Homemade Vanilla Pudding Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Homemade Vanilla Pudding Recipe – Super easy, this creamy, classic vanilla pudding is fabulous on its own or with fruits, cookies, and so much more! Egg-free and ready in minutes!
Homemade vanilla pudding makes a creamy, classic dessert right on its own or served as part of other recipes like banana pudding, a delicious trifle, and so much more. While many vanilla pudding recipes are made with eggs, like the one included in my banana pudding recipe, this recipe doesn’t include a single egg!
This egg-free vanilla pudding recipe is made with just six simple ingredients and is ready in a snap!
Homemade Vanilla Pudding Recipe
How to Make Homemade Vanilla Pudding
To make this homemade vanilla pudding, you simply need to whisk together your sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small bowl and set it aside. Then, pour your milk into a medium sauce pan set over medium heat. You’ll heat your milk until it just begins to begin bubbling around the edges of the pan. You’ll want to carefully watch it to make sure that it doesn’t overheat and come to a boil.
Whisking constantly, now slowly incorporate your sugar mixture into the heated milk. Continue whisking until the pudding is thick and creamy and coats the back of a metal spoon. This only takes a few minutes.
Now, remove your pudding from the heat and add your butter and vanilla extract. Whisk until completely combined.
Pour your vanilla pudding into an airtight container or a medium glass bowl that can be easily covered with wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour to overnight so that it is perfectly creamy and thick! Of course, you can enjoy it sooner if you prefer.
Vanilla Pudding Options
There are numerous ways to enjoy this delicious vanilla pudding, here are a few of our favorites:
- Banana Pudding – Stir in sliced bananas and vanilla wafers for an egg-free banana pudding recipe.
- Berries and Vanilla Pudding – Top with fresh berries.
- Cookies and Cream Pudding – Stir crushed Oreo® cookies into the vanilla pudding.
Here’s my Homemade Vanilla Pudding recipe. I think you’ll love it!
Homemade Vanilla Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Whisk together sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- Pour the milk into a medium saucepan set over medium heat and allow to heat until bubbles form around the edges. Slowly add the sugar mixture into the hot milk, whisking constantly. Make sure that the mixture does not heat to the point of reaching a boil.
- Cook the mixture until the pudding thickens and coats that back of metal spoon.
- Remove the pudding from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract and the butter. Whisk until completely combined.
- Transfer to an airtight container or a bowl and cover. Chill for at least one hour to overnight before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
This turned out perfect, thank you. I added berries to some, bananas to another, and also Oreos 🤤🤤🤤
These variations sound amazing, Ana! xo
Thank you so much for providing us with an egg-free vanilla pudding! My question is: what is the purpose of the butter? How does it turn out if you leave the butter out?
I really liked this recipe, and it taste great, but I too had a problem with it not getting thick enough. I added a little extra cornstarch and it made all the difference. When I make this again I would add 1/3 cup of cornstarch instead of a 1/4.
Mine did not set up… I will try your suggestion if I make it again. Have a lot of whole milk to use up!
How do you get instruction printed out on vanilla pudding
Hi John,
There is a Print option on the recipe itself. It will open a printable version of the recipe, then just print via the Print function on your computer. I hope this helps and you enjoy the pudding! Thanks!
I did the recipe and I let it set over night. But when I went in to get a bowl and taste it it was still liquid. What could I have done wrong?? 🙁
Hi Taylor,
It sounds like it needed to cook longer. The pudding should get thick before you stop cooking it Thanks!
I want to try this for New Year’s. Can I use evaporated milk and cut the whole recipe in half?
I followed the recipe, but it never thickened and stayed soupy after hours in the fridge.
I’m sorry to hear that your pudding wasn’t thick Heather. I can’t be sure what happened, but it always turns out thick when I’ve made it.
It should get thick while heating, adding sugar slowly into the hot milk and whisking constantly (step 2 of recipe) and making certain that the mixture does not boil. As in step 3 of the recipe, cook the pudding mixture until it thickens to point of coating the back of metal spoon.
I hope this helps. Thanks so much! xo
This recipe is amazing! Me and my family wanted to make pudding pops, so we used this recipe. We didn’t add in any sugar, but some of us added in some candy. We all had fruit. I can’t wait to try it when it’s done!
This looks yummy! My question is, does this pudding get watery the next day?
A good real vanilla pudding is one of my favorite things, but I’ve never made it before. Out of curiousity, why not include egg yolks? Surely they offer more than a more rich appearance. Are they a nuisance in the stirring to finish (without boiling)? I looked at another recipe with egg yolks and instructions did not seem any harder with the eggs. I’d really like you insight on the difference(s). Thanks.
Hi Leslie,
My family loves homemade vanilla pudding too!
I made this particular pudding without eggs because I have so many people ask for eggless recipes due to allergies.
I have vanilla pudding that includes eggs in my Southern Banana Pudding (link shared in this post as well) and it’s absolutely delicious!
You can definitely make either pudding you wish and enjoy them topped in some of the ways I’ve shown, or in my Southern Banana Pudding. Hope you enjoy the pudding! Thanks!