This simple vanilla filling for a no-bake pie filling sets up beautifully and becomes a luscious canvas for fresh fruit. Try it with berries in the summer; apples, pears, or tiny oranges in the fall or spring. Look for agar powder, a seaweed-based gelling agent, at any natural foods store. Recipe and photo by Hannah Kaminsky.
Vanilla Pudding Pie Filling
Author: Hannah Kaminsky
Recipe type: Vegan desserts
Cuisine: Vegan / Healthy
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
This simple vanilla filling for a no-bake pie filling sets up beautifully and becomes a luscious canvas for fresh fruit.
Ingredients
- 3½ cups plain non-dairy milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch, preferably organic
- 1½ teaspoons agar powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Your favorite no-bake pie crust (shown here: Nutty No-Bake Pie Crust)
Instructions
- Set a medium saucepan over the stove and pour in the non-dairy milk. Mix together the sugar, cornstarch, agar, and salt in a separate bowl before adding the mixture to the pot, whisking vigorously to break up any lumps.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently and taking care to scrape the bottom and sides of the pot, preventing anything from sticking and burning.
- Bring the mixture up to a boil, at which point the pudding should seem considerably thicker. Add the vanilla extract and continue cooking for 2 more minutes.
- Turn off the heat, letting it stand for 5 minutes before transferring to your prepared pie crust.
- Allow the filling to come to room temperature before moving into the fridge. Thoroughly chill for at least 2 hours until it has fully set to a sliceable consistency.
Here are more No-Bake and Raw Sweets.
5 Comments
Michael Darnell
August 24, 2015 at 4:37 pmI just made this- the pudding became a large gelatinous glob. Is it supposed to be 5 tablespoons vs. 5 teaspoons of corn starch? Did you use agar flakes or agar powder? Thanks.
Nava
August 24, 2015 at 4:40 pmMichael, I’ll have the author of this recipe respond to you ASAP and we’ll find out what the discrepancy might be. Sorry!
Hannah
August 24, 2015 at 5:16 pmHi Michael- So sorry for the trouble. 5 tablespoons of cornstarch is correct, and it should be agar powder, not flakes. The final consistency should be a much firmer gel than a traditional custard, since it needs to set as a sliceable pie filling. If you want a stand-alone, creamy pudding, I would recommend omitting the agar entirely.
Michael Darnell
August 24, 2015 at 10:00 pmThank you for your prompt response. I suspect my expectations were for the creamy pudding consistency- thanks for the suggestion.
Michael Darnell
August 24, 2015 at 10:25 pmI just tasted a slice and it is quite tasty. I used homemade cashew milk. It is easy to slice. I would say the texture is more like a very firm pudding, rather than Jello- a positive for me.