Eggless Vanilla Pudding Recipe | Four Ingredients Pudding Recipe

You know the pudding mixes and custard packets you get from the store to make vanilla puddings or fruit custards?  Do you know what ingredients the packs contain?

Cornstarch, salt, artificial vanilla flavor, modified substances, thickening agents, all sorts of preservatives, and food colors, to which you have to add milk and sugar until the custard or pudding reaches your desired creamy consistency.

Easy Vanilla Pudding Recipe

Now looking at those ingredients, if you do not have a ready-made pudding mix or if you do not want to use a store bought packet of custard powder full of chemicals, preservatives, artificial flavors and coloring – do you think you can easily make the simple vanilla pudding or basic vanilla custard at home?

YES.

All you need are FOUR basic ingredients that can be easily found at home.  That’s right, this is an easy, only four ingredient, eggless, no-bake vanilla pudding recipe: milk, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract is all you need.  These are the same ingredients with which you can make Fruit Custard by making a creamy consistency of the mixture, adding saffron for color, letting it cool down and adding various fruits.

Recipe for eggless no-bake vanilla pudding

After experimenting with different proportions of various pudding recipes, I have come to the conclusion that butter and salt are not required for this eggless vanilla pudding, and that quantity of sugar is flexible (depending on how sweet you like).

But cornstarch depends on quantity of milk – if you add less cornstarch, you have to stir longer and the pudding does set but becomes more of a creamy texture.  Whereas if you add a little more amount cornstarch you have less stirring work to do and as you scoop the chilled vanilla pudding you will see it holds onto its wobbly shape.  So it depends how you like it.  In this vanilla pudding recipe, feel free to use 1½ Tbsp cornstarch or stick to 1 Tbsp but stir the mixture longer until thick and creamy.

Simple vanilla pudding with simple garnish

Eggless Vanilla Pudding Recipe | Four Ingredient Pudding Recipe

Makes 1 cup – serves 8 with 2 Tbsp pudding each, serves 4 with ¼ cup each, or serves 2 people with ½ cup pudding each

Ingredients for Eggless Vanilla Pudding

1 cup milk (cold or at room temperature)

1 Tbsp cornstarch (aka corn flour)

1½ Tbsp sugar (regular white / granulated sugar)

¼ tsp vanilla extract

How I make this Basic Eggless Vanilla Pudding:

Whisk milk + cornstarch + sugar together inside a medium heavy-bottom saucepan (no need of extra bowls to wash), mixing well so there are no lumps.  Then place the saucepan on medium heat and keep stirring the mixture continuously, scraping from the sides of the pan, so that lumps do not form at all.

Q: Why you should not heat the saucepan and then pour the mixture in? ... A: Since cornstarch blends well in a cold liquid mixture, as we have mixed it well with milk, pouring into a hot saucepan will cause it to form lumps right away.  It is easier to mix ingredients in the saucepan and then put it on heat.

How to make eggless vanilla pudding

Once the mixture starts to get a little thick, continue stirring on medium-low heat.  When the mixture becomes a little thicker like a paste consistency, thick enough to coat back of the spoon but not thick like cake batter, mix in the vanilla extract well and remove from heat.  Remember that as the pudding chills in the refrigerator it will thicken up and set more.

Q: Why should you adjust the temperature? ... A: Once the cornstarch starts to thicken the mixture on a medium or high heat, it starts to react fast as it heats and thickens up, which could form lumps quicker or the mixture burning faster at the bottom of the pan.  It is easier to control the thickness on a medium-low to low heat.

Easy make ahead dessert recipe - vanilla pudding

Take your glasses or cups you want to set your pudding in (rinse insides of your glass lightly with water and pour out the water).  Pour the vanilla pudding mixture in your glass, tap the glass gently so no air bubbles form, let the pudding cool down a bit, then cover with a cling wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for minimum 4 hours. You can make this vanilla pudding almost 3 days in advance. In case lumps form, just use a tea strainer to filter and discard lumps and use the smooth pudding paste to pour into your serving container.

Q: Why should you rinse the serving container with water before pouring the pudding in?... A:  Because after your pudding sets and you are ready to eat, the pudding slides easily out of glass instead of sticking to the glass if you rinse with regular water first.

And that’s it.

Basic Vanilla Pudding or Vanilla Custard Recipe from scratch using easily available ingredients at home

Garnish your eggless vanilla pudding with whole berries, slivered and roasted almonds or cashews, candied walnuts or pecans, sliced or chopped strawberries, chocolate or fresh fruits, or anything you wish!

Enjoy. 

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