Vegan Citrus Vanilla Pudding

Aug 28, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Dessert Custards puddings creams Origin: Tahitian Vanilla: Beans Easy

Vegan citrus vanilla pudding made with Mexican vanilla

Vegan citrus pudding flavored with a whole vanilla bean. An easy recipe: 10 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking, plus chilling; serves 4. Best vanilla for this: Tahitian (floral, cherry, anise), or Madagascar (rich, creamy, classic). Any pure vanilla works.

Prep 10 min

Cook 15 min

Chill 2 hr

Total 2 hr 25 min

Servings 4

Diet Vegan

Ingredients

Adjust yield

servings

2 ½ cups (600.0 ml)oat milk
½ cup (100.0 g)granulated sugar
4.0 tbsp (32.0 g)cornstarch
1.0 pinchfine sea salt
2.0 tbsp (28.0 g)vegan butter
1.0vanilla bean, split and scraped
1.0 tbsp (6.0 g)orange zest

Make it at home

As an Amazon Associate, VanillaGoods earns from qualifying purchases. We only suggest tools that fit this recipe.

Instructions

In a saucepan off the heat, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt with 1/2 cup of the oat milk until smooth and lump-free.
Whisk in the remaining oat milk and the vanilla.
Stir the orange zest into the warm milk, let it steep for 10 minutes, then strain it out.
Set over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the pudding thickens and comes to a gentle bubble, 5 to 7 minutes; it should mound softly on the whisk.
Off the heat, whisk in the vegan butter until the pudding looks glossy and smooth.
Pour into serving dishes, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin, and chill until cold and set, about 2 hours.

Tips

Zest only the colored part of the peel; the white pith underneath is bitter.
Don't toss the scraped pods: tuck them into a jar of sugar for homemade vanilla sugar.
No vanilla bean? Use 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla powder instead. Add it where the recipe adds the seeds; if the bean is steeped in hot milk or cream, stir the swap in after cooking, off the heat.
Choosing vanilla: Tahitian vanilla (floral, cherry, anise) suits this recipe best; Madagascar (rich, creamy, classic) is a great alternative, and any pure vanilla works.

Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make vanilla pudding?

Plan on 10 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking, plus 2 hr chill. The recipe makes 4 servings.

How should I store vanilla pudding?

Refrigerate with plastic wrap pressed on the surface for up to 3 days.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Yes. This version uses 1 split vanilla bean. You can swap in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste, or 1 teaspoon of vanilla powder instead; they're interchangeable at these amounts. Beans give the most visible specks and the fullest aroma.

What makes this recipe vegan?

It uses plant-based swaps for every animal ingredient: oat milk, cornstarch, vegan butter. Check that your plant butter and other packaged ingredients are certified vegan.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 4 servings this recipe makes.

248 Calories / serving

8.0g Fat

43.2g Carbs

1.6g Protein

31.0g Sugar

Whole recipe (4 servings): ~992 cal · 32g fat · 173g carbs · 6g protein · 124g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.

Per serving · 248 calories

What it takes to burn one serving

Brisk walking 47 min·2.7 mi·~5500 steps
Walking uphill or incline treadmill 34 min·1.7 mi·~3400 steps
Moderate cycling 25 min·5.0 mi
Swimming laps 35 min
Jogging 24 min·2.0 mi·~3850 steps
Stair climbing 23 min·~2050 steps
Dancing 40 min
Bodyweight circuit training 25 min
Cleaning, errands, or playing with the dog 58 min

Rough estimates for one serving, based on standard MET values at about 155 lb. Your own burn depends on body size, effort, and fitness. Shown for context only — food is not something you have to earn.