Pudding is a sweet, devourable dessert that’s delicious on its own or can be used to make other amazing desserts. Dating back centuries, some say puddings got their start in recipes like plum pottage, which was a thin porridge thickened with breadcrumbs, raisins or other dried fruits and wine. Others say it originated from hasty pudding (also known as Indian pudding), which when brought to America, was thickened with cornmeal instead of English flour.
Sweet puddings are typically thickened with cornstarch, eggs, or flour and have a yogurt-like consistency. Custards are always thickened with eggs which gives them an eggier flavor and their characteristically light texture. If a custard recipe doesn’t contain an egg, it’s technically not a custard.
If your sweet tooth is calling but you don’t want to make a trip to the store, pudding to the rescue! It’s made from just a few ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen and needs only 10 minutes of prep. Best enjoyed it chilled, as refrigeration brings out the flavors as well as helps it to set up.
Homemade vanilla pudding has a fresh flavor that can’t be beat. Serve it alone or top with fresh berries. It’s great as the base of other amazing desserts like parfaits or a trifle. Or while it’s still warm, spoon it over a piece of chocolate cake. It’s like the dessert cart of a high-end restaurant made a delivery right to your door.
Here are the general steps to show you how to make vanilla pudding. Follow the recipe for all the specifics:
For this recipe, you’ll use only the egg yolks.
They give pudding it’s velvety texture and richness. To easily
separate the eggs, it’s best to use an inexpensive egg separator to prevent shells from getting into the yolks or whites. If you do find yourself with pieces of shell in the eggs, use a clean fork or spoon to scoop them out. A simple way to use up the whites is to throw them in with your whole eggs to make scrambled eggs.
Mix sugar, cornstarch, and the salt in a saucepan. This sets up the pudding for success by dispersing the cornstarch evenly throughout the pudding mixture. Slowly add milk. As the milk is added and mixes with the starch it will begin to thicken. Heat while stirring constantly until it boils. Boil and keep stirring for another minute to continue to thicken the milk while cooking off the starch flavor. At this point, the milk will be slightly thickened, but not pudding like, yet.
Pour at least half of the hot milk mixture into the beaten egg yolks and then stir all of that back into the remaining milk mixture. Stir in the butter and vanilla now after the cooking, for added richness and flavor. The pudding mixture will be slightly thicker than the milk at this point, but it still won’t be thick like pudding yet.
Pour the liquid pudding into dessert dishes. Cover them to prevent a skin from forming on the surface. They need about an hour in the fridge to set up to a thick pudding texture as well as to get chilled, which brings out the fresh vanilla flavor.
This easy vanilla pudding recipe can be whipped up before you make dinner so it will be perfectly chilled and ready for dessert! Or you can make it to enjoy later. Store it in the refrigerator up to 5 days and have as a sweet snack or dessert on the fly.
Pudding is not a dessert that can be made ahead and frozen, as it will break down and become watery going through the freeze and thaw cycles. You’ll also get the same results if you try to reheat chilled pudding. If you want it warm, skip step 3 and enjoy right after cooking. Perfect for those chilly days.
Once you have the easy techniques down for making pudding, you’ll never go back to the boxed kind! Need to satisfy your chocolate craving?
Ultimate Chocolate Pudding for an amazing chocolate taste in every spoonful.
Sticky Toffee Pudding is a baked pudding, like a cross between regular pudding and bread pudding, for a delightful texture and rich, buttery flavor.
Or use this delicious pudding as the start to other amazing desserts.
Quick and Tasty Banana Pudding makes a delicious snack, after school treat or easy dessert everyone will love.
Chocolate-Orange Punch Bowl Cake for those times you need a crowd-size dessert.
For this homemade Vanilla Pudding recipe, the vanilla is added at the end so it doesn’t lose any of its strong taste and aroma, which can be diminished by direct heat. You can boost the flavor of this Vanilla Pudding even more by stirring in a little fresh vanilla bean paste.
| Food Component / Nutrient | Amount | % , Daily Value* |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | 11g | 16% |
| Saturated Fat | 5g | 24% |
| Trans Fat | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 4&½g | % Value Not Available |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | ½g | % Value Not Available |
| Omega-3 | 40g | % Value Not Available |
| Cholesterol | 130mg | 44% |
| Sodium | 170mg | 7% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 26g | 9% |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g | 0% |
| Soluble Fiber | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Insoluble Fiber | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Sugars | 23g | % Value Not Available |
| Protein | 5g | % Value Not Available |
| Vitamin D | Value Not Available | 15% |
| Calcium | Value Not Available | 15% |
| Iron | Value Not Available | 2% |
| Potassium | 180mg | 5% |
| Vitamin A | Value Not Available | 10% |
| Vitamin C | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Vitamin E | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Thiamin | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Riboflavin | Value Not Available | 15% |
| Niacin | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Vitamin B6 | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Folic Acid | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Vitamin B12 | Value Not Available | 15% |
| Pantothenic Acid | Value Not Available | 8% |
| Phosphorus | Value Not Available | 15% |
| Magnesium | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Zinc | Value Not Available | 6% |
| Manganese | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Selenium | Value Not Available | 10% |
| Copper | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Beta-Carotene | Value Not Available | % Value Not Available |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | ||
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