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A creamy vegan pumpkin pudding recipe that's going to quickly become a new fall favourite! This easy dairy free pumpkin pudding will make everyone happy and satisfied at the end of a fall or holiday meal and all you need to make it is six simple ingredients and 10 minutes (plus some chilling time!).
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That time of year has arrived once again...you know, the time when it's pumpkin, cinnamon, and apple everything. And while I do miss the summer weather and giving all the attention to fresh berries, I do enjoy fall flavours, a lot.
This vegan pumpkin pudding is a recipe you're going to want to add to your fall recipe list. It's extremely easy to make, requires just a few simple ingredients, and it's vegan and gluten free.
If You Like Pumpkin Pie, You'll Love this Gluten Free Pumpkin Dessert
It tastes like pumpkin pie, just without the crust...so I guess we can also call it vegan pumpkin pie pudding! (try my vegan pumpkin pie recipe if you're looking for a good one!)
This is one of those desserts that's simple enough for school snacks but tastes decadent enough to serve as the sweet ending to a big holiday meal (just like my vanilla pudding, chocolate pudding, avocado pudding, and my sweet potato pudding!).
So let's go through the steps and everything you need to know before you make it.
Ingredients for Eggless Pumpkin Pudding
Classic pumpkin pudding recipes call for milk and eggs but you don't need any of those for this one. Lots of vegan puddings also call for tofu, but this is a vegan pumpkin pudding without tofu.
To make this pumpkin pudding vegan, you won't be using eggs and you'll be using your favourite unsweetened non-dairy milk. I usually stick with almond milk, but any other type will work.
If you want to make this pumpkin pudding recipe with coconut milk, either light or full fat will work fine.
You'll also need to use pure pumpkin puree for this recipe, not pumpkin pie filling. You can either use canned puree or make your own pumpkin puree.
Can Arrowroot Starch be Used Instead of Cornstarch?
This recipe calls for cornstarch to thicken the pudding. When testing, I made a batch using arrowroot starch, my usual go-to thickener, and while the pudding still tasted delicious, the consistency was slightly jelly-like.
If you can't have, can't find, or don't want to use cornstarch, arrowroot starch will work perfectly fine, but for the best consistency, I recommend using cornstarch.
Can Coconut Sugar Be Used Instead of Brown Sugar?
Yes, it can, I also tested a batch with coconut sugar and the only difference was the colour. If you make your pumpkin pie pudding with coconut sugar, the final result will be a little darker than the pudding you see in the pictures here.
And one more thing about the ingredients...the recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice, but if you don't have it, you can use a combination of spices to get the same flavour. Find details in the recipe notes below.
How to Make No-Bake Pumpkin Pudding
(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step for this easy gluten free pumpkin pudding recipe here, but find the full recipe, ingredients, and directions at the end of this post.)
The first step is to whisk the cornstarch and sugar together in a saucepan. You want to make sure there are no lumps, if you need to, use the back of a spoon to crush the lumps.
Next, slowly add the milk while constantly whisking to avoid lumps. Once everything has mixed together, whisk in the pumpkin puree and place the pot on the heat.
You'll need to whisk the mixture constantly as it thickens to avoid any chunks from forming. You'll know it's time to stop whisking and remove the pot from the stove when the pudding coats a spoon like in the picture above.
After that, whisk in the spices and vanilla extract. Next, you'll pour your non dairy pudding into a glass bowl and let it sit until it's warm. Once the pudding is warm, you'll need to place it in the refrigerator to finish thickening and to get to that final creamy pudding consistency.
How to Avoid "Pudding Skin"
"Pudding skin" sounds a little gross, but for those of you who have never made pudding, this is a thing that happens as the proteins and sugar in the pudding cool down.
Basically, the top of the pudding thickens and forms a "skin" that can affect the final consistency of your pudding. You want to avoid that skin so your dessert turns out to be smooth, creamy, and the best vegan pumpkin pudding recipe you've ever made!
There are two ways to do this:
- Before placing the bowl in the refrigerator, gently place plastic wrap directly over the entire surface of the pudding so the wrap comes into direct contact with the pudding and no air remains in between.
- If you want to avoid plastic, you can let the pudding cool off and allow the skin to form. After that has happened, pass the entire batch of the pudding through a sieve to separate the soft pudding from the dry top layer. I learned this method from this website.
How to Serve Dairy Free Pudding
I like to serve it plain, like in the picture above, or to take this pumpkin pudding recipe over the top, I add coconut whipped cream and a little dusting of ground cinnamon, like in the picture below.
You can dress it up or keep it simple, based on the occasion.
How Long Will This Gluten Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie Pudding Last?
If you have leftovers, it will last up to four days in the refrigerator.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, please leave me a star rating below in the comments and tell me how you liked it!
And if you like this recipe, you may also like these other vegan pumpkin recipes and these easy vegan dessert recipes:
- Baked Apple Slices
- Pumpkin Chocolate Pie
- Vegan Chocolate Tart
- Sweet Potato Pie
- Sweet Potato Pudding
- Pear Cranberry Crisp
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
Vegan Pumpkin Pudding
Suggested Equipment:
Ingredients:
- ½ cup (100g) brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons (24g) cornstarch
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened dairy-free milk
- 1 ¼ cup (300g) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (see below for a substitute)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Add brown sugar and cornstarch to a medium saucepan. Whisk until combined and no lumps remain. You may need to break up any lumps with the back of a spoon.
- Slowly whisk in milk until combined with dry mixture. Scrape around the corners of the pot with a spoon to be sure no dry ingredients remain. Add pumpkin puree and whisk again until combined.
- Place pot on medium-high heat and continuously whisk until mixture has thickened enough to coat a spoon, this will take about 5-7 minutes. (See images above)
- Remove pot from the heat and whisk in spices and vanilla. (The pudding will be thickened but still runny at this point, that's okay, it will thicken more when refrigerated.)
- Pour pudding into a glass bowl and set aside until it's no longer hot but still warm.
- Place plastic wrap on surface of pudding or cool and pass through a sieve to avoid a skin. See info above for more details on this step.
- Refrigerate pudding for at least 2 hours so it can set. Serve cold, either plain or with coconut whipped cream.
Video:
Recipe Notes:
- Please read all of the info above before making this recipe.
- Recipe makes 2 ½ cups of pudding in total.
- If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, use 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground ginger in its place.
- Nutrition info listed below is for 1 of 5 servings (each serving is ½ cup each) made with brown sugar, almond milk, and pumpkin pie spice, and is only to be used as a rough guide. Click here for more info on how nutrition info on this website is determined.
Gail says
FOLLOWED to a T
It came put like Pumpkin SOUP
Disappointed
Gwen Leron says
I'm sorry to hear you were disappointed, Gail. If you followed the recipe to a T like you said, then something was wrong with either an ingredient or a measurement. It could be that the cornstarch (the ingredient used to thicken the pudding) was not measured correctly (not enough was used), or it was expired so it could not work properly. It could also be that you did not cook it long enough to thicken properly, the pudding needs adequate cook time for the cornstarch to activate and thicken. The last thing I can think of is that you may have measured the milk incorrectly (used too much). Did you refrigerate it for the amount of time stated in the recipe? It needs to be cooled in the fridge for at least 2 hours to thicken properly as well. All of these things will cause your pudding to not thicken properly and remain runny. I hope this helps you figure out what went wrong.
Sara says
Can you puree the pumpkin pudding with an immersion blender after it chills to make it creamy instead of discarding the skin? I gave it a bunch of stars though I haven't actually made it yet!
Gwen Leron says
Hi Sara, If you have a large sieve, I would run it through that instead, but if you don't, you can try using the immersion blender on it. I haven't tried that though, so I'm not 100% sure if it's going to smooth everything out, it's worth a try though. Please come back and let me know how things go if you do it that way! Enjoy!
Jasmine says
I love this recipe, and it is an absolute lifesaver! My sister is currently nursing her baby who has a sensitivity to eggs and dairy, and she was really bummed about missing out on pumpkin pie. So, I'm making her one! (Or at least a Pumpkin Pudding Pie lol). Thank you for sharing
Gwen Leron says
I'm so glad you found something that your sister can have, Jasmine! I hope she, and all of you, like it. If you are looking for a more traditional pumpkin pie, I have a recipe you can find here: https://delightfuladventures.com/quick-easy-vegan-pumpkin-pie/ but if you'd still like to use this to make a "pudding pie" filling, then you may need to add a little more cornstarch so it firms up a bit more to stay stable when you slice the pie. Any further questions, please feel free to ask, enjoy!
Gail Rahme says
Very good recipe just made it and it's delicious, i found that placing all the ingredients in a nutribullet but reducing the sugar to 65 gr, then transfering them to the pot on medium flame stiring all the time goes by much faster.
Gwen Leron says
I'm glad that way worked well for you, Gail! Enjoy! 🙂
JD says
Consistency was great. It was a little sweet for me and we did use the scale to measure out the sweetness. Next time I'll reduce the sugar or try to add things like cardamom and orange zest to it. Otherwise turned out great. I was worried mine was a little thick but it turned out alright in the end. Thanks for the idea!
Gwen Leron says
I'm glad you enjoyed it, JD, and yes, you can cut back on the sugar a little to suit your taste next time. Thanks for coming back to leave your comment, I appreciate it!
Chai says
Just made this for (Canadian) Thanksgiving party today - everyone LOVED it!!! I initially made it up Saturday night and put into 2 large serving bowls left to set overnight but it was still runny Sunday morning. I heated it up on the stove again and added a bit more cornstarch until it thickened and then it set perfectly! I ended up putting it in small individual cups instead second time around as well - and added coconut whipped cream and cinnamon as suggested. It was the favorite dessert of the day (potluck style meal)!
I think maybe describing the consistency the pudding should be when you take it off the heat would help. I don’t so much cooking and I thought my consistency matched what you have in the picture of the spoon, but clearly it did not. 🤷♀️
Gwen Leron says
Hello, Chai! Thanks so much for your comment and your suggestion, I will add a line in to describe the consistency after cooking (if you are able, you can also refer to the images and video in the post for more visual cues to know what it's supposed to be like). I'm glad you and everyone else enjoyed the pudding, it's a favourite here, too! I'm wondering why it didn't firm up for you as it should have, more constarch and re-heating should not have been necessary. There are several things that could have caused that, one is measuring the cornstarch incorrectly (not using enough) or not measuring one of the other ingredients correctly, another is not cooking the pudding long enough so the cornstarch can fully "activate" and thicken the mixture as it should. Either way, I'm glad you were able to correct it and that you ended up with a delicious pudding! If you have any questions at all, please feel free to get in touch.
Frances says
I made this pumpkin pudding for Thanksgiving and have been told in no uncertain terms that I should make it again for the family Christmas.
Gwen Leron says
This is wonderful news, Frances! I'm so glad to know it was enjoyed by all you served it to! Enjoy it again at your family Christmas!
Terry Poirier says
I made this recipe it turned out wonderful.
I took Ginger snaps and crush them on the bottom of a container then add a layer of pumpkin pudding, then a layer of Cool Whip a more crushed ginger snaps to the final layer . Everyone enjoyed it. Thanks
Gwen Leron says
This sound delicious, Terry! I'm so glad you found the recipe and decided to give it a try. Enjoy!
Robin says
I just made this recipe tonight and it is out of this world delicious.
Gwen Leron says
Wonderful news, Robin! I'm so happy to know you loved it!
Lisa says
Just wanted to give another tip... placing either wax paper or parchment paper instead of plastic wrap will also keep the pudding from forming a skin. You just need to cut it to fit your bowl and completely cover the pudding 🙂 My mom always used wax paper on pies (chocolate, pumpkin) when I was growing up and there was never a skin!
Gwen Leron says
This is a great tip, Lisa! Thanks very much for sharing it!
lisa says
Hello! I made this to serve with the Leon Fast Vegan almond orange cardamom cake (instead of yogurt) for a Friends-giving. This is the first vegan pudding I have made. The consistency and flavor are great! Also, it was so easy to make. I plan on making your vanilla pudding soon. Do you have any plans to make a butterscotch pudding any time soon?!
Gwen Leron says
Hi Lisa! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I hope you like the vanilla pudding as much. I have chocolate pudding, sweet potato pudding, and avocado pudding, but no butterscotch just yet. I have been working on a recipe, but it's not quite where I want it to be. As soon as it's ready, I will publish it! Enjoy the rest of the pumpkin pudding 🙂
Karen w. says
I understand that the corn starch needs to be added to get the thickness to make it pudding like but you could actually taste the corn starch it was very starchy. Other than that the flavors were good I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar.
Gwen Leron says
Hi Karen, sorry it did not turn out for you as it should have. Any type of cornstarch taste should not detectable at all and it should not be starchy in any way. What was the final texture like? There are two things that could have been measured incorrectly to cause this issue: 1) Too much cornstarch was added 2) Too little of the other ingredients were added. (I have never had this issue in the many times I've made this, so I think one (or both) of these things could be the culprit). Other things that could cause this is not cooking the pudding long enough so the cornstarch does not get heated enough to fully activate OR the spices you used were not fresh. If your spices are old, the flavour will not be as strong and that will throw off the flavour of the pudding. Let me know if you have any questions, I'm glad to help troubleshoot further!
Glenna says
Arrowroot instead of cornstarch might help. I can always detect cornstarch - it tastes chalky to my palate. Arrowroot is more neutral and thickens well too.
Gwen Leron says
Hi Glenna! Thanks for your suggestion. I have a whole section in the post above all about using arrowroot starch in this recipe. When I had tested with arrowroot, the pudding had a slightly different consistency but it worked so it's an option for those who cannot have cornstarch for sure.
Mila says
Hi! Thanks for sharing this recepie ... is this pudding also works as a pie filling? Or is to soft for that propose?
Gwen Leron says
Hi Mila, yes, I think it's too soft to use as a pie filling. You can try adding a little more cornstarch to make it a little firm, but I haven't tried doing that, so I can't guaranteed it would work well. If you're looking for a pumpkin pie filling, you can try this one here: Pumpkin Pie. I hope this helps, let me know if you have any further questions!
Kim says
I didn’t want to have any leftover pumpkin, so I added the whole can and then a little extra soy milk and corn starch. It seems like it turns out OK. Do you ever do that and what would the correct measurements be?
Gwen Leron says
Hi Kim! I have never tried this, I usually save any leftover pumpkin to make another pumpkin recipe (I have lots on my website if you're looking 🙂 ) but if done correctly, it will work just fine. By correctly, I mean adjusting all of the other ingredients proportionally. The recipe can be doubled and still work perfectly. I hope this helps, any other questions, please ask.
Becky says
So yummy! I actually split my batch into 6 servings instead of 5, but then I served them with a warm, fresh baked sugar cookie on top. It ends up tasting like a replacement "crust" but upside down 🙂
Gwen Leron says
So happy to hear you liked it, Becky! And what you did with sugar cookie sounds delicious 🙂 Thanks so much for your message!
Elle says
That's brilliant. Can hardly wait to try this recipe!
Gwen Leron says
I hope you love it, Elle! Let me know how things go! 🙂
Trina says
Question that hasn’t been answered!
Could I use maple syrup instead of brown sugar.
If so, do you recommend altering any other ingredients (ask the syrup is a liquid not a dry)
Thank you in advance
Gwen Leron says
Hi Trina! I haven't tried using maple syrup. I think it could work, but since you're a lot more adding more liquid to the recipe, you will have to add more cornstarch to thicken it up properly in order to achieve that perfect pudding consistency. It already calls for 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, so I would start off by adding an extra tablespoon to start and then work your way up from there. Look at the images above to know what the consistency should be like when it's ready. If you try it, let me know how things go, I hope it works out for you!
Elaine Gosbee says
Super easy and super delicious pudding. I love pumpkin and could eat it all year long. This is a nice alternative to pumpkin pie. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. Next time I'll put some coconut whipping cream for a topper. Yummy!!!
Gwen Leron says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Elaine! And it is even better with the coconut whip. I make pumpkin recipes all year round, because I love it, too 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind message!
Lee says
Hi,
I was wondering if you can add chia seeds in
Gwen Leron says
Hi Lee, the pudding is already thick, so chia seeds would thicken it more and you wouldn't end up with a pudding consistency. Do you mean use chia seeds instead of the cornstarch to thicken?
Karen says
Can you use chia seeds to thicken instead of corn starch? If so how much?
Gwen Leron says
Hi Karen, I have never used chia seeds the thicken this pudding, but I do think it can be done. Since I haven't done it myself, I can't give you a precise measurement but I would start by grinding the chia seeds so you still end up with a smooth pudding and not one with seeds in it. I would start with 1 tablespoon of the ground chia and work up from there if needed. (As for the cornstarch, if you can't have it, you can also use arrowroot starch, same measurement more info is outlined above.) If you end up trying it, please let me know how things go!
Adriana says
Now what if you want to make the desert two days early since you’re bust the other days. Is it alright to leave them in the fridge for the time being?
Gwen Leron says
Hi Adriana! Yes, it can be made in advance, it will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. I hope you love it, let me know how things go 🙂
Susan Lewis says
Can you tell me where you got the adorable bowls/jars the pumpkin pudding is shown In in the photos? What a beautiful presentation!
Gwen Leron says
Thank you, Susan! These glass jars came filled with a store-bought dessert many years ago from one of my local grocery stores here in Canada. I mostly bought the dessert because I wanted the jars 🙂 I have not seen them since them since so it was good that I grabbed them when I saw them!
Pat says
I also admired the ramekins and found something similar on Amazon. Search for Duralex 4 oz clear glass ramekins.
Annette Gandara says
Can I leave the sugar out?
Gwen Leron says
Hi Annette, I have not tried making this recipe without sugar, so I can't say how the consistency and flavour would turn out. You can reduce the sugar so there is a little sweetness or experiment with a different sweetener if you don't want to use the suggested brown sugar or coconut sugar. I hope this helps!