These vegan Vanilla Pudding Cups are a decadent single serve dessert! Dress them up for any occasion—Valentines, birthdays, New Years—or just enjoy on a Friday night!
Spooning….
When I think of a romantic occasion dessert, I think of a “spoon dessert.” AKA a dessert eaten with a spoon. Obviously? Think pudding/custard/mousse. Save the cakes for birthdays! For a date night at home I’m all about some type of pudding—is that weird? Maybe that’s because Irving and I enjoyed crème brûlée on our first date! (On our first date I excused myself from the table and when I returned Irving had a crème brûlée waiting for me—somehow he knew I wasn’t the kind of girl to shy away from enjoying more than one dessert on a first date!) Ever since then, it’s always been “our” dessert. And this vanilla pudding cup reminds me so much of a crème brûlée, but with a rich chocolate topping instead of the traditional burnt sugar. It’s sooooooo yummy! And easier to make!
Easy Individual Dessert Cups
I have a feeling that individually served foods are about to become all the rage. That is, as soon as we start gathering again—I think my spidey senses will be on extra alert for quite some time! (Hi, my name is Sarah and I am a germaphobe.) These little pudding cups are a perfect single serving individual dessert! They would even pack up perfectly for a picnic! I like using these small canning jars.
How Do You Make Vegan Vanilla Pudding Cups
These vanilla pudding cups come together so easily! With just 4 basic ingredients, it’s hard to go wrong. Start by melting some sugar and a can of coconut milk together. Then thicken it up with a corn starch slurry. The pudding will “magically” thicken as it simmers—this is a great recipe to make with kids because it’s fun to watch. Pop it off the heat once it thickens, whisk in some vanilla extract, divide into individual cups, and let it firm up in the fridge. For a fancy touch, top the cups with some DIY chocolate magic shell and sprinkles (you’ll need to do this once the pudding has cooled to prevent it from mixing with the pudding layer)! That’s it. Very simple. Very kid friendly—both to make and to eat!
Customize for Any Occasion
I love how flexible this dessert is! You can top it with strawberries for a sweet Valentine/Mother’s Day/Easter/Girl’s night treat. Top it with rainbow sprinkles and it’s fit for a birthday party! We garnished them with swanky gold stars for our New Years Eve family night! They’re truly perfect for any occassion!
More Delicious “Spoon Desserts….”
- Coconut Tapioca Pudding
- Vegan Dirt Cups
- Chocolate Tapioca Pudding
- Vegan Chocolate Mousse
- Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding
- Maple Bacon Ice Cream with Bourbon and Walnuts
More Valentine Treats You Will Love!
- Classic Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Rosé Vodka Cocktail
- Strawberry Compound Butter — Dairy Free & Vegan!
- Pasta with Vegan Vodka Sauce — Nut Free!
- Pretty in Pink— Vegan Recipes that are PINK!
- Sugar and Spice Cookies
Let’s Make Vegan Vanilla Pudding Cups!
Are you ready? These little dairy free vanilla pudding cups are so quick to make up. I hope your family enjoys them as much as we do—we’ll be making them for our at home family Valentine’s Day celebration in just a few days! Leave me a note in the comments and let me know what you think!
Vegan Vanilla Pudding Cups
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Pudding
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 can coconut milk (15 ounce size, I like Thai Kitchen)
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- scraping of a vanilla bean (optional)
For the Chocolate Topping
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I like Enjoy Life)
- 2-3 teaspoons coconut oil
Instructions
For the Vanilla Pudding
- Place the sugar and the coconut milk in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
- While sugar is dissolving, whisk together the cold water and cornstarch in a small bowl.
- When the coconut milk mixture begins to bubble, pour the cornstarch slurry into the pan, whisking as you pour.
- Lower the heat to medium low and whisk until the pudding thickens. This happens quickly—just 2-5 minutes!
- Once the pudding has thickened remove it from the heat. Whisk in the vanilla extract (and almond extract and vanilla bean scrapings if using).
- Transfer the pudding mixture into 4 individual containers, working quickly before it sets.
- Chill the pudding in the fridge for about 3 hours, or overnight.
For the Chocolate Topping
- Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, stopping to stir every 10-15 seconds.
- The chocolate should be melted and very smooth. If not, continue to microwave for 10 seconds at a time, being careful not to burn the chocolate.
- Spoon a small amount of chocolate over the top of each pudding cup, swirling the cup as you go to give it a smooth even layer (you want it to be thin so that you can easily break it with a spoon when eating). Top with sprinkles if desired.
- Allow the pudding to chill for 30 more minutes to set the chocolate. Serve immediately, or store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply