This Chinese milk pudding is light and creamy. You may recognize it from dim sum restaurants. They’re chilled cubes of milk pudding coated in coconut that are the perfect little sweet treat!
A Lightly Sweet Chinese Dessert
I’m always looking for desserts that aren’t too sweet, and this Chinese milk pudding coated in coconut flakes fits the bill! It just barely solidifies in the refrigerator and has a smooth, creamy texture.
The best part of this recipe is that you can tailor the sweetness level to your liking and choose the type of sweetener as well.
While this might be one of the easiest desserts you will ever make, it’s not to say it doesn’t require just a little bit of technique, because overcooking the milk mixture can yield a firmer texture to the milk pudding. It’s why we’ve included a short video to show you how it comes together.
How to Store Milk Pudding
Store the milk pudding in an airtight container in the fridge, and consume within 4 days. The coconut flakes are best when fresh, so if you know you’re going to have leftovers or want to make this ahead, wait to coat the pudding cubes until you’re ready to serve.
That said, this recipe makes a relatively small amount—enough for about 4 modest servings, so you may not end up with much leftover!
More Ways to Make This Recipe Your Own:
If you don’t like coconut, you can coat the milk pudding with crushed nuts like roasted peanuts or almonds, or simply eat it as is, chilled.
You can also make these into individual pudding “cups,” so instead of 1 big container, use 5-6 ramekins or small bowls. Top them with fresh fruit and nuts to make it feel a bit fancier.
Chinese Milk Pudding Recipe Instructions
Lightly brush a small flat-bottomed container with neutral oil (I used a small 4.5×6.5 inch tupperware container), and set it aside.
To a medium pot, add the whole milk, heavy cream, vanilla, salt, cornstarch, and sugar.
Stir until the cornstarch is completely dissolved, with no lumps. Turn on the heat to medium.
Stir constantly with a whisk or a rubber spatula while slowly heating the milk mixture. Don’t rush it with high heat, or the texture won’t be right. During the first 3-5 minutes, stir often. Around the 6 minute mark, you’ll notice it starting to thickening and coating the spatula (pull the spatula out of the liquid periodically to check). If not, increase the heat slightly and stir until it does start to thicken.
Once it starts to thicken, immediately reduce the heat to medium-low, and stir vigorously for 15-30 seconds. The milk mixture will thicken very quickly at this point. Remove the pot from the heat once the milk mixture is somewhere between lightly runny and pasty.
Stir off the heat until the mixture is completely smooth. Immediately transfer it to the prepared container. Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
After chilling, flip the milk pudding container onto a cutting board, and cut it into bite-sized cubes. Roll each cube in coconut flakes to coat completely.
Enjoy immediately! These are best served chilled.
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Recipe
Chinese Milk Pudding
Ingredients
- Neutral oil (for brushing)
- 1½ cups whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 7½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 5-6 tablespoons granulated sugar (to taste)
- ¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes (for coating)
Instructions
- Lightly brush a small flat-bottomed container with neutral oil (I used a small 4.5×6.5 inch/12×16 cm tupperware container), and set it aside.
- To a medium pot, add the whole milk, heavy cream, vanilla, salt, cornstarch, and sugar. Stir until the cornstarch is completely dissolved, with no lumps. Turn on the heat to medium.
- Stir constantly with a whisk or a rubber spatula while slowly heating the milk mixture. Don’t rush it with high heat, or the texture won’t be right. During the first 3-5 minutes, stir often. Around the 6 minute mark, you’ll notice it starting to thickening and coating the spatula (pull the spatula out of the liquid periodically to check). If not, increase the heat slightly and stir until it does start to thicken.
- Once it starts to thicken, immediately reduce the heat to medium-low, and stir vigorously for 15-30 seconds. The milk mixture will thicken very quickly at this point. Remove the pot from the heat once the milk mixture is somewhere between lightly runny and pasty.
- Stir off the heat until the mixture is completely smooth. Immediately transfer it to the prepared container. Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
- After chilling, flip the milk pudding container onto a cutting board, and cut it into bite-sized cubes. Roll each cube in coconut flakes to coat completely. Enjoy immediately! These are best served chilled.
