vanilla pudding

This Vanilla Pudding is a rich, silky custard with full vanilla flavor. Make pastry chef-level pudding in under 30 minutes with this straightforward recipe and pantry ingredients! It is all made in one pot without any tempering needed!

This vanilla pudding recipe will have you throwing away your instant pudding mix! I am here to show you how simple and delicious making homemade pudding really is. With easy-to-find ingredients and simple step-by-step instructions, I just know this will only be the beginning of your stirred custard journey. 

Once you have mastered this creamy and rich pudding, I suggest you try your hand at my butterscotch pudding, chocolate pudding or Nutella pudding! Better yet, layer that Nutella pudding with this one for an easy and impressive dessert! 

Professional Tips for Making Vanilla Pudding 

• Read the recipe through before starting. Stirred custards are notorious for making you think fast on your feet, and yes, this is a simple recipe, but it will move quickly once you start cooking. Be sure to grab all the ingredients and tools before you start. 
• Whisk, whisk, whisk. Whisking is the name of that game. A lump-free pudding starts by whisking your dry ingredients together to ensure the cornstarch is thoroughly distributed. Then, whisk until you don’t see any streaks of egg, and once you turn on the heat, don’t stop whisking!
• Choose a heavy-bottom pot that is the right size for your batch. You don’t want your pot to be too tall, or you won’t be able to reach the edges and risk burning your pudding. Too short of a pot, and you risk spillage when whisking. Having a pot with a thicker bottom will also give you more of a buffer from the heat to keep the pudding from scorching on the bottom. 

Ingredients & Substitutions 

• Granulated Sugar: Sugar has many roles in the pudding. It provides sweetness, protects the eggs from curdling in the milk, and helps prevent the milk from burning. 
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch is a thickener like the eggs, and it helps bind all the ingredients together when cooked. 
• Kosher Salt: Kosher Salt enhances the flavor without adding more sugar.
• Whole Eggs: Eggs in a stirred custard are the most important. They help thicken the pudding and also add fat to help create that creamy texture. I use whole eggs rather than egg yolks to keep the pudding from tasting “eggy.”
• Whole Milk: Milk is the liquid in pudding. The fat adds flavor but isn’t essential like it is in some recipes, so feel free to use your favorite alternative like coconut milk or lower-fat milk. 
• Vanilla Bean: You can use a spent vanilla bean from another recipe. A full-split and scraped vanilla bean will have a more full vanilla flavor. You can also omit this or use vanilla bean paste instead and the pudding will still be delicious.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract is here to add to the fullness of the vanilla flavor. 
• Unsalted Butter: Butter allows you to control the salt content of the custard while still adding all the buttery goodness. It also helps to give the pudding a luscious, silky texture! 

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations 

• Add alcohol You can add up to 1 ½ tablespoons of dark rum, bourbon, or amaretto! Whisk in after the butter. It will loosen the custard, so be aware as you pour it up! 
• Infuse the milk beforehand. Take your milk and add bananas, coffee, or toasted almonds. Boil together, remove from heat, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to sit for an hour or two, depending on the strength of the flavor you want. 
• Vanilla strawberry trifle. I am currently obsessed with my strawberry cake. Layer this pudding lightened with whipped cream, strawberry jam, and strawberry cake! Top with some lightly sweetened whipped cream and graham crumbs. 
• Experiment with the extracts. Almond, coffee, or lemon. There are a lot of fun extracts out there. Just be careful; not all extracts are created equal, and you might need to add less. You can always add more, but you can’t take it away.

How to Make Vanilla Pudding from Scratch

Use these instructions to make the perfect creamy vanilla pudding every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Prepare the pudding:

Step 1: In a medium saucepan with a heavy bottom, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and kosher salt. 

Have a strainer on hand. The strainer is there if later your eggs curdle from overcooking or from not enough whisking. You can actually save your pudding by pouring it through the strainer over your butter, and whisk to combine. 

Step 2: Whisk in the eggs until smooth and homogeneous. There should be no streaks of eggs and no lumps of cornstarch. Once the mixture is fully incorporated, add the milk, vanilla seeds, and scraped pod, and whisk. 

If there are lumps of cornstarch, grab a spoon and press them up against the side of the pot or saucepan to break up the cluster. Whisk again to incorporate. 

Step 3: Before turning the heat on, measure your butter and vanilla extract. Stirred custards wait for no one. 

Cook and cool the pudding: 

Step 4: Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until bubbly and thickened. Once the pudding has started to bubble, you will need to whisk for at least 1 minute to thicken it and cook away the cornstarch flavor. Improperly cooked cornstarch also has an unpleasant mouthfeel. 

If your heat is too high and you start to see lumps in the pudding not all is lost. Turn your heat down or off and whisk until the lumps are gone. If the lumps don’t go away, finish cooking the pudding, then strain it through a colander into a bowl with the butter.

Step 5: Remove the pot from the burner and stir in the butter and vanilla extract. Whisk until there are no streaks of butter. We add the vanilla extract at the end because cooking vanilla extract will actually dilute the flavor. 

Step 6: Pour the pudding into a bowl, plastic-lined sheet tray, or individual cups. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin. Then, poke a few holes to allow the steam to escape. Refrigerate until set. 

To keep your pudding completely smooth, you can pour your hot pudding into a bowl set inside an ice bath. Then, actively chill it with a whisk or spatula. This keeps it from clumping as it cools. Once cooled, it can be smoothed and loosened by whisking vigorously. (or in your stand mixer with a paddle attachment if you’re tired of whisking.)

Step 7: For the pudding pictured in the photos I cooled the pudding on a sheet tray as pictured above, whisked it once cool and then spooned it into the cups. You can also use a piping bag to keep the sides perfectly clean. Okay, you caught me. That’s totally what I did!

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed no bake treats!