My Favorite 2-Ingredient Dessert Is a Little Controversial

One afternoon, I was craving something comforting and sweet, but not too sweet. Lately, I’d been using my rice cooker to cook anything and everything: purple sweet potatoes, cheese, meats, you name it. I spotted a couple of leftover chocolate bars in my pantry and thought, “What if I just cooked chocolate with rice?” I filmed the process, posted it online, and just like that, my now-infamous chocolate rice recipe was born.

To my surprise, my idea went viral (24 million views and counting!) and was even featured on Today. Of course, the Internet is divided. Some folks called it genius. Others? Well, let’s just say not everyone is ready for chocolate and rice to be besties. I’ve even seen my recipe and video concept blatantly copied. 

Chocolate and Rice Are a Great Combination

Now, to be clear, I didn’t invent chocolate rice. In the Philippines, there’s champorado, a beloved sweet cocoa rice porridge that is sometimes enjoyed with salted fish or anchovies. In Western cuisines, there’s chocolate rice pudding, and who doesn’t love chocolate rice cereal treats? But I may be the first to have gone viral by cooking actual chocolate bars with rice in a rice cooker.

The beauty of this gluten-free recipe lies in its simplicity: it’s just two ingredients, almost no effort if you’re cooking it in the rice cooker, and there are endless possibilities for personalization. So, let that chocolate melt in the rice cooker and let the haters talk. Because once you take a bite of my chocolate rice, it’ll all just make sense.

Making This Recipe With and Without a Rice Cooker

For folks who don’t have a rice cooker, please don’t fret if you’re craving chocolate rice. Prepare the rice on the stovetop as you normally would. Once it’s fully cooked and still hot, but before fluffing, sprinkle chopped chocolate evenly over the top. Let it sit for a minute or two to allow the chocolate to melt, then gently fluff the rice and stir to combine.

With a rice cooker, you’ll simply rinse the rice, add it to the rice cooker bowl, add the water, top it with a bar or two of chocolate, close the lid, and sit back, allowing the rice cooker to do its magic. 

How To Make My 2-Ingredient Chocolate Rice

To make 6 to 8 servings, you’ll need:

• 2 cups short-grain rice 
• 2 cups water, more for rinsing rice
• 1 to 2 bars of semi-sweet chocolate
• Honey, sweetened condensed milk, or maple syrup, for serving, optional

Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer or colander under cold tap water until the water runs clear. Place the rice in the rice cooker bowl and add the 2 cups of water. Place the chocolate bars on top. Close the lid and cook on your rice cooker’s standard white rice setting.

Once the rice is cooked, use a rice paddle or fork to fluff the rice and mix in the melted chocolate until fully combined. Serve piping hot, divided into bowls. Add any toppings of your choice and enjoy.

Store leftover chocolate rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, use the microwave. 

Easy Tweaks

• Before cooking the rice, you can add a pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, or even chili powder to add some warmth. 
• Craving crunch? Top your chocolate rice with toasted nuts, sesame seeds, or granola.
• Splash some coconut milk over the rice as a creamy drizzle.
• I like the flavor of dark or semisweet chocolate best, but you can use any chocolate you like, including white chocolate.

Want to get pinky-up fancy? Blend my chocolate rice into a luscious pudding or chocolate rice mousse using coconut milk, top with whipped cream and cocoa powder, and serve it chilled.