Vanilla Pudding From Scratch

A dessert cup filled with homemade vanilla pudding cooked on the stovetop.

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Vanilla Pudding From Scratch

Smooth, creamy, and packed with real vanilla flavor. This homemade pudding comes together in minutes with simple ingredients and no shortcuts. Chill it, top it, devour it.

Prep Time5

Cook Time12

Chill Time4

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: homemade vanilla pudding

Servings: servings

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
3 tablespoons cornstarch 24 grams
⅛ teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
2 cups whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and milk together until well blended.
Slowly whisk the egg and milk mixture into the saucepan until fully combined.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the pudding thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10–12 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
Spoon the pudding into 4 individual dishes, transfer to the refrigerator until completely chilled, 2-4 hours.

Notes

You can use reduced-fat milk, but whole milk gives you that rich, velvety finish.
Stir constantly while cooking. It prevents lumps and keeps the pudding from scorching.
Serve it plain or dress it up with whipped cream, fresh berries, caramel, or chocolate sauce.
Whisk the eggs and milk well before adding to the saucepan. This helps prevent streaky or scrambled yolks.
Use a fine-mesh strainer after cooking if the pudding isn’t perfectly smooth. It’s a great fix if the heat got away from you.
Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap when chilling to prevent a skin from forming.
Add the vanilla extract off heat to preserve its full flavor, it can fade if boiled.
Using a vanilla bean? Split one lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add both seeds and pod to the milk mixture before cooking, then remove the pod before chilling.

Nutrition