Fasting rizogalo with soy milk and vegan protein. 38 g protein at 395 kcal per bowl.
By Frixos Dimitriadis · Published November 3, 2026 · Updated November 3, 2026
1 serving · Prep 5 min · Cook 25 min · Total 30 min · Per serving: 395 kcal, 37.7 g protein, 47.9 g carbs, 7.1 g fat
Rizogalo is one of the first things that disappears during the fast, because the classic version is made with cow's milk. This one uses soy milk and a scoop of vegan protein, and it stays creamy.
One bowl carries 37.7 g of protein for 395 calories, with 47.9 g of carbs and only 7.1 g of fat. It is gluten-free, and it is ready in 30 minutes.
Of the common plant milks, soy milk is the closest to cow's milk in protein: around 3 g per 100 ml, against well under 1 g for almond milk. It also thickens the rice in the same way, so the texture stays familiar.
The rice cooks first in a little water with a strip of lemon peel, then slowly in the soy milk. Stir often: soy milk catches on the bottom of the pot more easily than cow's milk.
Protein powder stirred straight into a bubbling pot clumps and turns grainy. Two small steps prevent it: take the pot off the heat for three minutes, and mix the powder with two tablespoons of water into a smooth paste before it goes in.
We use FuelSync Vegan Cookies & Cream, but any vegan vanilla protein works. Whey would break the fast.
Traditional rizogalo is rice simmered in whole milk with sugar, sometimes thickened with cornflour or an egg yolk. It is comforting, but it is low in protein, heavy on sugar, and the milk and egg rule it out during the fast.
This version keeps the short-grain rice, the lemon peel and the cinnamon, and changes the rest. Soy milk replaces the cow's milk, a scoop of vegan protein lifts the protein to 37.7 g, and 10 g of maple syrup is the only added sugar, and it still tastes like rizogalo. In most Greek and Cypriot homes rizogalo is eaten cold with cinnamon, and this one is at its best the same way. It also takes only 30 minutes from start to finish, which makes it an easy weeknight dessert.
During the fast, protein is the hardest target to hit, and most fasting sweets do not help. Halva and melomakarona are fasting-friendly, but they are almost all sugar and fat.
A bowl of this rizogalo gives you as much protein as a main meal, so dessert works toward your daily target instead of against it. About half of it comes from the scoop of vegan protein and most of the rest from the soy milk. It also keeps you full for longer than a sweet that is mostly sugar.
Use short-grain white rice, sold in Greece and Cyprus as «γλασέ». Short grains release more starch as they cook, and that starch is what makes rizogalo thick and creamy. Long-grain rice stays separate and gives you rice in sweet milk rather than a pudding. You will find it in every supermarket, and a 500 g bag is enough for a dozen bowls.
Cook it in the water first until most of it is absorbed, then add the soy milk a little at a time. Adding it slowly keeps the temperature steady and gives the rice time to release its starch.
Honey works instead of maple syrup and is allowed during the fast; 10 g of either adds 25 to 30 calories. If you want to save those, a zero-calorie sweetener does the job, and the protein powder already adds sweetness. If you prefer a more classic taste, a vanilla protein suits it better than cookies & cream.
A dusting of cinnamon is the classic finish. A few chopped walnuts add crunch: 10 g adds about 65 calories, mostly from fat, so log them if you use them. Grated orange zest or a pinch of nutmeg also work well.
The recipe makes one bowl, but it scales easily. Triple everything, cook it in a wider pot, and you have three ready breakfasts. Add the protein the same way, off the heat and as a paste, and stir until it is mixed through the whole pot.
It keeps for three days in the fridge, covered. It thickens as it chills, so loosen each portion with a splash of soy milk before eating, and log the extra milk.
Small glass jars with lids make this easy: spoon one portion into each, and breakfast is ready to grab on the way out. Write the date on each lid so you know which one to eat first.
With nearly 48 g of carbs and 38 g of protein, it works as well after a training session as it does after dinner. It is good warm, and even better cold: it thickens in the fridge overnight, so it doubles as a ready breakfast.
Make it the sweet end of a fasting day with the octopus stifado, the shrimp giouvetsi or the vegan pastitsio. All four are in the DietSync app with their macros ready to log.
A strip of peel gives the classic rizogalo aroma. Juice would curdle the soy milk.
Soy milk catches on the bottom of the pot more easily than cow's milk. Keep the heat low and stir often.
Double the batch. The second bowl keeps in the fridge and is a ready breakfast or dessert.
Keeps 3 days in the fridge, covered. It thickens as it chills; loosen it with a little soy milk.
Protein powder stirred into a bubbling pot clumps and can turn grainy. Three minutes off the heat, and mixing the powder into a paste first, keeps the rizogalo smooth.
A vegan protein with a vanilla or cookies & cream flavour. We use FuelSync Vegan Cookies & Cream. Any pea or soy-based powder works; whey would break the fast.
Yes. It thickens in the fridge overnight, so stir in a splash of soy milk before serving if you like it looser.
Yes. Honey is allowed during the fast, and 10 g has almost the same calories as the maple syrup.