Ah, vanilla pudding …. Truly, one of the ultimate comfort foods!
Kids especially love pudding and a homemade pudding cup makes a wonderful healthy addition to the lunchbox if you make it yourself with wholesome ingredients.
Whatever you do, skip those pudding boxes from the store. They are nothing but white sugar, GMO corn starch, artificial colors and flavors plus preservatives.
Even if boxed pudding is made with good quality whole milk, the end result is not be something that would be of overall benefit. Kind of like raw grassfed milk served with a bowl of Fruit Loops, wouldn’t you agree? What’s the point in that?
It’s time to ditch the pudding boxes and processed pudding snack cups and learn how to make vanilla pudding the old fashioned way with nothing but wholesome ingredients.
In this video, I show you how my Grandma used to make vanilla pudding on the stovetop. She called it blancmange although she never bothered to set it in a mould as is sometimes done. It serves up wonderful and warm straight from the pot with no need to refrigerate first unless you prefer your pudding served cold.
Vanilla Pudding
Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients
3 cups whole milk (preferably raw grassfed milk from a local family farm)
2 extra large, free range eggs
1/3 cup freshly ground flour or organic cornstarch (arrowroot works too)
1/2 – 3/4 cup sucanat or coconut sugar
1 TBL butter
2 tsp vanilla
*You may substitute whole coconut milk for a dairy free version.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
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{ 124 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks delicious! I bet you could even put in some carob powder and chocolate extract for a chocolate version!! Yum yum – thanks for sharing.
Yes … you can make it butterscotch flavored too. So many variations once you get the basic vanilla pudding down.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Video: No Box Vanilla Pudding
How do you get the butterscotch flavor? I have such good memories of eating (boxed) butterscotch pudding as a kid…but have no idea how to make it. Butter + scotch? Probably not
. Thanks for the pudding recipe! Gonna make it tonight with some of my homemade butter which I made after your blog post. 
Jennifer,
Make some brown butter and then whisk it into the pudding when you take it off the heat. This will give it that lovely butterscotchy flavor that you’re looking for. Be sure to use coconut sugar/sucanat as called for, though, as they add depth to the flavor as well.
These are the recipes we’ve been following for our pudding (vanilla, chocolate, butterscotch): http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/healthy-treat-for-today-creamy-pudding
Wholesome ingredients I hope include organic or raw milk…with all the essential nutrients still intact to heal and energize!
Altho organic just leaves out some toxins, it’s pastueurized etc. But still better than non-organic.
Ohhh I just tried a similar recipe last week for the first time, in chocolate, and hubby loved them in his lunches. I think your recipe will be a tad thicker, which we’d like, and I wondered about the arrowroot! Thanks for sharing – this is on my Sunday to-do list!
Allison\’s last post: Stretching a Meal: Chili
Make a nice big pot and it will last you all week long
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Video: No Box Vanilla Pudding
I just made this and I used arrowroot. It kept wanting to sink to the bottom and gel up there so you have to keep stirring, and it took a long time to start thickening up. I didn’t really get much thickening until well after I added the tempered eggs. But keep going and it thickens up nicely. Enjoying some right now. Mmmmm. Thanks Sarah!
Joanna\’s last post: Sweet n’ Sour Pork Balls
Thank you!!!!
Making this!
If you used palm sugar would you subsitute equal amounts?
Yes, palm sugar works great … very similar to coconut sugar in taste even if you use the syrupy palm sugar and not the granules.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Video: No Box Vanilla Pudding
Ok – that is good to know. I thought palm sugar and coconut sugar were the same. The palm sugar I have is in these pucks, so I just use a grater. Thanks!
never mind, just watched the video and you say coconut sugar in there
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks!
Every time i see Jello i think about how Gelatin contains MSG.
I usually make a double batch and then after it cools immediately put it in little snack cups in the refrigerator. Then, it is so easy to just grab a few and throw them into the lunchbox when you are in a hurry in the morning packing up lunches for school.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Video: No Box Vanilla Pudding
I just made this! Delicious! It won’t make it through the day~
This looks delicious! We make homemade tapioca pudding, but I think my kids would really love to have vanilla pudding.
Your pudding recipe reminds me that after my Great-Grandma passed on, my mom inherited some of her old cookbooks. In them were delicious recipes for full-fat, homemade meals and desserts. These recipes call for less sugar than their modern counterparts. My Grammy used to make us custard and cook everything in animal fat. She lived until she was 98. Unfortunately, her last couple of years were full of store bought and assisted living foods that offered very little nutrition (and taste). As soon as she went to assisted living and stopped cooking for herself, I believe her health deteriorated greatly.
Thank you for sharing your recipe! We’ll make this tomorrow night for dinner, after we get some more good milk.
Beth Stowers\’s last post: Circumcision’s Dirty Secret: The Big Business of Being Cut and Its Sordid History
Wow, Beth what a treasure!! What were the titles of her cookbooks? I’d love to try to find them.
Joanna\’s last post: Sweet n’ Sour Pork Balls
You just gotta wonder what the Food Police at public schools would do with a homemade pudding cup in a child’s lunchbox? They would be scratching their heads on that one for sure!
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Video: No Box Vanilla Pudding
Thanks for the recipe! I grew up on cornstarch puddings for breakfast, and I still make them for my son. I’m happy that I now have a recipe with more wholesome ingredients, like an alternative to white sugar, and butter. I also love that it contains eggs – my recipes don’t, and I go out of my way to sneak more eggs into his diet.
do you think raw goats milk will work about the same? love being able to see it all on video, it helps a lot!
Yes, raw goats milk would work beautifully as well.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Video: No Box Vanilla Pudding
I recall that I heard that we can make pudding with clabbored milk as well– in other words, if our milk is past drinkable should we use it for pudding so it doesn’t go to waste?
Kimberly, I used milk that was past it’s prime (about three weeks old) – not clabbored but definately not something I’d want to drink straight up. It worked beautifully.
Joanna\’s last post: Sweet n’ Sour Pork Balls
Would it be okay to use coconut flour?
Coconut flour just doesn’t thicken it right. Try arrowroot if you need a grain free thickener.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Video: No Box Vanilla Pudding
You could probably try potato starch or tapioca here as well. Those are usually interchangeable with cornstarch and arrowroot.
Magda\’s last post: Some positive changes in my non-GAPS family
The Feds will probably remove it from the child’s lunch box..
haha, Susan! You are prolly right!
ha!!
-jason and lisa-
I have to say…I can smell it cooking as you work…this looks magnificent. I cant wait to try this out. I have a dairy intolerant toddler…do you think I could also use Almond milk? He is a picky eater..but I bet he would love this as a treat! Thank you so much!
Yes, almond milk would work as would coconut milk. Make sure it’s homemade though as the almond and coconut milk in cartons at the store are not a good choice:
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/coconut-and-almond-milk-in-cartons-not-a-healthy-buy/
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Video: No Box Vanilla Pudding
Mmmm, with added chia seeds for a tapioca style pudding? Yes please!!!!!
Mmmm, with added chia seeds for a tapioca style pudding? Yes please!!!!!
My husband is not only allergic to dairy, he’s also allergic to egg whites. What would be the best egg substitute for this recipe and still have it come out right?
Dawn, here’s a link to my post plus video on egg substitutes in cooking:
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/video-the-best-baking-substitute-for-eggs/
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Video: No Box Vanilla Pudding
@Kimberly – yes, slightly clabbered/soured raw milk works well for pudding. If it is too sour though, best to use in scrambled eggs or quiche.
@Kimberly – yes, slightly clabbered/soured raw milk works well for pudding. If it is too sour though, best to use in scrambled eggs or quiche.
I have always made pudding from scratch – it is so easy and just tastes so wonderful. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
a chocolate version?
a chocolate version?
chocolate is just as easy and good!
I’m sure it’s delicious, but if it’s sent in a luchbox will it pass the food nazi screen?
hahaha. Probably not, because they’ll take it and eat it for themselves. I’m convinced that’s really what’s happening.
I buy raw milk, I’m always afraid to cook with it. Doesn’t letting it boil undo all it’s yummy raw-ness?
dont do a rolling boil for any extended period..really just a high simnmer.. medium’ish should work.. it does kill the enzymes but doesnt denature the protein.. even this you wouldnt want to do on a large scale or for all of your dairy needs; but for a snack now and then, its ok.. at least you are still starting and ending with a whole food, not ultra processed, refined, denatured garbabe.. hope this helps..
-jason and lisa-
This recipe does not call for a boil. If you boil it, you will ruin it.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Video: No Box Vanilla Pudding
Is this like custard? I’ve recently been wanting hot/warm puddings (very cold in England at the moment!) and I’ve learnt to make custard from scratch to go with my home made pies. Only has milk, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla, though I’ve been substituting the sugar with xylitol as I feel naughty with the pies. Will try this recipe too, it’s thicker than mine. Must try and find coconut sugar. I use rapadura – is that the same as sucanat? it’s just dehydrated sugarcane juice. Thanks for sharing, excuse the many questions!!!
Sarh, I have those same pyrex dishes and I have never thought about heating them on the stove top, Duh! That would save alot of dishes esp a pot. I guess you would not cook on high with the glass?
I am trying the pudding tonight. Looks Yum! i am always looking for ways to use my eggs.
Hi Teresa, you can cook on stovetop on high with the pyrex .. they are really strong in my experience. The only problem is that you have to be careful not to burn yourself as there aren’t any handles. I prefer them for lower temp cooking for that reason.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Video: No Box Vanilla Pudding
You can sub 4 egg yolks for the 2 whole eggs if you like to sneak more yolks into your kiddos.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Video: No Box Vanilla Pudding
This is different than egg custard which is baked. I have a recipe for this as well if you click on the recipes above in the header or do a search in the search box.
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Video: No Box Vanilla Pudding
How do you make butterscotch? This sounds yum!
if its half a pound of butter and half a bottle of 12 year single malt, im game..
-jason and lisa-
Might need to do a video on that too, huh?
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Video: No Box Vanilla Pudding
I just love love love butterscotch !!
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist\’s last post: Video: No Box Vanilla Pudding
6:17 pm – watched your video
6:35 pm – started making the pudding
6:52 pm – pudding done
8 pm – I will be eating pudding and packing pudding for my lunch tomorrow
Thank you for sharing!
Danielle\’s last post: Perception
What a wonderful schedule you have, LOL!
Do you use Sprouted flour? Or soak and then dry the flour?
This recipe looks so wonderful but I have a question I’m afraid to ask. Here goes:
I am just starting my journey to healthier eating. I don’t have most of the organic/coconut/arrowroot type of ingredients just yet in my pantry and can’t afford to at the moment. However, this first step in my journey has me trying to cook with real foods at home and escaping more and more from the store-bought, fast food world we live in. My goal is to get more comfortable cooking recipes such as this one and then, when we are able to afford better, more healthy ingredients, make the switch with those ingredients.
After all of that, will I still be able to make this recipe and others like it if I’m not using the exact same ingredients? If I’m using white sugar instead of sucanat or (in other recipes) white flour instead of coconut flour or vegetable oil instead of coconut oil or whatever? I’d like to be able to have success when I first start off on this venture so it spurs me on to even better, healthy living.
Thanks!
Melissa,
I hope I’m not stepping on Sarah’s toes here.
You are headed in the right direction girl! I started out very similar to what you’re describing – the desire to change, learning, wanting to try things but not having the resources to change out my pantry in one shopping trip (or two or three or….).
At minimum if you make it with white flour, white sugar and GMO cornstarch you are stepping away from the “unpronouceables” as Sarah put it. And you’re learning the technique of making the product. (better to waste white sugar than expensive sucanat!)
Give yourself some grace when your starting out. Sarah, IMHO, is somewhat of an expert and has probaby been eating healthy for a long time so her pantry is full of the best quality ingredients. Someday we too may be able to reach that level but we are all at different stages. I have raw milk and arrowroot but but I cannot source raw butter and I don’t have time to make it. My vanilla is store bought (from Aldi no less). Is my pudding the “best” it could possibly be? Probably not. Is it better than a box mix. You bet!
You’ll also find there are so many “levels” of real food. Raw milk. Raw milk from only pastured cows, raw milk from pastured Jersey cows. You can drive yourself crazy and give up if you wait until every ingredient is perfect quality before you begin.
Blessings on our real food journey.
Danielle
Danielle\’s last post: Finance Fridays: Tips to Reduce Spending
Danielle,
Have to say that was such an excellent response. As someone who teaches healthy living classes…I have found that the best advice is like what you said. Don’t stress over too many changes at once. Take it slow. Baby steps. Enjoy the journey!
Great words here. Love it.
Blessings to both of you,
Joy~
Joy Y.\’s last post: Might I suggest….
I also just made it! SO good! I had given-up on pudding… until now
I made a chocolate honey pudding today with my boys, we had it for desert, drizzled a little cream on it too! yum!
I have a question about the sugar. Is Raw Sugar ok to use? In my area we have severely limited options when it comes to certain products and was wondering if raw sugar was a decent substitute or not.
Thanks for such a wonderful and informative blog.
Looks great! Can’t wait to try this! Do you have a recipe for chocolate pudding too?? That is our favorite!
YUM!!!! We make this a lot at home but not now since we are on GAPS so we miss it! The guys esp really like it (what is it that they say about nursery desserts?). We almost always make ours with all yolks though and it is extra tasty. Love that you are teaching folks to make this!
Meant to say: thanks for the tip to use the pyrex bowl! Happy to have one less pot to clean!
Oh Sarah, I hope you or someone gets a chance to answer this question. I store milk kefir grains in a jar of milk in the refrigerator and I’m wondering if I can add that milk to the clabber bottle when I replace it for the grains. I have been throwing it out but that is so wasteful so I started a jar of that rejected milk in case I had the chance to ask this question. I just started to clabber my milk. Before, I made kefir than used that in recipes. Now that I know I can use clabbered milk, I just go for that but I want to keep my grains for occasional kefir use and the milk they are stored in has to be replaced when it separates in the jar. I’m pretty sure I don’t have to throw it away and can use it in other things. Is that true? Thanks
I just made this today…and OH MY GOSH IT’S DELICIOUS!!!!! Thank you!!!!!
I made this pudding tonight. My family thought it was very yummy. Thanks for the recipe.
What kind of chocolate would I add and how do I add it..anybody??
I am having a very hard time finding low temp pasteurized milk. Whole Foods just has the same milk as my regular grocery store. I’m stumped where to go next. I would love to make this, my kids would gobble it up.
OOPS What did I do wrong? It taste ok but it appears rather doughy??? and you can feel the same texture in your mouth. I use white wheat for the flour. I added 2Tbls of cocoa and that made it just enough chocolate.
How can you make a butterscotch variation of this pudding?
What great timing! Just a couple of days ago, I was thinking about how nice it would be if I knew how to make real pudding! Thank you so much! This is the first time I’ve seen any traditional foods blogger mention this food!
Hi Sarah,
I made this recipe yesterday night whit raw milk/coconut sugar and arrow root, warm it was really thick and delicious but this morning when I open the fridge the pudding was soo liquid in the dish ! Is it normal, could we had gelatin or did I made some mistake?
Thanks to let me know
Thank you for posting one of your video’s. These are my favorite!
What do you use as the “pudding cup” CUP?
Pyrex users beware- my dish exploded when I made this the other day. I then attempted it in a pan, and it was delicious!
I’ve just made this pudding with low pat cream instead of milk, `and I’m going out of my mind with how good it is. If you let it burn a bit you’ll have caramel pudding! Also, I only used 2 tablespoons of sucanat, otherwise it is unpleasantly sweet for me. Berkeley Farms sells a pasteurized cream that is not ultra-pat. I drink my milk raw, but since raw cream is $11 per pint, and I can get 1/2 gallon of decent cream for $8 it makes it possible for me to make this every week. I figure the extra benefit of the decent quality cream makes up for the fact that it’s not raw and by the time you cook it it’s not raw anymore anyway. Good nutrient dense snack for people with limited budgets
Can always make a raw fruit sauce from extra thick raw kefir on top for enzymes 
I’ve used this recipe, Sarah! My husband and I love it!!!!
Perfect timing! I have been wanting pudding so bad, but refuse to buy those nasty boxes of fakeness anymore. Thanks!
Might try it with stevia substituted. Way too much sugar for me.
My son requested “old fashioned” Tapioca this evening. Little pearls are soaking overnight and we’ll be enjoying tiny bubbles tomorrow evening.
we have been making a version of this all my life. its so good! we like to use half flour and half cornstarch/arrowroot for best results and texture.
Wonder how this would be with a few chia seeds…..
Thank you so much – I’ve been looking for ages for an easy pudding recipe to use up extra milk/eggs. Now, how about custard? Got a recipe for that?
http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/42199115/Giga+Pudding+3844112718_ef80082c76.jpg
Thank You!!!
I love homemade pudding. Soooo good. Once my goats kid again i will have enough extra milk to make it often. Right now I only have enough for drinking and make just enough kefir and yogurt.
Lauren Hoover Cowsar this is for you!
Literally just made a double batch!!! Have you made chocolate? If so, could you share the info?
@Sarah awesome!
Just finished and its cooled enough for me to have a bowl to test LOL
@Mark I make with low glycemic coconut sugar and it isn’t a regular thing so I feel good about it. To tell you the truth, I’m a bit concerned about giving my kids stevia in any appreciable amounts due to the potential infertility link. I need to do more research on that but for now I’m not comfortable with it.
I am so sad that I am out of eggs! We are going to pick some up in the morning, so this will be the first thing I make with them.
@Anita Ask and you shall receive: http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/traditional-egg-custard-pudding/
@Anita Or … custard pudding with an Eastern twist: http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/thai-custard-pudding/
Sounds delish!!! Do you think I could get away with leaving the eggs out? My kids have egg allergies
@Sarah Yes, there is a written version of the recipe that is a chocolate version that was one of my very first posts 3 years ago .. the formatting is kind of messed up as I was on blogger then before I converted to Wordpress, but the recipe is legible: http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/homemade-vanilla-or-chocolate-pudding/
thanks!!!! sharing yummm!!
Thanks!
You use vanilla extract, not real vanilla? Any reason?
Just made this and some yummy fresh butter. Can’t wait for it to cool!!
thanks for always makeing your information user friendly & applicably educational!
Oh! i hope i have the ingredients in the cupboard…that sounds sooo good right now.
& yeah, the box lends absolutely no benes or flavor to pudding so why use it…right!?
Ha! I saw the thumbnail of the Jell-O box and I thought .. What? No way – Sarah what has happened to you!!
Love this stuff make it all the time, get some phyllo dough and layer it while the pudding still warm
I’m gonna try it! Especially b/c you have a video clip for us to watch.
I love this recipe! I use arrowroot as the thickener and it turns out great (almost) every time.
I would love to make it with tapioca… how do you do that?
if you want chocolate pudding…increase the sugar a bit and add chocolate to the mix
Adding chia and cocoa sounds like a great idea.
I just have to share that after trying this I was inspires to make a pumpkin version for the fall! I omitted half the vanilla, and at the end added one cup of pureed pumpkin and two tsp of pumpkin pie spice. So delicious and festive tasting!!
I am having a heckuva time getting this to thicken up/ I’ve tried twice now once with cornstarch once with flour and neither one did it. Kids still love it, we call it pudding soup! lol But it’d be great if i could get this right for them, I know they’d really like it then. What am I doing wrong? Not heating high enough or long enough?
Thanks
LeaG\’s last post: Coop class and play
My favorite go to recipe for a quick wholesome dessert for the family. I make many renditions, including chocolate and cinnamon honey. Even my 17 yr old stepson, who is more used to conventional sweets LOVES this pudding and has asked me to teach him to make it. Thanks Sarah!
Oh,what a treat! It didn’t look good,as I expected it to be though,but very good!
Could you tell me why coconut sugar or sucanat are healthier? I know white sugar is no good and mostly use honey but I don’t know anything about the sweeteners you mentioned.
Thanks!
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