Instant pudding is a favorite food product of everyone. People love to eat instant pudding as it is easy and quick to make as well as delicious. Instant pudding comes in a powder mix having all the essential ingredients. So, one needs to mix this powder with milk and cool it for setting. Thus, a deliciously sweet treat will be ready to serve after cooling. But what if you have no milk available in your kitchen and still want to prepare instant pudding. In such a critical situation, you may think can you use almond milk to make instant pudding?
You may ask that question if you are allergic to dairy milk or for other health issues. Or if you want to make instant pudding totally vegan and plant-based. So, I will answer all your questions here. I will also tell you about other non-dairy milk substitutes for instant pudding. So, let’s move on.
Can You Use Almond Milk To Make Instant Pudding?
And the answer to your question is yes. You can use almond milk to make instant pudding, and it goes great. Almond milk is a great non-dairy substitute for milk for making instant pudding. And, if you want to prepare vegan instant pudding, almond milk is a great option to go for.
However, the directions to make instant pudding are different from the pudding made with milk. Simply use half of the almond milk as you use dairy milk to make instant pudding.
For instance, use 1 or ½ cups of almond milk in place of 2 cups of dairy milk in order to prepare vegan instant pudding. Then, add the pudding mix or powder in that milk and beat it until it forms a thick, smooth paste.
After that, put it into the refrigerator to let it cool and set it entirely. So, enjoy your sweet treat.
Does The Pudding Taste The Same With Almond Milk?
No, there is a significant difference in taste with almond milk than the pudding with milk. However, the instant pudding with milk tastes creamy and delicious to eat. Therefore, instant pudding is meant for milk as it goes just out of the world together.
Dairy milk is full of proteins and fats, thus it provides enough creaminess and natural sweetness to pudding. On the other hand, instant pudding with almond milk has a strong nutty flavor at every spoon’s end.
So, if you want to enjoy the same mouthfeel and flavor as dairy milk, you may skip the almond milk in your pudding.
Moreover, if we talk about its texture, then it is also quite different and a bit off. For instance, the texture of the instant pudding with dairy milk is quite smooth and thick as compared to almond milk. But it doesn’t matter when you just want to enjoy it as is.
However, you should not use almond milk to make instant pudding when you want its firm texture. More specifically, it is not good to use almond milk when preparing pudding as a filling of pies or other baked creations.
However, at the end, its all up to you what kind of flavor you want or for which purpose you will make instant pudding. By the way, you can make instant pudding with almond milk, and it goes fantastic overall.
Does Instant Pudding With Almond Milk Is Vegan?
Yes of course, instant pudding with almond milk is vegan. Now, you can still enjoy your favorite recipes without incorporating dairy products in them.
Luckily, several flavors of instant pudding come without gluten and wheat, such as Vanilla, Lemon, Banana Cream, Pistachio, chocolate fudge, Butterscotch, Coconut Cream, and Oreo Cookies.
Moreover, let’s see a comprehensive list of ingredients of instant pudding to understand the facts.
- Sugar
- Modified cornstarch (Tapioca, waxy maize)
- Salt
- Rice protein
- Disodium phosphate
- Tetrasodium pyrophosphate (Thickening Agent)
- Mono and Diglycerides (To Prevent Foaming)
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Yellow 5 and 6
- BHA (Preservative)
As you see above, all the ingredients are vegan or plant-based. However, the choice of milk decides whether your instant pudding remains vegan or not. And, if you want to prepare vegan pudding, almond milk would be the best option for you.
Although traditional instant pudding contains gelatin, so it doesn’t remain vegan. By the way, several delicious pudding flavors are vegan, such as Vanilla, Banana Cream, lemon, and Oreo Cookies.
Among these, Vanilla is my favorite pudding flavor as it comes out so yummy and flavorful. So, try out any of the given flavors to enjoy your vegan treats.
Read Also: Can You Make Instant Pudding With Water Instead Of Milk?
Other Non-Dairy Substitutes For Milk For Instant Pudding
You can make instant pudding vegan by using other non-dairy milk substitutes in addition to almond milk. For instance, coconut milk, cashew milk, soy milk, and rice milk are the best substitutes for milk in order to make vegan pudding.
All these substitutes go great in pudding however, you can choose any of the one alternative according to your health and taste preferences.
Besides this, all these non-dairy milk alternatives are nutritious and healthy to consume. So, if you can’t use milk in your pudding, you can still enjoy a healthy and delicious treat using any milk substitute.
So, let’s discuss all these substitutions in detail.
Coconut Milk
Coconut milk is fresh milk made from the white flesh of coconuts and water. It has little creaminess in it with a mild sweet coconut flavor.
Coconut milk is the best option to make instant pudding instead of almond milk, when there is no milk available in your kitchen. You can also choose it as a dairy milk alternative to prepare the vegan pudding, and it goes yummy.
But as coconut milk has little protein, fats, and carbohydrates in contrast to dairy milk, so it doesn’t give a firm and smooth texture to your pudding.
However, it works really well if you use 1 or ¾ cups of coconut milk to prepare a pudding mix. In this way, you get an instant pudding with quite firm and smooth texture.
Cashew Milk
Cashew milk is made from cashew nuts, cashew butter, and water. It adds more creaminess and flavor to your instant pudding.
Cashew milk has a nutty yet sweet taste, so if you like nuts then it would be your best choice to prepare vegan instant pudding.
Moreover, cashew milk provides a thicker texture to your pudding that sounds great. And, you can make fresh cashew milk at home.
By the way, use 1 or ½ cups of cashew milk for your instant pudding. This measurement gives a smooth finish to your pudding after cooling. So, choose it as a great alternative to dairy milk in your instant pudding.
Soy Milk
Soy milk often contains soybeans or soy proteins with several thickening agents. It has a mild creamy flavor.
You can choose it to make vegan instant pudding. So, break the rules and follow your taste and health preferences.
Soy milk may give a runny or liquidy texture to your pudding, so use ½ cup soy milk to your pudding mix and enjoy after cooling.
Rice Milk
Rice milk is prepared from white or brown rice with water. It is the best option for all those allergic to nuts, gluten, and dairy products.
The mild flavor of rice milk doesn’t alter the overall taste of the pudding, so it is the best option to enjoy your instant pudding without milk taste and mouthfeel.
Use 1 or ½ cup rice milk in your pudding mix and thus enjoy the most delicious and pretty looking sweet creation.
And, at the same time, rice milk is rich in carbohydrates and calories like dairy milk, so use it in your pudding.
I prefer rice milk to make a vegan pudding instead of almond milk as it adds no extra flavor and also lighter on stomach.
Read Also: Can You Make Mac And Cheese Without Milk?
Serving Ideas of Instant Pudding
As I discuss all the non-dairy substitutes above, but the final decision is totally up to you whether you use almond milk or any other milk to make your instant pudding.
However, if you are going to make instant pudding with almond milk, here are some delicious ideas to serve this pudding. So, let’s read.
Make your instant pudding more attractive and exceptional by serving it with vanilla sauce or caramel.
Besides this, you can also prepare brown sugar sauce, butter sauce, or custard sauce to dress up your pudding.
Chocolate chips, crumbled cookies, and chocolate sauce also goes great as a delicious topping of a pudding.
However, you can dress up your instant pudding made with almond milk by adding crushed cashews, peanuts, almonds, or walnuts.
Moreover, make your instant pudding fruity and add cherries, banana chunks, or berries on the top of whipped cream. And, it goes so yummy and mouth-watering.
Final Words
Can you use almond milk to make instant pudding? Yes, why not! You can make instant pudding with almond milk, and it goes great if you follow the right milk measurements.
By the way, if you choose almond milk to make vegan instant pudding, you can also try rice milk, soy milk, coconut milk, or cashew milk. All these substitutes go great with an instant pudding of various flavors. So, enjoy your dairy-free diet.