Homemade Vanilla Pudding Cups | Easy Dessert Recipe (2024)

Bless This Mess Recipes Desserts No Bake Desserts

By Melissa

5 from 1 vote

on Feb 10, 2022, Updated Aug 13, 2022

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Homemade Vanilla Pudding Cupsthat are easy to make and tastier than pre-packaged pudding cups. They are such a cute and fun dessert to make and filled with wonderful vanilla flavor!

I started making homemade pudding cups a year or so ago and we love them. I’ll whip up a batch of pudding, stick them in the half-pint wide mouth jars with the lids and then pop them in the fridge. They make a perfect snack and save on plastic. Win-win!

Make homemade vanilla pudding with milk or half-and-half, egg yolks, corn starch, and sugar! It’s easy, and so cute as pudding cups, just serve the pudding in individual cups! Sprinkles don’t hurt anything.

Homemade Vanilla Pudding Cups | Easy Dessert Recipe (2)

Table of Contents

  • Homemade Vanilla Pudding Cups Recipe

Homemade Vanilla Pudding

You know those little puddings in a cup? My kids think that they love them. They always ask for them at grandma’s house and when they have them, they never eat them. They are so yucky and packed with a million different ingredients. And why aren’t they refrigerated?! That is just odd isn’t it?

Between the fake flavors and the gloppy texture half of the contents in that magical little cup end up in the trash (sad, but true). But the appeal of eating those little individual puddings is always there.

Cue homemade vanilla pudding cups! Making your own vanilla pudding at home is really simple and tastes delicious. The texture is smooth, creamy, and it’s just plain good. Once you taste the difference of homemade, you won’t go back to the store bought version.

Homemade Vanilla Pudding Cups | Easy Dessert Recipe (3)

How long does it take for pudding to set?

It typically takes about 3 hours to become firm in the fridge.

What can I use if I don’t have half and half?

You can replace 1 cup of half and half with a mixture of butter and whole milk. Add 1 Tablespoon melted butter to about a cup of milk to make this substitute.

Homemade Vanilla Pudding Cups | Easy Dessert Recipe (4)

Why is my homemade pudding grainy?

The pudding can turn out grainy if you weren’t constantly whisking it. You can try adding a tiny bit of cornstarch to create a smooth, silkier texture. Remember to whisk continuously but gently.

How do I serve homemade vanilla pudding?

There are so many ways to enjoy homemade vanilla pudding. You can package the pudding in individual servings dishes topped with sprinkles. Or you can serve the pudding with crushed up Nilla wafers. You can also serve it with berries or whipped cream.

Homemade Vanilla Pudding Cups | Easy Dessert Recipe (5)

More pudding recipes:

  • Instant Pot Rice Pudding
  • Homemade Double Chocolate Pudding
  • Easy Rice Pudding
  • Homemade Pumpkin Pie Pudding

If you’ve tried thisHomemade Vanilla Pudding recipeor any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget torate the recipeand leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me onInstagramso I can repost on my stories AND add your photo to your comment so that other can see your creation.

Homemade Vanilla Pudding Cups | Easy Dessert Recipe (6)

5 from 1 vote

Homemade Vanilla Pudding Cups

By: Melissa Griffiths

These Homemade Vanilla Pudding Cups are such a cute and fun dessert. Better yet, they’re easy to make and filled with wonderful vanilla flavor!

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 2 minutes mins

Chilling Time: 3 hours hrs

Total: 3 hours hrs 12 minutes mins

Servings: 6

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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 3 1/2 cups half-and-half
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • In a medium sauce pan add the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk to combine.

  • While whisking, slowly add the half-and-half until till combined.

  • Add the egg yolks and whisk to combine.

  • Over medium-high heat bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking constantly but gently. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the pudding thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes.

  • Remove from the heat and add the butter and vanilla, stir to combine. Pour the hot pudding into six 1-cup wide-mouth mason jars, filling the jars an inch from the top. Add a flat lid and then screw on the ring to close the jars.

  • Refrigerate until the pudding is set, about 3 hours.

  • Eat the pudding right out of the mason jars. Add sprinkles before eating for extra smiles.

Notes

  • You can swap the half and half for 3 cups of whole milk.
  • You don’t have to add this to individual jars, it’s just fun. You can place the pudding in a large bowl to serve instead of 6 individual containers.
  • You can use salted butter, just omit the salt in the recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 6 servings, Calories: 348kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 152mg, Sodium: 140mg, Potassium: 201mg, Fiber: 0.04g, Sugar: 31g, Vitamin A: 688IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 164mg, Iron: 0.4mg

Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

Check out these sweet treats too:

  • Cake Batter Dessert Waffles with Ice Cream
  • Quick and Easy Vanilla Sheet Cake
  • Vanilla Melt Away Cookies
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats
  • The Best Caramel Dip
  • Cheesecake Ice Cream Recipe
  • Blueberry Pie Cookie Bars
  • Brownie Cheesecake Bars
  • Rich and Fudgy Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe

I know you’ll love theseHomemade Vanilla Pudding Cupsfor a dessert, after school treat, or just for fun!

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Homemade Vanilla Pudding Cups | Easy Dessert Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make boxed vanilla pudding better? ›

Use Evaporated Milk

Replace the regular milk for a can of evaporated milk to make a creamier, more decadent pudding. Not only does it yield a luxurious texture, it dramatically improves the flavor of a pudding mix. For a tropical twist, reach for some canned coconut milk.

What's the difference between vanilla pudding and instant pudding? ›

Instant puddings thickening agent is TSPP can absorb more water molecules creating a dense thick texture vs homemade which is is silky amd lighter. You also have more control over flavor and thickness when making pudding from scratch.

How do you thicken homemade vanilla pudding? ›

Sugar: Sweeten the pudding with ½ cup of white sugar. Cornstarch: Three tablespoons of cornstarch thickens the vanilla pudding. Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the flavor, but it won't make the pudding taste salty.

How do you keep homemade pudding from getting watery? ›

Don't cover when it's still hot. Do not cover when the pudding is still hot, but should be covered when the pudding has cooled. This is to avoid the presence of steam which makes the pudding runny.

How to make boxed pudding taste homemade? ›

If you're using a boxed mix that calls for milk, you can make the mix taste more homemade by subbing in another ingredient like evaporated milk or canned coconut milk. These substitutions will make the pudding even creamier.

What does adding pudding to cake mix do? ›

Put some pudding in the mix: Add a small box of pudding mix in with the cake mix. (Don't make the pudding.) The mix adds additional flavor, moistness, and a denser texture.

What can I add to vanilla pudding mix? ›

You could stop at vanilla extract and be perfectly content, or you could add fun stir-ins like dulce de leche and pretzels. And if you ask us, the not-so-standard pudding combinations take the dessert from basic to amazing.

Is homemade pudding better than instant? ›

The taste of the cooked pudding is much richer and more complex than the instant. It's got a structure to the texture that isn't limp or watery. It feels as though a much more substantial transformation has occurred in the cooked pudding than in the instant. It's thick and slightly lumpy.

What can I substitute for instant vanilla pudding mix? ›

The alternative mix is simply 1 part cornstarch to 2 parts fine sugar, plus 1 part vanilla. I used 1 TBSP. of cornstarch and 2 TBSP. of sugar.

What is black pudding made of? ›

Black Pudding is a combination of suet or fat, grain or cereal, onion, seasoning and, there's no denying it, cow or pig's blood, all stuffed into a natural casing (animal intestine).

Does homemade pudding thicken as it cools? ›

It will coat the back of the spoon; test it by running your finger down the spoon. You should wipe a clear, clean line through the custard. Remove from heat. The pudding will thicken more as it cools.

What are the three types of pudding? ›

Puddings made for dessert can be boiled and steamed puddings, baked puddings, bread puddings, batter puddings, milk puddings or even jellies. In some Commonwealth countries these puddings are known as custards (or curds) if they are egg-thickened, as blancmange if starch-thickened, and as jelly if gelatin-based.

Is flour or cornstarch better for pudding? ›

(Most recipes use cornstarch, which does give a smoother result. But white flour works well as a substitute.)

Do eggs help thicken pudding? ›

In puddings and custards, eggs are a thickener, making your dish creamy and thick without chalkiness. Cornstarch might be one of the best replacements for egg yolks in puddings, mostly because you likely already have it in your arsenal, and it's cost-effective since it doesn't take very much.

Why didn't my vanilla pudding set? ›

However, you can add, if, if your rice pudding di or vanilla pudding didn't thicken it is not only because of the kind of milk you used, you generally you need to use some kind of a starch, either arrow root or corn starch.

What is the best thickener for pudding? ›

Measure an alternative starch-based thickener, such as arrowroot powder, tapioca powder or rice starch, and combine it with the sugar called for in your pudding recipe. These alternative starches are comparable to cornstarch in thickening power, and twice as potent as wheat flour, so measure accordingly.

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