Sugar Free Pudding (4 Ingredients!)

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Forget about boxed mixes and prepackaged pudding cups! This sugar free pudding will satisfy your cravings for a cool, creamy treat, all with real ingredients and super simple prep. I based this recipe on my keto chocolate pudding recipe, with a few swaps. And, keto vanilla pudding tastes as sweet and creamy as the conventional kind, with just a few minutes of hands-on time.

Why You’ll Love This Sugar Free Pudding Recipe

Sweet vanilla flavor
Rich, creamy, silky smooth texture
Just 5 simple ingredients
Less than 3g net carbohydrates
Minutes to prepare
Delicious dessert for the whole family!

Keto vanilla pudding in a glass with a bite taken out.

Is Sugar Free Pudding Keto?

Some boxed sugar free puddings would technically be considered dirty keto before you prepare them, as they have about 5 grams carbs per serving. But they use artificial sweeteners and preservatives, so are not recommended for a clean keto way of eating. Plus, once you add the milk, the carbs will go up.

This homemade sugar free pudding is so simple to make, and you’ll know exactly what goes into it. The sweetener is the key ingredient that makes this sugar free vanilla pudding taste authentic. That’s why I used Wholesome Yum Keto Vanilla Syrup! It’s actually called a keto coffee syrup (and I use it in bulletproof coffee daily), but this time I wanted to show you how to use it as a liquid sweetener in recipes — it’s not just for coffee!

Not only does it measure and taste just like conventional liquid sweeteners, this syrup dissolves effortlessly into the pudding mix (for a smooth texture) and contains 0g net carbs. It’s perfect for everything from drinks to keto desserts!

Sugar-free vanilla pudding next to bottle of Wholesome Yum Vanilla Keto Coffee Syrup.

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Ingredients & Substitutions

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for sugar free pudding, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

Heavy Cream – Creates the creamy texture in this dessert. Full-fat coconut milk should also work for a dairy-free alternative. Avoid using any keto milk substitutes with a lower fat content (such as almond milk), as they won’t get as creamy and won’t set properly without additional gelatin.
Wholesome Yum Keto Vanilla Syrup – Adds sweetness and natural, rich flavor of vanilla to this sugar free pudding recipe with absolutely no sugar and zero net carbs. If you have Wholesome Yum Keto Simple Syrup on hand, you can use that instead and add vanilla extract to taste (after removing from heat). I haven’t tried this recipe with a homemade sugar free simple syrup, which may be too thin. Unfortunately, I don’t recommend powdered or granulated keto sweeteners here, because the wet/dry ingredient ratio will be thrown off and would require additional testing, but you can make my keto chocolate pudding that doesn’t use a liquid sweetener.
Egg Yolks – A keto cornstarch substitute that helps thicken the pudding.
Unflavored Gelatin Powder – Helps stabilize and thicken the pudding as well. Some low carb pudding recipes thicken with xanthan gum, but gelatin is much more authentic and I haven’t tested any substitutions for this.
Sea Salt – Balances the sweet flavor.

VARIATIONS: Make other flavors!

You can add 1-2 teaspoons of fruit flavor extract to make fruity flavors, or for sugar-free chocolate pudding, follow my keto chocolate pudding recipe here.

How To Make Sugar Free Pudding

This section shows how to make keto vanilla pudding, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

Thicken cream. Add 1/3 cup heavy cream to a small bowl, then sprinkle gelatin powder on top. Whisk immediately and set aside to bloom. (It will look like the photo on the left below after it blooms for a few minutes.)

TIP: Sprinkle the gelatin — don’t dump!

Sprinkling helps the gelatin dissolve completely, which is important for a uniform pudding.

Heat cream. Add more heavy cream to a saucepan on the stove over medium-low heat, along with keto vanilla syrup and sea salt. Whisk and heat until the mixture is smooth and bubbling.(Do not boil or simmer; remove from heat once it bubbles briefly.)

Temper. Transfer heated cream mixture to a bowl. Slowly pour in the egg yolks in a thin stream, whisking constantly. (Don’t this slowly ensures that the heat won’t scramble the egg.) This is called tempering.
Thicken. Whisk bloomed gelatin into the egg yolk mixture.

Cool and cover. Allow the homemade pudding mixture to cool for 10 minutes. Whisk again to remove any film, then cover with plastic wrap flush against the surface of the mixture, to prevent any additional film from forming.
Refrigerate. Place in the refrigerator until firm.
Whip. After the sugar free pudding sets, stir or whip with an electric mixture to make it more airy and to ensure the texture is smooth.

Covered low carb pudding base in a glass bowl with plastic wrap flush against the surface.

Stirred sugar-free vanilla pudding next to Wholesome Yum Keto Vanilla Coffee Syrup.

Storage Instructions

Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container with plastic wrap on top (to prevent a skin forming) for up to 5-7 days.
Freeze: Unlike many desserts made with heavy cream, sugar free pudding freezes well for up to 1-2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and whip with a mixer to get back to the right consistency.

Keto vanilla pudding in cup with scattered raspberries next to it.

More Sugar Free Vanilla Dessert Recipes

If you love vanilla, don’t stop at sugar free pudding! Try these other delicious recipes next:

Keto cupcake recipe with lots of frosting (close up top)

Sugar-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

Keto Vanilla Milkshake

Keto Birthday Cake

Vanilla mug cake with strawberries and whipped cream.

Keto Vanilla Mug Cake

Tools To Make Sugar Free Pudding

Saucepan – Stainless steel and designed to last.
Ramekins – The perfect size for single-serve desserts!

Sugar Free Pudding Recipe

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Review

Ingredients

Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.

1 2/3 cups Heavy cream (or full-fat coconut milk for dairy-free; divided into 1/3 cup and 1 1/3 cups) ▢
1/3 cup Wholesome Yum Zero Sugar Vanilla Syrup ▢
2 large Egg yolks ▢
2 1/2 tsp Unflavored gelatin powder ▢
1/4 tsp Sea salt ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

Pour 1/3 cup heavy cream into a small bowl. Sprinkle (don't dump) the gelatin powder on top, and whisk together immediately. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium-low, stir together the remaining heavy cream, vanilla syrup and sea salt. Heat, whisking constantly, for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and bubbling near the edges.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the egg yolks into the mixture while whisking constantly to temper.
Add the bloomed gelatin to the mixture and whisk until smooth and dissolved.
Let the pudding cool for about 10 minutes, until cooled enough not to melt plastic wrap to be placed over it. Whisk again to get rid of any film on top.
Cover with plastic wrap flush against the top to prevent a film from forming. Refrigerate for at minimum 4 hours, until firm.
After pudding has set, stir or whip with a hand mixer before serving, until pudding is light and airy.

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1/2 cup

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 376

Fat 38.3g

Protein 6.2g

Total Carbs 3g

Net Carbs 2.9g

Fiber 0.1g

Sugar 2g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keywords: keto vanilla pudding, sugar-free vanilla pudding

Calories: 376 kcal

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27 Comments

Ben
0 April 29, 2023Reply

Can not find Wholesome Yum sugar free vanilla syrup in Ontario Canada. What can I sub for it?
- Maya | Wholesome Yum
  0 April 29, 2023Reply
  
  Hi Ben, I mentioned this a few times in the post, you can get my sugar-free vanilla syrup here and we do ship to Canada.
Donna
0 July 21, 2022Reply

Made this for hubby and me for dessert the other night and it is so good I will have to make double next time as the kids kept stealing ours!
Alea
0 July 20, 2022Reply

This pudding is so creamy and smooth and it comes together easily!
Kristyn
0 July 18, 2022Reply

Best sugar free vanilla pudding!! You can’t even tell it’s better for you! It’s creamy & delicious!
Linda Smith
0 June 11, 2022Reply

This pudding is delicious! I put it in 4 serving dishes instead of one bowl and didn’t have issue with skin forming. It was set in 2 hours.
Sylvie
0 April 2, 2022Reply

Can you use coconut cream from a can instead of regular whipping cream?🙏
- Maya | Wholesome Yum
  0 June 16, 2022Reply
  
  Hi Sylvie, Full-fat coconut milk from a can should work.
Yamila Aguiar
0 November 1, 2021Reply

Is the bloomed gelatin…the gelatin that was sprinkled on the whipped heavy cream?
- Maya | Wholesome Yum
  0 December 13, 2021Reply
  
  Hi Yamila, Yes, the bloomed gelatin is the part mixed with the heavy cream from step 1.
Daphne Sandoz
0 July 20, 2021Reply

I do not like when i bake with Swerve and other sweeteners that when the baked goods cool off the sweetener goes back to a crunchy granular form . Do any of your sweeteners not do that?
- Maya | Wholesome Yum
  0 July 23, 2021Reply
  
  Hi Daphne, Besti sweeteners don’t do that! Use crystallized Besti for the regular sweetener, powdered Besti for powdered, and Besti Brown for brown sugar replacement. None of them will get crunchy afterward. 🙂 Enjoy!
Dina
0 July 6, 2021Reply

I was curious where you get heavy cream without carrageenan in it??

Thank you
- Maya | Wholesome Yum
  0 July 10, 2021Reply
  
  Hi Dina, Health food stores most often carry this, or if you just look for cream labeled organic, that should have a clean label. Hope this helps!
Glenda Mitchell
0 June 20, 2021Reply

Are your products going to be available in Australia?
- Maya | Wholesome Yum
  0 July 2, 2021Reply
  
  Hi Glenda, You can sign up here to be notified when it’s available in your country.
Lisa
0 June 20, 2021Reply

How much cacao powder to add to make this into chocolate pudding?
Thanks
- Maya | Wholesome Yum
  0 July 2, 2021Reply
  
  Hi Lisa, Here’s a keto chocolate pudding recipe.
Addison
0 April 30, 2021Reply

I tried this recipe and my family loved it. Thank you!
Vicki McDougall
0 March 26, 2021Reply

Why don’t you put in vanilla bean powder or vanilla extract? My husband really likes vanilla & I don’t think there is enough vanilla that comes thru with the coffee syrup.
- Maya | Wholesome Yum
  0 April 1, 2021Reply
  
  Hi Vicki, Feel free to add some if you like. We’re actually updating our syrups to add more vanilla flavor though. 🙂
Priscilla
0 March 8, 2021Reply

Thanks for your recipes! WholesomeYumFoods.com is my very favorite foodie site and I depend on it for staying well-fed on keto.

Regarding this recipe, not everyone can tolerate allulose. Wondering if there are alternative sweetener suggestions? I love vanilla pudding and want to make some soon! Thanks!
- Maya | Wholesome Yum
  0 April 1, 2021Reply
  
  Hi Priscilla, Sorry, we only tested this recipe with our syrup and don’t have alternate recommendations at the moment.
Ailie
0 March 8, 2021Reply

Hi Maya. Clicking the vanilla syrup link in the ingredients list takes me to your coffee syrup. Where’s can I find details of the vanilla one? Also, I live in the uk. Do you plan to make your products available here? Love your recipes x
- Maya | Wholesome Yum
  0 April 1, 2021Reply
  
  Hi Ailie, Yes, this recipe uses the sugar-free vanilla coffee syrup – it can be used for many things, not only coffee. You can sign up here to be notified when our products are available in your country.
Lucy Bakker
0 March 4, 2021Reply

Heavy cream usually is not available in the stores but they have heavy whipping cream, where do you get the heavy cream?
- Maya | Wholesome Yum
  0 March 5, 2021Reply
  
  Hi Lucy, Yes, use heavy whipping cream, the names vary by brand.

Sugar Free Pudding