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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!
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Frequently asked questions
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!
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.
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!
Homemade Vanilla Pudding
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole milk divided
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of the milk with the cornstarch. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the remaining milk, salt, and sugar. Allow the mixture to heat over medium heat until it is steaming; do not let it boil.
- While the milk heats, whisk the egg yolks in a separate small bowl. Once the milk is steaming, slowly stream ½ cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Slowly add the egg yolk mixture back to the pot, followed by the cornstarch mixture. Continue to cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts to simmer and has thickened.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla.
- Pour into individual serving dishes. Top each with a layer of plastic wrap touching the top of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming and serve warm or allow to chill for several hours before serving.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this recipe didn’t have vanilla so I used Salted Caramel syrup
Sounds delicious! Happy baking!
Jamie
@Ella Houtz, good idea for the caramel syrup
I made this recipe, but I made a fatal mistake. I didn’t read the label on my measuring equipment properly and had put 3 TEASPOONS of corn starch instead of tablespoons. Not only that, but I only realized later after it had cooled. I wondered why it wasn’t thickening and assumed it would as it cooled down.
Is there a way to address this problem, or would I have to start over?
Hi Eric – Unfortunately, since you didn’t realize until after it had already cooled, there’s not much you can do at that point. I hope you’ll give it another try!
Jamie
@Eric,
You could try to make homemade ice cream, my mother always made ice cream with a cooked custard, so much better than making it with raw eggs
@Janis Shultz, I agree I always make my homemade Ice Cream with a cooked and cooled custard, it may not be think when I add it to the Ice cream maker up it sure does thickin up as it freezes.
Easy af recipe made it 5 times comes out perfect each time. I never made pudding before and the first time it was amazing.
So glad you enjoy this recipe, Melanie! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback. Happy baking!
Jamie
If you don’t like super sweet desserts cut the sugar about in half! I couldn’t find my normal pudding recipe so I made this. I thought the sugar ratio looked really high but I went with it. It was so sweet when I pulled it off it’s all I could taste. I put it back on the stove added about 2 more cups of milk, 2 more eggs, and another couple tsps of cornstarch (eye balled it) and it was still really sugary. I prefer a pudding with delicate flavor where you can really taste the buttery, custardy, vanilla goodness. This is just far too sweet for me. I can still taste it after a bite, the sugar biting my tongue. The texture was nice though! I will make homemade whip cream without any sugar and cut it with some tart fruit when I serve it which will take care of the extra sweetness. I get that some people really like things sweet. I just am not that person haha. So I’m sure it’s delicious to the people that love a sugary dessert. But if you’re like me go way down on the sugar, and a little more salt. It will be more balanced in flavor.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your feedback! Happy baking!
Jamie
This was so good! Fairly simple. The most stressful part is hoping your eggs don’t scramble, but if you follow the instructions you’ll be fine. I added ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger to mine just to play around with flavors and it was delicious. Will make again for sure!
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, Victoria – I’m glad you enjoyed! Happy baking!
Jamie
Tasty and set up perfectly but too sweet. This is a basic recipe that you can find lots of places—1 cup milk, 1 T cornstarch, 1 egg yolk, but most recipes use 1/6 cup sugar per cup of milk rather than the 1/4 here.
If yours didn’t thicken up, you either didn’t use whole milk or didn’t stir over low-medium heat long enough. You will feel the pudding start to thicken at about 7-8 minutes and it takes almost that much longer to start bubbling. I put the milk on to heat and the pot wasn’t off the heat for almost half an hour. It thickened perfectly and was yummy except for being too sweet.
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback, Nan! Happy baking –
Jamie
@Nan, I think you can recheck your math. This recipe calls for 1 Tblsp + 1 tsp cup sugar per cup of milk.
@Joel, nope. 3/4 cup sugar for 3 cups of milk is 1/4 cup or 4T per cup.
If you’re short on time or don’t want to do the bazillion steps, just put all the ingredients into a large pot over medium-high heat and stir continuously w/rubber spatula 1 minute past boil.
Took me 5 minutes from start to finish and my wife is dying over how good and creamy it is :)
(Oh — almond extract is a GREAT addition for flavor boost.)
Glad you enjoy it! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback. Happy baking!
Jamie
@Dan Dowling, great tip mine did take a little longer as I just did medium heat, but great time saver and didn’t have to worry about my eggs tempering without scrambling!
Nothing beats the creamy and delicious taste of the homemade vanilla pudding. Can’t wait to try this, love your recipe!!
– Jack from Skilletguy.com
Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Happy baking!
Jamie
I would like to use those egg whites right away. Do you have a recipe that requires 3 egg whites? Got a suggestion? Thank you.
My funfetti cupcakes use 4 egg whites. You can check it out here: https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/homemade-funfetti-cupcakes/ Hope this helps!
Jamie
@Julie, you should make meringue.
@Julie, use your egg whites for meringue cookies!! Aka forgotten cookies!
@Julie, I scramble egg whites up with cinnamon, vanilla and egg whites. Then I pour a bit of maple syrup on top before eating. It tastes like french toast.
This is so delicious and yet so simple and fast to make. I substituted cornstarch with tapioca starch. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Will save it in my file for future use for sure.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing your feedback and that tapioca starch worked for you. Happy baking!
Jamie