5. Vanilla
Aside from the cream and the rice, the third most important category of rice pudding ingredients is the flavoring. There are many types of spices and additions that make rice pudding memorable, but vanilla is at the top of the list.
Most recipes call for vanilla extract. If you like more vanilla, you can add a few splashes more or a full teaspoon rather than half a teaspoon. For vanilla purists, the supermarket variety won’t do, but real vanilla extract is preferable. Most supermarket vanilla extracts are artificially flavored, but you can get the genuine article by purchasing real vanilla beans in health food stores or spice stores. You can add full vanilla bean pods to your rice pudding or full cinnamon sticks.
If you have time, you can also make your own vanilla extract by soaking vanilla in vodka for several days or weeks.