Vanilla Pudding

How To Make Vanilla Pudding

Here are the general steps to show you how to make vanilla pudding. Follow the recipe for all the specifics:

Separate the Eggs

For this recipe, you’ll use only the egg yolks.
They give pudding it’s velvety texture and richness. To easily
separate the eggs, it’s best to use an inexpensive egg separator to prevent shells from getting into the yolks or whites. If you do find yourself with pieces of shell in the eggs, use a clean fork or spoon to scoop them out. A simple way to use up the whites is to throw them in with your whole eggs to make scrambled eggs.

Thicken the Milk

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and the salt in a saucepan. This sets up the pudding for success by dispersing the cornstarch evenly throughout the pudding mixture. Slowly add milk. As the milk is added and mixes with the starch it will begin to thicken. Heat while stirring constantly until it boils. Boil and keep stirring for another minute to continue to thicken the milk while cooking off the starch flavor. At this point, the milk will be slightly thickened, but not pudding like, yet.

Make a Silky, Smooth Pudding

Pour at least half of the hot milk mixture into the beaten egg yolks and then stir all of that back into the remaining milk mixture. Stir in the butter and vanilla now after the cooking, for added richness and flavor. The pudding mixture will be slightly thicker than the milk at this point, but it still won’t be thick like pudding yet.

Set and Chill the Pudding

Pour the liquid pudding into dessert dishes. Cover them to prevent a skin from forming on the surface. They need about an hour in the fridge to set up to a thick pudding texture as well as to get chilled, which brings out the fresh vanilla flavor.

How To Store Vanilla Pudding

This easy vanilla pudding recipe can be whipped up before you make dinner so it will be perfectly chilled and ready for dessert! Or you can make it to enjoy later. Store it in the refrigerator up to 5 days and have as a sweet snack or dessert on the fly.

Pudding is not a dessert that can be made ahead and frozen, as it will break down and become watery going through the freeze and thaw cycles. You’ll also get the same results if you try to reheat chilled pudding. If you want it warm, skip step 3 and enjoy right after cooking. Perfect for those chilly days. 

Pudding Variations

Once you have the easy techniques down for making pudding, you’ll never go back to the boxed kind! Need to satisfy your chocolate craving?

Ultimate Chocolate Pudding for an amazing chocolate taste in every spoonful.  

Sticky Toffee Pudding is a baked pudding, like a cross between regular pudding and bread pudding, for a delightful texture and rich, buttery flavor.

Or use this delicious pudding as the start to other amazing desserts.

Quick and Tasty Banana Pudding makes a delicious snack, after school treat or easy dessert everyone will love.

Chocolate-Orange Punch Bowl Cake for those times you need a crowd-size dessert.