Start With Instant Coconut Cream Pudding For An Easy And Luxurious Dessert

Instant pudding may be cheap and easy to make but that doesn't mean it can't be luxurious as well. Take, for example, instant coconut cream pudding. It's the secret ingredient in Tasting Table recipe developer Jessica Morone's pineapple coconut poke cake recipe, which includes two packets of the instant mix. Coconut cream pudding is also a featured ingredient in Tasting Table's elevated coconut cream lush recipe, from recipe developer Michelle McGlinn.

McGlinn opts to use one 3.4-ounce box of instant coconut cream pudding for her lush, which is a layered, no-bake dessert that typically features a base of graham crackers, followed by a layer of whipped cream cheese and some sort of fruity-flavored cream or jam, and a whipped cream topping. In her recipe, McGlinn creates the fruity layer by mixing the instant coconut cream pudding with 2 cups of heavy whipping cream. Swapping out the regular milk (usually called for to make the instant mix) with heavy cream makes the pudding even creamier, adding a velvety smooth layer to the dish with notes of sweet nuttiness and a tropical tang.

While McGlinn features her instant coconut cream pudding between layers of whipped cream cheese and a whipped cream topping, over which she sprinkles toasted shaved coconut, you don't have to follow this recipe. In fact, adding your own spin is half the fun when it comes to desserts. For your coconut cream lush, you could swap out the standard graham cracker base for one made of smashed Nilla Wafers or Biscoff cookie crumbs. Or, you could lean into the nuttiness of the coconut flavor by using crumbled pecan or walnut pie crusts. You could also forgo the whipped cream cheese layer and instead add whipped brie or goat cheese, which can be topped with a drizzle of honey or caramel.

Beyond lush recipes, instant coconut cream pudding can be used in other desserts, like this coconut custard pie or this chocolate coconut smoothie bowl. For the pie, simply replace the eggs, butter, sugar, flour, milk, and vanilla extract with a box of the instant pudding, mixed with 1 ½ cups of milk and one 8-ounce container of Cool Whip. For the bowl, get rid of the ½ cup of coconut cream and ½ cup of coconut yogurt, and replace them with 1 cup of instant coconut cream pudding.