food that is packed with tantalizing flavors when you use a pressure cooker.

A close up photo of eggnog rice pudding with cranberries, served with cream in a pottery bowl.

Looking For More Eggnog Desserts?

Incidentally, if you’re loving the whole eggnog vibe this holiday season and want another recipe or two using eggnog, check out my Eggnog and Cranberry Bread Pudding recipe or this Amazing Eggnog Fudge. They’re all simply divine!

Or, if you’re looking for Christmas morning breakfast ideas, take a peek at this post, – I gathered up a good TWENTY breakfast recipes!! I’ll bet you find one or two favorites in there!!

I hope that this Instant Pot Rice Pudding recipe becomes one of your favorites. I’d love to hear what you think about this recipe by leaving a comment below and giving a ***STAR RATING*** on the recipe card. Thank you for stopping by The Salty Pot and I hope you have a wonderful day!