Creamy Vanilla Pudding
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and NYT Cooking.
A smooth, creamy stovetop vanilla pudding thickened with cornflour and egg yolks and chilled until set.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Slurry. in the large bowl whisk the cornflour into 60 ml of the cold milk until completely smooth, then whisk in the yolks. Mixing the starch with cold milk first stops lumps.
- 2
Heat. warm the rest of the milk with the sugar and salt until steaming and small bubbles appear at the edge.
- 3
Temper. pour the hot milk slowly into the yolk mixture, whisking all the time, then pour everything back into the pan. Adding the hot milk slowly warms the yolks without scrambling them.
- 4
Thicken. whisk over medium heat until it thickens and the first bubbles break the surface, then keep whisking 1 min; it should read 82 °C or more. Cornflour only thickens fully once it bubbles.
- 5
Finish. off the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla, then press through the sieve.
- 6
Chill. divide between the bowls, lay baking paper on the surface and chill 3 h. Stir briefly before serving. Paper on the surface stops a skin forming.

Common mistake
A common mistake is stopping too early; the pudding must bubble, or it will go runny as it cools.
More from the cat
- Whisk all the time, reaching into the corners of the pan.
- Serve with whipped cream or fresh berries.
Storage
Keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Do not freeze.
Equipment
- large bowl
- whisk
- medium saucepan
- fine sieve
- silicone spatula
- instant-read thermometer
- 4 serving bowls
- baking paper
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 318 kcal |
| Protein | 7.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 40.2 g |
| of which sugars | 33.8 g |
| of which free sugars | 25.3 g |
| Fat | 13.8 g |
| of which saturates | 7.5 g |
| Fibre | 0.1 g |
| Salt | 0.56 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.3 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
