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Low Carb Vanilla Pudding

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Enjoy homemade vanilla pudding like grandma used to make! This easy comfort-food recipe is sugar-free and perfect for any low carb and ketogenic diet.

Enjoy homemade vanilla pudding like grandma used to make! This easy comfort-food recipe is sugar-free and perfect for any low carb and ketogenic diet.

It’s been overcast the last few mornings; a bit of “June Gloom” in September delivering just enough cool respite to turn my thoughts to Fall. For those of us living in Southern California, often dubbed “paradise”, the constancy of our weather never gives us pause.

We can count on clear blue skies almost every day (and where I live, daily temperatures in the 90’s – 110’s during late Summer and into Fall). So, it’s the absence of blue skies that makes for an interesting morning – like this morning.

Because we basically live in the desert, we find our evenings deliciously cool with a night-time inversion that brings with it ocean breezes perfect for growing grapes and taking walks! It’s this time of the year we take “family walks” after dinner. We just leave the dishes where they are and walk around the neighborhood and local park talking about school, commenting on our neighbor’s landscapes, and greeting any folks we may encounter along the way — and perhaps catching a few Pokemon! It’s always nice to come home to a simple dessert and what can be more simple then a homemade vanilla pudding?

Enjoy homemade vanilla pudding like grandma used to make! This easy comfort-food recipe is sugar-free and perfect for any low carb and ketogenic diet.

If you’re like me, you like simple desserts. Don’t get me wrong… I love fancy birthday cakes and delicious ice creams, but there’s nothing  more comforting than a nice homemade vanilla pudding.

My Nana used to make homemade pudding – this is well before the days of instant pudding and the craze of desserts based on boxed cakes, boxed pudding mixes, and Cool Whip. The women of my Grandmother’s time made their pudding with cornstarch, milk, sugar, and eggs. They cooked it on the stove and always got it right. There’s really nothing to it!

This low carb vanilla pudding recipe uses heavy cream and almond milk, eggs, gelatin, and a low carb sugar substitute to achieve it’s creamy goodness. It takes about 15 minutes to make but needs several hours of chilling time. It’s sugar-free but it’s luxurious texture won’t leave you wanting for more… It’s a deliciously satisfying, comforting treat!

This creamy Low Carb Vanilla Pudding is net carbs per serving!

[This recipe may contain affiliate links.]

Enjoy homemade vanilla pudding like grandma used to make! This easy comfort-food recipe is sugar-free and perfect for any low carb and ketogenic diet.
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4.75 from 8 votes

Low Carb Vanilla Pudding

Enjoy homemade vanilla pudding like grandma used to make! This easy comfort-food recipe is sugar-free and perfect for any low carb and ketogenic diet.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 235kcal
Author lowcarbmaven.com

Ingredients

Simmer

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • Whisk Together
  • 1/3 cup Sukrin 1 (or Swerve Granulated)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 large egg yolks

Add at the End

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon stevia glycerite
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3/4 teaspoon gelatin powder "bloomed" in 1 tablespoon water
  • A sieve that fits over a medium heat proof bowl

Instructions

  • Bring the heavy cream and almond milk to a simmer in a small pot over medium heat.
  • Place the dry ingredients (erythritol, cornstarch, and salt) into a medium heat proof bowl and whisk together. Add the egg yolks and whisk. Whisk in the whole eggs. Ready the sieve near the bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the tablespoon of water.
  • When the cream is hot and bubbling around the side of the pot, slowly pour it into the egg mixture whisking continuously until fully incorporated. Pour the mixture back into the pot and place over medium low heat. (Once you become familiar with making pudding you can do it over medium heat, adjusting up and down as needed.)
  • Continuously whisk the mixture for the next 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken all-at-once. Turn the heat down a tad and continue to whisk for 1-2 minutes. The mixture should very slowly simmer if whisking is stopped. Remove from heat and whisk for 1 minute more. Place the sieve over the bowl and pour the pudding through the sieve to catch any bits of egg that may have cooked.
  • Whisk in the butter, vanilla, and stevia glycerite. Taste and adjust sweetness per your liking. Add the gelatin and whisk again until it's completely melted and incorporated.
  • Cover with plastic wrap by pushing it right down onto the surface of the pudding. Chill at least 8 hours. Before serving, whip the pudding with a hand mixer so it is lighter in texture. Serve.

Notes

Nutrition Facts
Low Carb Vanilla Pudding
Amount Per Serving
Calories 235 Calories from Fat 207
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g 35%
Total Carbohydrates 3g 1%
Protein 4g 8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 23g

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  1. If you want this to be truly low carb replace the cornstarch with Xanthum gum or agar. Cornstarch is NOT low carb or keto friendly.

    Reply

    • Hi Alice. Thank you for your comment. I tested this recipe extensively with only xanthan gum, guar gum, psyllium powder, and konjac root as thickening agents. None of them produced results that were close to the real thing. The gums made the pudding slippery and the psyllium and konjac made it gloppy and grainy.

      Since most traditional pudding recipes call for 1/3 cup (16 tbsps) of cornstarch or arrowroot powder, the small amount I call for here (1 tbsp) is indeed low in carbs and suitable for low carb and keto diets. We’re talking .5 grqms of carbs per serving. Because large amounts of starch are not low carb or keto friendly, I make sure to use the smallest amounts possible without compromising taste, texture and mouth feel. I stand behind my recipe. -Kim

      Reply

  2. Hi Kim! I just made this pudding, and tasted it warm before I popped it into the refrigerator! So good! I’m so excited, I’m going to use it as a part of a gluten-free, low carb-ish trifle. My oldest daughter would request a french vanilla, fruit trifle every year for her birthday. once my youngest daughter was diagnosed with celiac, and we are more carb conscious, I haven’t made it. I’m so excited to give it a try! Thanks for always being my go-to for delicious recipes.

    Reply

    • Thanks, Rachel. They were a find at a local thrift shop. They can be found everywhere in all different styles. They are part of a vintage ladies luncheon set. -Kim

      Reply

  4. This recipe is amazing. I didn’t use the cornstarch as I didn’t have any. It still turned out great! I had to have a few bites before I even put it in the fridge. Thank you Kim!

    Reply

  5. Thank you for this recipe! I like to make low carb eclairs, but most of the filling recipes are made with heavy cream, eggs and butter, and they are too heavy and greasy. This looks perfect! Also, I’ve just bought almond milk for the first time, so that will greatly increase my recipe file. I’m all for keto, but LCHF works best for me, since it’s not “a sin into death” if I eat a half of a potato or a slice of bread once in a while. Yes, you lose weight slower, but you don’t feel so deprived. I use verbalize flour white a bit, which is no more expensive than but flours, and gives more normal results of you are a little sweetener to the recipes, to disguise the slightly strange taste. But now I’m babbling…thanks again!

    Reply

    • One Tablespoon of Cornstarch is 7grams of carbs, adding just over one gram of carb to each serving in this recipe. So still keto, yay!

      Reply

    • I hear you, Anika. Go to Youtube and search “pastry cream”. I saw a great one there one day – it showed the proper technique. -Kim

      Reply

    • Hi Melissa. It’s typically not Keto, but I am of the IIFYM (if it fits your macros). Having the proper texture (one that wasn’t gloppy or slippery) is important to me as I try to share the best recipes I can. Regular recipes for pudding called for 1/4 cup of flour or cornstarch (or arrowroot). Of course you will have to make the best choice for you. I hope this helps. -Kim

      Reply

  10. We ate this today and it was really good! I must say your photos are gorgeous, too! It did sit in the fridge for 36+ hours before served. I did whip it up and add a little cream before serving, although the texture was not as smooth as how it looks and it was a tad grainy. I’ve been making numerous pudding and jello recipes (teens w’ wisdom teeth extractions lately) and I might try this again to get the texture right!

    Reply

    • I’m happy you enjoy the recipe Angel and thanks for the compliments on the photos. I struggle so hard with photos. Lol. You’ve made my day. I took those photos about 24 hours after I made the pudding. I’m not sure why yours was grainy. I know that as desserts sweetened with erythritol sit, the sweetener will sometimes crystallize and become visible. You can even detect a crunch if the crystals have grown big enough. I’m going to guess that the texture was a little grainy because the recipe only uses a little starch and then uses other ingredients to make up for the thickening power. I don’t remember mine being real grainy, but it could happen if maybe the egg was cooked too much? Thanks again for taking the time to comment and for your kind words. Have a great weekend. -Kim

      Reply

    • I just made a custard today for a pie. It was smooth until I added the gelatin, then I noticed a little graininess. I don’t know if it will still be grainy after it is refrigerated or not. -Kim

      Reply

  11. Love these desserts and signed up for your newsletter.
    I can’t find zantham gum. Any suggestions?
    Ps:
    You fix DESSERT.
    You live in a DESERT. ?

    Reply

  12. Craving vanilla pudding right now! Great post – I think, I’ll try this tonight. Perhaps cornstarch could be replaced with Gluccomannan / Konjak? Not about the carbs, but I really can’t have starches.

    Reply

    • Anne, the glucomannan makes it a little gummy. When I tested the recipe I tried all kinds of combinations and this was by far the best. I would try 1/4 tsp glucomannon with the xanthan gum (together they have a synergistic effect) and maybe try 1 teaspoon gelatin instead of 3/4. I would love to hear how it turns out. Enjoy your week. -Kim

      Reply

    • Hi Katie! Thank you so much. I know that you are not hardcore low carb, so I would use 2-3 tablespoons of cornstarch/arrowroot and not use the gelatin. It will still be much lower than a regular pudding recipe. Thanks so much for the lovely comments. Have a wonderful day. -Kim

      Reply

  15. A walk in the cool breeze sounds amazing! I live in Western Montana – it gets hot in the summer, but always cools off at night. I love it! The puddings look delicious!

    Reply

  17. Wonderful looking pudding, makes me crave some. And I envy you for that California weather, sun is more of a luxury for us here… Can’t bear to think about November…

    Reply

    • Adina, yes, I am very lucky to be living where I am. Thanks for the kinds words on the pudding. I’ll be wishing you mild weather come November! -Kim

      Reply

    • So, true Fran. Actually, the pudding has 3 net carbs per serving so it’s much better than 23 grams. It won’t be as good as Le Cordon Blue recipes, but it’s great for low carb! Have a nice weekend. -Kim

      Reply