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This semolina pudding cake is infused with plenty of vanilla and comes with a rich caramel sauce topping. It has a delicate texture and is naturally vegan! Just 15 minutes and 6 ingredients are required!
⭐️ Why You Should Try It
- Incredibly quick and simple. This pudding takes no longer than 15 minutes to prepare and 6 ingredients! Thanks to the use of fine semolina, it needs just 6 minutes to cook.
- Creamy and tender. While the texture of this pudding is soft and delicate, it still retains its shape when flipped over a plate. Perfect for a fancy-looking dessert!
- Loaded with flavor. Infused with plenty of vanilla and coated with a sweet and nutty caramel sauce, this dessert is so decadent!
📘 What Is Semolina Pudding
Semolina pudding is a dessert prepared with fine semolina cooked in milk and sugar. The origin of semolina pudding is still unclear as many countries have their own way of preparing it. This recipe is based on a French semolina pudding called “gâteau de semoule”.
🥛 Ingredient Notes
Here is what you will need:
- Semolina – Use fine semolina, not to be confused with semolina flour.
- Sugar – Since we will make caramel, I recommend using granulated white sugar. Do not use coconut sugar, as it would completely change the flavor of the pudding.
- Milk – You can use any milk as long as it is unsweetened. I went with almond milk, but soy, cashew, or oat milk will work.
- Vanilla extract – Use a high-quality vanilla extract for a fresh and delicious flavor. If you want even more vanilla flavor, replace half the sugar with vanilla sugar!
- Coconut cream – While optional, coconut cream adds creaminess to the pudding.
- Butter – Stirring a tablespoon of vegan butter at the end of cooking brings a rich and buttery aroma.
Note: While some recipes call for eggs, I didn’t use any here to keep this recipe vegan.
🍮 How to Make It
This surprisingly easy recipe consists of just two steps: making the caramel and the pudding. To make the caramel:
- Melt the sugar. Add the sugar and water to a light-bottom saucepan and heat it over low-medium heat.
- Caramelize the sugar. Keep heating until the sugar starts to bubble. It will start to turn into a golden brown color. Remove from heat as soon as the caramel has reached an amber color.
- Transfer to ramekins. Finally, divide the caramel between ramekins and tilt each one to spread the caramel into a thin and even layer.
Let the caramel harden while you prepare the semolina pudding. Don’t worry, the caramel will liquefy again after you pour in the semolina pudding on top.
The final step consists of preparing the semolina pudding. To do so:
- Combine the ingredients. Add the milk, coconut cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and semolina to a saucepan.
- Cook the semolina. Heat over medium heat, constantly whisking, for about 6 minutes or until it thickens slightly. Stir in the vegan butter.
- Transfer to ramekins. Finally, transfer the semolina pudding to the ramekins containing the caramel. Cover with plastic wrap and let them cool for about 1 hour before transferring them to the refrigerator.
📔 Tips
- Add the semolina to cold milk. As opposed to some recipes that recommend adding semolina to boiling milk, I advise against using this method. When adding semolina to hot milk, it will clump, and you won’t get a smooth and even texture. Adding semolina to cold milk and constantly whisking until it boils gives the best results.
- Cover with plastic wrap to the touch. To prevent a crust from forming on top, cover the top of the pudding with plastic wrap, making sure it is in contact.
- Let it chill. This pudding tastes much better after a minimum of 8 hours in the refrigerator. It allows the caramel to melt completely and infuse the pudding.
- Add flavor! You can flavor this pudding by adding spices like cinnamon and cardamom or dried fruits like raisins, chopped dates, or dried figs!
- Adjust the consistency. This recipe yields a pudding that can hold its shape so you can flip it on a plate (with the caramel on top). If you prefer a pudding with a creamier consistency, only use 4 tablespoons of semolina instead of 6.
💬 FAQ
Flan consists of milk thickened with either eggs or plant-based gelatin, like agar. Semolina pudding, on the other hand, only consists of semolina cooked in milk.
Yes, you can omit the caramel. It will still make a delicious pudding!
This pudding will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
While semolina pudding is not the most popular dessert, it’s definitely a favorite in our home. It’s light, not overly sweet, and so fresh! If you have never tried semolina pudding before, give it a try, you won’t be disappointed!
🇫🇷 More Vegan French Desserts
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Semolina Pudding (with Caramel!)
Ingredients
Caramel
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp water
Semolina Pudding
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk or soy, oat, cashew milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp coconut cream optional, add creaminess
- 6 tbsp fine semolina
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
Instructions
Caramel
- Set aside 6 small ramekins (I used 3-oz ones).
- Add the sugar and water to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium heat until the sugar melts and bubbles. Do not stir.Keep heating without stirring. The sugar will then start to clump and harden. At this point, it will quickly turn into caramel. Wait again until the sugar melts and turns a rich amber color.
- Once the caramel has an amber color, remove it from heat and divide it between the ramekins (about 1 tablespoon of caramel per ramekin). Set aside.
Semolina Pudding
- Add the almond milk, sugar, vanilla extract, coconut cream, and semolina to a medium saucepan.
- Heat over medium heat, constantly whisking, for about 6 minutes or until the mixture has thickened slightly. Do not overcook, as it will thicken as it cools down. Note: It will take about 3 minutes to come to a boil, and the semolina will cook in 3 minutes once boiling.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vegan butter. Stir until it is melted and combined with the pudding.
- Immediately divide the pudding between the ramekins containing the caramel. Cover with plastic wrap to the touch and let cool at room temperature for about 1 hour before transferring to the refrigerator.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours before enjoying! You can dig into the pudding directly in the ramekin or flip it over a dessert plate so the caramel sauce is on top.
- Semolina pudding will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Add the semolina to cold milk. As opposed to some recipes that recommend adding semolina to boiling milk, I advise against using this method. When adding semolina to hot milk, it will clump, and you won’t get a smooth and even texture. Adding semolina to cold milk and constantly whisking until it boils gives the best results.
- Cover with plastic wrap to the touch. To prevent a crust from forming on top, cover the top of the pudding with plastic wrap, making sure it is in contact.
- Let it chill. This pudding tastes much better after a minimum of 8 hours in the refrigerator. It allows the caramel to melt completely and infuse the pudding.
- Add flavor! You can flavor this pudding by adding spices like cinnamon and cardamom or dried fruits like raisins, chopped dates, or dried figs!
- Adjust the consistency. This recipe yields a pudding that can hold its shape so you can flip it on a plate (with the caramel on top). If you prefer a pudding with a creamier consistency, only use 4 tablespoons of semolina instead of 6.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
Leave a Comment
Where does the butter go?
Sorry about that! I fixed the recipe, thanks for pointing that out!
This is a new recipe for me. Will try it.
Please let me know if you do try it!