Vanilla Pudding Recipe
With simple ingredients and minutes of prep, homemade vanilla pudding puts boxed mixes to shame. It is rich, creamy, silky, and surprisingly simple to make.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter optional
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. VERY slowly drizzle in 2 cups whole milk, whisking to combine. Add 2 large egg yolks and whisk again until everything is combined.
- Cook the milk mixture over medium-low heat, whisking every minute or so, until bubbly throughout and the mixture begins to thicken. This will take about 6-8 minutes. Once bubbling, whisk and cook for 1-2 minutes to begin to thicken. Once the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, you know it is just the right consistency.
- Remove from the heat, and using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir in vanilla and butter.
- Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large mixing bowl and pour the pudding through the strainer.
- Cool for 5 minutes then transfer the pudding to individual serving dishes.Top each with a layer of plastic wrap touching the top of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming.
- Chill for 30 minutes before serving as desired.
Video
Notes
Cornstarch Alternatives: Feel free to replace the cornstarch with equal amounts of arrowroot powder or double the amount of tapioca starch.
Using Vanilla Bean Paste: Feel free to replace the vanilla extract with equal amounts of vanilla bean paste. It will result in a richer vanilla flavor with specks of vanilla beans throughout the pudding.
Dairy-Free Option: Use your favorite non-dairy butter in place of regular butter. For the milk, canned coconut milk (not cream) is best for thick pudding. That said, any non-dairy milk will work, your pudding may be thinner.
Storage: Store in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 days of preparation. After that the pudding will begin to breakdown and become watery.
Nutrition
Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 126mg | Potassium: 199mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 412IU | Calcium: 165mg | Iron: 0.3mg
