This easy vegan pumpkin pudding comes together in 10 minutes with a handful of simple ingredients. Topped with vegan whipped cream, it tastes like pumpkin pie in a cup!
It’s October, and I’ve been making tons of pumpkin recipes! Pumpkin pie is truly one of my favorite foods to enjoy on Thanksgiving. But I was never a huge fan of pie crust. Growing up, my mom would make pumpkin pie filling, and then bake it in ramekins so I had everything I love about pumpkin pie without the crust.
This creamy vegan pumpkin pudding reminds me of those warm pie-filling ramekins I had as a kid. It tastes exactly like pumpkin pie, only it’s served cold instead of warm.
This is an excellent substitute for pumpkin pie or a fun recipe to make with the kids! It’s so simple to make, with the perfect custard texture, and full of warm spices. Top it with your favorite vegan whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon!
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💗 Why You’ll Love This Vegan Pumpkin Pudding
- Only 10 Minutes to Make
- Deep Pumpkin Spice Flavor
- Easy Thanksgiving Dessert
- Great Custard Texture
- Vegan
- Gluten-Free
🥣 Ingredients and Notes
Dark Brown Sugar: Use dark brown sugar if you have it, otherwise you could also use light brown sugar. For a refined sugar option, use muscovado sugar.
Cornstarch: Used to thicken the pudding and give it smooth pudding consistency. You’ll need 3 tablespoons.
Dairy-Free Milk: Use any type of dairy-free milk that you have on hand. Soy milk works very well because it is extra creamy, coconut milk, and almond milk also work.
Pumpkin Puree: Be sure to use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. You can use either canned or homemade pumpkin puree.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: Use a pumpkin pie spice blend, or make your own with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. (See notes in the recipe card.)
Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavors of the pumpkin and spices.
📋 Instructions for Vegan Pumpkin Pudding
Step 1: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the brown sugar and the cornstarch. You may need to use the back of a spoon to break up any clumps.
Step 2: Slowly whisk in the dairy-free milk until the sugar and the cornstarch have dissolved.
Step 3: Add the pumpkin puree, whisking until combined.
Step 4: Transfer the saucepan to the stovetop, and heat over medium-high whisking continuously until the liquid thickens (5-7 minutes). The pudding is done when it coats a spoon.
Step 5: Remove the pudding from the heat. Add in the pumpkin pie spice and the vanilla extract, whisking until combined.
Step 6: Spoon the pudding into 4 small ramekins or jars. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator to cool for 1-2 hours.
Step 7: Top with your favorite vegan whipped cream, and dust with ground cinnamon.
❓ Recipe FAQS
Traditional pudding recipes use a mixture of milk, eggs, and butter. To make a vegan pudding use dairy-free milk and cornstarch as the thickener.
Yes, you can substitute arrowroot starch in place of cornstarch. Both act as thickening agents. However, arrowroot starch will give the pudding a different consistency that is more like jelly.
If you’d rather use unrefined sugar you can use coconut sugar or muscovado sugar. It will still be nice and sweet, but the pudding will be a darker shade because of the color of the coconut sugar.
Avoid getting that pudding skin film that forms over the pudding by placing plastic wrap directly on the top of the pudding before refrigerating.
👩🏻🍳 How to Serve Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pudding
When you are ready to serve, top with either a store-bought or homemade vegan whipped cream. I like this simple coconut whipped cream recipe or this store-bought coconut milk cream. Top with some cinnamon and a cinnamon stick for some added pizazz!
❄️ How to Store and Keep
Keep the pumpkin pudding in the fridge. Store covered with plastic wrap so that it is touching the top of the pudding to keep it from forming a pudding skin. Keep for up to 4 days in the fridge.
💭 Expert Tips
- The creamier the milk the richer the consistency of the pudding. I recommend soy milk or coconut milk.
- If you’d like to take the pudding one step further, allow the pudding to cool to room temperature, then pass the pudding through a sieve. This will separate the creamy pudding from the top layer of film that forms when the pudding cools.
- If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice blend together 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon of ginger.
Please comment below if you found this article helpful or have any additional questions. You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more family-friendly vegan recipes!
Recipe
Vegan Pumpkin Pudding
Equipment
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ cups dairy-free milk
- 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree
- 1 ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice see notes for substitute
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping
- coconut whipped cream
- cinnamon
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the brown sugar and the cornstarch. You may need to use the back of a spoon to break up any clumps.
- Slowly whisk in the dairy-free milk until the sugar and the cornstarch have dissolved.
- Add the pumpkin puree, whisking until combined.
- Transfer the saucepan to the stovetop, and heat over medium-high whisking continuously until the liquid thickens (5-7 minutes). The pudding is done when it coats a spoon.
- Remove from the heat. Add the pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract. Whisk together until combined.
- Spoon the pudding into 4 small ramekins or jars. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator to cool for 1-2 hours.
- Top with your favorite vegan whipped cream, and dust with ground cinnamon.
Video
Notes
- The creamier the milk the richer the consistency of the pudding. I recommend soy milk or coconut milk.
- If you’d like to take the pudding one step further, allow the pudding to cool to room temperature, then pass the pudding through a sieve. This will separate the creamy pudding from the top layer of film that forms when the pudding cools.
- If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice blend together 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon of ginger.
Kathleen
This Fall inspired pudding looks so creamy and luscious. I can’t wait to dig in!
Sara Welch
Enjoyed this for an afternoon snack and it did not disappoint! Turned out perfectly creamy and savory; easily, a new favorite fall recipe!
Dana
Absolutely delicious! So rich, creamy, and velvety smooth.
Jen
The perfect fall flavor in a drink! Delicious!!
Nathan
I’ve really be craving pumpkin flavor recently, so I can’t wait to try this pudding. Love that it’s vegan too! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Dannii
What a great way to use pumpkin. Even better that it’s vegan.
Jess
You had me at pumpkin pie in a cup!
Michelle
Love the fall flavors here. My kids and I enjoyed it