This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
A silky, decadent homemade vanilla pudding recipe by a pastry chef! An easy, no bake dessert that uses only pantry ingredients and can be made in 30 minutes. The perfect gluten-free dessert or afternoon snack!

Sometimes a simple, well-made dessert is the best. I put a budino (pudding) dessert on the menu at the Italian restaurant where I was the pastry chef and it flew out of the kitchen as fast as I could make it. I had fun alternating layers of vanilla pudding and this chocolate pudding, or vanilla with caramel pudding.
This homemade vanilla pudding recipe is so much better than even the fanciest store-bought pudding cups. Finishing it with butter makes it rich and silky smooth, and using just the right amount of vanilla extract and vanilla bean adds a deep, pure vanilla flavor. You can serve it with a dollop of homemade whipped cream or transform this pudding into a banana pudding ice box cake!
Why This is the Best Vanilla Pudding Recipe
- Uses whole eggs. Unlike most other vanilla pudding recipes out there, my recipe uses whole eggs rather than egg yolks. This makes this pudding taste like vanilla and has no eggy taste.
- No tempering! In this easy recipe the everything is whisked together (in a particular order, of course) and then cooked. There is no tempering the eggs; the sugar and cornstarch protect the eggs from overcooking even during boiling!
- No sweetened condensed milk. I use only pantry ingredients in this recipe. This recipe relies on sugar for sweetness unlike the vanilla pudding in my banana pudding recipe, which uses sweetened condensed milk.
- Silky smooth and rich. I’ve made thousands of pounds of this pudding (and others like butterscotch pudding), so lean on me for all the tips and tricks to make the smoothest, silkiest pudding.
- Stays fresh without separating for 2 weeks! Store in a clean, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. The perfect make ahead snack or dessert.
Professional Tips for Making Homemade Vanilla Pudding
- Whisk together the dry ingredients followed by the egg. The sugar helps separate the cornstarch granules and the cornstarch helps keep the sugar from denaturing the egg protein. Bonus points if you add beaten egg rather than a whole egg.
- Don’t skip the butter at the end. In for a penny in for a pound. 2 ½ tablespoons of butter add so much richness, keeps it smooth, and gives it a silky mouthfeel.
- Just keep whisking. Once the heat is on, your only focus is whisking this pudding. Get all the corners of the pot and don’t stop whisking. Not for the baby, not for the cat, definitely not for the hubs. (Just kidding, take the pudding off the heat and check the baby!)
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Granulated Sugar
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch increases the thickening power without altering the flavor like gelatin does in buttermilk panna cotta.
- Kosher Salt: Be sure to use a kosher salt. The same amount of another salt will be too salty. Kosher salt also has a neutral flavor which is important in a dessert with a light vanilla flavor like pudding or rice pudding.
- Large Eggs
- Whole Milk: I use whole milk for the added fat and flavor but you can substitute an alternative milk of your choosing or low fat milk. The whole milk does make give this pudding an extra creamy texture.
- Vanilla Bean: The vanilla bean is optional but it adds another layer of vanilla flavor. You could also use vanilla bean paste.
- Vanilla Extract: This is the star of the show, so choose a pure vanilla extract like Nielson Massey Madagascar vanilla extract.
- Unsalted Butter: Finishing with a touch of butter adds a rich, silky quality to the pudding. You can omit it.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Make it lemon or another citrus: Did you know you can stir lemon curd into cooled vanilla pudding for a tasty, vibrant lemon pudding? You could also add a little lemon or orange zest to the sugar before mixing. You could also forgo the whisking and make a vegetarian lemon posset instead!
- Change the flavor: You can substitute coconut milk for the whole milk for an easy coconut pudding or add additional flavoring like melted chocolate, caramel sauce or maple syrup before it cools. This caramel pudding makes a caramel from scratch or you can substitute the granulated sugar for brown sugar to make the best butterscotch pudding ever!
- Make banana pudding! The secret to the best banana pudding is homemade vanilla pudding! You can use this one or you can use my Magnolia bakery copycat recipe which has sweetened condensed milk. Simply fold in whipped heavy cream and layer with bananas and ‘Nilla wafers!
What makes homemade pudding better than box?
Boxed pudding mix leans on artificial ingredients and flavoring, which makes it bland and artificial tasting. Box pudding is also overly sweet to over compensate. Not only does this homemade pudding recipe have real vanilla extract and an optional vanilla bean, but it uses a little butter to enhance the flavor and texture.
How to Make Vanilla Pudding from Scratch
Use these instructions to make the perfect homemade vanilla pudding! Nothing is going to be easier than instant pudding mix but this is pretty close and tastes way better! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Step 1: In a medium saucepan whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
Step 2: Whisk in eggs followed by vanilla bean (optional) and then slowly whisk the milk into the cornstarch mixture.
Step 3: Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until bubbly and thickened. Be sure to allow the pudding to boil 1 minute to eliminate the starchy taste of raw cornstarch.
Step 4: Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla extract using a silicone spatula.
Step 5: Pour into a large bowl or a plastic wrap lined sheet pan. If there are no lumps, then you don’t need to strain. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface and poke a few holes. Alternately you can portion it directly into bowls, ramekins or miniature trifle dishes.
If you do have lumps, then press it through a fine mesh sieve into the bowl.
Step 6: Refrigerate until set. The cooling time will depend on how you portioned it. If you spread it flat on a sheet pan, it will cool in 30 minutes but a large bowl will take several hours.
Step 7: Portion pudding into dishes, spoon into bowls or put into a clean, airtight container and refrigerate.
If the pudding is lumpy after cooling, this is normal, simply put it into a large bowl and whisk smooth.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
For the cleanest presentation, transfer cooled pudding into a piping bag, cut off the tip and then squeeze into bowls or dishes. This is also the prettiest way to layer different flavors of pudding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cool completely and store in a clean, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. I wouldn’t recommend freezing pudding because it can separate and have an unpleasant texture when it thaws. You can, however, eat it frozen straight from the freezer!
Vanilla pudding is a type of stirred custard. Custard is a broad pastry term that spans dishes like crème brûlée, pastry cream, easy chocolate pie, and bread pudding! You can read more about custards and find all our professional custard recipes here!
Both cornstarch and eggs make pudding thick. The eggs thicken it like another stirred custard, crème anglaise, but the cornstarch helps thicken it further without altering the flavor.
In place of the vanilla extract in pudding you can use vanilla bean paste, vanilla beans that have been split and scraped, or you can use an imitation vanilla. The last one will taste a little artificial but it is a good substitute when vanilla extract is out of budget or unavailable.
Vanilla pudding is excellent serve alone as a decadent snack or easy dessert, but I love adding homemade whipped cream or lemon curd whipped cream and then adding a crunch. Try your favorite crunchy chocolate chip cookies, Oreo cookies, gingersnaps or ‘Nilla wafers. Serve with sliced strawberries, blackberries, ripe peaches or all three!
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Homemade Vanilla Pudding
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch 36g
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 3 ¼ cups whole milk 845g
- ½ Vanilla bean split and scraped, optional
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter softened (35g)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
- Whisk in eggs followed by vanilla bean (optional) and then slowly whisk in the milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until bubbly and thickened. Be sure to allow the pudding to boil 1 minutes to eliminate the starchy taste of raw cornstarch.
- Remove from heat, stir in butter and vanilla extract using a silicone spatula.
- Pour into a large bowl or a plastic wrap lined sheet pan. If there are no lumps, then you don’t need to strain. If you do have lumps, then press it through a fine mesh sieve into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface and poke a few holes.
- Alternately you can portion it directly into bowls, ramekins or miniature trifle dishes. Refrigerate until set. This will depend on how you portioned it. If you spread it flat on a sheet pan, it will cool in 30 minutes but a large bowl will take several hours.
- Portion or pipe into dishes, spoon into bowls or put into a clean, airtight container and refrigerate. If the pudding is lumpy after cooling, this is normal, simply put it into a large bowl and whisk smooth.
Notes
Presentation – Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries like I did!
Flavor Tips – Using quality pure vanilla extract will make a huge difference even without a vanilla bean.
Storage – Cool completely and store in a clean, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. I wouldn’t recommend freezing pudding because it can separate and have an unpleasant texture when it thaws.
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef created recipe. Check out our other custard recipes or find one of our 250+ cookie recipes to serve alongside this easy pudding!
Hi there! The taste of this was amazing, but it didn’t set fully, most likely because I used arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch. Any suggestions on how I might fix it using arrowroot? I can’t have cornstarch. Thanks!
Hi Danni! I’m so glad to hear that the taste was amazing! As for the arrowroot powder, it often results in a more delicate texture, and it can be less effective in thickening. To make sure the pudding sets properly with arrowroot, I’d suggest increasing the amount slightly. You could also try cooking the pudding just a little longer, making sure it’s thickened to your desired consistency. Let me know how it goes, and happy baking!
A nice recipe, but your metric weights seem to be way off. 1 tablespoon of cornstarch weighs 8 grams, so 3 tablespoons would weigh 24 grams, not 36 grams. Similarly, 1 cup of whole milk weighs about 242 grams, so 3.25 cups would weigh about 786 grams, not 845 grams. And a half cup of sugar weighs 100 grams, not 115. The weight for the butter is accurate, but the others are much too heavy.
I like the idea of using whole eggs instead of just yolks, but the resulting texture is a bit grainy, so I can see why most recipes omit the egg whites.
Hi Aaron, I use my own metric conversion chart that I started building when I first started working as a cook in restaurant kitchens. As I built this master scaling file, I measured ingredients multiple times because it varies. I also use a micro scale for ingredients like cornstarch and spices. It is more accurate than using a standard kitchen scale. I think if you step into your kitchen, pull out your scale and a set of measuring spoons that you can accurately level, you’ll find that 1 tablespoon of cornstarch weighs between 10-12 grams. As long as you dip it into the container and then level it. I am fully aware that the internet says that 1/2 cup granulated sugar weighs 100 grams, but that is not my experience with the extra fine sugar we used exclusively in restaurants, so I make my manual conversions and I do not rely on what Google says. I also find the same conversion is typically true with Dominos sugar at home.
It is also important to note that your points are moot because I develop almost all my recipes by weight including puddings. I have made this vanilla pudding recipe in 10 kg batches for a restaurant where I was the executive pastry chef. It was layered with a nutella budino in one of the most popular desserts. The resulting texture was never grainy and that has nothing to do with the use of whole eggs versus egg yolks. The only impact that makes is how much you are relying on the egg yolks as a binder vs the cornstarch. I find that, especially for vanilla and lighter flavored puddings, using too many egg yolks impacts the flavor. You pudding could have been grainy if you did not incorporate and mix the ingredients per my instructions. They are incredibly specific for a reason. ~Lindsey
Chef Lindsey,
This is the first of your recipes I have tried and I will use it again and everything else I’ve seen, I want to try. Love the purity of the ingredients and approach.
Everyone loved the vanilla pudding! I’m quite sure my husband will be asking for it again.
I was thinking about reducing the sugar slightly as it was a little sweet for me. Is that possible? Alternatively, I think switching from alcohol based vanilla extract to a vanilla bean plus paste (as you mention) would even be better. Perhaps I try changing the vanilla first, as it may be the strong taste of alcohol that changed my perception of the flavour? (I used a very high quality real vanilla).
Thanks very much
Hi Anne! Yes, you can reduce the sugar a bit to suit your personal taste, I’d experiment with a tablespoon less at a time! It impacts the texture, so it would make it a little less thick (trade-offs!). I would also agree that using a vanilla bean plus paste would give you a more pure vanilla flavor, and if I were you I’d go with that!! Enjoy!
Thank you those suggestions, Chef Lindsey. I switched to vanilla bean paste, and reduced the sugar by 2 Tbsp and it was perfect for me.. blueberries and Chantilly cream and it was a lovely dessert for guests.
Hi Anne! Thank you for reporting back, that sounds beautiful!
Cheflindsey your Cinnamon Flop was the first recipe I came across and I was hooked! Your recipes remind me so much of my mom and her cooking and baking. Both of you are exceptional and there’s nothing you won’t dream of trying or creating. And that makes it so much fun! Keep teaching us! Thanks!
Hi Diana! I’m so happy to hear that! My cinnamon flop is such an oldie but a goodie! I’m honored to be in the same category as your mom, thank you for your kind words and for being along for the ride. Happy baking!