This Paleo & Keto Vanilla Pudding is creamy, luscious, and perfectly sweetened. It can be eaten plain or used in any recipe that calls for the boxed variety.
While we love Chocolate Pudding, there's just something so elegant and luxurious about this Keto Vanilla Pudding!
It's super smooth and creamy with a strong vanilla flavor and just the right amount of sweetness.
Plus, it can be made paleo and dairy-free too!
We usually eat this pudding plain or with whipped cream and berries. But it can also be used in any recipe that calls for the boxed variety - such as pies, tarts, parfaits, and so much more!
The thickener
To thicken the pudding, we're going to use gelatin instead of eggs or starch.
I don't use starches because they're too high carb. And while I don't have anything against eggs, when I have the opportunity to use gelatin, I take it!
It's super healthy and great for the joints and digestive system.
The sweetener
For the low-carb sweetener, you can use any keto powdered sweetener you prefer.
I like to use a powdered monk fruit/allulose blend because it dissolves beautifully and has zero aftertaste. But use whatever you prefer!
For paleo, we're going to use mostly maple syrup with a small amount of honey.
I like using a combination of the two because they complement each other well and give it the right taste.
Frequently asked questions
Blooming gelatin simply means to sprinkle it over liquid for 3 to 5 minutes to let it soften. This ensures that the finished product is smooth.
Cows milk usually contains high amounts of sugar (12 net carbs per cup!) making it unfit for a keto-friendly diet. Because of this, I recommend using unsweetened non-dairy milk, even if you're not dairy-free. Almond, cashew, and coconut are good options.
Yes, heavy cream is considered keto-friendly if you consume dairy. It has approximately .4 net carbs per Tablespoon.
Easy instructions
Start by adding all the ingredients except the vanilla and gelatin to a medium-sized saucepan. The ingredients include:
- Heavy Creamy {or canned coconut milk for dairy-free}
- Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk
- Sweetener
- Sea Salt
- Lemon Juice
After the ingredients are well mixed, sprinkle the gelatin over the top of the cold mixture and allow it to bloom (or soften) for 3 to 5 minutes.
Once the gelatin has softened, turn the heat to medium and whisk constantly until the gelatin is completely dissolved and steam is rising.
It should look like there's a thin layer of white foam on top of the mixture. Do not bring to boil.
Continue whisking until you are sure the gelatin is completely dissolved. This can take several minutes.
Stir in the vanilla.
Pour the mixture into a medium-sized mixing bowl and do not stir.
Allow to cool. Then, cover with plastic wrap, pressing it down on top of the mixture to prevent a skin from developing on the top.
Place in the fridge for 3 to 5 hours, or until the pudding is firm.
Once mixture has set up, transfer to the bowl of a food processor and process until silky smooth.
Serve plain or with whipped cream and berries. Or use in any recipe calling for a prepared box of vanilla pudding.
💭 Top tips
- For dairy-free and paleo, use full-fat canned coconut milk in place of the heavy cream.
- Even if you eat dairy, be sure to use non-dairy milk. This is because traditional cow's milk is high in carbs.
Looking for more recipes?
Or this roundup from Whole New Mom of 21 Easy AIP Desserts looks delicious too!
If you’ve tried this Paleo & Keto Vanilla Pudding or any other recipe on the blog please let me know in the comments below!
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📖 Recipe
Keto Vanilla Pudding {Paleo & Dairy-Free Options!}
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup Heavy Whipping Cream - For Paleo, use one 14 oz. can of full-fat canned coconut milk (see notes below)
- 1 cup Unsweetened, Non-Dairy Milk
- ½ cup Keto Powdered Sweetener - For Paleo, use ½ cup pure maple syrup + 2 Tbsp honey
- 1-2 pinches Sea Salt
- ½ tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice - optional but brightens up the flavor
- 1 Tbsp. + ½ tsp. Unflavored Gelatin - For Paleo, use 1 Tbsp + 1 ½ tsp of gelatin
- 1 Tbsp. Pure Vanilla
Instructions
- Whisk together the heavy cream or coconut milk, non-dairy milk, sweetener, sea salt, and lemon juice in a medium-sized pot.
- Then, bloom the gelatin by evenly sprinkling it over the milk mixture and allow it to soften for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat to medium and whisk constantly until the gelatin is completely dissolved and steam is rising. It should look like there's a thin layer of white foam on top of the mixture. Do not bring to boil. Continue whisking until you are sure the gelatin is completely dissolved. This could take several minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the pure vanilla. Transfer to a large, shallow bowl. Do not stir after this point. Allow to cool.
- Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it down on top of the mixture to prevent a skin from developing on the top.
- Place in the fridge for 3 to 5 hours, or until the pudding is firm.
- Once the mixture has set up, transfer to the bowl of a food processor and process until silky smooth.
- Serve plain or with whipped cream and berries. Or use in any recipe calling for a prepared box of vanilla pudding.
- Store covered in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
Notes
- For the canned coconut milk, I recommend using Thai Kitchen, Sprouts, or Native Forest brands. Other brands may leave an aftertaste.
- Even if you eat dairy, be sure to use non-dairy milk. This is because traditional cow's milk is high in carbs.
- For the low carb sweetener, I like to use a powdered monk fruit/allulose blend because it dissolves beautifully and has zero aftertaste. But use whatever you prefer!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary.
Looking for more information on the keto diet? Check out these resources:
Thank you for such a beautiful recipe ... this was a huge hit with the family! Lovely flavor profile and quick to make outside of setting time. Mine also turned out like flan using the full amount of gelatin so I will cut back next time. But I was able to add additional rice milk and mix with a hand mixer even after letting it set for the 4 hours. It worked great for my dessert recipe needs. Thank you again Cassidy!
Oh good, I'm so glad you liked it and the additional rice milk helped!!! Thanks so much for letting me know 😀
-Cassidy
The flavor is so good, and I used full-fat coconut milk and oat milk for my non-dairy milk. I'm not sure what happened, but mine came out very much like a flan or vanilla jello. I didn't let it boil either. I wonder what happened! I was looking for that silkier pudding texture, but I love flan, so I'm digging it. My kids don't like the texture though. And ours formed a coconut fat crust that wasn't tasty, but it came right off. Let me know if you know where I went wrong!
Hi Jennifer!
This can be remedied by processing the pudding in a food processor after it has set up to make it silky smooth. I updated the recipe card to include this step, instead of it just being optional. I hope this helps!
-Cassidy
Thank you! I will try again and tell you the result. But flavor is SO delicious and perfectly balanced. My daughter and I gobbled it down, even with the gelatin texture.
I’m allergic to coconut. Is there anything else that I might substitute for the coconut milk? I miss vanilla pudding as much as I miss dairy and eggs. I’d be so grateful. Thanks!
Hi Agi Salzer! I use canned coconut milk to make it extra rich and creamy. You can replace it with any non-dairy milk, you just might lose some of the creaminess and it may be a tad thinner.
You may be able to use cashew cream if it was really, really well blended (just water and cashews blended) but without trying it myself I can't give you any details or know for sure how it would turn out.
If you try either of those options please come back and let me how it turned out!!
-Cassidy
Hi, haven't tried this yet but looking forward to a trial run as I'd like to have it with my gluten and dairy free mince pies on Christmas Day in place of egg and dairy custard.
Question though: Can this pudding be reheated?
One tip I can provide to make it vegan (as well as removing the honey) is to use agar instead of gelatin. It doesn't behave quite the same way when prepping and you don't use as much, but the end result will be just as good 🙂
Hi Vanessa! The pudding can be reheated but it will thin out when heated then thicken again when cooled. Hope this helps!!!
-Cassidy
Many thanks, happy holidays!
I just finished making this recipe and put it in the fridge to cool. I haven't tasted the finished product but I did lick the spoon and OMGoodness! It is so yummy! I even reduced the maple syrup to 1/4 c. and divided it into 6 cups instead of 4 in order to keep each serving to just a couple teaspoons per doctor's orders for my daughter's elimination diet.
Oh YAY Laura, I'm so glad you liked it!!!
Love this recipe! I was wondering if you've ever used it as a base for peanut butter pudding? I chose to add a few Tbsps. of arrowroot powder (which may change the type of diet requirements it meets) and reduce the gelatin a bit (like 2.5 tsps). Prepare as instructed stirring arrowroot in prior to gelatin. I allow to cool, place in my blender adding nut butter as desired - blend for 30 seconds and pour into dishes OR place on top of nut crust - cool and sprinkle with chocolate chips, nuts, coconut flakes. I just tried adding a few Tbsps of cocoa powder to this recipe (added some additional sweetener/stevia) - it's great! Thanks for posting!
This was so good...great taste plus benefits of gelatin (great lakes brand). I served with caramelized peaches.
Hi!
I actually broke my aip diet and ate a store bought Snack Pack. And this recipe was actually much more flavorful!
I used 2 cups coconut milk to keep it aip and it turned out more like jello than pudding. Flavor was amazing though.
I'll make it again with less gelatin and see how it goes!
Thank you!
Yum. Just tried this after making it earlier today. This was my first AIP treat since starting the diet 4 days ago. I used vanilla powder and homemade coconut milk to make it AIP compliant. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
That you for sharing! It is so hard to find good recipes that actually work and taste good for my little one! These are quick and easy which is even better.
How much is a can of coconut milk equal to in millilitres or cups?
Hi Cindy, it's 13.6 oz, so just barely under 2 Cups 🙂 Hope this helps!!!
-Cassidy
Delicious!!! Thank u!
Thank you Georgianna! I'm glad you liked it 🙂 🙂
May I ask what non dairy milk substitute you recommend to make it AIP compliant? Can you just use two cans of coconut milk? Also, vanilla powder is the substitute for vanilla to make this AIP compliant. Vanilla extract is not recommended due to the alcohol. You can get it on Amazon.
Thanks for the info about the vanilla Cheryl! And yes, an additional cup of coconut milk should work fine 🙂 Let me know what you think!!!!
I love vanilla pudding!! I've cut out gluten awhile back and have recently started to cut back on dairy and sugar too, but realllllllly missing vanilla pudding so I'm very happy to find your recipe. THANK YOU!! There are so many great chocolate pudding recipes that are Paleo/AIP/Dairy free etc, but not many vanilla ones out there.
I didn't have much maple syrup left so I added 1/3 cup coconut sugar. It was absolutely delicious and I loved the gelatin to thicken it up instead of the usual cornstarch in puddings. SO much better for you!!! I couldn't wait the 2+ hours to try it so I put them in the freezer for a bit and then dug into it after about 1/2 hour...deeeelicious! Not sure if its ok to freeze gelatin but it seemed alright consistency-wise. Added some toasted coconut on top which was a great complement to the coconut flavour from the milk. THANKS again! 🙂
AWESOME Dana, I'm so happy you liked it!!!! Toasted coconut sounds good 🙂
XO,
Cassidy
This was delicious, and it was one of the main components in my Sherry English Trifle that I made for Easter Dinner. http://peacefulfoodie.com/recipe/paleo-sherried-english-trifle/. Don't worry I gave you credit.
Thank you Renee! I'm so happy you liked it - and your Sherry English Trifle looks amazing!!!
-Cassidy
Kids would love this! Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays Party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂 I can't wait to see what you share next time!
-Cindy
I still really need to try GELATIN!
Yeah, I just started using gelatin and it's awesome!!!
-Cassidy
This is definitely one I want to try! Love how healthy it is!!
Thanks Julia! If you get a chance to make it I would love your feedback 🙂
-Cassidy
Yummy! Thanks for working on and perfecting a recipe for vanilla! I don't love chocolate so I'm thrilled to see this.
Me too! Best comfort food.
What kind of gelatin do you buy/like?
thanks!
Hi Jackie! I usually just buy the Knox gelatin that's found at most grocery stores but I'm going to start using the Great Lakes gelatin because I think it's more cost effective 🙂
Hope you like it!
-Cassidy
I love pud pudding, and this one looks great! Pinned!
Thanks Tessa, I hope you get the chance to make it and you like it as much as we do 🙂