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Home » Dessert » Homemade Vanilla Pudding

Homemade Vanilla Pudding

Published: Aug 5, 2018 · Modified: Jan 12, 2021 by Allison · 627 Comments

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Put down the instant pudding mix. This creamy and flavorful Homemade Vanilla Pudding couldn’t be easier or more delicious! Serve this pudding on its own or with cookies, berries or whipped cream. VIDEO below.

Vanilla pudding in a glass with vanilla wafer cookies.

It’s time homemade pudding gets the attention it deserves. Pudding has to be the most underrated dessert ever. It’s not as fancy or decadent as a pot de crème, mousse, or crème brûlée. It’s comforting, nostalgic, and uncomplicated, and that’s what I love about it!

If you have only ever had boxed/store-bought pudding, you are missing out. Yes, this takes a little more effort than peeling back the foil on a plastic cup, but once you taste this, you will never go back to that stuff again. You probably have most (or all?) of these ingredients in your kitchen right now. Check out how easy it is.

PREFER CHOCOLATE PUDDING? CLICK HERE!

Vanilla pudding in a white ramekin with berries.

Homemade Vanilla Pudding

  • Milk: Whole milk is the base of the pudding. Feel free to swap up to ½ cup milk for half-and-half for a richer pudding.
  • Sugar: Regular granulated sugar sweetens the pudding. Nothing fancy here!
  • Thickener: Egg yolks and cornstarch thicken up the pudding. It will thicken as it cooks on the stovetop, and it will continue to thicken as it cools in the fridge.
  • Vanilla extract: This is what makes our pudding taste like vanilla. Use the best extract you can get – its flavor is coming through in every bite.
  • Butter: Just a touch of butter is whisked into the hot pudding. This adds a touch of richness that takes this pudding over the top. Don’t skip it!

The pudding ingredients get whisked together and cooked on the stovetop for about 10 minutes. Then strain it and place it in the fridge to chill. Easy peasy!

Vanilla pudding topped with whipped cream and crushed cookies.

One of the fabulous things about homemade pudding is its versatility. You can serve it on its own, or you can pair it with berries, whipped cream, cookies, or sliced bananas. It’s great layered in a trifle, or topped with fruit sauce. Note: you can also just place a huge bowl of pudding in your fridge and steal a bite (or two) every time you open the fridge door. ← Not a bad idea.

This is a classic, comforting dessert that I come back to time and time again – and I hope you will too!

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Recipe

Vanilla pudding in a glass with vanilla wafer cookies.

Easy Homemade Vanilla Pudding

This creamy and flavorful Homemade Vanilla Pudding couldn't be easier or more delicious! Serve this pudding on its own or with cookies, berries or whipped cream.
4.90 from 333 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 generous ½ cup servings (a little over 2 cups total)
Calories: 232kcal
Author: Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 2-¼ cups whole milk
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1-½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, milk, and egg yolks. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally (every minute or two), until the mixture is bubbling all throughout (this took 7-8 minutes for mine).
    Once bubbling, continue cooking for one to two additional minutes, whisking once or twice, but not too vigorously (this can break down the binding properties). At this point the pudding should be thickened but still pourable, it will thicken more as it cools.
  • Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla extract. 
    OPTIONAL, to remove lumps: Place a fine mesh strainer over a large heatproof bowl. Pour the mixture through the strainer and into the bowl. Skip this step if you don't notice any lumps in your pudding.
  • Transfer the pudding into a large bowl or into individual serving bowls. Cool until it is lukewarm, then cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours or until chilled.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 139mg | Potassium: 197mg | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 450IU | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.

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Comments

  1. Karen M Krettler

    July 27, 2023 at 10:17 am

    5 stars
    I dissolve the cornstarch in 1/4 c. of the cold milk to make sure there aren’t any lumps and then added that into the saucepan with everything else (except the butter & vanilla). Also, since I didn’t have any unsalted butter, I used regular salted butter and eliminated the 1/8 tsp of salt. For my second batch, I cut the sugar down to 1/4 c, and only 1 tsp of vanilla.
    For my 3rd batch I made it into banana pudding. I didn’t have any extract so after I made the pudding, with only 1/2 tsp. of vanilla, I took some of the pudding out and put it in a bullet with a sliced banana and pureed it up. Then I sliced another banana and put the slices in the bottom of pudding dishes and poured the pudding on top. I served it with graham cracker crumbs sprinkled on top. It was a hit!

    Reply
    • Allison

      July 27, 2023 at 12:08 pm

      I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

      Reply
    • Toni DeSimone

      September 25, 2023 at 7:18 am

      5 stars
      Love ALL your recipes. This one I over whisked down the binding properties. My question is, is there any way to save it?

      Reply
      • Allison

        September 25, 2023 at 10:46 am

        Hi! Unfortunately not. Although, it is still edible even if on the thinner side. You could use it as a “custard sauce” over cake, French toast, pie, etc.

  2. Sally B Clark

    July 27, 2023 at 1:12 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe. Easy and good. Very good!!

    Reply
    • Allison

      July 30, 2023 at 8:05 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  3. Jana Wright

    July 29, 2023 at 5:47 pm

    5 stars
    My Dad used to make pudding when I was a little…up to today, I have never even attempted to try my hand at it, but at the ripe old age approaching 70, I’m so glad I did! My son has really painful lesions in his mouth and down his throat from a viral infection, and he is really struggling to eat. In the time it took me to whip up this batch, I was also able to make a Jell-O Instant pudding for him, while this cool creamy-smooth vanilla pudding chills its heels in the Fridge. Super simple to make and delicious to eat! Thank you for posting this. As a aside, if you don’t want lumps from the cornstarch, add the milk to it and whisk until smooth, add the egg and vanilla (extract or imitation, it does not matter.) then add it to the rest of the dry ingredients.

    Instead of whole milk, my Hubster the Chef suggests using heavy cream. I used 1% “good sippin’” milk, with no degradation in texture or taste. In this case, I used Braum’s Dairy Milk (Oklahoma based Dairy with stores into northern Dallas and Kansas)that has delicious milk! In California, I’d only use Clover or Strauss Dairy Milk..(Northern California) Both have exceptional quality milk.

    The next time I make this, I’m going to use Banana Extract, along with some fresh bananas. The kiddo loves Banana pudding. I may try Carmel, espresso or even butterscotch. I can make heavy cream butterscotch, which itself is also easy to make.

    Reply
    • Allison

      July 30, 2023 at 8:02 am

      Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  4. paula

    August 08, 2023 at 2:09 pm

    5 stars
    Fast and easy. I reduced the sugar by almost half and thought it was perfect.

    Reply
    • Allison

      August 09, 2023 at 12:41 pm

      I’m glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  5. Judy Bowen Romano

    August 23, 2023 at 11:17 am

    5 stars
    love it

    Reply
  6. Kellz

    August 31, 2023 at 4:19 pm

    5 stars
    Easy AND delicious! Takes same amount of time as the cooked boxed puddings, so why bother with boxed mix?!?

    Reply
    • Allison

      September 06, 2023 at 12:39 pm

      Ha! I agree! I’m glad you enjoyed it.

      Reply
  7. Cristina

    September 14, 2023 at 8:03 pm

    5 stars
    It was very easy to make and absolutely delicious!

    Reply
    • Allison

      September 21, 2023 at 10:23 am

      That’s great to hear! Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  8. Ninna

    October 02, 2023 at 3:32 pm

    5 stars
    This turned out absolutely delicious! Easy, fast and so creamy creamy,
    YUM!!

    Reply
    • Allison

      October 04, 2023 at 5:47 am

      I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

      Reply
    • Johnnie

      November 15, 2023 at 10:08 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is perfect! Don’t need to modify anything. Buttery and delicious. My wife, kids and I all enjoy it.

      Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Allison

        November 16, 2023 at 8:34 am

        You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂

  9. N.Blanchard

    November 23, 2023 at 12:48 pm

    3 stars
    It didn’t come out as thick as I would need but I added more cornstarch and it was nicer.

    Reply
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aboutHi, I'm Allison! I'm a busy wife and mom with a passion for cooking and baking. This is where you'll find my favorite homemade recipes, designed to help you make every day delicious! Read more....

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