No-Bake Homemade Vanilla Pudding

Velvety smooth and so much delicious than the boxed version - you’ve got to try this homemade vanilla pudding recipe.

Crafted with simple ingredients and with a rich, creamy taste that’s loved by everyone, this homemade vanilla pudding is an absolute must-try if you’re hunting for an easy dessert recipe.

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Ingredients For the Recipe
Kitchen Tools Needed
How to Make the Homemade Vanilla Pudding
Frequently Asked Questions
Tips & Tricks to Get the Recipe Right
Recipe
Discussion

What’s best is that you can go crazy with the toppings, and experiment to your heart’s content. Ready to give this classic, no-bake dessert recipe a shot? Here’s all you need to know about it before you do.

Ingredients For the Recipe

This homemade vanilla pudding recipe requires egg yolks and a few other pantry essentials to make.

3 cups whole milk
3 tablespoon cornstarch
A pinch of salt
¾ cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Kitchen Tools Needed

How to Make the Homemade Vanilla Pudding

Once you have all your ingredients ready to be used, here’s the step-by-step process you need to follow to make the pudding.

In a small dish whisk the cornstarch with ¼ cup milk until well combined. Set aside.

add milk, salt and sugar in a pot and start boiling

In a pot add the rest of the milk, salt, and sugar. Heat it until it starts boiling.

Meanwhile in another bowl mix the yolks.

When they are ready, add ½ cup of the hot mixture with a spoon in the eggs, whisk it until combined, then add the entire mixture into the pot and stir until combined.

add corn-starch mixture into the milk mixture

Add the cornstarch mixture to the pot and whisk to combine.

When the mixture is thick take it off the heat, add butter and vanilla then stir until the butter is completely melted.

pour the mixture into the bowl and feeze it

Pour the pudding into small dishes and wrap them with foil.

No-Bake Homemade Vanilla Pudding served with some blue berries

Leave it to chill then serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Make the Pudding Without Eggs?

Yes, you totally can. Remember that eggs aren’t just added to the pudding to thicken it up, but also to lend it a delicious creaminess that is often unmatched. If you’re not keen on using eggs, you can include some half and half into the recipe (to compensate for the flavor and texture) and increase the amount of cornstarch you’re adding to help the pudding set well.

Can I Use Plant-Based Milk?

If you want to make the pudding without whole milk and prefer using plant-based milk like oat milk, soy milk, or almond milk, you can do that too. Keep in mind that some non-dairy milk tends to set just fine, but others don’t. Plus, it also depends on the brand of non-dairy milk you are using, so you’ll have to experiment to see what works.

Can I Use Another Thickener?

Cornflour and egg are the two potent thickeners that are used in this vanilla pudding recipe. They work together wonderfully and give the pudding that incredibly soft consistency while firming it up at the same time.
If you don’t have cornstarch, you could use all-purpose flour or rice flour too, but they won’t be able to beat the texture cornflour thickened pudding will have.

How Do I Store the Pudding

Your classic homemade vanilla pudding needs a minimum of 2 hours of refrigeration time before it is served. This will give the pudding a chance to set well and get to the right texture.
Just like with all other pudding recipes, it tastes better the longer you refrigerate it. Remember that it will stay good only for about a week, and you must always cover the container with a lid to maintain the freshness of the pudding.

Tips & Tricks to Get the Recipe Right

All ready to give the pudding recipe a shot? Keep these little additional tips and tricks in mind to nail the recipe.

When the recipe and flavors are simple, you need to be careful about choosing the best quality ingredients, and that’s exactly the case with this homemade vanilla pudding. Using whole milk will ensure that the pudding is super creamy and delicious, and good-quality vanilla extract will let the flavors shine through.
Always use a heavy-bottomed pan to boil the milk in and make the custard. This will help keep the milk from burning and will ensure even distribution of heat throughout the pan.
You can also add a bit of dry milk powder into the pudding mixture while it is still cooking to lend it an extra depth of flavor and creaminess.
To prevent the top layer of ‘skin’ from forming on the pudding, you can cover it up with cling wrap, such that the cling wrap touches the exposed surface of the pudding.
You can also bring in an additional flavor variation into your classic vanilla pudding by adding a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon powder to it.
Fancy a bit of chocolate flavor? Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder into the pudding mixture while it is still on the heat, and you’ve got yourself a delicious chocolate vanilla flavored pudding.

A bite of No-Bake Homemade Vanilla Pudding

How to Serve the Homemade Vanilla Pudding

Some foods taste best when they’re not overcomplicated, and the classic vanilla pudding is one of them. The simple, easy recipe is usually the best because it lets you enjoy all the flavors bang on. That said, you can still experiment and play around with the toppings on this one, and if that’s what you want to do, here’s a bit of help your way.

You can dig into it as is, or top it with some fresh whipped cream, sprinkle some desiccated coconut, throw some fresh berries and chopped-up fruits on top, or even sprinkle some crushed cookie crumbs on it right before you serve.

You can also top the pudding with some chocolate shavings or candied nuts or even drizzle some chocolate or caramel sauce on the top for some extra flavor.

You can also use the pudding and layer it up with crushed graham crackers and sliced fruits to create an easy trifle- a great way to use up some extra vanilla pudding that you have leftover.

Loved making this vanilla pudding? On the hunt for some more easy dessert recipes to try out? Here are a few good options to get started on.

Recipe

Yield: 6 Servings