Name: Homemade Creamy Vanilla Pudding without Cornstarch
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1/3 cup all purpose flour; 1 cup white cane sugar; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder (heaping); 4 cups whole milk; 6 whole eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla (good quality preferred); 1 tablespoon salted butter

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Ridiculously decadent, this homemade vanilla pudding recipe is packed full of flavor without any questionable ingredients.

spoon scooping of vanilla pudding out of a white bowl

Whether you’re looking for the ideal school lunch treat, a sweet snack, or a satisfying dessert, this homemade pudding will make you forget about store-bought mixes and pudding cups forever!

Made with just 8 simple, wholesome ingredients—many of which you likely already have in your pantry—this pudding offers about 8 grams of protein per half-cup serving. It’s a filling, nutritious option that the pre-made versions just can’t match.

Why You Will Love Homemade Pudding More Than Store-Bought:

As mentioned earlier, my homemade pudding is packed with 68 grams of protein per batch—about 8 grams per half-cup serving—thanks to whole milk and whole eggs (gotta love those egg yolks!). In contrast, most store-bought pudding cups contain as little as 1 gram of protein per serving.

This creamy pudding recipe calls for just 7 simple ingredients, while leading brands use 10 or more, often including artificial and natural flavors (whatever those are!). You won’t find any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives here—just pure, delicious vanilla goodness.

Best of all, this easy vanilla pudding takes under 20 minutes to prepare and makes a generous batch. I love whipping up a batch at the start of the week for a quick, protein-packed treat that’s always ready when a sweet craving hits.

Homemade Pudding is Simpler Than You Think

Pudding is a straightforward dessert—if you can handle a spoon and a whisk, you can easily make it from scratch!

This is the easiest homemade pudding recipe around because it doesn’t require any unusual thickening agents like gelatin or potato starch. Instead, it uses arrowroot powder, a simple and natural substitute for cornstarch.

If you prefer cornstarch, feel free to use it. However, arrowroot powder offers a few extra health benefits, including a slightly higher fiber content.

How to Temper Eggs for Pudding:

This recipe does call for tempering eggs, but don’t fret! Tempered eggs sound fancy, but really if you can operate a whisk, you can temper eggs.

Tempering eggs is the simple process of slowly adding hot liquid (in this case, the pudding base) to whisked eggs to slowly bring the temperature of the egg mixture up without scrambling or breaking the eggs. Tempering eggs creates a creamy texture that you just can’t get without it.

pouring vanilla pudding base into a bowl of eggs with a whisk

As a preventative measure, I always run my final pudding through a fine mesh sieve to avoid getting any accidental cooked egg bits into my final pudding.

Helpful Kitchen Tools:

Heavy bottom sauce pot- A heavy bottomed pot helps reduce the risk of scorching the milk because it heats more evenly.
Whisk- A danish whisk or regular whisk works great to thoroughly mix in the white sugar, all purpose flour, arrowroot powder, vanilla and butter
Small mixing bowl- to temper the eggs in.
Fine Mesh Sieve- to run the final vanilla pudding through to ensure a fool proof creamy pudding

Ingredients:

When it comes to simple recipes like this, using top quality ingredients matters greatly in terms of flavor. I recommend using the best quality ingredients you can source.

Salted Butter– a smidge of good quality butter adds a superior richness in this pudding and adds a delightful buttered vanilla flavor
Vanilla- a top quality vanilla extract (I adore vanilla from Mexico for its rich flavor!) will lend the best flavor
All purpose flour- the flour is used with arrowroot powder to thicken the pudding.
White Cane Sugar- In this recipe I prefer white sugar, but for a more caramel flavor (such as in butterscotch pudding) you can use brown sugar.
Arrowroot Powder- a thickening agent, similar to cornstarch
Whole milk- The type of milk you use helps determine how thick and creamy the final pudding will be. I prefer using full fat whole milk in this pudding because it lends to a creamier texture. I don’t recommend using low fat or almond milk in this recipe. If you need this recipe to be dairy free, I recommend going for a creamier non-dairy milk alternative.
Whole Eggs- This recipe uses whole eggs for added richness (and protein!)
Salt- A pinch of a good mineral salt (I use Redmond’s) enhances the sweet flavor of the pudding

How to Make Homemade Vanilla Pudding:

To a heavy bottom sauce pot add flour, sugar, salt and arrowroot powder. Use a whisk to thoroughly combine the dry ingredients.

a whisk in a stainless steel bowl of dry vanilla pudding mix

Add 4 cups of milk to the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.

pouring milk in a glass jar onto vanilla pudding mix

Heat the pudding mixture over medium low heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Stir frequently, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to prevent the mixture from sticking and scorching. Don’t rush this process, it can take around 8-10 minutes.

wooden spoon in a stainless bowl of vanilla pudding

While the pudding is cooking, add 6 whole eggs to a separate bowl and make sure to beat them well.
Temper the eggs by slowly mixing in 1/3 cup of hot pudding into the eggs while whisking the eggs constantly as you pour. Continue adding pudding a little at a time until the egg mixture is nearly the same temperature as pudding.

Add the warm egg mixture back into the pot of pudding and cook on low for 2-3 minutes, just to cook the eggs through stirring frequently. Do NOT bring the mixture to the boil.

Once the pudding has cooked for a couple of minutes on low, turn off the burner.

Place a fine mesh strainer or sieve over a clean bowl.

Pour the pudding through the sieve. This ensures a fool proof creamy pudding! And if you happened to scramble any eggs in the process, this ensures no egg bits make it into your final pudding.

vanilla pudding going through a mesh sieve into a white bowl

Once you have worked all the pudding through the sieve add in a tablespoon of butter and two teaspoons of vanilla to the bowl and mix to combine.

Serve warm or chill the pudding in the fridge.

spoonful of vanilla pudding over a white bowl of vanilla pudding on a wooden counter

I think the absolute best way to serve this pudding is chilled, but my family also enjoys it warm. I find the sweetness of the pudding really comes through once chilled. Either way you serve it, once you make your own pudding you will never go back to store-bought pudding mixes!

How to Store Leftover Homemade Vanilla Pudding:

Store leftover pudding in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Homemade pudding naturally develops a “skin” or “film” on top when exposed to air. This is harmless and can just be stirred back into the pudding.

If you prefer, you can press a piece of plastic wrap on to the top of the pudding. Keeping the surface of the pudding covered keeps the pudding from developing this film.

Printable Recipe Card: