Homemade Vanilla Pudding Cups that 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

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.

left side is a picture of ingredients for vanilla pudding, top right picture is a pot of ingredients for vanilla pudding, and bottom right picture is of a pot of vanilla pudding

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.

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.

jar of vanilla pudding with rainbow sprinkles on them

More pudding recipes:

If you’ve tried this Homemade Vanilla Pudding recipe or any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and 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 on Instagram so I can repost on my stories AND add your photo to your comment so that other can see your creation.

Homemade Vanilla Pudding Cups

Author: Melissa Griffiths- Bless this Mess
Total Time: 12 minutes

Print Recipe

Description

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!

Ingredients

Scale

¾ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon salt
3 ½ cups half-and-half
3 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

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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.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Stove
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 149
Sugar: 7.1g
Sodium: 220mg
Fat: 6.2g
Carbohydrates: 15.1g
Protein: Protein
Cholesterol: 104.9mg

Keywords: pudding recipe, vanilla pudding recipe, homemade pudding, homemade vanilla pudding, how to make pudding, easy dessert recipe, easy dessert recipe few ingredients, easy homemade dessert

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I know you’ll love these Homemade Vanilla Pudding Cups for a dessert, after school treat, or just for fun!