This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This old fashioned dairy free Homemade Coconut Pudding made with coconut milk and cream is the perfect dessert because it is so creamy rich and delicious.
Why this recipe works:
If you love all things coconut like I do, you will absolutely love this easy to make homemade coconut milk pudding. It is a fantastic dessert recipe.
Growing up, I thought the only way to make pudding was to combine the powder from the box with milk, cook, and serve. I seriously didn’t think you could make it from scratch.
Making pudding the old fashioned way is the same as making custard or making ice cream. Its basically mixing heated milk with eggs and sugar. For this pudding, I used coconut milk with some coconut cream in place of regular cow’s milk. May all my dairy free and lactose intolerant friends rejoice!
Served warm or cold, you want to make this pudding!
Ingredients:
Granulated sugar, egg yolks, a can of coconut milk, a couple tablespoons of coconut cream, some flour and corn starch for thickening, a pinch of salt, a splash of coconut rum, and sweetened coconut flakes are all that you need!
How to make this coconut pudding recipe:
- Combine the sugar and egg yolks (photo 1). These will get mixed on high speed for several minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy (photo 2). Corn starch and flour gets added to this mixture to help thicken the pudding.
- Coconut milk and coconut cream are heated in a pot just until scalded (photo 3) then removed from heat.
- You will add a small amount of the scalded coconut milk to the egg mixture to temper the egg (photo 4) and will gradually add more hot coconut milk until it is all incorporated. Then you will return the mixture back to the pot (photo 5) and cook over low heat while stirring until it thickens. Stir in the coconut rum when it’s finished.
- Pour the pudding into serving dishes (photo 6) and top with toasted coconut if desired. The toasted sweetened coconut flakes are totally optional but highly recommended, not just for the nutty taste, but for the added texture. YUM!!!
Cooking tips for best results:
- Good quality eggs with large, rich, orange yolks make all the difference in this coconut pudding recipe.
- It is very important that you beat the egg yolks and sugar until very light in color and fluffy. Don’t cheat on this step.
- You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer, but I do not recommend mixing my hand.
Other great pudding recipes:
- Homemade Vanilla Pudding
- Rice Pudding
- Classic Banana Pudding
- Strawberry Coconut Chia Pudding
- Coconut Ice Cream
- Coconut Pudding Poke Cake
- Homemade Chocolate Pudding
- Creamy Old Fashioned Rice Pudding
Homemade Coconut Pudding
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 14 ounce can lite coconut milk (I use Trader Joe’s)
- 2 tablespoons coconut cream again, Trader Joe’s
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon coconut rum can substitute with vanilla if desired
- 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes optional
Instructions
- Combine sugar and egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment to combine until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes on medium high speed, while stopping the mixer every coupld of minutes to scrape the bowl.
- While eggs and sugar and mixing, combine coconut milk and coconut cream in saucepan. Heat on low just until the liquid starts to scald and you see steam. Remove pan from heat.
- Add flour and cornstarch to egg mixture and whisk until well combined, stopping the mixer and scraping as needed.
- With the mixer running on low speed, add a small amount of the hot coconut milk to the egg mixture and combine well to temper the egg. Once it is well mixed, add a little more milk, mix, and repeat until all of the milk has been added. Transfer the entire mixture from the bowl back to the pot and heat on medium low heat, whisking frequently, until thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in coconut rum.
- To toast your coconut, add it to a large pan and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown. Once the coconut starts to brown, stir more frequently to avoid burning.
- Serve pudding warm or cold. You can either mix the toasted coconut in with the pudding or you can serve it on top.
Notes
- Good quality eggs with large, rich, orange yolks make all the difference in this coconut pudding recipe.
- It is very important that you beat the egg yolks and sugar until very light in color and fluffy. Don’t cheat on this step.
- You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer, but I do not recommend mixing my hand.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published in May 2018 and has been updated with helpful information, ingredient and process photos, as well as recipe tips. Don’t worry – the recipe hasn’t changed!
This came out wonderful. I made a double batch to fill 12 mini tarts… that was way more than I needed, one batch would have been enough. I used coconut extract and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract per batch. It’s DELICIOUS.
I love coconut and can’t wait to try this. Is there a reason you use a light coconut milk? I have a full fat I’ll probably use since that’s what I have but I’m just curious why light.
I was just trying to mimic whole milk, but I bet it would turn out fantastic with full fat coconut milk!
I made this recipe to use up some unsweetened coconut milk I’d purchased (and didn’t care for on its own). Easy recipe, and tasty. I didn’t have coconut cream (which of course would add more flavor and creaminess), so I just used a bit more coconut milk and it still came out just fine. Didn’t have Coconut Rum, so I used vanilla extract, also just fine. Don’t skimp on the toasted coconut (either on top, mixed in, or both!) – it absolutely adds a necessary layer of flavor and texture. Enjoy!
Can you use coconut flour, arrowroot, or tapioca flour in place of flour?
Hi Ruth, I assume you’re trying to make it gluten free? The point of the flour in this recipe is a thickener (along with the corn starch). I might try any of those ingredients you listed or even a combination, but I would decrease the amount as they are not a 1:1 replacement for AP flour. Let me know if it works! Krissy
I have made this at least 10 times, have a Trader Joe’s 5 blocks from me. I mix in toasted coconut and put on top. Also have whipped cream and folded in for a lighter fluffier dessert. Also used in coconut cream pie.
Thanks so much for the recipe.
Tim (the coconut nut)
Thank you so much for the fantastic comment! So glad you enjoyed. -Krissy
Coconut custard cannot be made without dairy. It simply will not emulate the real thing. Pick another dessert if you need, or just for some good reason insist on dairy free.
I’m a die hard dairy fan, trust me, but sometimes I need to make dairy free recipes for friends/family who can’t have it. This may not be a true pudding or custard, but it’s as close as you can get without adding dairy.