These Paleo Vanilla Pudding Parfaits are creamy, dairy-free, honey-sweetened and so dang delicious!
Table of Contents
I know I’m not known as a prolific source of Paleo dessert recipes—and that’s totally cool with me. As I explained in my first cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food For Humans, I don’t make it a habit to whip up sweets and treats ’cause I’m a recovering sugarholic; if I spent my days and nights perfecting grain-free treats, I’m sure I wouldn’t stop eating them ’til I burst. Besides, after completing a couple rounds of the Whole30, I recognize that I feel a lot better when I avoid sugary treats most of the time.
That said, it’s not like I don’t make (and eat!) desserts on occasion. It’s just that when I do, I make sure that the sweet treat I’m preparing is crazy-delicious and worth every bite. That’s why even though my cookbooks and blog contain just a handful of treats, all of them are showstoppers that’ve wowed even my most discriminating non-Paleo pals.
Our second cookbook, Ready or Not!, is no different: It contains a highly curated list of meticulously tested desserts that are definitely worth the time and effort to make, including my Tangerine Dream Tart, Rustic Chocolate Cake, Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, and Strawberry Almond Semifreddo + Berry Balsamic Sauce.
Dude—if you haven’t yet ordered my latest cookbook, what are you waiting for? Get one here. As I explained when it came out, this book is bonkers.
Still don’t have a copy of our cookbook, but craving an indulgent, grain-free sweet? Fine. Here’s a creamy, berry-riffic pudding parfait in red, white, and blue—so patriotic! Fair warning, though: This dessert’s ROI (Return On Investment) is quite high—meaning it’s a breeze to make, but yields exponentially lip-smackingly awesome results—so just promise me that you won’t go crazy and make it everyday, m’kay?
Ingredients
- Full fat canned coconut milk
- Gelatin: Make sure you aren’t using collagen peptides by mistake because your puddings won’t gel properly!
- Honey
- Vanilla extract
- Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
- Mixed berries, cut into bite-sized pieces (e.g. strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.)
How to make paleo vanilla pudding parfaits
Shake the can of coconut milk well, and pour ¼ cup of it into a medium bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin on top and whisk briskly to get rid of the lumps. Set the bowl aside.
Next, heat the remaining coconut milk and honey over medium heat…
…stirring frequently, until the sweetened milk is steaming, but not boiling.
Pour the hot coconut milk into the bowl with the gelatin/coconut milk mixture, and whisk well to combine.
Stir in the vanilla extract and salt.
Place the bowl in the fridge uncovered for 30 minutes, and then cover with a silicone lid or plastic wrap until the pudding firms up, at least 2 hours. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days before serving.
When you’re ready to serve, take the bowl of coconut pudding out of the fridge. Uncover it, and grab a hand or stand mixer.
Beat the pudding until it’s nice and fluffy and transforms from a stiff Jell-O-like texture to a thick, smooth pudding. It’ll take at least a minute, so be patient!
Divide the pudding into 4 bowls or cups, alternating layers of berries and pudding.
Aren’t summer berries the best? Serve immediately and dig in!
Wanna make a paleo chocolate pudding version? Go here!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Paleo Pudding Parfaits
Ingredients
- 13.5 ounces full-fat canned coconut milk divided
- 2 teaspoons gelatin
- 2 tablespoons honey or more to taste
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 cups mixed berries cut into bite-sized pieces (e.g. strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.)
Instructions
- Shake the can of coconut milk well, and pour ¼ cup of it into a medium bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin on top and whisk briskly to get rid of the lumps. Set the bowl aside.
- Next, heat the remaining coconut milk and honey over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sweetened milk is steaming, but not boiling.
- Pour the hot coconut milk into the bowl with the gelatin/coconut milk mixture, and whisk well to combine.
- Stir in the vanilla extract and salt.
- Place the bowl in the fridge uncovered for 30 minutes, and then cover with a silicone lid or plastic wrap until the pudding firms up, at least 2 hours. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days before serving.
- When you’re ready to serve, take the bowl of coconut pudding out of the fridge. Uncover it, and grab a hand or stand mixer.
- Beat the pudding until it’s nice and fluffy and transforms from a stiff JELL-O-like texture to a thick, smooth pudding. It’ll take at least a minute, so be patient!
- Divide the pudding into 4 bowls or cups, alternating layers of berries and pudding. Serve immediately and dig in!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could you also use Agar Agar Powder for this recipe? If so would the ratio be 1:1 or other?
I’ve never tried agar agar! If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Could you put cacao powder in it to make it chocolate pudding?
I think so! Start with 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder and go from there!
Sorry, this is a little off topic, but where did you get that silicon lid for your bowl? I love it. This recipe looks great. Can’t wait to try it! I’m a new “nomster” and love your website! Thanks.
I bought it on Amazon! I link to it in the equipment section underneath the ingredients!
Help! I made this recipe today, but it didn’t turn out right! I used full-fat coconut milk from Trader Joe’s. I just re-read the recipe again, and I did follow it as written. The fat rose to the top of the “pudding” in the fridge and formed a crust. I beat it with a stand mixer for more than 5 minutes, but it was still grainy from the solidified fat and it never got thick–when I assembled the cups and put the berries in, they just sank into the pudding.
If you whisk the hot coconut milk into the gelatin and refrigerated it right away — it should form a gel as soon as it cools without separating. If your fridge is not cold enough, you can place the bowl in an ice bath to chill it quickly before placing it in the fridge.
Thank you for the suggestion! I will try again! 🙂 Perhaps I’ll try using a stainless bowl next time instead of glass to help it cool more quickly as well. I love your site! Thank you again!!!
“Divide the pudding into 4″…. ahahahha, no.
This pudding is blowing my mind and making me wonder if there aren’t all kinds of other applications for the basic coconut milk-gelatin method. Think you could do sour cream/créme fraîche or yogurt with a little added probiotic/fermentation?
What a unique idea! I must try this today. Your food photography was amazing too. I just find your blog today. Its cool.
can coconut creamer substitute coconut milk? and can gelatin be substituted by jelly powder?
OMG! I made this with monk fruit sweetener instead of honey, even exchange. It is delicious and I feel a hair less guilty. Lol!
Do you know if there is a commercially available gluten free, dairy free, and maybe sugar free, pudding snack cup? Or panna cotta? Something that hospitals could source and buy.
Not sugar free, but these Petit Pot chocolate pudding cups are pretty good: https://petitpot.com/products/plant-based-dark-chocolate