For an effortless yet beautiful dessert, make this five-ingredient mango pudding by Christine Wong. It comes from her vegan cookbook, The Vibrant Hong Kong Table, and adds a plant-based twist to a traditional pudding. Pudding, typically a creamy, soft-textured dessert, doesn’t tend to be vegan-friendly as it’s made by thickening ingredients like milk with gelatin. Originally British, pudding desserts have spread worldwide and evolved with regional ingredients and flavors.

Today, mango pudding is a staple in Hong Kong. It’s often made with gelatin in restaurants, though this version uses plant-based ingredients. This vegan adaptation honors the dish’s multicultural history while providing a vibrant, refreshing dessert.

Since the recipe is so simple, you can easily get creative with the molds you use or the way you choose to serve this dish. Whether you shape your dessert like a koi fish, flowers, or even just place it in a nice bowl, it’s sure to impress with its bright color and flavor. Plus, it’ll be great for date night or for any other gathering you fancy.

Read more: 11 Vegan Apple Dessert Recipes

Mango pudding

This super easy-to-make mango pudding recipe is entirely vegan and has an incredible taste. You can let the pudding set in koi-shaped molds like this recipe shows or use your own heat-proof molds to make any shape you like.

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Servings

Ingredients

3 ripe Ataulfo mangoes about 2 cups [360 g] of flesh
¼ tsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup [240 ml] unsweetened oat or soy milk
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp agar agar powder

Instructions

Cut the mangoes in half lengthwise, running the blade of your knife as close to the pit as possible. Use a large spoon to scoop the flesh out of the skin, and cut off any fruit along the edges of the seed.
Reserve one of the halves to garnish your puddings (I cut mine into thin slices and then used a flower-shaped cookie cutter to make shapes, but dicing the mango into small chunks works just as well). In a blender, blend the remaining 5 mango halves into a purée with the lemon juice.
In a medium pot over medium heat, bring the oat milk and ½ cup [120 ml] of water to a low boil, add the sugar, then sprinkle the agar agar powder on the liquid’s surface. Stir it well for 90 seconds or until the granules are dissolved. Gradually add the blended mango and stir well to combine for 30 seconds (Briefly heating the purée prevents the agar agar from coagulating and clumping together.)
Divide the mixture among four small bowls, heatproof coupe glasses, or lightly oiled koi-shaped molds. Refrigerate for a couple of hours until it sets. Top with the reserved cut mango.

Taken from ‘The Vibrant Hong Kong Table: 88 Iconic Vegan Recipes from Dim Sum to Late-Night Snacks’ by Christine Wong (Chronicle Books, £25).

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