I have the best vanilla pudding recipe for you. Its flavor is tops because it’s made from scratch with real vanilla bean paste. Have you ever thought about what makes pudding different from creme brulee, panna cotta, flan, or mousse? Well, I think it’s that unique smooth and soft, delicate texture of a well-crafted pudding. You know, how it’s just stable enough to form a nice round mouthful on a spoon. Then it’s enjoyable whether it’s warm or thoroughly chilled.
Do you know what else is killer about this perfect homemade pudding? I’ve made it dairy-free, and it doesn’t include any refined white sugar. Say what? Trust me, it’s possible, and you will be amazed at how fabulous it is without any milk or cream. It’s another luscious, plant-based dessert wonder.
The recipe is simple to prepare. Why you can have this amazing dessert in less than 30 minutes. Here’s a breakdown to make it easy for you:
INGREDIENTS
- Raw macadamia nuts – Pure fresh flavor that doesn’t compete with vanilla. Rich in healthy fat for creamy mouthfeel.
- Real vanilla bean – Seeds and pulp from vanilla bean pods flavor desserts like extract never can.
- Organic blue agave syrup – Light golden agave syrup is low on the glycemic index with a subtle vanilla-like taste.
- Non-gmo cornstarch – To keep it healthy for people and the planet.
- Himalayan pink salt – A touch of salt brings out sweetness in recipes.
EQUIPMENT
- Blender – Two minutes in a high-powered blender is all it takes to make rich and creamy macadamia milk.
- White cotton tea towel – Strain your nut milk through a sturdy, thin cotton towel and it will be silky smooth.
- Saucepan – Any heavy bottom saucepan will do.
- Whisk – No kitchen is complete without a good whisk.
TECHNIQUE
- Strain nut milk – Lay your tea towel over top of a saucepan. Pour in blended nut milk. Gather sides of cloth securely. Then knead and squeeze over sauce pan until all the nut milk is extracted and only pulp remains in the towel. Save or discard pulp.
- Scrape vanilla bean – Cut a large vanilla bean in half. Then use a sharp knife to split it lengthwise. Open the vanilla bean pod and use knife to scrape every bit of bean paste from pod. Half a bean should yield about 1/16 a teaspoon.
- Whisk – Vigorously whisk vanilla bean paste and remaining ingredients into milk while it’s cold. Then whisk gently and constantly while cooking pudding. Once the pudding comes to a full boil, continue cooking a full minute longer.
See how easy it is to have gorgeous, dairy-free, real vanilla bean pudding? It’s marvelous on its own or topped with berries. I can’t think of a more fitting home for two or three precious Jamaica cherries. Any way you serve it, your friends and sweethearts will thank you.
Luscious Real Vanilla Pudding
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup raw macadamia nuts
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 whole vanilla bean, scraped seeds and pulp only
- 3 TB plus 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 5 TB agave syrup
- 1/8 tsp. himalayan pink salt
Instructions
Make macadamia milk
- Place macadamia nuts and water in a blender. Blend until completely smooth and lukewarm.
- Lay a thin cotton tea towel or large handkerchief over a bowl. Pour in macadamia nut milk and bundle up top edges of cloth.
- Wring top and squeeze bundle to extract all the macadamia nut milk into bowl. Take care not to let any nut milk pulp escape from sides of cloth.
- Toss out pulp or use in baking.
Blend and cook pudding
- Rinse blender and return macadamia nut milk.
- Add remaining ingredients to blender and blend on high until smooth.
- Pour pudding mixture into a 4-cup saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat. Stir constantly and scrape bottom of pan with a spatula to keep from burning.
- Once mixture comes to a boil after about 5 minutes, remove from heat.
- Pour immediately into 4 half-cup dessert bowls.
- Cover pudding** and let sit 15 minutes. Serve right away or pour into serving dishes and chill.
Notes
- Measure cornstarch before agave syrup if using the same tablespoon. That way cornstarch won’t stick to tablespoon and will be measured accurately.
- *Save the scraped vanilla pods and add them to your own homemade vanilla extract:
- Just start a jar with 1/2 cup of 80 proof alcohol like vodka, rum or brandy. Add 3 sliced vanilla bean pods with their paste. In 2 months, your extract is ready and can be kept indefinitely.
- **If desired, you can use a piece of cling wrap to prevent film from forming on top of pudding as it cools.
