Vegan Pudding
Updated Nov 23, 2024
This egg-free, dairy-free homemade recipe for vegan pudding is lighter than store-bought instant-pudding & made with only 5 easy ingredients
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
The homemade vegan pudding uses 5 ingredients and is made within 5 minutes! It is lighter in calories and fat than traditional vanilla pudding and it’s made with more wholesome ingredients without any food coloring and unnecessary additives.
Sometimes instant-pudding mixes are so quick and convenient when you need a quick treat. But they are filled with many unnecessary ingredients and food coloring. Try this homemade version that’s not only easy to make, but also dairy-free and egg-free and perfect for any toppings!
ingredients for homemade pudding
- Almond milk: The base for the vanilla pudding is vanilla flavored almond milk. You can use any other type of milk you’d like for the recipe but make sure it’s as pure as possible without too many added ingredients. For example my almond milk only has almonds and water.
- Sugar: The sugar dissolves into the warm milk to create a sweet taste. You can use any type of granulated sugar or cane sugar. You can even use honey or maple syrup, but they will lend a slightly darker hue to the pudding
- Cornstarch: The non-vegan homemade pudding recipes will usually contain eggs to bind the mixture and add a more rich flavor to it, but the mixture binds really well with the cornstarch.
- Vanilla extract: This adds a lovely richness to the recipe to balance the cornstarch, especially since we’re not using eggs in the recipe.
How to make vegan pudding
Here’s the cool thing about this recipe. You throw it all in a small saucepan. You whisk gently for a few minutes and you have pudding.
- Add the milk and sugar to a pot.
- Add in the cornstarch.
- Simmer and whisk together so that the pudding is thick and smooth.
- Stir in the vanilla extract.
Tips to for making vegan pudding
- Opt for pure and simple almond milk or other milks. I’ve tested this with almond milk, cashew milk and oat milk and it works best when these plant-based milks are made with a couple ingredients and not too many fillers, stabilizers and gums. Also, make sure you love the milk you choose because it’s the prominent flavor in this vegan pudding.
- Simmer but don’t boil. The mixture should be a control-able low simmer so that the milk doesn’t bubble over.
- Whisk constantly. Keep whisking the pudding throughout cooking so that you end up with a smooth and thick mixture. It’s a good workout for your arms!
- Allow the pudding to chill before serving. As it chills, the pudding will set and become firm, allow for at least an hour of chilling time.
- Make different flavors! I used vanilla extract to flavor this vegan pudding, but you can try other extracts like peppermint or lemon if you prefer.
frequently asked questions
This pudding is perfect to enjoy with some fruit and whipped cream. But you can also incorporate it into other desserts or use it as a base for other desserts like
Yes, you can use dairy milk if not vegan. Other plant based milks like coconut or soy will work well too.
Once your pudding has fully cooled, place it in to an air tight container and keep it refrigerated. It can be served right from the fridge for a delicious dessert and will keep well for up to 7 days (though you may notice some separation after 5 days or so).
There are so many ways to enjoy this vegan pudding, and it’s so easy to make that you’ll find yourself making this all the time…it’s the perfect simple dessert!
For more pudding recipes
- 3 Ingredient Chia Pudding
- Almond Milk Rice Pudding
- Lemon Pudding
- Banana Pudding Parfait
- Layered Strawberry Chia Pudding
If you try this healthy-ish feel good Vegan Vanilla Pudding recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so I can repost on Stories!
Vegan Vanilla Pudding
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond milk
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt if not included in your milk
- Whipped cream for serving
- Berries for serving
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the almond milk, cornstarch and sugar, and stir well to combine all the ingredients together.
- Start whisking lightly but constantly as the mixture heats. It’s important not to stop whisking in order to avoid any clumps. Once it reaches a simmer, turn down the heat to low and continue whisking.
- After whisking for about 5-7 minutes, the mixture will thicken like pudding. Stir in the vanilla extract and pinch of salt (if using), then divide the pudding equally into four cups or containers.
- Place the containers in the fridge for at least one hour to allow the pudding to set and chill.
- Served with whipped cream and berries, if desired, and enjoy cold.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Comments
A bit confused about the recommendation for making whipped cream to top a vegan pudding…?
You can make a homemade vegan whipped cream with with coconut cream! I like putting the can in the fridge and only use the solid coconut cream (I discard the liquid). You can whip by hand or with a mixer and add the sugar of choice.
Thanks very much, Yumna. The pudding tastes great! I topped it with some vegan lemon curd. Yum!
Yum, that sounds so good!! So happy you enjoyed it!
I was wondering what a good cornstarch substitution might be? I’m allergic to corn and can’t use it!
Great question! The best alternative is arrowroot powder because you can use it as a 1:1 substitution. You could also try tapioca starch, but you would probably need 2x the amount and I’m not sure how it might impact the flavor. Hope that helps!
Good recipe. I would add a note that, due to the nature of cornstarch, this pudding will begin to thin in the fridge after about 36 hours. The process is called “weeping” or syneresis, and occurs frequently with cornstarch as the starch and protein molecules contract, forcing water out of the swollen granules.
Huh, I didn’t know that! I haven’t had this issue myself but added a note to the recipe in case others do. Thanks for sharing, Matt!
Is there a vegan cream? Or you just omit the cream for vegans?
You can skip the whipped cream or make your own homemade vegan whipped cream with coconut cream! It works best if you put the can in the fridge and use the solid coconut cream, discarding the liquid. Whip by hand or with a mixer and add your sugar of choice. Enjoy!!
I have a question before making this. Where is all the fat coming from in this recipe?
Woah thank you so much for pointing this out, Jessica! Something was wrong with my nutrition calculator—this recipe has 2 grams of fat per serving, not 24! I’ve updated the recipe card; you should be able to see the accurate nutrition information now. Hope you enjoy!!
I was wondering if unsweetened soy milk could be used? I’m also slightly confused concerning the amount of cornstarch that should be added. Thanks to one of your of your commenters, I will use in an All Clad pot.
Hi Mary Ellen! I think that unsweetened soy milk will work, as long as it doesn’t have too many extra ingredients (I’ve found that additives can ruin the consistency of the pudding). You will need 3 tablespoons of cornstarch—the full recipe can be found at the bottom of the post (above the comments section). You can click on ‘jump to recipe’ as a shortcut. An All Clad pot should work great. Hope it turns out amazing for you!!
Thank you for this recipe!!! We have a “Friendsmus” tomorrow and I have a vegan friend so I’m making banana dessert with this layered with vegan graham crackers, fresh bananas and topped with cinnamon and nutmeg! In terms of previous comments that it doesn’t thicken, I do think the non-reactive pan helps – I used an Our Place pan with enamel coating and it thickened in about 7 minutes. Thanks again!
Amazing!! So happy the recipe worked for you, Angela. I hope your vegan friend loves your dessert!! Thanks!
The flavor is ok, but the texture is like rubber. Didn’t care for it at all and will not make it again.
I’m sorry to hear the texture didn’t turn out how you had hoped, Bea. Did you use the recommended amount of cornstarch? And how long did you stir for?
Followed to the letter, stainless pan but with oat milk. 20 minutes of whisking and 2 extra tblsps of corn starch finally showed some thickening. In the refrigerator chilling BUT with the extra cornstarch (8g carbs per tblsp) now it is not a dairy free dessert I planned to be suitable for my diabetic husband. Brings the count from your stated 19 to 27 per serving. Ugh.
So sorry this didn’t come out as expected. Just so I understand, you had to add 2 additional tablespoons of cornstarch for it to thicken? Did you add anything else?
Yeah, because of the oat milk. They are not interchangable in these recipes.
And yet the recipe states one can use any kind of milk…
“INGREDIENTS FOR HOMEMADE PUDDING
Almond milk: The base for the vanilla pudding is vanilla flavored almond milk. You can use any other type of milk you’d like for the recipe.”
Hey! Oat milk is known to spike blood sugar, could it be from that?
I used this recipe to build a banana pudding. I doubled the recipe and used some banana flavoring as well as the vanilla, and used sugar substitute (2tb Truvia and 3tb Stevia in the Raw for a double batch) instead of sugar. The pudding didn’t get thick enough for my liking even after chilling for several hours. I’ll definitely make this again but I might add an extra tb of cornstarch to make it thicker. I think maybe the lack of “real” sugar changed the consistency. Thank you for a great recipe!
So glad you liked it, Jack! I love the idea of turning it into a banana pudding!!
See All Comments