Homemade Vanilla Pudding

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Forget boxed mixes or pre-packaged pudding cups. Making Homemade Vanilla Pudding is as easy as can be and the results are beyond delicious!

Vanilla pudding in a small white bowl, topped with whipped cream and fresh raspberries

The best homemade vanilla pudding
How to make vanilla pudding from scratch
Serving suggestions
Frequently asked questions
Homemade Vanilla Pudding Recipe

When I was a kid and even into my college years, I was a huge fan of pudding cups with a little dollop of Cool Whip or spray of Reddi-Wip. It was the perfect after school snack or simple dessert to keep on hand in a college dorm fridge.

Then I just stopped eating the little snack packs and didn’t purchase them again for like 15 years.

However, one day a package of vanilla and chocolate swirl pudding cups caught Elle’s eye at the grocery store and ended up in our cart – with a can of Reddi-Wip of course. And now my sweet girl loves pudding just like her Mama.

Overhead view of three white bowls of homemade vanilla pudding on a marble board, surrounded by spoons and homemade whipped cream

The best homemade vanilla pudding

Look, pudding mixes have their place and so do those little pudding snack cups. I use them in my recipes all the time!

My Doctored Cake Mix wouldn’t be the same without instant pudding mix, and recipes like Eclair Cake and Banana Cream Pie Fluff are so easy because of pudding mixes.

But when I want to indulge in a bowl of pudding? Honestly, homemade pudding is the only way to go.

I love my Homemade Chocolate Pudding with Baileys Irish Cream or even a good butterscotch pudding, but there’s really nothing quite like a bowl of Homemade Vanilla Pudding topped with some fresh berries.

Don’t be freaked out by the idea of making your own custard (because that’s really what pudding is). Making this vanilla pudding recipe is easier than you think – I’ll show you how!

Spoonful of vanilla pudding being held up to the camera

How to make vanilla pudding from scratch

If you’ve never made pudding before, I’ve got you. This is easy!

Ingredients you’ll need

Homemade Vanilla Pudding is made with some staple ingredients:

3 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Homemade vanilla pudding ingredients on a marble countertop

I recommend using whole milk when making pudding. I find that the texture of the pudding is best with whole milk.

That said, you can use reduced fat milk or even a milk alternative, such as almond milk or coconut milk. Just keep in mind that using an alternative milk will affect the flavor of the pudding slightly.

I like to use both cornstarch and egg yolks in my pudding recipe. Both act as thickeners, but the egg yolks make it super rich while I find that the cornstarch helps to stabilize it a bit. I’ve made puddings without cornstarch in them and they’re a bit more unpredictable.

Think of the cornstarch as pudding insurance.

I also must ask you to please use pure vanilla extract when making your Homemade Vanilla Pudding. You want that real vanilla flavor, not the artificial stuff here!

Sometimes when I want to be really fancy, I’ll use vanilla bean paste in this recipe in place of the extract. There’s just something about those beautiful vanilla bean flecks in the pudding!

Making this recipe

To make your vanilla pudding, start by whisking together ¼ cup of the milk with the cornstarch. Set this aside.

Milk and sugar in a saucepan set on a blue towel on a marble countertop

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the rest of the milk, salt, and sugar. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it is steaming, but don’t let it boil.

While the milk mixture heats up, whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl. When the milk mixture is hot, slowly stream ½ cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. This is called tempering and brings the temperature of the eggs up without scrambling them.

Hot milk being streamed into a white bowl with 3 egg yolks

Slowly add the now-warmed egg mixture back into the pot, followed by the cornstarch slurry. Continue to cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts to simmer and has thickened.

Remove the pudding from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla.

Whisk stirring homemade vanilla pudding in a saucepan

Hand pouring vanilla extract into vanilla pudding in a saucepan

And that’s it! You’ve made Homemade Vanilla Pudding!

You can serve the pudding warm or let it chill before serving it. If you refrigerate it, be sure to place plastic wrap over it, touching the surface of the pudding, so that a skin does not form on the top.

Small white bowl full of homemade vanilla pudding with plastic wrap pressed onto the top of the pudding

Serving suggestions

Don’t be fooled by what people might have made you think about vanilla – this vanilla pudding is anything but plain.

It’s delicious as-is but even better when topped with a dollop of homemade whipped cream and some fresh berries. Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries…whatever is in season and looks best!

This recipe is also an amazing base for homemade banana pudding.

Try pouring the pudding into popsicle molds for amazing, creamy pudding popsicles. I’ve also had readers use it as a filling for yellow cake or as a layer in trifles.

I promise that once you make this recipe, you’ll be making it again and again. It’ll absolutely rekindle that childhood love for pudding!

Close up of homemade vanilla pudding in a small white bowl

Frequently asked questions

Can I just whisk everything together and bring it to a boil instead of heating the milk, then adding the egg yolks and cornstarch mixture?

Short answer: Yes, that will work and will give you a delicious vanilla pudding.

Long answer: I have made this recipe many times, sometimes by simply whisking all of the ingredients (except the butter and vanilla) together, then heating over medium-low heat until thickened and bubbly.

However, whenever I do this, the pudding doesn’t turn out quite as thick and luscious as it does when I heat the milk first, then add the tempered egg yolks and the cornstarch slurry.

I still recommend the more “complicated” steps for the very best pudding. But the “simplified” version will still work in a pinch!

This is a little too sweet for me. Can I reduce the amount of sugar?

Many readers have made this recipe as written and think it’s great. However, some folks prefer a less sweet pudding.

If you would like it to be less sweet, you can easily reduce the amount of sugar. I suggest trying 1/2 cup and seeing if that is better for your tastes before reducing it more.

Help! My pudding doesn’t seem thick enough. Any suggestions?

When adding the cornstarch slurry and the tempered egg yolks, make sure you scrape both bowls with a rubber spatula. This helps make sure you add all of the thickeners to the recipe.

It is also possible that you haven’t cooked the pudding quite long enough. On my stove, it takes about 7-10 minutes for the pudding to start bubbling and thicken after adding the eggs and cornstarch.

Also, keep in mind that the pudding will not be as thick when it is hot. Once it has cooled, it will thicken quite a bit!