Trying to eliminate dairy from your diet?
Can you make instant pudding with almond milk? I tried it, and I’ll tell you all about it.
For a while we were wondering if the baby was allergic to cow’s milk. I was trying to eliminate dairy from my diet to see how she reacted to the change. Do you know how hard it is to not eat dairy? Dairy is in everything!
I don’t often think when making decisions. For example, I wanted to make dirt pie for Mr. O for his birthday (talk about a dairy-fest right there!), so I went to the store to buy some pudding. Of course I found a bunch of fun flavors like Banana Cream Pie and Cookies and Cream that I wanted to get and eat on a separate occasion – so I did. It wasn’t until I got home and started to make the dirt pie that I realized the only ingredient I need to make pudding was milk, and a lot of it!
That doesn’t work for a dairy-elimination diet, now does it?
Anyway, since I use almond milk instead instead of cow’s milk for other things like coffee and cereal, I assumed I could use it in pudding as well. I don’t know what made me Google it before trying it, but I’m glad I did.
Turns out, it says right on the package that you can’t use soy milk to make pudding. But what about a different alternative. Can you make instant pudding with almond milk? If you Google it, the answers are varied. Some people say that you can – though you need to use less than you would for cow’s milk. Other posts say that you can use almond milk if you also use cornstarch.
I didn’t know what option was best, so I figured I would try both.
Can you make instant pudding with almond milk? The Instructions
The first thing I did was try the less almond milk option. If you’re wondering how much almond milk to use, it’s simple: use half as much almond milk as you would use cow’s milk. For the box of pudding I used, it meant that I used one cup of almond milk and the packaged powder. The rest of the directions are the same. Simply beat the mixture until it thickens (about 2 minutes for me) and then refrigerate for a short period of time before serving. I wasn’t planning on eating the pudding until later that evening, so I just covered it and left it alone.
Can you make instant pudding with almond milk? The Outcome
Success!
Mixing the one cup of almond milk with the package powder was just as easy as doing it the old way. Refrigerating it was also just as easy. The taste was great.
The texture? Well, that is the only thing that was a little bit off. And when I say it was a little bit, I only mean a itty bitty tiny amount different. I think it tasted a little thicker than when using cow’s milk, so I added a tiny bit more almond milk to the mixture. It helped a little, but I still think there is a small difference than the original texture.
Will I do it again? Â You bet I would! I actually really liked the almond milk pudding, and I can’t wait to try the Cookies and Cream flavor. Just remember, if you’re serving this to other people, you’ll need to purchase more pudding since you’re using less milk.
Now, if anyone ever asks you “Can you make instant pudding with almond milk,” you know the answer!
Have you ever used almond milk to substitute for cow’s milk in other recipes? I’d love some more suggestions on what you’ve tried. Let me know in the comments!
Oh man, the comment about not thinking? That’s me to a T! I make resolutions that I want to follow and then my brain goes on autopilot and I just do the same old shit. But I’m glad this worked out for you and I think it’s good to know!
Thanks, Fenn!
My youngest is allergic to dairy and believe me, the elimination diet was horrendous! I was just about to try the almond milk instant pudding when I read the little disclaimer about not using soy products! Thanks for the almond milk recipe bc this is the only milk she will drink and to be able to make some yummy alternatives for dessert is an awesome thing!
So what about the corn starch though. You said you tried both and then just talked about the less milk option.
I’m confused. Did you say use less amount of almond milk then you would cow’s milk by half?
This post helped me so much! I also didn’t’ think it would matter much only I wasn’t as smart as you. I didn’t google beforehand, therefore I used 2 cups of almond milk. After it refused to set, I came to google in desperation because I’m living a healthy lifestyle (dieting) & I REALLY needed that pudding! The flavore I made was lemon so I rummaged around in my pantry & found a box of cheesecake pudding mix so I dumped half in. Um, it was AMAZING!!! I will be doing this on purpose from now on! Lol
I have used almond milk in macaroni and cheese (instant, but organic brands like Amy’s) and I use it in mashed potatoes, too. It’s delicious and adds a lovely flavor to it!
Thank you for testing this out and giving a succinct answer!! Will now try it out!
Add 2 tsp corn starch , helps with texture!
Thank you so much for this post! We had to make some pudding and only noticed at the last minute the “needs dairy milk” warning on the All Natural ingredients container. What?! We used 1 cup (instead of 2 cups) of Silk Nutmilk+Protein and it worked great. Don’t let the warning scare you off. Saved by the Internet and Erin once again. =)
No, using almond milk made the pudding soupy. Placed in the fridge for 4 hours still soupy. However, it was good with the bananas and vsnilla wafers..LOL
Thank you! Too late for me, I used in a lemon dessert I was looking forward to, pudding was not firming up…now I know why. Will try again, but with much less almond milk. 🙂
Thank you for this. 🙂 Very well explained.
Thank you for this post! Really helped out
My problem was the calories in milk as well as not tolerating milk well. I made decent instant sugar free, fat free pudding with 1.5 cups cold almond milk and 1/2 cup plain fat free Greek yogurt. It set very well and I did not taste the yogurt. I can tolerate yogurt, just not whole milk.
Mary
Thank you sooo much! Finally, I can make pudding again. Just tried it and it tastes great. I love adding to my pies in summer. The best part—-I can lick the beaters!