Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Puddings & Custards Classic Vanilla Pudding 5.0 (6) This luscious, creamy dessert is easy to make at home. Prep Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins Servings: 4 Jump to recipe Our vanilla pudding recipe couldn’t be easier (or more delicious). It calls for only a handful of basic pantry and fridge ingredients like milk and heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch, and requires only about 10 minutes on the stovetop. Don’t be tempted to step away, though—you’ll want to whisk the pudding mixture constantly to keep any lumps from forming and the bottom from scorching. Straining it through a sieve ensures the finished product will be lusciously smooth, while a few hours in the fridge will help it firm up. Make this recipe as is for a classic vanilla pudding, or add an extra ingredient or two to make our chocolate, coffee, or butterscotch versions. Easy, creamy, and so delicious, this homemade pudding is definitely worth trying. Cornstarch Is a Pantry Superstar That Does More Than Just Thicken Sauces Credit: Jake Sternquist Pudding vs. Custard Pudding and custard are both smooth and creamy cooked desserts that can be eaten on their own or worked into pies, cakes, and tarts. And while similar in many ways, they differ when it comes to their thickening agents. Traditionally, pudding is thickened with a starch like flour or cornstarch, while custard relies on eggs—whole, just the yolks, or a combination of the two—to become thick and creamy. So why does this vanilla pudding recipe call for both cornstarch and egg yolks? The starch does most of the heavy lifting, thickening the pudding as the mixture gently comes to a boil on the stovetop. While the egg yolks help a bit with the consistency, they're mostly there for added richness. How to Separate Eggs Whether you're making meringue, homemade mayonnaise, or this creamy pudding, you'll need to know how to separate eggs. You can use an egg separator for the task, but it's so easy and satisfying to do it by hand. Before you get cracking, set two bowls in front of you—one for the yolks and one for the whites. Using cracked shells: Crack an egg on something firm and sturdy like your countertop or the edge of a heavy bowl. Gently transfer the yolk back and forth between the two halves of the eggshell as the white drips into one of the bowls below. (Make sure the sharp edges of the shell do not puncture the yolk as you alternate.) With your hands: Crack an egg on the edge of a bowl or your countertop. Set your hand over one of the bowls and catch the yolk, letting the white slip through your fingers. (While a bit messier than the method above, there's no denying this one isn't more fun.) Don't toss those egg whites! You can use them to make an egg white omelet or scramble, a light and tender angel food cake, or these mini pavlovas. If you don't need them right away, you can refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze them for up to one year. Tips for a Perfect Vanilla Pudding Whisk, whisk, whisk: For a smooth, creamy pudding, it's essential to whisk the mixture the entire time while it is cooking. Stopping for even a minute can cause the bottom to scorch, which can ruin the flavor of the pudding. It's also important to whisk the dry ingredients thoroughly before adding the milk, cream, and yolks to ensure the cornstarch is evenly dispersed. Watch the bubbles: It's crucial to cook the pudding long enough for the starch to activate and thicken the other ingredients. Otherwise, it won't set up properly and will be thin, runny, and soupy. An easy tip for determining this? Watch the center of the pan: You'll know the pudding is thoroughly cooked when you see bubbles appearing in the very center—not just around the edges. Strain through a sieve: Before chilling the pudding, you'll want to strain it through a fine-mesh sieve, which will catch any lumps that may have formed. Set the strainer on a heatproof bowl and use a rubber spatula to press the pudding through. Press on some plastic wrap: To avoid a skin from forming on the pudding, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface before refrigerating. (If you happen to enjoy the texture of a skin on your pudding, refrigerate it uncovered or loosely cover the bowl itself before chilling.) Directions Credit: Jake Sternquist Combine sugar, cornstarch in a pan; whisk together milk, cream, and yolks and add to pan: Place a fine-mesh sieve over a medium heatproof bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, and egg yolks; add to saucepan. Credit: Jake Sternquist To cut down on dirty dishes, you can whisk the milk, cream, and egg yolks directly into the saucepan with the dry ingredients. Just be sure to whisk in each one thoroughly before adding the next ingredient. Whisk until mixture thickens; reduce heat and cook: Whisking constantly, cook over medium-high until mixture thickens and is bubbling, 8 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking, 1 minute. (The pudding is ready to come off the heat when bubbles appear in the very center.) Credit: Jake Sternquist Remove from heat and sieve; stir in butter and vanilla: Remove pan from heat and pour mixture through sieve into bowl. Stir in butter and vanilla until combined. Credit: Jake Sternquist Cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate: Press plastic wrap directly against surface of pudding to prevent skin from forming and refrigerate 3 hours (or up to 3 days). Credit: Jake Sternquist Serve: To serve, whisk until smooth and divide among four small bowls. Credit: Jake Sternquist How to Store Vanilla Pudding Homemade pudding can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to four days. Since the recipe contains cornstarch, which doesn't fare too well in the freezer, we don't recommend freezing this pudding. Variations Chocolate pudding: Add one-half cup of cocoa powder to the dry ingredients. Coffee pudding: Whisk one tablespoon of instant espresso powder into the pudding along with the vanilla extract and butter. Butterscotch pudding: Swap in one-half cup of packed dark brown sugar for the granulated sugar. 5 More Pudding Recipes to Try Banana Puddings Vegan Chocolate Pudding Coconut-Raspberry Breakfast Pudding Lighter Chocolate Cinnamon Pudding Easiest Rice Pudding Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.