Layered Coconut Pudding With Berries For Full GAPS

This layered coconut pudding has cool vanilla-coconut cubes between fresh strawberries and blueberries. Make the coconut base first, let it set, then cut it into small pieces and build the layers in glasses or jars. Each spoonful brings some of the soft pudding and fresh fruit together.

Start with rich homemade coconut milk and homemade vanilla extract. The milk gives the pudding its coconut flavor and body, while gelatin lets it set firmly enough to cut. The strawberries and blueberries go in afterward, keeping their own color and texture.

Our family has followed GAPS since July 2024. With six children, homeschooling and second-shift work, I think about where a recipe can be split across the day. For this dessert I would make and chill the coconut base first, then prepare the fruit and fill the glasses closer to serving. That gives the pudding its time in the refrigerator without leaving the berries sitting in assembled cups all day.

Ingredients

• 13½ fluid ounces rich homemade coconut milk
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, optional
• 2 tablespoons raw honey
• 1 tablespoon plain unflavored bovine gelatin powder
• 2 teaspoons homemade vanilla extract
• 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Measure the coconut milk after it is finished and strained. Homemade milk can separate as it sits, so stir the fat back through before measuring. Using only the watery part or only the thick top would give you a different starting mixture.

The milk amount is thirteen and a half fluid ounces, a volume measure. Have enough of the completed rich milk ready before starting the pudding. The linked milk recipe has a variable strained yield, so make another batch if needed rather than topping it up with water.

Use plain gelatin that sets when chilled. Collagen peptides dissolve into drinks but do not do the same setting job. Keep the tablespoon of gelatin with this amount of milk, honey and fruit.

The two teaspoons of homemade vanilla belong in the coconut base. The linked recipe is single-fold vanilla, which keeps the ingredient choice clear. A sweetened vanilla syrup is a different product.

The optional half-cup of shredded coconut adds small coconut pieces to the set pudding. Leave it out if you prefer a smoother coconut base. Use unsweetened shreds; the two tablespoons of honey already provide the measured sweetness.

How To Make Layered Coconut Pudding

1. Mix the finished coconut milk until its fat and liquid are evenly combined, then measure the full amount. At 1×, put half a cup of that measured milk in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over it. Let it hydrate for about five minutes, until swollen and damp throughout. Scale this reserved portion with the batch; do not add water or extra milk.
2. Put the remaining measured milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the hydrated gelatin and whisk until it is fully dissolved, with no dry granules or gelatin lumps. Warm gently rather than boiling. This is a hand-whisk method; do not put hot mixture into the Ninja blender.
3. Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the measured honey and homemade vanilla while the mixture is still fluid. Stir in the optional shredded coconut if using. Pour into a small loaf pan or flat glass dish so the set pudding can later be cut into cubes.
4. Let the pudding cool at room temperature for about one hour, then cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight, until set firmly enough to cut. Cooling and chilling are separate stages; allow longer if it is not yet firm.
5. Rinse and dry the berries. Hull and slice the strawberries. Once the pudding has set, use a sharp knife to cut it into roughly half-inch cubes.
6. Spoon a layer of coconut pudding cubes into serving glasses or jars, then add a layer of strawberries and a layer of blueberries. Repeat as the vessel allows, keeping the white coconut cubes and fresh fruit in separate layers. Keep chilled until serving.

Blooming means giving the gelatin time to hydrate before heating it. Sprinkle it across the cool reserved milk rather than dropping it in as a dry mound. After about five minutes it should look swollen and wet through, with no untouched powder sitting on top.

The reserved milk is part of the original measured amount. At the ordinary batch size, half a cup goes into the bloom bowl and the rest goes into the pan. A larger batch needs a proportionately larger reserved amount.

Whisk the hydrated gelatin into the warming milk until the mixture is even. Coconut milk stays opaque, so look for the disappearance of grains and lumps rather than waiting for a clear liquid. Keep the heat gentle and stir across the bottom of the pan.

Hydrating the gelatin first makes this small warm mixture easier to combine with a hand whisk. My blender is the Ninja BN801, whose guide prohibits hot liquids; a separate hot-blending appliance is not needed for this method.

Take the pan off the heat before stirring in the honey and vanilla. Mix while it is still fluid, then add the coconut shreds if you are using them. Pour into the setting dish before the mixture begins to firm up.

The first hour is cooling at room temperature. The next stage is covered refrigeration for at least an hour, with overnight chilling as another option. A surface that looks set is not the only check: the pudding needs enough body through the center to cut into pieces.

Cut the cold pudding into roughly half-inch cubes. They should hold their edges as you lift them but give to a spoon. Handle them gently while layering so you keep small pieces of white pudding between the red and blue fruit.

Dry the berries after rinsing. Water left on the fruit can collect in the bottom of the glass, and sliced strawberries release some juice of their own. Layer the fruit with the already set pudding, rather than stirring it into the warm base.

Where It Fits On GAPS

This is a Full GAPS fruit-based dessert once coconut, honey and the raw berries fit the foods you have introduced. In Gut and Physiology Syndrome, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride includes ripe berries and describes gradually introducing raw fruit after digestion has improved.

The homemade milk keeps the coconut preparation in its own recipe, where you can see the ingredients and method before using it here. This pudding contains no cow’s-milk cream, yogurt or eggs. It is dairy-free and egg-free as written, while still containing coconut, honey and animal-derived gelatin.

Gelatin gives this dessert its set. That does not assign the pudding to the same stage as naturally gelatinous meat stock. The raw berry layers and coconut base stay together as the Full GAPS recipe shown here.

Serve it as a small fruit snack or treat. Removing the optional shreds changes the coconut texture, but it does not remove the coconut milk, raw fruit or honey from the recipe.

Serving And Storing

Use small serving glasses or jars and repeat the layers to suit their shape. The recipe makes one dessert batch, with the filled-glass count depending on the vessels and depth of each layer. A pint jar is a serving vessel option, not a fixed single-person portion.

For advance preparation, keep the set pudding covered in its dish and the prepared berries separately chilled. Cut and assemble closer to serving. That keeps the layers more distinct and makes the pieces easier to lift without mixing everything together.

Keep the pudding and finished cups covered in the refrigerator. Plan to use them within three days, counting from the preparation of the homemade coconut milk, or sooner if that component is already older.

Assembled strawberry layers will release more juice as they sit. That changes the appearance even when the pudding itself remains set. For the cleanest layers, assemble the amount you need and keep the rest of the base and fruit separate.

If you would rather have fruit blended into the coconut base, strawberry coconut panna cotta is a separate recipe with its own quantities and method. This dessert keeps the berries in layers beside the plain coconut cubes.

Recommended Equipment

You need a small saucepan, a bowl for blooming, a hand whisk, a volume measure and measuring spoons. Use a small loaf pan or flat glass dish for setting, along with a cover that can be put on after the first cooling stage.

A sharp knife cuts the set base into cubes. Use a spoon to lift them into the serving glasses or jars, then add the fruit. There is no need to process the finished cubes in a blender or frozen-dessert machine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Is It Cut Into Cubes?

The gelatin sets the coconut base before the fruit is added. Cutting it makes the small pudding pieces used in the layers. Wait until it is firm through the center instead of trying to scoop a still-liquid base into the glasses.

Can I Put The Berries In Before Chilling?

Keep them separate for this method. The coconut base sets on its own, then the sliced strawberries and blueberries go between the cubes. That gives you the distinct white, red and blue layers.

Why Are There Lumps In The Pudding?

Dry gelatin can clump when it goes into liquid unevenly. Give it the bloom first, then whisk over gentle heat until the grains and lumps have dissolved before pouring. Shredded coconut, if included, remains as small pieces and is a different texture from undissolved gelatin.

Can I Make It Without The Coconut Shreds?

Yes. The half-cup of shreds is optional. Keep the milk, gelatin, honey and vanilla amounts unchanged, then set, cut and layer the coconut base with the measured berries.

The upcoming Dairy-Free GAPS Cookbook in the WFLI shop offers more recipes that use dairy-free ingredients. This dessert is one way to plan a creamy-tasting treat around homemade coconut milk while keeping the fruit fresh.