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!
Elizabeth Tencza
This looks lovely! I need a vanilla pudding that is thick enough for a pie, slicable even. Do you have any suggestions for making this enough without encouraging the pasty taste that comes from too much cornstarch?
Celebrating Sweets
Hi! You can try making the pudding/filling for this pie, omitting the coconut and using all regular milk (no coconut milk).
Dawn Cordero-reyes
This pudding is delicious..i cant believe how much better it tastes than the stuff in the box..i made banana pudding today using it..best ever..i do use a little less sugar than called for….i will be making this from now on..and..its so easy too
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Dawn. Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Karen M Iorillo-Noe
I made this and followed the recipe to a T. While it was thick on the stove, it did not thicken up in the fridge, in fact, it turned into soup! Big disappointment!
Celebrating Sweets
Sorry to hear that. 🙁
Rachelle
Mine did the same thing! I just made it tonight. It tasted great but was like you said soup after being in the fridge for a couple hours. Anyone have any suggestions how to resolve this problem in the future?
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Rachelle. I’ve done a little research and tested this recipe repeatedly since I’ve had a few comments mentioning this problem. I still have not had any trouble with my pudding thickening; but I’ve read that a few things can contribute to this issue:
-The mixture is overmixed, which can lead to the cornstarch breaking down, instead of binding and thickening.
-The mixture does not come to a high enough temp which activates the thickening properties.
-I’m not sure how true this is, but I’ve also read that an enzyme in saliva can break down the pudding. So, if there’s taste testing and double-dipping, this could possibly affect the final outcome.
Also, it is important that whole milk is used (or at least 2%). Skim or non-fat milk are so watery that I can’t imagine they’d produce a desirable end result. I’m going to add some of this information into the recipe card as well. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Rachelle
After this became soup in my fridge, I still added cool whip to it and made my dessert. We ate it as soup, it was still good. BUT the next morning when my husband decided to eat his portion – it thickened up. Perhaps it just wasn’t in the fridge long enough to rethicken – I don’t know.
I made it that day again, only this time I let it cool completely while occasionally stirring it to avoid film build up on top. I didn’t bother checking it until it was in the fridge for at least three hours. It was still thick.
I did read somewhere that there isn’t any ryme or reason to it but for some people it sets in 45 minutes while others see three hours. It’s probably just really important to have it set in the fridge for at least four hours before you totally give up on the recipe. Oh my goodness is this so good even warm!
Celebrating Sweets
Thanks for coming back to share your experience. Happy holidays! 🙂
Rachelle
I just saw your comment after I reposted. Thanks so much for looking into it! I have four children (three are toddlers) so we are still in the whole mil only stage at my house.
It had thickened up just fine on the stove so I wasn’t worried about the ingredients being broken down or not working. I am guilty of taste testing but that never was an issue with other things I’ve made that required thickening.
I think this was either a matter of it just not being in the fridge long enough to rethicken or it needed to cool completely first before it was put in the fridge. Whatever the case I plan to make this often! Thank you so much for the recipe!!!
derpne
I took the milk down to two cups, and it worked very, very well. It seems the key is to heat slowly and to stir slowly.
I did have to stir more than suggested, though, even with a heavy pan (anodized Calphalon), as the pudding did want to thicken at the bottom.
I used a large non-metal wbisk.
May
Hello. Regarding this pudding recipe and the other coconut pudding for pie filling, which do you suggest to use for Bavarian cream? The pie filling one seams thicker than the regular pudding one here. I found a Bavarian cream recipe that calls for mixing equal parts of instant pudding and whipped cream. I definitely want to use one of these recipes and I do not know which one to use.
Thank you
Celebrating Sweets
The pie filling is going to be thicker because it has to hold up to being sliced. I don’t have any experience with Bavarian Cream. I thought that you needed gelatin for that? If you want to try mixing homemade pudding and whipped cream you can use either recipe. The pie filling will likely be a bit thicker, if that helps you decide. Enjoy!
Rosalind Sterling
Hi Alison! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. I actually have a recipe that I’ve used for years, but wasn’t ever happy with the pudding because it was a bit too runny. The key thing that your recipe called out is that the pudding needs to get to bubbling (like when making gravy) which I hadn’t done fully before. When I tried it your way today, it dawned on me that I wasn’t previously getting the pudding temperature high enough to thicken it properly. I eliminated the double boiler and heated my pudding directly in the pot til it got bubbling and thickening. I got it up to 180 degrees and kept it there for 4 minutes to cook the egg through. This is hands down the best pudding I’ve made EVER! Thanks again! 🙂
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad that it worked for you. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Enjoy! 🙂
K H
I did make it with non-fat milk, used 1 tsp pure vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp almond extract; poured half the pudding over a layer of those Dutch cookies, the ones in the Christmas tins, then another layer of the cookies broken into smaller pieces, and then the remaining pudding. Whipped cream topping. Was perfectly thick and could’ve been eaten warm, too. Delicious! Thanks for the great pudding recipe!
Celebrating Sweets
That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing your changes. 🙂
Redheaded Momma
I made this tonight, and it turned out great. It is only my second time making pudding from scratch, and my first attempt was a fail, so I did not try again for a long time. I will try upping the vanilla to 2tsp next time, but otherwise I am very happy with this recipe. It is sooo much better than the box mix stuff. I used it to make my husband’s fave dessert, banana pudding.
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Juli M.
Came out perfect! I added to leftover rice and added a little nutmeg for rice pudding. I like that this vanilla pudding isn’t overly sweet! Thank you!
Celebrating Sweets
That sounds delicious! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂 -Allison
John
Okay first it was five my mom used to make this recipe back in the 50s when I was a kid. She never did bother to thicken it but just poured it right over bananas that have been sliced and that was our dessert. I still do it that way today. You have an excellent recipe and I’m sure, with this batch that I just done, after it has been in the fridge for several hours it will no doubt thicken. I agree with other comments and you, that you have to be sure you have this up to the proper temperature while cooking and whisking
Celebrating Sweets
Thanks for sharing your experience. Enjoy! 🙂 -Allison
NBL
My experience is when a custard or pudding turns out watery its because the eggs aren’t cooked enough. The proteins don’t cross-link enough to disrupt the flow of water, and the pudding will be thin and runny. You might suggest a longer cook time.
Lori M
Just made it! Oh my! This is sooo good!!! You are right, instant pudding will never touch my tongue again!!!
Celebrating Sweets
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!