Have You Ever Tried Danish Risalamande?

Risalamande is a Danish sweet rice pudding traditionally served at Christmas. It’s basically a rice pudding sweetened with whipped cream and almonds topped with warm cherry sauce. It may sound a bit unusual if you’ve never tried it before, but trust me–it’s incredibly delicious! Risalamande is actually one of my all-time favorite Danish desserts, and Christmas simply wouldn’t be the same without it.

As if this dessert isn’t enough treat in itself, there’s also a fun traditional Christmas game that goes with it! On Christmas Eve, a big bowl of risalamande is put on the table. The dessert has lots of chopped almonds in it, and one whole almond is added to the bowl as well. The lucky person who finds the whole almond in their bowl of risalamande wins a special gift!

This risalamande recipe has been passed down through my family from my great grandmother. It’s made from scratch with real vanilla beans and lots of almonds. Let me know in the comments if you have tried risalamande and what you think of my family recipe.

Note: Risalamande is full of dairy, but it can also be made vegan–check out my vegan risalamande recipe.

Vanilla Beans for Risalamande

Vanilla is crucial for the flavor of your risalamande. I prefer using real vanilla beans rather than vanilla extract because it provides the best and least sweet flavor experience. I like my Risalamande semi-sweet, not overwhelmingly sweet!

There’s a significant difference in the quality of vanilla beans. Good quality does cost a bit more, but with vanilla, you get what you pay for in both flavor and the amount of seeds. My favorite are vanilla beans from Madagascar. These thick beans are packed with seeds that offer the most wonderful, intense vanilla flavor. This means I can use just 1 or 1 1/2 beans instead of multiple thin ones.

Frequently asked questions

Is Risalamande unique to Danish cuisine?
Yes, Risalamande is a traditional Danish dessert dating back to the 1900s. The upper middle class started adding whipped cream to rice pudding and gave it a fancy French name meaning “rice with almonds”.

Can I make my own cherry sauce?
You sure can. Fresh nor frozen cherries aren’t really available in Denmark during Christmas, so we always use store bought cherry sauce.

Can I make Risalamande without almonds?
Yes, but the almonds add delicious crunch and flavor which is characteristic of this dessert.

Can I make Risalamande vegan?
Yes, use the recipe for my vegan risalamande.

Recipe

Danish Risalamande with Warm Cherry Sauce

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Danish Risalamande is a rice pudding dessert with almonds served with warm cherry sauce. It has a wonderfully creamy texture and delicious taste of sweet vanilla.

Time: 2 days d

Difficulty: Moderate

Yield: 12 servings

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Ingredients

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• 2 1/4 dl japonica rice (or risotto rice)
• 1½ liter milk
• 1 vanilla bean (high quality)
• 75 g sugar
• 6 dl heavy cream
• 150 g almonds
• 500 g cherry sauce

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Instructions

• You'll need to make the rice pudding base 1-2 days in advance.

Rice pudding base

• In a large pot, bring the rice and milk to a boil, stirring regularly to prevent sticking. Once it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer gently for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens to a creamy consistency. When done, cover the rice pudding with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge overnight.
  2 1/4 dl japonica rice, 1½ liter milk

Risalamande

• When you're ready to prepare the risalamande, take the chilled rice pudding out of the fridge and transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean and mash them together with 15 grams of sugar. Add this fragrant vanilla-sugar mixture, along with the remaining sugar, to the rice pudding.
  1 vanilla bean, 75 g sugar
• In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until it forms soft peaks (but don't over-whip!). Gently fold the whipped cream into the rice pudding using a spatula or wooden spoon until everything is well combined.
  6 dl heavy cream
• Next, blanch and coarsely chop the almonds, but don’t forget to set aside one whole almond for the traditional almond gift game! Stir the chopped almonds into the risalamande, making sure they’re evenly distributed.
  150 g almonds
• Finally, just before serving, warm the cherry sauce in a small saucepan until it’s nicely heated. Serve the creamy risalamande with the warm cherry sauce drizzled over the top, and enjoy this delightful traditional Danish Christmas dessert!
  500 g cherry sauce

Notes

Find step by step photos of the recipe instructions below.

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How to Make Risalamande

Risalamande consists of just a few ingredients and is very easy to make. However, it does require some time since you need to prepare a rice pudding the day before serving, so it can rest overnight. Here, I’ll explain how to make risalamande with step-by-step pictures. Find the full recipe on the recipe card below.

The rice pudding needs to be made 1-2 days before serving. It’s easily done by simmering milk and rice on low heat until it thickens into a creamy pudding (this will take about 45-60 minutes). The pudding should then be refrigerated for at least 6 hours (ideally overnight) before using it to make risalamande.

When you’re ready to make your risalamande, start by adding vanilla and sugar to the rice pudding. Whip the cream to a soft peak and fold it in. Mix everything with a spoon until you have a fluffy risalamande. Blanch and chop the almonds (remember to keep one whole almond for the game!) and add them to the mixture. And there you have it, your risalamande is ready to serve with warm cherry sauce!