Vanilla Pudding Recipe

Last Updated on March 1, 2026 by becky

Learn how to make vanilla pudding from scratch with this homemade vanilla pudding recipe. Made from eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and real vanilla bean paste, this vanilla pudding is easy to make, and so much better than the instant kind!

Why Make This Vanilla Pudding Recipe?

After a big dinner a slice of cake, pie, or cheesecake can feel like too much, but sometimes it’s still nice to finish off the evening with a little something sweet. Enter pudding.

Pudding is one of my go-to dessert pairings for heavy meals. Smooth, spoonable, and easily served in small portions, a dish of homemade pudding makes the perfect final course for meat or pasta dishes. Pudding is also a great make-ahead dessert, and since it only requires cooking on the stovetop, it’s especially ideal for a hot summer evening. (That said, I love a good pudding all year long. Some of my autumn and winter favorites include butternut squash pudding and chocolate chai pudding; in the summer I shift to flavors like lemon, strawberry, and coconut.) And it’s fairly diet-friendly, with plenty of vegan and gluten-free options available.

While a box of the instant stuff will work in a pinch, homemade pudding is one of those recipes that really shows how worthwhile cooking from scratch can be. (Like bread and brownies, sometimes it really is worth the extra effort!) Using basic ingredients such as eggs, sugar, cornstarch, and milk, you can make a smooth and creamy vanilla pudding that’s so much better than the store-bought kind. Simply whisk, temper, pour, and chill, and after a couple of hours in the fridge you’ll have a vanilla pudding that tastes great all by itself, or layered into an icebox cake, trifle, or parfait.

Vanilla Pudding Ingredients

To make homemade vanilla pudding, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Egg Yolks – Egg yolks thicken the custard and create the rich, smooth texture. You won’t need the whites for this recipe, so save them for a batch of meringues or macarons.
• Cornflour – Along with egg yolks, cornflour (or cornstarch, depending on your location) helps to thicken the pudding.
• Granulated Sugar – Granulated sugar adds sweetness and moisture. If substituting caster sugar, measure by weight rather than volume.

• Vanilla Bean Paste – Because vanilla represents the key flavor in this pudding recipe, it’s important to choose a good-quality vanilla bean paste, not a cheap imitation flavoring. I recommend the Nielsen-Massey Brand; Taylor & Colledge and Simply Organic also make good-tasting vanilla bean pastes. Or, substitute the scrapings of 1 vanilla pod.
• Fine Sea Salt – A pinch of fine sea salt (or table salt) cuts the sweetness of the sugar.
• Whole Milk – Whole milk makes the creamiest vanilla pudding. I don’t recommend using skimmed or nonfat milk.
• Butter – A tablespoon of butter adds fat and flavor, making the finished pudding creamy, glossy, and ultra-smooth.

How to Make Vanilla Pudding from Scratch

To make vanilla pudding from scratch, you’ll start by whisking together egg yolks, sugar, cornflour, vanilla, and salt, then slowly tempering the mixture with steamed milk. (See my notes below.)

After tempering, you’ll return the mixture to the saucepan and cook until thick and silky:

After whisking in a tablespoon of butter, you’ll portion the thickened pudding into dessert dishes or ramekins; cover the tops with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming; and chill until smooth, creamy, and ready to serve.

For ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and process photos, scroll down to the recipe card below.

Notes on Tempering

To make homemade pudding, you’ll gradually add hot milk to cold egg yolks, using the same process you’d use when making pastry cream or buttermilk ice cream. Called tempering, this key pastry technique combines hot and cold ingredients in small increments to prevent the mixture from curdling.

Start with just a splash of hot milk, then continue pouring the milk into the eggs in a thin stream. Keep going until you’ve combined the egg-sugar-cornflour mixture with all of the milk, then pour everything back into the saucepan and cook until thick and custardy. Don’t forget to keep stirring (I like to use a silicone whisk or heat resistant spatula) or instead of pudding, you’ll make vanilla scrambled eggs!

Serving and Garnishing Homemade Vanilla Pudding

Top dishes of homemade pudding with a dollop of whipped cream (or coconut whipped cream); fresh berries; sliced bananas; shaved chocolate; a dusting of ground cinnamon or nutmeg; or a drizzle of salted caramel or homemade hot fudge sauce. I also enjoy pairing homemade pudding with a spoonful of mixed berry compote or cherry compote, and a sprig of mint for color.

You can also use this pudding as an ingredient in other recipes. Layer it into a parfait, trifle, or icebox cake; replace the boxed stuff in a banana pudding recipe; or fill a tart shell or a batch of miniature tartlets.

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

Plan ahead. You’ll need to allow at least 2-3 hours of chilling time for the pudding to set before serving.

Refrigerate leftover homemade vanilla pudding for up to 2 days.

Other pudding recipes you might enjoy:

Basil Coconut Milk Pudding
Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
Butternut Squash Pudding
Chocolate Chai Pudding
Lemon Posset

And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

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