Homemade Vanilla Pudding is creamy, perfectly sweet, and made with just a handful of simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. It’s a classic comfort dessert that’s surprisingly easy to make (completely from scratch) and tastes so much better than the store-bought version.
Recipe Highlights
- Make-ahead friendly. Stays fresh in the fridge for up to a week, making it great for meal prep or entertaining.
- Simple ingredients. Sugar, cornstarch, milk, egg yolks, butter, and vanilla come together into a rich, creamy pudding.
- Better than boxed. Once you try this homemade version, you’ll never want the instant kind again.
- Kid-approved. A sweet and creamy treat that’s perfect as a snack or dessert.
- Versatile base recipe. With a few small tweaks, you can make chocolate, butterscotch, or other pudding flavors.
Ingredients in Homemade Vanilla Pudding
- Sugar – Regular granulated sugar sweetens the pudding without making it overly heavy.
- Cornstarch – The key thickening agent. Don’t skip it—it’s what gives the pudding its smooth, spoonable texture.
- Half and Half – Makes the pudding extra creamy. You can use whole milk or even heavy cream depending on how thick you want the final texture.
- Egg Yolks – Add richness and help create that silky pudding consistency. Beat lightly before incorporating.
- Butter – Stirred in at the end to add a touch of richness and shine.
- Vanilla Extract – The star flavor! Use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor, or swap in vanilla bean paste for an extra fancy touch.
- Salt – Just a pinch to enhance the sweetness and round out the flavors.
Helpful Tips & Variations
Full instructions for making the recipe can be found on the recipe card below, but here are a few helpful tips.
- Use whole milk for a lighter version. It will still thicken nicely with cornstarch but won’t be as rich.
- Go ultra-creamy. Use heavy cream in place of half and half for the thickest pudding.
- Flavor variations. Swap sugar for brown sugar to make butterscotch pudding, or add cocoa powder for a chocolate version.
- Add toppings. Fresh fruit, whipped cream, or crumbled cookies are all delicious with pudding.
- Make it fancy. Use vanilla bean paste or scrape out a vanilla bean pod for a deeper vanilla flavor and beautiful specks.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerator: Store pudding in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Press plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding before refrigerating to prevent a skin from forming.
- Freezer: Not recommended—pudding tends to separate when frozen and thawed.
Homemade Vanilla Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 3 cups half-and-half
- 4 egg yolks lightly beaten
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 2 tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch and then add the half-and-half. Gently stir over medium heat until bubbling. Once the mixture starts bubbling, cook and stir for 2 more minutes.
- Remove from heat and add one cup of the mixture to the egg yolks. Slowly whisk the egg yolk mixture into the rest of the half-and-half mixture in the saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil and reduce heat to low. Cook and stir 2 minutes more.
- Remove from heat and add the butter, vanilla and salt. Mix until well combined and then pour into six individual dishes or one larger container. Cover the top with plastic wrap and let the pudding stand for about 45 minutes. You can either serve it warm at this point or chill in the refrigerator before serving. It takes at least a few hours to get really cold and I prefer it that way, but it really is delicious at any temperature.
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FAQs
Can I make vanilla pudding with milk instead of half-and-half?
Yes! Whole milk works well, though the pudding will be a bit thinner. Skim milk can be used, but produces a looser consistency.
What flavors can I make from this recipe?
This recipe is a great base for other flavors. Swap white sugar for brown sugar for butterscotch, or add cocoa powder and extra sugar for chocolate pudding.
How long does homemade pudding last?
Homemade pudding will last about 5–7 days when stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
What’s the difference between pudding and custard?
Pudding is typically thickened with cornstarch, while custard relies on eggs for structure. This recipe uses both to achieve a perfect silky consistency.
What do you serve with vanilla pudding?
It’s delicious on its own, but try topping it with berries, whipped cream, or a sprinkle of crushed cookies for extra flavor and texture.
How do you make pudding thicker?
Use heavy cream instead of half and half or increase the cornstarch slightly for a thicker pudding.
More simple vanilla dessert recipes to try:
- With only 4 ingredients, Easy Vanilla Sponge Cake comes together quickly and tastes amazing topped with strawberries and cream — perfect for any occasion!
- You’ll love how simple this recipe is — Homemade Vanilla Cake uses just sugar, eggs, flour, and vanilla for the easiest homemade cake ever.
- Vanilla Bundt Cake is a timeless dessert made with classic ingredients and a rich vanilla flavor that shines in every bite.
- Bite-sized, glazed, and irresistible, Easy Vanilla Cake Bites are adorable little treats that are easy to make and perfect for parties.
- Made with soft cake and rich vanilla buttercream, Vanilla Cake Balls are a simple yet decadent dessert you’ll want to make again and again.
Homemade Vanilla Pudding (made from scratch) is creamy, comforting, and so much better than boxed pudding — a classic dessert you’ll make again and again.
Alice says
I just made chocolate pudding from scratch today! The recipe was pretty similar. I put most of the pudding into popsicle molds for fudgesicles.
Fanele says
Best Vanilla pudding I have ever are u are so amazing
Alison says
So glad you love it Fanele!
Mrs. Martin says
I’ve made this recipe twice now, and I LOVE the flavor! However, both times my pudding hasn’t been completely smooth. I would almost describe the texture as grainy. It’s still completely delicious, it’s just not the smooth texture I want. Do you know why this could be?
Nellie says
I’m not sure! It seems like the only thing that would cause the pudding to be grainy would be the sugar if it wasn’t completely dissolved…so maybe cook just a little bit longer and see if the sugar dissolves fully at that point?
Leah says
I made it for the first time and agree that there was a grainy texture…. it seems like it’s from the corn starch and not sugar. Next time I will push through a very fine mesh strainer to see if that helps.
Will's Mudder says
Mrs. Martin,
Try 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar in lieu of 1 cup of granulated sugar.
You’ll not have any grainy texture. Promise.
Diana says
No fail delicious pudding!
Alison says
I’m so glad you love it Diana!
Ash says
I love love love this recipe! Delicious! I use half the amount of vanilla, but that’s just my taste preference. I’ve made this 3 times in the past week!
Meghan says
Added a little extra vanilla only because I love vanilla. Higher quality really does matter here. I ran the cooked pudding through a fine mesh strainer after cooking for ocd reasons but my goodness, it’s so good. Smooth.
Anne says
Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out grainy and soupy. We had to eat it with spoons in bowls.
Nicole says
I dont know what went wrong but that doesn’t sound right. Sorry 🙁
Kellli says
I made this for my little grandson who’s beginning to eat soft foods. The pre made ones have too many ingredients we don’t like. This is just perfect.
Kelli Cook says
I’m making this pudding for banana pudding for our Easter celebration. It’s so much better than the boxed kind. I’m not making meringue, though. Some whipped cream for the topping. Thank you for this easy recipe.
Alison says
Thanks Kelli! I hope you and yours enjoy it!
Karen Larrabee says
I just made this delicious pudding! I used half and half..1 1/2 cups and 1/12 cups 2 percent milk. I also used 3/4 cup sugar and will cut it down to 2/3 cups sugar next time! Delicious with real whipped cream! Thanks !
Val says
way too sweet. sickeningly sweet. i ate this with ice cream and the ICE CREAM was not even close to as sweet as the pudding. 1 cup seemed like a lot of sugar but i haven’t made pudding in a while and figured the author knew what they were doing-i was wrong if you make this, cut the sugar in half. or use even less than that.
Paula says
Good receipt. I was short on half /half so used a can of eagle brand condensed milk and whole milk made a very rich pudding
Alison says
I’m glad it worked out for you Paula!
Debra Martin says
Love the flavor, I did not notice anything wrong with the texture but it didn’t set.
Nellie says
Oh no! I’m guessing it maybe didn’t cook quite long enough…maybe try cooking a minute or two longer next time?
Amanda says
Too sweet and the butter didn’t incorporate well. I’ve made pudding lots of times, guess this just wasn’t my recipe.
Nicole says
So sorry to hear that it didn’t work out well for you, I do hope you give it another try. Homemade puddings can be a bit tricky and anything from the weather to the heat of the stove burner can affect the way it turns out.
Gandalf says
First time making pudding from scratch like this. Turned out great! Thank you 🙏
Nicole says
So glad you liked it 🙂
Sue W says
Wonderful taste, my Book Club ladies loved it! I feel it should have been thicker, was a bit too soupy though I followed the instructions word for word.
Maybe more cornstarch next time? Will definitly make this recipe again.
Nellie says
Yes, you can definitely try a little more cornstarch next time if it didn’t seem quite thick enough. So glad your book club enjoyed it!
Karen Larrabee says
We even ate some pudding warm .. and of course with whipped cream!
Jessica says
So glad you enjoyed it Karen!
Merlene says
Im in New Caledonia on a mission and left my pudding recipe home. So glad to find this. Saw your name on it and thought I’d say hi!
Merlene Betteridge
Jessica says
So glad to hear Merlene! Enjoy!
Tammy says
Way too sweet. Cut sugar in almost half.
Nellie says
You can definitely adjust the sweetness if you want!
Lorine Nimmo says
I loved the smooth texture & perfect sweetness of this pie filling! The only thing I changed was I boiled it 4 minutes each time on very low heat.