4 Ingredient ONLY Milk Pudding with Coconut
Milk pudding is a fun and delicious dessert at home! Milk pudding is super rich and soft; one bite and it melts into your mouth. This easy dessert is gluten-free and only requires FOUR simple ingredients: milk, cornstarch, sugar, and shredded coconut. Give this easy and delicious dessert a try, and I promise you will love it!
Gluten-Free Milk Pudding
Have you ever tried MILK PUDDING? My mom made these easy milk puddings when I was a kid. I completely forgot about them until I returned to visit Taiwan, and my grandma made them for me again!
I never realized how simple it was to make it at home, and once I found out, I knew I had to film a recipe for you. All you need is FOUR simple ingredients to make milk pudding: milk, sugar, corn starch, and shredded coconut. The process is really similar to deep-fried milk, which I also have a recipe for! You can also swap for coconut milk if you want a lactose-free alternative, which makes it a little more like the Hawaiian dessert haupia.
Milk Pudding Ingredients
- 500 ml milk
- 50 g cornstarch
- 50 g Sugar
- 1 cup coconut shreds
Creamy Milk Pudding Base
My grandma’s trick is to combine the milk with corn starch ahead of time fully; this will prevent it from becoming lumpy.
Mix half of the milk with sugar, and half of the milk with the cornstarch. Slowly heat the pot with milk and sugar until sugar is dissolved, then pour in the cornstarch and milk mixture. Keep stirring, and it will slowly become a thick consistency.
Pour it into a container lined with parchment paper, and once it has cooled down, cut it into bite-sized pieces and coat it with coconut shreds.
Adjustments and Replacements
- Swap the milk with coconut milk if you are lactose intolerant
- Adjust the amount of sugar to your own liking, mine isn’t that sweet, but you can add more to make it sweeter
- If you want a “harder” pudding, increase the amount of cornstarch
Shredded Coconut Coating
Finally, I love coating this pudding with shredded coconut. It adds a little bit of the crunch and a fruity creaminess that makes this dessert even more fun.
Of course, you can choose other toppings to use for coating. I love coconut shreds, but you can swap them with other toppings such as chocolate shreds, matcha powder, or more.
Step By Step How TO For Milk Pudding
- Add half of the milk into a non-stick pot and add in sugar; mix till combined.
- In a bowl, add in the rest of the milk, and add in cornstarch, mix till fully combined.
- Bring the pot with sugar and milk to the stove, and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook on medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes or until the milk has heated. MAKE SURE IT IS NOT SIMMERING ***
- Next, mix the cornstarch mixture while slowly pouring it into the pot. Keep stirring until it becomes a thick consistency, around 4 minutes.
- Line the container with parchment paper, and pour in the mixture. Let it rest for around 1-2 hours or until fully cooled down.
- Cut into bite-size pieces and coat with shredded coconut, and enjoy!
Do you want more EASY and FAIL-PROOF dessert recipes? Here are some of my go-to recipes that you will LOVE!
- Mango Pudding (5 Ingredients ONLY!)
- Ginger Milk Tea Boba
- Air Fryer Bread Pudding (15 Minutes ONLY!)
- Instant Pot Creme Brulee (3 Minutes, 5 Ingredients)
4 Ingredient ONLY Milk Pudding with Coconut
By Tiffy Cooks
Ingredients
- 500 ml milk
- 50 g cornstarch
- 50 g Sugar
- 1 cup coconut shreds
Instructions
- Add half of the milk into a non-stick pot and add in sugar; mix till combined.
- In a bowl, add in the rest of the milk, and add in cornstarch, mix till fully combined.
- Bring the pot with sugar and milk to the stove, and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook on medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes or until the milk has heated. MAKE SURE IT IS NOT SIMMERING ***
- Next, mix the cornstarch mixture while slowly pouring it into the pot. Keep stirring until it becomes a thick consistency, around 4 minutes.
- Line the container with parchment paper, and pour in the mixture. Let it rest for around 1-2 hours or until fully cooled down.
- Cut into bite-size pieces and coat with shredded coconut, and enjoy!
Great to see healthy delicious recepies.
There is no lactose in coconut milk
Please ignore my last comment I realized there was milk milk in it
This looks soo good! Is this like baking where you need to use actual sugar or the recipe won’t set correctly? I was thinking I might use xylitol because my dentist recommended it, but if I need to use sugar then I will! Thanks for the recipe <3
Hi Artemis,
I haven’t tried making this recipe with xylitol, but I think it should be ok. The texture is mostly determined by the cooking process of the cornstarch, so the xylitol should be mostly for flavor.
Tiffy
For the milk pudding, what type of milk? Should the milk be higher in fat? Will skim milk work? Low fat soy milk?
I use 2% milk, but you can use any. If you’d like a creamier pudding, you can use whole milk. I haven’t tried this recipe with soy milk, so let me know if it works out!
I liked the recipe and followed it exactly, but my pudding never set enough to cut into cubes, I would have liked more in depth instructions on that part
Super tasty and easy to follow!
Tried out this recipe for my daughters, they were bouncy and delicious, they loved them!
This is a great recipe a little bit more on the milky side than I thought, but still amazing and very easy
Hi! Recipe sounds amazing and I can’t wait to make it for the family! Is there any way you could add the US measurements in parenthesis next to the ingredients? Would be a tremendous help! Thanks so much! <3
500 g of milk is 2 cups. 50 g of sugar or cornstarch is 1/4 cup.
Check your cookbooks. You may find a conversion chart tucked away in the back.
I just made these and I’m waiting for them to cool. 😁
I like to add a bit of rose water for a meditranian sweet vibe.
I was looking for something simple and not too sweet and this fit the bill! I made it this morning and it was straightforward.
I ended up adding too much cornstarch and just added more oat milk (lactose-free and didn’t have coconut milk on-hand) to get the right consistency. Coated it in toasted unsweetened coconut flakes.
My parents loved it and thought to dip a couple in peanut butter (soo yummy) to emulate a Chinese glutinous rice mochi-like ball that usually has a red bean or peanut filling. I also might add some cut-up mango next time (do one layer of milk pudding, add pieces of mango, and then put the rest of the milk pudding on top, then cool).
Did you use all oat milk when you made this recipe? I was wondering if that would work as oat milk is very creamy. And your mango suggestion sounds delicious!
Milk pudding sounds like an absolute treat! I love how simple yet indulgent it can be with just four ingredients. The idea of that creamy, melt-in-your-mouth texture is irresistible, and I appreciate how versatile it is with the option to swap in coconut milk for a lactose-free version. It’s a perfect dessert for those looking for something both comforting and satisfying, whether for a cozy night in or as a delightful finish to a meal. Can’t wait to try making this at home!
I used instant coffee with the milk and sugar step. Then I coated them in cinnamon and brown sugar instead of coconut. It came out amazing. Thank you 🙏
Tried this yesterday and it was delicious! I added pistachios and orange favour with some dried rose petals
pudding is one of my favorite desserts. adding toppings like fresh fruits and chocolate drizzle. Definitely a must-try for pudding recipe
Oh my goodness, this was such an easy recipe. There was a moment where I wasn’t sure if I was doing it correctly because the mixture wasn’t thickening but after a few more seconds it magically became thiccc. Love that it’s not too sweet as well and super light to eat. Perfect dessert for summer. I didn’t add coconut flakes but had some with jam. Going to be making more for sure, thanks for the recipe Tiff
Hi Sabrina, I’m so glad you loved it! Isn’t it great for summer? I love that you added jam too…I’m going to try that next time!
Tiffy
Same, mine didn’t thicken until I raised the temp to medium. Once I saw it thickening I brought temp back down again & kept stirring until pudding-like consistency.
Hi there, how long does this last at room temperature and in the fridge?
Hi Katherine, I don’t recommend letting it sit out at room temperature, but it lasts for about 3-4 days in a sealed container in the fridge.
Tiffy
love this recipe!!! I put the pudding into some little cups instead of cutting it and topped it with brown sugar syrup and crushed peanuts. soooo delicious and easy, thank u!!!
This is genius just 4 ingredients and so creamy!
Hi. Has anyone tried Almond milk?!!!! Does it work?
I made this using potato starch as a sub for corn starch. It thickened but didn’t set enough to cut, so maybe I needed to cook for a bit longer. Nevertheless it turned out quite well, I served in ramekins with coconut on top. An easy and tasty way to use up excess milk. Thanks!