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Homemade vanilla pudding is creamy and delicious. It is easy to make from milk, sweetener, cornstarch and of course vanilla. Most importantly, you can control which ingredients you use. Many recipes call for butter to be added at the very end to add extra richness. I have found that this recipe tastes just fine without it.

It is so versatile. You can eat it plain or topped with fruit or a dollop of whipped cream. You can jazz it up and stick it in a pie crust or build wonderful parfaits with it.

Please see the recipe card below for exact amounts and directions.

Ingredient Round Up

  • Skim milk. I have used low fat milk as well and it works fine. I have not tried any non-dairy products. If you experiment and find a non-dairy product that works, please leave a comment so others can benefit from your experience.
  • Cornstarch
  • Sweetener. I usually make this with Whole Earth monk fruit and erythritol. I have made it with sugar for the son and also with plain erythritol.
  • Salt
  • Vanilla

Making the Pudding

  • Mix the cornstarch with a half of cup of milk and mix until smooth and set aside.

  • In a sauce pan, combine the bulk of the milk, sweetener and salt.
  • Heat on medium until it is just warm. While it is just warm, add the cornstarch and milk slurry while stirring.

  • Stir the pudding mixture constantly as it continues to cook on medium heat. When it starts to boil, lower the heat and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 min while stirring. You are looking for the pudding to thicken and coat the back of the spoon.

  • Remove the pudding from the heat. Add the vanilla and stir until it is well incorporated.

  • Place a strainer in a bowl. Pour the pudding into the strainer to remove any lumps.

  • Cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap making sure that the plastic wrap is in contact with the entire surface.

  • Let the pudding cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until chilled.
  • Remove the pudding from the refrigerator and take off the plastic wrap
  • Stir the pudding. You can serve it as is, top with fruit or Reddi-wip or use it to build another dessert.

Serving Ideas

  • Vanilla pudding can be serve for dessert or a snack.
  • It can be topped with some fresh strawberries, blueberries or peaches.
  • You can build another dessert with the pudding such as a pie, parfaits or as a filling for cream puffs.

WW – 2 pt if made with skim milk

Vanilla Pudding

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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Cooling & Chill Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 7 ½ c servings
Calories: 64.7kcal

Equipment

  • 3 qt sauce pan
  • measuring cup
  • measuring spoons
  • large bowl
  • strainer

Ingredients  

Cornstarch Slurry

  • ½ cup milk, skim or low fat
  • 4½ tbsp cornstarch

Pudding Mixture

  • 3 c milk, skim or low fat
  • ⅓ c sweetener 1:1 equivalent to sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Cornstarch Slurry

  • Add the cornstarch to the ½ c of milk and stir until the cornstarch is well incorporated. Set aside.

Pudding Mix

  • Add the 3 c of milk to the sauce pot along with the salt and sweetener. I used Whole Earth monk fruit with erythritol which was a 1:1 equivalent to sugar. If you use Splenda or erythritol use the amount that will be equivalent to ⅓ of sugar.
  • Heat the milk, salt and sweetener on medium heat until it is warm.
  • While stirring, add the cornstarch slurry to the pudding mix. Continue to stir constantly as you cook the mixture on medium heat.
  • When the mixture begins to boil, lower the heat and continue to cook for another 1 - 2 min while constantly stirring. You are looking for the mixture to thicken and coat the back of a spoon.
  • Remove the pudding mixture from the heat.
  • Add the vanilla to the pudding and stir until it is thoroughly mixed in.
  • Place a strainer into a large glass mixing bowl. Pour the pudding into the strainer and push it through into the bowl. This will remove any lumps.
  • Place plastic wrap over the pudding, pushing it down into contact with the surface of the pudding. This will prevent a film from forming.
  • Put the pudding in a cool place and let it cool to room temperature. I put mine out in the garage.
  • As soon as it is at room temperature, place it into the refrigerator to chill.
  • Once it is chilled, remove it from the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap and stir it up. You can serve it for dessert or use it as an ingredient to build another dessert.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 64.7kcal | Carbohydrates: 10.7g | Protein: 4.2g | Sodium: 134.6mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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