Homemade vanilla pudding
Real, silky vanilla pudding thickened with egg yolks, the kind that tastes like a bakery made it, and it’s naturally gluten-free.
- 140 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $0.88 a serving
- 310 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. Whatever’s left keeps for tomorrow.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 3 large eggs, yolks only
- 2½ cups milk
- 2 tbsp butter
From your pantry
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Each serving has about 310 calories, 10 g protein, 38 g carbs and 12 g fat, and costs about $0.88 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No butter? Ghee works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Separate the eggs, dropping the yolks into a medium and saving the whites in a covered container in the fridge.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Dolly’s tip: Crack each egg over a small bowl and pass the yolk between the shell halves, letting the white fall. A little white in the yolks is fine.Add the sugar, cornstarch and salt to the yolks and into a thick, smooth paste.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Slowly in the milk until smooth.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Cook over medium heat, constantly, until it and starts to bubble, about 7 to 9 minutes.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: It stays thin for a long time, then thickens all at once. Keep whisking, especially in the corners.Let it bubble gently for 1 minute more, still .
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Dolly’s tip: That full minute of bubbling cooks the yolks and sets the cornstarch, so it stays thick in the fridge.Food safety: Custards, puddings and pie fillings made with eggs are done at 160°F in the middle. Without a thermometer: on the stove, cook until thick and gently bubbling; in the oven, until a knife slid in near the middle comes out clean.
Take the pan off the heat and in the butter and vanilla until smooth.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Pour into 4 cups, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and , at least 2 hours, then serve cold.
Chill. Chilling means putting something in the fridge until it’s cold all the way through. No-bake desserts firm up as they chill, and chilled cookie dough spreads less in the oven.
How you’ll know: It feels cold in the middle, not just on top, and it holds its shape when you cut or scoop it.
Set. Set means food has firmed up from runny to holding its shape, from cooking, baking or chilling. Set eggs have no clear, runny white left, and a set pudding stays put when you tilt the dish.
How you’ll know: Tilt the pan or press gently near the middle: it barely wobbles, and nothing runs.
Timer: 120 min
Food safety: Food with mayonnaise, dairy, eggs, cooked meat or cream, like dips, salads and cream desserts, can sit out for 2 hours at most, or 1 hour above 90°F. Keep cold food in the fridge or on ice until serving, and hot food at 140°F or hotter.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop picks a dessert for treat night, puts what you need on the week’s grocery list, and walks you through each step.
