Ginger Milk Pudding Without Agar-Agar
This soft Cantonese-style ginger milk curd uses fresh ginger and full-cream milk, with no agar-agar or gelatin.
Recipe from the Queen Kitchen YouTube channel.
For a simple homemade dessert, this ginger milk pudding offers a different way to set milk without agar-agar or gelatin. Known in Cantonese as ginger milk curd, it uses fresh ginger and milk, with a little sugar.
In this editorial recipe spotlight, Queen Kitchen demonstrates how ginger juice helps the milk thicken. The method depends on using fresh, mature ginger, heating the milk to the stage described, and pouring it over the juice in one go. Follow the sequence, then leave the bowl covered while the pudding sets.
Ginger Milk Pudding
- Serves: 1 bowl
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS (1 bowl)
- 30 g fresh mature ginger (± 1 thumb-sized knob) → ± 1 tbsp ginger juice
- 200 ml fresh full-cream milk (UHT full-cream milk also works)
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
How to make it
- Wash and grate the gingerWash the ginger well and grate it finely (the skin can be lightly scraped off first).
- Squeeze the gingerSqueeze the grated ginger WITHOUT water → collect the juice in a bowl.
- Heat the milk and sugarHeat the milk + sugar until steaming and small bubbles appear at the edge (±75–80°C). Remove BEFORE it boils.
- Stir the ginger juiceStir the ginger juice in the bowl first (the starchy sediment settles at the bottom).
- Pour in the milkPour the milk from a height of ±20 cm, ALL AT ONCE. DO NOT STIR.
- Let it restCover and leave for 10 minutes.
- Check the textureSpoon test: place a spoon on the surface; if it does not sink, it has set successfully!
Tips
- Use mature, fresh ginger, and squeeze the juice without adding water.
- Powdered and frozen ginger DO NOT work (the enzyme has been damaged).
- Boiling milk (above 85°C) → ginger enzyme dies and pudding will not set; milk that is not hot enough (below 65°C) → it will just be ordinary ginger milk.
Tips from the Video
- Use mature, fresh ginger, and squeeze the juice without adding water.
- Do not use powdered or frozen ginger; the video says its enzyme has been damaged.
- Pay attention to the milk temperature: above 85°C, boiling milk can kill the ginger enzyme and prevent the pudding from setting; below 65°C, the result may be ordinary ginger milk instead.
The appeal of this recipe is its short ingredient list: ginger and milk form the base, with sugar added for sweetness. There is no agar-agar or gelatin in the method. Instead, the video focuses on preparing the ginger juice and heating the milk to the right stage before combining them.
For a first attempt, the sequence matters. Keep water out of the ginger juice, stir the juice before pouring, and leave the mixture alone once the milk has been added. The video notes that plant-based or low-fat milk may not set as well, while UHT full-cream milk can also be used.
Want to see the full method demonstrated? Watch the complete Queen Kitchen video, then subscribe to Queen Kitchen on YouTube and follow Queen Kitchen on Facebook for more recipe spotlights.
