Coffee Cream Pudding with Cold Brew

Combine cream and cold brew in a bowl, set it aside, whisk sugar and arrowroot off heat with egg yolks, stir everything together, heat for 12 minutes until it gets thick and creamy, dump in white chocolate, pour into cups, chill for hours. That’s the whole thing. Takes 32 minutes of actual work if you count the chill time, which you shouldn’t, because you’re just waiting.

Why You’ll Love This No Bake Pudding

Tastes like dessert but doesn’t require an oven — cold brew coffee mixed with cream and white chocolate, thickened with arrowroot instead of cornstarch. Smoother. Cinnamon dust on top instead of cocoa because it works better here. No-bake doesn’t mean boring. Took 18 minutes to prep, 12 to cook on the stove. That’s it. The hardest part is waiting for it to set, which isn’t hard at all. Chilled pudding gets better after sitting overnight — tastes less sharp, more rounded. Also: whipped cream. Soft peaks. Not mountains. Just a dollop.

What You Need for Coffee Cream Pudding

Start with cream — 350 ml total, which is one and a half cups. Cold brew coffee goes in next. Not hot. Cold. The cold brew matters because hot coffee breaks the eggs if you’re not careful. Ninety milliliters. Three eighths of a cup. White chocolate, chopped fine — 55 grams, two ounces. Just white. Not milk. Not dark. The white chocolate sweetens and thickens everything without making it bitter. Granulated sugar, 90 milliliters. Arrowroot powder, 20 milliliters, one and a half tablespoons. Four egg yolks — the yolks only, not the whites. Don’t waste them though. Powdered sugar for the cream, 30 milliliters. Ground cinnamon, already sifted, 10 milliliters. That’s everything.

How to Make a Coffee Cream Pudding

Pour 265 milliliters of cream into a bowl — that’s a little over a cup. Add the cold brew. Stir once. Set it somewhere you’ll remember it. In a saucepan, whisk together sugar and arrowroot powder first. Off the heat. This matters. Cold pan. Then add the four egg yolks. Whisk until it looks pale, almost white. Takes a minute. Slowly pour the cream-coffee mixture into the saucepan while stirring. Not fast. Slow enough that the eggs don’t scramble. Once it’s all in, put the pan over medium heat.

Stir constantly. Not occasionally. Constantly. Scrape the sides and the bottom — that’s where it sticks and burns if you don’t pay attention. The whole thing will start to thicken after about five minutes. After eight, it gets noticeably thicker. By ten, it’s clearly done but keep going. At 12 minutes it should be boiling gently, thick and creamy, almost mousse-like. Pull it off the heat. It’ll look like pudding now. Not liquid. Not quite set. Between.

How to Get Coffee Cream Pudding Perfectly Smooth

Stir in the chopped white chocolate right away. The heat will melt it. Takes maybe 30 seconds of stirring. Should be smooth and shiny. If there are lumps — and sometimes there are — strain it through a fine sieve. Just push it through gently. Pour the whole thing into six small cups or glasses or whatever you have. The pudding will be warm. Cover each one with plastic wrap and stick them in the fridge. One and a half hours minimum. Two and a half hours is better. Overnight is best. The pudding gets firmer, the coffee flavor settles, everything tastes less raw.

Coffee Pudding Tips and How to Fix Mistakes

Cold brew has to be cold. If you use hot coffee, scrambled eggs happen. Not the end of the world but grainy and sad. Don’t do it. The arrowroot is important — cornstarch works but makes it slimy instead of creamy. There’s a difference. Strain if lumpy. Really do this. It changes everything. The whipped cream goes on just before serving. Don’t whip it hours ahead or it separates and gets weird. Whip it five minutes before eating. Soft peaks, not stiff. Just barely holds. Cinnamon dust, not cocoa powder. Cocoa makes it taste like chocolate pudding. This is a coffee pudding. Cinnamon keeps it that way. If it’s too bitter, next time add a tiny bit more white chocolate. If it’s too sweet, less powdered sugar in the cream topping.

Coffee Cream Pudding with Cold Brew

By Emma Kitchen

Prep:

18 min

Cook:

12 min

Total:

32 min

Servings:

6 servings

Ingredients

• 350 ml (1 1/2 cups) 35% cream
• 90 ml (3/8 cup) strong cold brew coffee or decaf
• 90 ml (3/8 cup) granulated sugar
• 20 ml (1 1/2 tbsp) arrowroot powder
• 4 egg yolks
• 55 g (2 oz) white chocolate, chopped
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) powdered sugar
• 10 ml (2 tsp) ground cinnamon, sifted

Method

1. 1 Combine 265 ml (1 1/8 cups) cream with cold brew in bowl. Set aside.
2. 2 In saucepan, whisk sugar, arrowroot powder, and egg yolks off the heat.
3. 3 Gradually stir in cream-cold brew mix.
4. 4 Heat gently, stirring constantly, scraping sides and bottom, until boiling point reached. Thick and creamy. About 12 min.
5. 5 Remove from heat, stir in chopped white chocolate until melted and smooth. Strain if lumpy.
6. 6 Pour into six small cups. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 1.5-2.5 hours or overnight.
7. 7 Whip remaining cream (85 ml/1/3 cup) with powdered sugar till soft peaks form.
8. 8 Dollop or pipe whipped cream atop set pudding just before serving.
9. 9 Dust surface with sifted cinnamon instead of cocoa powder.

Nutritional information

Calories

280

Protein

4g

Carbs

22g

Fat

18g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Cold Brew Coffee Pudding

Can I make this with regular hot coffee? No. Hot coffee will scramble the eggs and ruin the texture. Cold brew works because it’s cold when you add it. Use decaf cold brew if you want — it still tastes like coffee.

How long does it keep in the fridge? Three days, maybe four if you’re pushing it. The egg yolks are cooked so food safety isn’t the issue — it just starts to taste stale.

Can I skip the chill time and eat it warm? Not really. Warm it’s too soft and tastes grainy. It needs the cold to set properly.

What if I don’t have arrowroot powder? Cornstarch works but it gets slimy. Not ideal. Tapioca starch gets weird. Just use arrowroot. It’s cheap and you’ll have it around for other stuff.

Is this actually no-bake? It cooks on the stove for 12 minutes but no oven, so technically yes. The “no-bake” part means you don’t turn on your oven, which is the point.

Can I make it with milk chocolate instead of white chocolate? Tried it. Tastes muddy. The cold brew and milk chocolate fight each other. White chocolate lets the coffee shine.