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Ultimate Vanilla Pudding (Perfect Stove-Top Custard)

Ultimate Vanilla Pudding (Perfect Stove-Top Custard) | LunaCafe

LunaCafe’s Ultimate Vanilla Pudding

If there is a more perfect vanilla pudding in the universe, I haven’t encountered it. Descriptors for this pudding include light, delicate, decadent, luscious, and perfectly creamy, with a voluminous mouth feel. This is, without a doubt, the best vanilla pudding I have ever eaten.

The set for this custard is intentionally soft. If you want the pudding to hold it’s shape on a plate or in a pie crust, double the cornstarch.

The formula is easy to remember: For every cup of milk, use 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 egg yolk, and 1 tablespoon butter. With the addition of ½ teaspoon vanilla and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, you’lll have a perfect vanilla pudding.

Ingredient Note   It isn’t required, but the inclusion of some cream makes for an exceptionally luscious pudding. I almost always include it.

3 large egg yolks
¼ cup whole milk

9 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoon cornstarch
3/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 3/4 cups whole milk (or ¾ cup cream and 2 cups whole milk)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 12 chunks
1½ teaspoon vanilla (I love Mexican vanilla here)

Garnish
lightly sweetened whipped cream, optional

  1. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks with ¼ cup of milk until well combined. Reserve.
  2. In a 3-quart saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt, and then slowly whisk in the cold milk, a little at a time to ensure no lumps form. Scrape the bottom and sides of the saucepan with a silicon (heatproof) spatula.
  3. Over medium heat, stirring constantly, bring to a bare simmer.
  4. Ladle ½ cup of the hot pudding into the egg yolks and whisk rapidly. Repeat two times. Now add the egg yolk mixture back to the saucepan. This tempers the egg and helps to prevent curdling.
  5. Lower the heat to medium-low and continue stirring the pudding until it thickens to the point that it coats the back of the spatula, from 2-4 minutes.
  6. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla until the butter is melted.
  7. Serve pudding warm if you like or to serve cold (my preference),  immediately pour into a medium mixing bowl or 4-cup glass measuring cup. (If you think you may have lumps, pour the pudding through a single mesh strainer, using a plastic spatula to push the pudding through.) Alternatively, you can pour pudding directly into six ½-cup serving dishes. (The reason I rarely do this is because I prefer mounded servings.)
  8. Quickly press a small piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming.
  9. Let cool, and then refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.
  10. To serve, spoon pudding into six, ½-cup ramekins (if you didn’t do this earlier).
  11. Top each serving with a generous mound of whipped cream.
  12. Serve immediately.

Makes about 3 cups, or six ½-cup servings.

Copyright 2010=2017 Susan S. Bradley. All rights reserved.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I was lost for words on how good this vanilla pudding is. It has heavenly delicious and now climbing up my favorites list. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.

  2. I’m very excited to try this recipe. I made scratch vanilla pudding for the first time last night and I was fairly disappointed. The flavour was just not very vanilla-y. So I will be trying your recipe tonight 🙂 I’m searching for the best vanilla pudding recipe that I can use my precious vanilla bean in so I’m making it with extract first until I find the right recipe. Hope this one is it!

  3. WOW! It’s no joke!! This recipe is great! I made it twice already. The first time was good, but I ruined it by adding to much dark vanilla, it became a ugly color and I used whole milk. The second time it was perfect!!! I used clear Dominican vanilla and omg I used heavy cream!!! It makes such a huge difference highly recommend it!!! I due have a question for my latest project I need it to be thicker, if I add more corn starch will that make a difference? THANK YOU 😀

  4. I make a lot of pudding. We love it. I just made a double batch of this and IT IS THE BEST PUDDING I HAVE EVER HAD……love it! Now I just need to figure out how to follow you for more recipes ;o)

  5. Hello Susan! I just had to tell you how great this came out for me. Delish by itself and even better in a strawberry trifle (with a touch more cornstarch). I was wonderning if this pudding could still work with a swap of coconut milk and or cream? Im trying to make a coconut pudding because Im a fan of coconut in general and was wonderning could it still work or would the consistency of coconut milk and cream be too thin. Or could I just use a bit more cornstarch? Thanl you!

  6. My search has ended! This is THE vanilla pudding recipe I have been looking for! I just followed your instructions exactly and the result is a silky, smooth, creamy cloud of sweet deliciousness… Very excellent. Thank you for all your experimental research. So good…

  8. This is a great recipe. Made it many many times. I also make caramel pudding with the same recipe I just caramelize the sugar first its delicious…

  10. There are a million recipes on the internet for pudding, but I’m picking yours because it has the most science! Knowing the ‘whys’ really help me. Also, I love how easy it is to scale…not just halving or doubling, but 6 servings to 8 or 4. Genius!

    What would you think about substituting arrowroot for cornstarch? I know that the cornstarch is a thickening agent, which arrowroot is as well, but thanks to all the science, I see that cornstarch also helps to prevent curdling. Does arrowroot do that as well?

    Thank you!!

    • Thanks so much, great to hear. 🙂 Yes, arrowroot will work, as will flour, as far as preventing curdling goes. Stick with arrowroot or cornstarch though for the gloss. Hope this helps. 🙂

  11. fantastic custard! I think your recipe worked so well because you explained the thickening processes accurately and more importantly gave time frames and exact temp settings to replicate your intial results, thank you so very much for taking the time to write this!

    I would also like to note that i did not use butter as i do not have unsalted, and i also mixed the dry ingredients into 1 cup of milk (1 of 3 required by your recipe) and wisked until blended(still in measuring cup) and then poured into the 2 cups waiting in the sauce pan. After that i followed the recipe and was careful to not let the mixture bubble more than 3 or 4 times Throughout the entire process.

    i advise trying one of of your depicted parfait creations with a little bit of fruity pebbles cereal in the layer s with nuts and granola. Itll blow your mind!

  12. The pudding was the best ever.
    I hope you don’t mind but I used all half and half and Splenda to keep carbs down and it came fantastic.
    It was like a meal in itself.
    Thanks so much!

    • Josey, so glad you liked it. Experimentation is definitely encouraged in my kitchen. 🙂 Glad to know the formula works with a sugar substitute and half and half. Best…Susan

  13. If you would like to take a great deal from this post then you have to apply these techniques to
    your won blog.

  14. Excellent recipe. I’ll be using this with my high school FACS (home ec) class. We’ll be making banana pudding with it. Everyone should know how to make a good pudding. Thanks for sharing.

    • Bravo Sarah, teach those kids to make it right! There’s nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of silky vanilla pudding. Except maybe silky chocolate pudding. 🙂

  15. Thank you ;)) I made the vanilla & chocolate pudding today ! And they are fab !!!! I look forward to trying more recipes;)) but I wish you would add what is mixed with the pudding in your photos ;)) and maybe what to do
    With all these egg whites ;)))
    Cheers

  16. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! I made half this recipe for this Thanksgiving and I hope everyone likes it! I know I do! My sister and I LICKED the pot clean! Absolutely perfect! I love this recipe
    !! 🙂 🙂

  17. I made 2 pudding recipes last night–1 from Martha Stewart & another from Chow…both disappointed–they were “grainy” if you will (after reading your post–probably due to curdled eggs) & had an “off” flavor. I literally just finished making your recipe, just with a touch less butter & sugar, but the texture–PERFECTION!! And I didn’t even have to strain it like I did the recipes last night. THIS was the silky smooth consistency I was looking for! (I threw 1/3 of the batch in the freezer & ate it straight out of the pot!) I almost gave up on homemade pudding last night & just wanted to thank you for a stellar recipe! Will be posting to my Pinterest!! Just goes to show you how important the method can be & knowing the science! I believe the tempering & simmering (not boiling) made 100% difference in outcome! Thank you so much!!

    • Cassi, you have made my week! Oh heck, my MONTH. You’re my new BFF.:-) I worked long and hard on that formula and method, as I too had been disappointed one too many times with the standard recipes. So pleased you got great results!

  18. Fan-flippin-tastic! Just what I was craving and perfectly smooth. Thank you for sharing! I used two tablespoons less sugar and it was still plenty sweet :~}. I’ll use even less next time.

  19. Hi Susan,
    Great recipe. My pudding came out fantastic. I substituted the sugar for honey as I was making it for my mum who does not take sugar. It did not have that 100% smooth silky texture but there were no lumps in it. Any idea why this could have happened? I think it may have been because I did not seive the cornstarch

    • Jelilat, thanks for letting us know your results. The pudding should be silky smooth. If it has a grainy texture, the egg curdled in the process. This shouldn’t have happened because the cornstarch typically prevents it. Try again and let me know what happens.

  20. Dear Susan i woud love to make the pudding, but the big glass one, what are the layer in betwen? Cracker, nuts? I want the same!!

    I’m from Chile and love all your “gringa’s” marvelous recipes.
    Have to say that the prefered one is the Perfecta Mundo cookies!! absolutly amazing!!

    Thank you very much!

    • Maria, thank so much! You know, I really don’t recall what I used there. The glossy quality suggests it is more than simply toasted, large flake coconut though. I’m toasting coconut with butter and sugar right now to check my hunch. Should have the result shortly. Stay tuned. 🙂

    • Maria, this turned out great. Give it a try (cut in half if you like):

      Toasted Coconut Crunch

      1 pound (6 cups) large flake, unsweetened coconut
      ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
      ½ cup sugar

      1.In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar.
      2.In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar with the coconut. Mix well with your hands to evenly coat the coconut with butter and sugar.
      3.Scoop the coconut mixture onto a 13- by 18-inch edged baking sheet, and distribute evenly.
      4.Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°.
      5.Bake for about 20 minutes, periodically turning the coconut mixture with a large spatula. (Be diligent about redistributing the coconut every 5 minutes or so. It will darken too much around the edges if not redistributed.) The coconut will smell wonderfully toasted and turn a light golden brown when done.
      6.Remove from the oven, toss to redistribute, and let cook on the pan.
      7.When completely cool, store in an airtight Ziploc bag.

      Makes 6 cups.

  21. So last night instead of sleeping, I was lying in bed trying to come up with a recipe for stovetop (not oven baked custard) pudding using milk, an egg, potato starch, and sucanat, which I figured would give a caramel-ly flavour.

    Tonight, I used the words “pudding with egg” in a search on Google and find your lovely recipe! Will use a combo of my idea and your helpful tips and see what I get.

    • Kitchen Witch, you will love this recipe. It’s the perfect comfort food and quick to make too.

  22. I so wanted this to turn out well… but alas, it flopped, big time! My pudding turned out very runny. Of course, I had to deviate from the recipe (as usual). I don’t drink cow’s milk so I used unsweetened almond milk. Could that have prevented it from thickening properly? I also used coconut palm sugar instead of regular sugar. My pudding was also far too salty (yuck). I was doing 1/3 recipe amounts so I used 1/8 tsp of salt. I cooked it a little longer than recommended since it didn’t seem to be thickening and let it stay at the low boil stage for a couple minutes (with some starting and stopping). Could only get a sauce consistency rather than pudding. Any advice?

  23. I so wanted this to turn out well… but alas, it flopped big time! My pudding turned out very runny. Of course, I had to deviate from the recipe (as usual). I don’t drink cow’s milk so I used unsweetened almond milk. Could that have prevented it from thickening properly? I also used coconut palm sugar instead of regular sugar. My pudding was also far too salty (yuck). I was doing 1/3 recipe amounts so I used 1/8 tsp of salt.

    Any advice?

  24. I so wanted this to turn out well… but alas, it flopped big time! My pudding turned out very runny. Of course, I had to deviate from the recipe (as usual). I don’t drink cow’s milk so I used unsweetened almond milk. Could that have prevented it from thickening properly? I also used coconut palm sugar instead of regular sugar. My pudding was also far too salty (yuck). I was doing 1/3 recipe amounts so I used 1/8 tsp of salt.

    Any advice?

  25. After working here at the dairy all day, we were looking for an easy recipe using our dairy milk, cream and butter. I was trying to teach my two 13 yr.old granddaughters how to make a simple blancmange type pudding. We used about 1 and 1/2 cups of cream skimmed from the goat milk and the rest of 4 cups of fresh milk. We made it exactly as you directed. It was absolute heaven. We also used fresh unsalted butter and vanilla bean paste as I was out of mexican vanilla. Thank you for this recipe it will be a family treasure. It is one of the first in the girls new recipe card box. Silky, smooth, classic taste, my compliments.
    Thank You, Norma Jean, Alexa, Kaitlyn

    • So lovely to hear, Norma Jean, thank you! You’re right: Everyone needs a perfect vanilla pudding recipe. There is nothing more delicious and comforting. I have worked up a Salted Caramel Pudding variation that I will post soon. It is DIVINE.

  26. I’ve seen some recipes where the egg is added to the cold milk mixture first, and then it’s all heated together. What is the benefit to waiting to add the eggs (tempering them first, of course)? Don’t know if you’re still reading comments since this is WAY after your post.

  28. Thank you for the wonderful recipe! I have made it twice with great success -even using nonfat milk since I couldn’t wait to try it (I added a smidge more cornstarch since I didn’t have whole more OR cream). It turned out perfect! I have been searching for a way to recreate my French grandmother’s custard, and this is the closest I’ve come. By the way, in our house, we never ate pudding cold. Cold? Maybe we lack patience in our family, but we have always served it warm from the stove -SO delectable!!

  30. The vanilla pudding looks delicious. The use of those particular glasses brings out the cover and makes the presentation quite lovely.

  31. Love your research and the list of custard definitions. I know this sounds crazy..but I sometimes crave vanilla pudding. Yes..not chocolate. Oh, and I LOVE the skin. Wouldn’t dream of putting plastic wrap on top.

    • Susan, oh no, you are a pudding skin lover! 🙂 Well, you are in good comnpany. I read recently that David Lebovitz loves the skin too. By all means then, skip the plastic wrap. I’m with you on craving vanilla sometimes. It’s amazingly simple, homey and comforting, plus amenable to a wide variety of partners.

  32. Please add me to the list of never having made pudding from scratch. I’ve made all the other other custards from scratch just not pudding. I think I’m suffering from having a distaste for boxed puddings. Having said that, after reading your post I’m encouraged to make some pudding!!

    Thank you for the well wishes for my family.

    • Naomi, I grew up eating boxed pudding, so it was only because there was no box in the cupboard one day long ago that I resorted to making it from scratch. What a relevation! We must spread the word. 🙂

    • Krista, it’s amazing how many folks have never made pudding from scratch. It’s an altogether different experience than the boxed stuff. Dreamy! 🙂

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