Vanilla Pudding

Prep 10 min
Total 1 hr 20 min
Servings 4

Of course you’ll want to make this dish if you’re celebrating National Vanilla Pudding Day on May 22,this year. But you’ll love this creamy, soothing pudding recipe so much that you’ll be happy to eat bowlfuls of it all year long.

By Betty Crocker Kitchens

Updated June 12, 2019

Ingredients

1/3

cup sugar
2

tablespoons cornstarch
1/8

teaspoon salt
2

cups milk
2

large egg yolks, slightly beaten
2

tablespoons butter, softened
2

teaspoons vanilla

Steps

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1

In 2-quart saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.
2

Gradually stir at least half of the hot mixture into egg yolks, then stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla.
3

Pour pudding into dessert dishes. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled. Store covered in refrigerator.

This is a nice do-ahead family dessert—engage the kids to help stir it up before supper time. By the time you’re done with dinner the pudding will be cool and rich. Top with some whipped cream and candy sprinkles if you’d like.
Skip boxed pudding mixes, all you need should be found on your pantry shelf or in the fridge. Cornstarch is an easy thickener to use, requiring only a few minutes on the stovetop. It’s important to bring the milk mixture to a full boil to activate the starch.
The vanilla (which you can boost by also stirring in a little fresh vanilla bean paste) is added at the end so it doesn’t lose any of its strong taste and aroma, which can be diminished by direct heat.
Butterscotch Pudding: sub in dark brown sugar for the regular granulated sugar.
Fudgy Chocolate Pudding: increase sugar to 1/2 cup, stir 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder into sugar mixture. Omit butter.
Rum Raisin Pudding: substitute rum extract for the vanilla; stir in 1/2 cup dark or golden raisins with the rum extract.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving

Calories: 220
Calories from Fat: 100

% Daily Value

Total Fat: 11g; 16%
Saturated Fat 5g 24% Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol: 130mg; 44%
Sodium: 170mg; 7%
Potassium: 180mg; 5%
Total Carbohydrate: 26g; 9%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Sugars 23g
Protein: 5g

% Daily Value*:

Vitamin A: 10%; 10%
Vitamin C: 0%; 0%
Calcium: 15%; 15%
Iron: 2%; 2%

Exchanges:

0 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 1 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 2 Fat;

Carbohydrate Choice

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

“Vanilla” is a term that’s come to be synonymous with blandness or a lack of taste, but we beg to disagree. The vanilla bean is a incredibly potent and important ingredient in so many dishes. The history of vanilla is a fascinating one. It first appeared as an ingredient in a recipe in the 1805 edition of Hannah Glasse’s book The Art of Cookery. Those 19th century cooks certainly knew how to make pudding, and make it well, since it was a common dessert of the time. If you’d like to make an easy pudding recipe with the classic, comforting flavor of real vanilla, then this recipe is the best place to start. It’s a no-bake marvel that requires only a bit of time on the stovetop and a long chill in the refrigerator. You can find even more choices for a pudding recipe in Betty’s Best No-Bake Desserts collection.