Homemade Vanilla Pudding
In short: Smooth, creamy vanilla pudding made on the stove with milk, cream, egg yolks and cornstarch. A forgiving custard for serving plain or with fruit. It takes about 22 min in total and makes 5 servings.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Resting
- 3 h
- Total
- 22 min
- Servings
- 5
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 280 kcal
Vanilla pudding is the softest, simplest custard dessert, and it is easy to make from scratch with milk, egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch. The cornstarch means you can bring it to a boil without curdling the eggs, which makes it much more forgiving than a baked custard. Use real vanilla extract or a vanilla bean, because vanilla is the main flavor here. Serve it plain, with fruit, or layered into parfaits and trifles.
Instructions
- Heat the milk, cream and half of the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not boiling. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, remaining sugar, cornstarch and salt in a large bowl until smooth and pale.
- Slowly pour about a third of the hot milk into the yolks, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pan.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 2 to 4 minutes, until the pudding thickens and bubbles. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Off the heat, stir in the vanilla and butter. Strain through a sieve into a bowl.
- Divide among 5 cups. Press cling film onto the surface and chill for at least 3 hours.
Tips
- If you have a vanilla bean, split it, scrape the seeds into the milk and heat the pod with the milk. Take the pod out before whisking the milk into the yolks.
- Cut the cornstarch to 15 g (2 tbsp) and the same mixture becomes a pourable custard sauce for fruit pies and crumbles.
Questions and answers
Why is my vanilla pudding lumpy?
The yolks scrambled from hot milk poured in too fast, or the cornstarch clumped. Add the milk slowly while whisking, and strain the pudding at the end.
Why is my vanilla pudding runny?
The cornstarch did not cook long enough. Bring the pudding to a gentle bubble and keep whisking for a full minute, then chill for at least 3 hours.
How long does homemade vanilla pudding keep?
Covered, it keeps for 3 days in the fridge. It does not freeze well.
How long does it take to make Homemade Vanilla Pudding?
About 22 min in total: 10 min of preparation and 12 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Homemade Vanilla Pudding?
About 280 kcal per serving, with 5 g of protein, 27 g of carbohydrates and 17 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 280 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 27 g |
| Fat | 17 g |
| Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 22 g |
| Sodium | 170 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
