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.
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.
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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!
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
Easy Homemade Vanilla Pudding
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
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Nicole
I subbed ready-made eggnog for the milk, and it turned out great!
Legit
Very easy to make, only takes like 15-20 minutes. I’ve only tried a little bit of the pudding, but it tastes great and smells awesome.
Demetrio Duran
Well it tastes awesome while it’s still hot so I can imagine it will set rather well and taste awesome a little bit later. I stirred constantly with my daughter helping here and there and it didn’t take too long to thicken up. You could feel it thicken slowly, so depending on how thick or thin you like it I can imagine you could pull it off the heat earlier for a thin pudding or if you like it more like a custard wait longer.
SuzieQCa
It was so quick and easy and the taste was far superior to the store bought package pudding. I also think its more healthy as it has eggs and no artificial ingredients.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Blair
Very delicious, thank you for this recipe! It took about 20 minutes for me to measure, mix, & cook. Simple and easy!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Stacey
Can I use 2% milk or heavy cream or combination of the 2. These are all I have on hand.
Allison
You can use 2%. Enjoy!
Leslie
Can you use whole eggs instead of egg yolks? I hate to waste.
Allison
I wouldn’t recommend it.
Nancy K Christy
I made an omelet with my whites – it worked out…
Dennis Powers
Great tasting vanilla pudding. I only had skim milk, but I used 1-2/3 cup skim and 1/3 plus 1/4 cup half and half. Also two tsp of vanilla extract. I’ll be making this again soon.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂
Nancy K Christy
I made this – never made pudding from scratch before – it turned out creamy and wonderful and I was so pleased! I stirred every minute – let it cook for 2 minutes extra and NO lumps! Thank you – this truly was easy
Allison
That’s great to hear! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Mike
Can you use I can’t believe it’s not butter
Allison
That should be fine. Or you can just leave it out.