Homemade vanilla pudding is easy to make, using only 6 ingredients and no eggs. Serve with whipped cream and berries, or use in a classic banana pudding recipe or a trifle. Banish instant pudding from a box and make vanilla pudding from scratch!
2tablespoons(28grams)unsalted butter, see Recipe Notes
Instructions
In a small bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together.
In a medium saucepan, heat the half and half over medium heat until small bubbles form and it starts to steam, about 5 minutes. Slowly add the sugar mixture into the hot half & half, whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, making sure the pudding doesn't boil.
Cook until thickened, stirring constantly, about 4 to 6 minutes. It should coat the back of a spoon and leave a trail when you draw your finger through it.
Remove the pudding from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract and butter.
Strain the pudding through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Put the bowl in an ice bath (½ ice and ½ water). Stir occasionally until just warm, about 95 °F on an infrared temperature gun or digital thermometer.
Place plastic wrap directly onto pudding (to prevent a skin from forming), and refrigerate until the pudding is completely chilled, about 2 to 3 hours.
Storage instructions: Homemade pudding will keep in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for 3 to 5 days.
You can decide if you want to serve the pudding from a large bowl or make individual servings (see the Recipe Notes).
Recipe Notes
Here I'm using half & half for rich flavor, but you can substitute whole milk for the half & half for a less rich pudding. If you prefer a dairy-free pudding, use your favorite non-dairy cream product for the half & half and a non-dairy butter substitute instead of the butter.For even more vanilla flavor, substitute one fresh vanilla bean for the extract. Put the seeds and the scraped bean in the half & half while it’s heating, then strain out the spent bean after the pudding has thickened. You’ll have those wonderful specks of vanilla bean seeds in additional to rich vanilla flavor.For individual servings, spoon the warm pudding into individual bowls (I prefer 6-ounce ramekins). Place plastic wrap directly onto the pudding if you want to prevent a skin from forming, then refrigerate until it is completely chilled, about 2 to 3 hours. You'll get about 6 to 8 individual portions, depending on the size of your ramekins and how full you fill them.