Our homemade Vanilla Pudding is rich and creamy, silky smooth, and easy to make that you’ll never return to store-bought pudding cups. Serve with whipped cream and berries for a simple, comforting, and family-friendly dessert.
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The Best Homemade Vanilla Pudding
This homemade Vanilla Pudding could not be more simple and the flavor is totally incomparable to those pre-packaged pudding cups. It’s made with sweetened milk, egg yolks, butter, a hint of vanilla and cornstarch to thicken. Served with whipped cream and fresh berries, it’s hard to think of a more nostalgic and comforting dessert.
You can stick with plain vanilla, or feel free gussy up your pudding by adding different flavor extracts, swirling in your favorite dessert sauces or topping with cookies, crumbles, candies and more. It’s the perfect no-nonsense dessert for both kids and adults. And if you're in the mood for chocolate, be sure to check out our chocolate pudding recipe.
How to Serve Vanilla Pudding
The way we usually serve Vanilla Pudding in our house is in little cups or dishes with fresh whipped cream and berries. But there are so many great ways to use it, including:
- As a layer in a dessert parfait
- Frozen into popsicle molds
- Served with cake and bananas to make a banana pudding dessert
- With mix-ins such as candies, crushed Oreos, butter cookies, caramel sauce, strawberry sauce, caramel popcorn, candied pecans and so much more!
Ingredients in Vanilla Pudding
- Milk - whole milk works best for a custard like this. You could also substitute half and half - the higher fat content will make the pudding even richer.
- Sugar - regular granulated sugar is best for this recipe.
- Cornstarch - this helps to thicken the custard.
- Vanilla Extract - pure vanilla extract tastes best. You could also use other types to create other flavors, such as banana extract, coffee extract, almond extract and more.
- Egg Yolks - these thicken the custard and make it silky smooth.
- Butter - use unsalted butter for the filling.
How to Make This Classic Vanilla Pudding Recipe
- Boil the milk mixture. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and milk. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking frequently. Once it reaches a boil, whisk and cook for 1 minute, or until the mixture thickens.
- Temper in the eggs. In a separate large mixing bowl, add the egg yolks and whisk. With one hand, stream about ⅓ of the hot pudding mixture into the bowl while whisking constantly with the other hand. Slowly add the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan while whisking. Whisk the entire pudding over medium heat until it comes to a boil.
- Cool. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla, stirring until the butter is melted. Transfer the hot pudding to a large bowl or baking dish and cover the surface with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge until completely cooled.
- Serve. Serve either warm or chilled, depending on the use. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
While they are both cooked dessert bases that start with roughly the same ingredients, custards generally contain milk, cream, sugar and eggs - the eggs being the thickening agent. Pudding, on the other hand, also contains milk (or cream) and sugar, but not always eggs. The main thickening agent for pudding is some kind of starch - often cornstarch. Sometimes it also contains eggs, as in this recipe.
If you find yourself with runny pudding, it’s most likely because you didn’t cook the mixture long enough. Make sure you cook for a full minute at a boil prior to adding the egg yolks. Then, once the egg yolks have been tempered in, make sure the mixture comes to a boil once again so that the eggs have fully cooked.
Yes! Store in freezer bags or another airtight container for up to 2 months. To thaw, simply transfer to the fridge overnight.
Storing
- Refrigerator: store your Vanilla Pudding in an airtight container in the fridge for up to
- Freezer: store in freezer bags or another airtight container for up to 2 months. To thaw, transfer to the fridge overnight.
Vanilla Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Milk
- 1 cup Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 4 large Egg Yolks
- 3 Tablespoons Butter
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and milk. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking frequently. Once it reaches a boil, whisk and cook for 1 minute, or until the mixture thickens.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, add the egg yolks and whisk. With one hand, stream about ⅓ of the hot pudding mixture into the bowl while whisking constantly with the other hand.
- Slowly add the tempered egg mixture into the saucepan while whisking. Whisk the entire pudding mixture over medium heat until it comes to a boil.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla, stirring until the butter is melted. Transfer the hot pudding to a large bowl or baking dish and cover the surface with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge until completely cooled.
More of the Best Simple Homemade Desserts
- Butterscotch Coconut Cream Pie
- Chocolate Cream Pie
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad
- No-Bake Cheesecake Bars
- Chocolate Oreo Parfaits
- More No-Bake Desserts
- More Dessert Favorites
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This classic homemade Vanilla Pudding couldn't be more simple and tastes so much better than those pre-packaged pudding cups. Serve with whipped cream and berries for a simple, comforting and family-friendly dessert.
Gina
This is such a delicious simple pudding recipe. Love making it from scratch like this, the flavor is so much better and the fact that I control the ingredients and eliminate all the junk in the processed stuff is a huge perk!
Jill Baird
Thanks for your comment! So happy to hear you love it too!
Natalie
Such a simple recipe for vanilla pudding. I always buy them in stores but I think I'll give your recipe a try and surprise my kids with homemade. Thanks for the idea!
Jill Baird
I hope they love it as much as we do!