• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to recipes navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Cook Well, Eat Well
  • Shop
  • Meet Shinee
  • Contact
Facebook Instagram Pinterest YouTube

Sweet & Savory

Cook Well, Eat Well

  • New? Start Here
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
      • Dips
      • Deviled Eggs
      • Meatballs
      • Meat-lovers
      • Savory Crepes
      • Seafood
      • Vegetarian
    • Desserts
      • Bars & Brownies
      • Cakes
      • Cheesecakes
      • Chocolate
      • French Macarons
      • Pastries
      • Pies
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
      • Sangria
    • Salads
    • Seasonal
      • 4th of July
      • Easter
      • Christmas
      • Cinco de Mayo
      • Game Day
      • Halloween
      • New Year’s Eve
      • Thanksgiving Recipes
      • Valentine’s Day
  • Discover
    • Ingredients
    • Tools
  • Learn
    • Baking Basics
    • Cooking Basics
    • Advanced Techniques
    • How-To’s
  • Share
    • Seasonal
    • Party Planning 101
  • Facebook Instagram Pinterest YouTube
    Subscribe To Updates
Home » Homemade Vanilla Pudding

Homemade Vanilla Pudding

Skip to Recipe Print Share
Share on:
Published: 9/13/2016Updated: 8/10/2020
This post may contain affiliate links. Read full disclosure
1195shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

This post was originally published on August 17th, 2013.

Silky smooth and irresistibly rich, this homemade vanilla pudding is completely from scratch and takes less than 20 minutes. There’s nothing blah about this simple vanilla pudding!

Silky smooth and irresistibly rich, this homemade vanilla pudding is completely from scratch and takes less than 20 minutes. There's nothing blah about this simple vanilla pudding!

I promise, making a homemade pudding from scratch is so very easy! And it requires simple ingredients that you’ll probably find in your pantry and fridge right now.

Growing up in Mongolia, we didn’t have much pre-made, boxed and ready-to-use food. The only thing I can remember is powdered drink mixes, called “Invite+”, equivalent to kool-aid. Loved those so much!! But that was probably the only pre-packaged stuff we used in the kitchen.

I’ve watched my mom cook simple and quick dinners after work on weeknights and treat us, kids, to flaky, buttery Russian cake “Napoleon”, or chocolate eclairs, or marshmallows from scratch on the weekends. Everything was made from scratch. I remember one time making marshmallows with mom’s friends. Men took turns beating the mixture by hand, and we kids couldn’t wait to eat them as they were setting! Crazy, but it was also so much fun!

Anyway, that making-things-from-scratch mentality is stuck with me to this day. I have a hard time purchasing boxed stuff, when the homemade version is so much better. Don’t get me wrong, I love the convenience of cake mixes, frozen tortellini, canned tomatoes, boxes of broth. Not all the time, but there’s always time and place for those things.

Ok, enough of that, let’s talk about making the most luxuriously smooth and rich homemade pudding.

First, we’ll scald milk and heavy cream. Scalding basically means slowly heating milk and bringing it to almost boiling point. But the important thing is NOT to boil it, or it’ll burn on the bottom and get burnt taste.

While the milk is heating up, we’ll whisk egg yolks with sugar, cornstarch, salt and vanilla extract- I also added vanilla bean paste for extra flavor and pretty flecks– until it’s nice and thick.

And before adding it into the hot milk, we first need to temper the egg yolk mixture. Tempering egg yolks means mixing it with a little bit of hot mixture to slowly heat it up, while whisking it non-stop. That way eggs are not scrambled when added to a hot mixture.

To sum it up, 2 key tips for making homemade vanilla pudding are 1. low and slow is the way to go, 2. whisk, whisk and whisk.

Oh and one more tip for extra smooth texture, run the pudding through a sieve. And don’t forget to cover it with a plastic wrap so it touches every inch of the surface. Trust me, you don’t want that awful film forming on top.

Homemade vanilla pudding from scratch with step by step photos

Now, wasn’t that easy?

You can serve the pudding with some fresh fruits, toasted nuts and/or whipped cream, or you can make a banana cream pie- this recipe makes perfect amount for one 9-inch pie- or whatever recipe that calls for a pudding.

Silky smooth and irresistibly rich, this homemade vanilla pudding is completely from scratch and takes less than 20 minutes. There's nothing blah about this simple vanilla pudding!

One thing I know for sure is that you’re gonna love every drop of this delicious vanilla pudding!

Silky smooth and irresistibly rich, this homemade vanilla pudding is completely from scratch and takes less than 20 minutes. There's nothing blah about this simple vanilla pudding!

Homemade Vanilla Pudding

Silky smooth and irresistibly rich, this homemade vanilla pudding is completely from scratch and takes less than 20 minutes. There’s nothing blah about this simple vanilla pudding!
3.5 from 2 votes
serves: 6 -8 servings
Print
Leave a Review

Ingredients

  • 2 cups 480ml whole milk (2% will work too)
  • ½ cup 120ml heavy (whipping) cream
  • 1/3 cup 65gr sugar
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 3 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Note: I test all my recipes with both measurements for the most precise and accurate result!

Instructions

  • In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine milk and heavy cream. Slowly bring it to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. This’s called scalding the milk. Once you see small bubbles appearing on the surface, remove it from heat. Be careful not to boil it though, or it’ll scramble the eggs in step 3.
  • In a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste and salt. Whisk the mixture until creamy and doubled in size.
  • To temper the egg mixture, slowly add 1 cup of scalded milk into the egg yolk mixture, while constantly whisking the mixture.
  • Transfer the tempered egg mixture into the remaining scalded milk. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly for 8-10 minutes, or until the mixture is nice and thick.
  • Run the custard through a sieve for extra smooth texture.
  • Cover it with a plastic wrap so that it touches the surface of the pudding. This’ll prevent a layer of film from forming on top. Chill the pudding for at least an hour before serving. But if you’re like me and prefer your pudding warm, by all means dig in!

Tips & Notes:

For step-by-step photos and additional notes, read the post above.
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.
Author: Shinee
Silky smooth and irresistibly rich, this homemade vanilla pudding is completely from scratch and takes less than 20 minutes. There's nothing blah about this simple vanilla pudding!
Did you make this?Show me your creation! Tag me @shineshka and hashtag it #sweetandsavorybyshinee!
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Yummly
Silky smooth and irresistibly rich, this homemade vanilla pudding is completely from scratch and takes less than 20 minutes. There's nothing blah about this simple vanilla pudding!

Related Recipes

  • Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
  • Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
  • Homemade Oreo Ice Cream
    Homemade Oreo Ice Cream
  • Homemade Banana Cream Pie

Never Miss a Recipe!

Subscribe and receive my FREE Portion Planning Cheat Sheet for Cocktail and Dinner Parties.

Subscription Preferences
Previous Post
Baby Grant: 8-Month Update
Next Post
Apple Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal Cookies

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Made this? Rate this recipe:




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Ariane says

    Posted on 30 December 2020 at 2:36 pm

    2 stars
    I made this the other day. Taste was great, but the texture was strange.

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 31 December 2020 at 9:24 am

      Thank you for your feedback. What was the texture like?

      Reply
  2. Michaela U. says

    Posted on 16 June 2019 at 6:14 pm

    5 stars
    I made this today and I call it a great success! I don’t have vanilla beans, unfortunately, but even without, it was wonderful. Thank you for the recipe! It will be my “go-to”.

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 17 June 2019 at 10:05 pm

      Yay, so happy you liked it, Michaela. Thank you so much for your feedback!

      Reply
  3. Eliza says

    Posted on 16 April 2018 at 5:38 am

    how long will this pudding keep in the fridge?

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 21 April 2018 at 4:05 pm

      Hi, Eliza. Sorry for delay in my response. It should be fine for up to 3 days in the fridge.

      Reply
  4. Medha says

    Posted on 13 September 2016 at 2:46 pm

    This pudding looks awesome! I love the simplicity here 🙂

    Reply
    • Shinee says

      Posted on 14 September 2016 at 9:49 am

      Thanks, Medha! Simple is good. 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 15 Great Tasting Pudding Ideas says:
    Posted on 26 November 2013 at 3:27 pm

    […] Recipe and Photos credit to sweetandsavorybyshinee.com […]

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Hi, I’m Shinee! I’m so happy you’re here! I believe anyone can cook restaurant-quality food at home! And my goal is to help you to become a confident cook with my easy-to-follow recipes with lots of tips and step-by-step photos.

New? Start Here

Browse Specialties

Main Dishes Side Dishes Appetizers Salads Breads & Pastries Cakes Macarons Drinks Browse All
Portion Planning 101
Free Dinner Party Cheat Sheet
Download Now

Easy and Healthy Dinners

salad:

Chicken Quinoa Salad

Stuffed chicken roll-ups with asparagus and cheese and smeared with fragrant pesto - an effortlessly impressive and satisfying main dish, or even an appetizer!

chicken:

Stuffed Chicken Roll-Ups

seafood:

Baked Salmon Cakes

chicken:

Spicy Chicken Skewers

seafood:

Garlic Butter Shrimp

seafood:

Seared Ahi Tuna

Facebook Instagram Pinterest YouTube

Never Miss A Recipe

Subscribe and receive my FREE Portion Planning Cheat!

Send Me:
  • Discover
    • Recipe Index
    • Tools & Gadgets
    • Ingredients
  • Learn
    • Baking Basics
    • Cooking Basics
    • Advanced Techniques
  • Share
    • Holidays
    • Appetizers
    • Party Planning 101
  • Back To Top
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
© 2013-2021 Sweet & Savory Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled Exclusive member of Mediavine Food
Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window

Subscribe and Receive My FREE Portion Planning Cheat!

Send Me: