This vegan lemon pudding recipe is one for lemon lovers! So, if you love lemons, this easy lemon pudding recipe is for you!
There’s something special about the tart, fresh taste of lemons. This vegan lemon pudding recipe checks all the boxes; sweet, tart, fresh, and delicious. My mom loves lemon, so although she enjoys my chocolate pudding made from sweet potatoes, she loves this recipe best!
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As many of you know, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth; however, my husband, children, and parents love dessert. So, occasionally, I make a dessert recipe to appease my family. Today, I made a vegan lemon pudding recipe that was quick and as easy as making a box pudding.
Lemon Pudding Ingredients
- Plant Milk: I used unsweetened, unflavored almond milk.
- Lemon Juice: Using fresh lemon juice is preferred if available. It has a fresher taste than lemon juice in a bottle.
- Lemon Extract: Pure lemon extract is made by carefully extracting it from perfectly ripe lemons. The aroma is full and complex. The natural lemon flavoring is bold and pure, not at all sour, because the lemon extract uses the flavor-packed oil from the lemon, not the juice.
- Turmeric: Turmeric is used to enhance the color of the pudding, making it more of a bright yellow.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch is used as a thickener for the pudding.
- Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is a sweetener for lemon pudding instead of refined sugar.
- Lemon Zest: Lemon zest has an intense lemon/citrus flavor with little bitterness. The bitterness is primarily found in the white part of the lemon (the white pith).
- Mint (Optional): Mint is used as a garnish when serving the lemon pudding.
- Blueberries: Fresh large blueberries are garnished on top of the lemon pudding.
- Lemon Slices: Lemon slices are used to garnish the pudding when serving.
Lemon Pudding Ingredient Substitutions
- Any plant milk works well for this recipe. Or, you can use vanilla-flavored plant milk for an added vanilla flavor.
- Use bottled lemon juice if fresh isn’t available.
- You may substitute lemon extract in recipes with lemon juice, lemon essence, lemon zest, lime juice, orange juice, lemon oil, and grated lemon peel.
- Skip the turmeric if you don’t have any. It is only used for color.
- Arrowroot powder is an excellent substitute for cornstarch.
- Agave or date syrup is a substitute for maple syrup.
- Replace each teaspoon of lemon zest called for in your recipe with ½ teaspoon of lemon extract or two tablespoons of lemon juice. It will give you the closest flavor match possible.
- Basil is an excellent alternative if mint isn’t available or preferred.
- Choose any fruit to garnish on top of the pudding.
How to Make Lemon Pudding
- In a medium-sized saucepan, over medium-high heat, combine the plant milk, lemon juice, maple syrup, lemon zest, and turmeric in the pan.
- Whisk the ingredients together.
- Heat until the mixture begins to boil.
- Once boiling, remove ¼ cup of the hot liquid and pour into a bowl.
- Add the cornstarch to the bowl of hot liquid and whisk to combine, creating a slurry.
- Make sure it is smooth and free of lumps.
- Pour the thick mixture back into the pot of lemon mixture.
- Using a whisk, continuously stir the mixture until it thickens to the pudding consistency.
- Remove from the heat.
- Once the lemon mixture is thick, pour the contents into a large measuring cup to make it easier to pour into dessert dishes.
- Now, cover each dessert dish and place the covered pudding dishes in the refrigerator until chilled through. This will take several hours.
- The lemon pudding will thicken as it cools.
Serving
Once chilled, decorate the vegan lemon pudding by adding a few blueberries or fruit of choice, mint leaves, and lemon slices.
Recipe FAQs
Luckily, a tip to keep lemons fresher for longer is to freeze them. Depending on what you intend to use the citrus fruit for, lemons can be frozen whole or as slices, wedges, and wheels. Freezing freshly-squeezed lemon juice, zest, and peels is also possible.
At room temperature, they stay suitable for about a week. However, their life is lengthened in the fridge by two to three weeks. That means you can keep store-bought lemons fresh for about one month.
The secret is to keep the lemons refrigerated, and here’s the kicker-immersed in the water!! First, wash the outside thoroughly-you won’t believe the ickiness on the outside of citrus; believe me, there have been studies…you don’t want to slice those babies without cleaning them up; the same goes for storing them!
Tips
- Always wash lemons before zesting or juicing them.
- If juicing fresh lemons, it is best to strain them afterward to remove any unwanted pulp that often bypasses the juicer. It also ensures that seeds don’t slip through.
- Make sure to whisk the milk mixture in the pan to prevent the plant milk from burning on the bottom of the plan.
- The slurry (the cornstarch/hot liquid mixture) is lump free. It should be smooth before adding it back into the large pan.
- Cover the surface of the pudding with a round piece of parchment or plastic wrap and refrigerate until the pudding reaches 45 degrees F, approximately 2 hours.
- Homemade pudding lasts in the fridge lasts 5-7 days.
This lemon pudding recipe is a refreshing, light dessert full of sweet, fresh and delicious!
If you love this vegan lemon pudding recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Pudding
This vegan lemon pudding recipe is one for lemon lovers! So, if you love lemons, this easy lemon pudding recipe is for you!
Instructions
In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the plant milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon extract, and turmeric on medium-high heat.
Whisk the ingredients.
Bring the liquid mixture to a boil.
Once boiling, carefully remove ¼ cup of the hot liquid and hour it into a bowl or measuring cup.
Add the cornstarch to the ¼ cup of hot liquid.
Whisk the cornstarch into the hot liquid and whisk until a smooth slurry is formed.
Pour the slurry into the large pan and whisk into the saucepan.
Continue whisking; do not step away.
As the mixture heats, it will thicken.
Pour the contents of the pan into a large measuring cup to pour the lemon pudding into dessert dishes.
Cover the pudding with circles of parchment paper or saran wrap almost touching the pudding.
Place in the refrigerator for at last 2 hours until chilled through.
Add a handful of blueberries, a mint leaf, and a slice of lemon.
Refrigerate covered until ready to serve.
Notes
- Always wash lemons before zesting or juicing them.
- If juicing fresh lemons, it is best to strain them afterward to remove any unwanted pulp that often bypasses the juicer. It also ensures that seeds don’t slip through.
- Make sure to whisk the milk mixture in the pan to prevent the plant milk from burning on the bottom of the plan.
- The slurry (the cornstarch/hot liquid mixture) is lump free. It should be smooth before adding it back into the large pan.
- Cover the surface of the pudding with a round piece of parchment or plastic wrap and refrigerate until the pudding reaches 45 degrees F, approximately 2 hours.
- Homemade pudding lasts in the fridge lasts 5-7 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 178kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 2gFat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 249mgPotassium: 208mgFiber: 3gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 62IUVitamin C: 48mgCalcium: 275mgIron: 1mg
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
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