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Ah, homemade vanilla pudding …. truly, one of the ultimate comfort foods especially when the weather turns cool.
Kids especially love pudding and a homemade pudding cup makes a wonderful healthy addition to the lunchbox if you make it yourself with wholesome ingredients.
Whatever you do, skip those pudding boxes from the supermarket. They are nothing but white sugar, GMO corn starch, artificial colors, and flavors plus preservatives.
Even if boxed pudding is made with good quality whole milk, the end result is not be something that would be of overall benefit. Kind of like raw milk served with a bowl of Fruit Loops, wouldn’t you agree? What’s the point in that?
Homemade Vanilla Pudding
It’s time to ditch the pudding boxes and processed pudding snack cups and learn how to make homemade vanilla pudding the old fashioned way with nothing but wholesome ingredients.
The stovetop recipe for vanilla pudding below uses only six ingredients. Even the organic pudding boxes, while a much better choice, don’t compare nutritionally! The vanilla is not real vanilla extract, for example. It is cheap vanilla flavoring. And, only milk is necessary to make it with no eggs or butter. These are important ingredients in this homemade recipe to make the pudding very filling so you don’t overeat!
How to Make Vanilla Pudding [VIDEO]
In this video, I show you how my Grandma used to make vanilla pudding on the stovetop. She called it blancmange although she never bothered to set it in a mould as is sometimes done. It serves up wonderful and warm straight from the pot with no need to refrigerate first unless you prefer your pudding served cold.
Homemade Vanilla Pudding Recipe
Easy homemade vanilla pudding recipe, the ultimate comfort food, using only whole ingredients just like Grandma used to make.
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole milk
- 2 eggs extra large, preferably free range
- 1/3 cup flour wheat based or gluten free
- 1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar
- 1 Tbl butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 dash sea salt
Instructions
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Mix the flour and about a half cup of the milk in a small bowl and whisk until very smooth with no lumps.
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In a large saucepan, combine the flour/milk mixture, sugar and the rest of the milk. Cook and stir with a whisk over medium heat until the mixture starts to slightly bubble. Cook for 2 minutes more and remove saucepan from the heat.
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In a small glass bowl, beat eggs and then gradually stir in about 1-2 cups of the cooked mixture all the while whisking vigorously. Pour egg mixture into the saucepan and return to medium heat. Cook/stir until nearly bubbly but not a boil. Reduce heat and cook/stir for 2 more minutes.
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Remove pan of homemade vanilla pudding from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla.
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Let vanilla pudding cool for 5 minutes and serve warm.
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Refrigerate uneaten portion and use for homemade vanilla pudding cups for your children's lunches or for quick at home snacks.
Recipe Notes
You may substitute whole coconut milk (where to find) for a dairy free homemade vanilla pudding version.
Organic cornstarch may be substituted for the flour. I don't recommend arrowroot powder as the cooking of the pudding tends to reduce its thickening properties.
Love pudding? Try these other recipes!
Egg Custard Pudding
Bread and Butter Pudding
Jello Pudding
Macademia Nut Pudding
Thai Custard Pudding
Homemade Chocolate Pudding
Russian Custard
Coconut Milk Pudding
I use real gelatin and it works :-). Very yummy – haven’t put butter in mine though.
(Sarah) Booo, I LOVED it but no one else in my family did.
Just made it, my kids luv it thx 🙂
I am a professional Pastry Chef, and I would suggest whisking the starch and 1/4 of the sugar into the eggs, add the rest of the sugar to the milk in to the pot and bring to a simmer. Whisk the starch and sugar into the eggs very thoroughly (use an electric hand mixer if you have one), until the mixture thickens and turns a pale yellow.
Very slowly whisk the simmered milk into the eggs to temper the eggs. Pour the mixture back into the pot and cook the pudding on med heat until it boils, whisking constantly. It MUST come to a boil in order to cook the starch and thicken the pudding.
I always strain my puddings through a sieve immediately off the heat so I get a completely smooth pudding.
Don’t add the butter and extract until after it comes off the heat and strained.
I also always add salt to my puddings, about 1/4 tsp. Tastes flat without salt. Citrus zest is a great addition.
If your pudding separates after chilling or tastes pasty, it was not brought to a boil to cook the starch.
This is So delish!!! Tks!!
can you use sprouted flour?
Yes, I use sprouted flour all the time.
I cooked this for probably 20 minutes total? Had to put it on medium high because it just wouldn’t thicken or bubble at all. Well, after all that the pudding is pretty thin and not really like pudding at all. 🙁 I let it get nice and hot and waited several minutes while stirring after that. Should I try more flour? I used sprouted whole wheat and mine also looks totally different from your picture. Did you use white flour? Mine is brown just like the flour and coconut sugar…
It’s also very grainy from the flour. Yours looks so smooth! Wish mine did!
I think you way overcooked it. I used whole wheat flour.
Could you tell me why coconut sugar or sucanat are healthier? I know white sugar is no good and mostly use honey but I don’t know anything about the sweeteners you mentioned.
Thanks!
White sugar is generally made from gmo beets now, therefore making the other healthier.
Oh,what a treat! It didn’t look good,as I expected it to be though,but very good!
My favorite go to recipe for a quick wholesome dessert for the family. I make many renditions, including chocolate and cinnamon honey. Even my 17 yr old stepson, who is more used to conventional sweets LOVES this pudding and has asked me to teach him to make it. Thanks Sarah!