Today, I am sharing recipes for three varieties of YUMMY Creamy Pudding! Just look at all these wholesome ingredients!
And…if you put all or some of those wonderful ingredients together…you’ll get these:
Aaaand…if you put all those three together…and put real whipped cream on top…you’ll get this:
Creamy Vanilla Pudding
2 1/2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup real maple syrup (grade B is best for you) or honey
4 Tablespoons arrowroot powder (or organic corn starch)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, egg yolks, maple syrup, arrowroot powder and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring CONSTANTLY until pudding begins to thicken. Stir over the heat for about 15 more seconds. Remove immediately from the heat, and continue to stir until pudding is creamy. (I use my whisk the whole time for stirring and find this works great!) Add butter and vanilla and continue to stir until mixed. Pour into serving dishes and serve warm, or chill for two hours and serve cold.
Butterscotch Creamy Pudding
2 1/2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
2/3 cup sucanat (dehydrated cane sugar juice…has a wonderful “molassasy” taste!)
4 Tablespoons arrowroot powder (or organic corn starch)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, egg yolks, sucanat, arrowroot powder and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring CONSTANTLY until pudding begins to thicken. Remove immediately from the heat, and continue to stir until pudding is creamy. Add butter and vanilla and continue to stir until mixed. Pour into serving dishes and serve warm, or chill for two hours and serve cold.
Chocolate Creamy Pudding
2 1/2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
2/3 cup sucanat or 1/2 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup cocoa powder
4 Tablespoons arrowroot powder (or organic corn starch)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, egg yolks, sucanat or maple syrup, cocoa, arrowroot powder and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring CONSTANTLY until pudding begins to thicken. Remove immediately from the heat, and continue to stir until pudding is creamy. Add butter and vanilla and continue to stir until mixed. Pour into serving dishes and serve warm, or chill for two hours and serve cold.
Oh, and just a couple of tips to make SURE your pudding is super good:
1. Enlist the help of an blond headed eight year old (or a close equivilent).
2. Be sure to have a short, cute taste tester on hand for quality control purposes. (I have some taller taste testers around here somewhere…guess they didn’t smell the “purding” cooking like the little guy did.)
I am willing to admit my ignorence, here… What is arrowroot powder? Is it similar to cornstarch?
Oh, I’m so glad you asked…I meant to mention something about that in the post! (I had never heard of it either until about two years ago!)
Arrowroot powder is similar to cornstarch and is a thickening agent…it’s just better for you than cornstarch.
I buy mine through my health food co-op…I’m guessing you could find it at a health food store..or maybe a regular grocery store. I’ve never checked at a regular store.
Hope that helps clear the confusion about what Arrowroot powder is!
Alot of stores now carry the arrowroot powder (in the organic/health/gluten free section). I’ve never used it yet. Since going gluten free, I’ve been learning about all kinds of new things. lol!
I’ll have to give this a try. Munchkin is very particular about pudding.
THANK YOU! I will be making these, with little helpers as well. :)
That little taste tester is the cutest littest taste tester I have ever seen. :)
YUM! I’m pretty sure I can find a taste tester around here if I look hard enough. (Or say the word chocolate!)
I didn’t realize rapadura or whatever is a liquid?
Nope, rapadura is a solid, like granules sort of. The liquids you see pictured are honey and maple syrup. The big plastic canister is the rapadura. Sorry, it’s hard to tell.
How many servings does it make?
Also, how many carbs and calories per serving?
4-6 servings, though I’m not sure on carbs and calories. :)
oooooooooh. I thought the cane juice was a liquid. ahahah no…thats why its dehydrated. :)
I’ll put my brain back on now. :)
These all sound yummy and a great way to have wholesome pudding! I had another sugar free day, so I have now completed three sugar free days, three days of exercise and three days of drinking water. I had so much energy today, I could barely contain myself!
I blogged about it just a bit ago.
I’ve gone “sugar free” since my diabetic Mom moved in. I’ve used Agave Nectar and stevia both & love them. Don’t care for the “alcohols”, they leave a strange aftertaste. I just found NewSweet which is all natural and works cup for cup like sugar. It’s fantastic for baking. Have you ever tried it?
Cheryl
I found NewSweet on the internet a while ago and love it too. You can use it to make anything you would have used white sugar for in the past. I mix in a little molasses if I want to use “brown sugar” in a recipe. Totally natural and plant based. A great find!
I just found your chocolate pudding recipe in the comments section of http://www.kellythekitchenkop.com. It is fantastic and was a hit with my kids and husband, all very picky pudding eaters!
Wow, I made the chocolate pudding tonight and it was wonderful! Thanks so much for the recipe. And I love that it’s all ingredients that we keep stocked in the pantry anyways. I can make it anytime for a special treat and not even have to plan ahead of time :)
I just made this and it is the best pudding I’ve ever tasted! We made the vanilla today, can’t wait to try out the other varieties! It is also very easy to make, I’d never made home made pudding before, and this was very easy!
I made your chocolate pudding this week and it was the.best.pudding.ever.!!!!
Ok…….I’ve opened up my last store bought box of cook and serve pudding. Next time, we will make this wonderful pudding. It’s nearly identical to my grandma’s recipe…..wholesome, and just plain good for you, not to mention amazingly tasteful!!
You can buy arrowroot powder for a little over $2/pound at herbalcom.com . Compare that with about $17/pound from Frontier!
Can you make this with corn starch instead of arrowroot powder? I have lots of corn starch in the pantry and my little $7 jar of arrowroot powder went really fast…
Yes…it will work fine with corn starch. I’m able to find arrowroot powder in bulk for MUCH less than $7/jar through my health food co-op. Not sure if you have access to something like that, but it would sure help with cost if you do. Hope your pudding turns out yummy!
also a question, could ‘corn’ starch activate allergies? anyone know?
Corn starch is generally made from genetically modified corn, which is why I avoid it or why it could activate allergies. HOWEVER, sometimes I use organic corn starch, which is not GMO, so I feel okay about using it then.
oops! posted this on the wrong comment!
You can buy arrowroot powder for a little over $2/pound at herbalcom.com . Compare that with about $17/pound from Frontier!
Why not use XYLITOL? Xylitol is the HEALTHIEST natural sweetener. It is WAY healthier than maple syrup and does NOT feed Candida or any other dangerous microorganisms. Xylitol is said to even PREVENT the growth of dangerous bacteria in the mouth, gut and vagina. Xylitol is the way to go for everyone who wants to stay away from sugar, not feed Candida and other types of microorganisms and bacteria.
Take one look at any article about how xylitol is made, and you will realize that there is absolutely nothing “natural” about xylitol.
The processes that make it are industrial and chemical in nature, and involve some caustic chemicals.
If I can’t get it from my garden or make it myself, I’m not interested.
Oh, I can’t wait to try these!!! I was just wishing for some healthy pudding recipes for my sons birthday on Tues!!! Now I can make a healthy cake, yes, I have a recipe for that, and add a pudding since we can’t have ice cream!!! I can make the pudding with almond milk. Thanks so much!!
I wonder if you could pour the pudding into an ice cream maker for a rich ice cream?
THAT sounds good!!
This pudding is soooo good! My son had his tonsils out a few days ago so I made the vanilla pudding for him and we all loved it. I actually used 1/2 maple syrup and 1/2 honey and it tasted like creme brulee pudding. YUM! Can’t wait to try the chocolate!
Just made the butterscotch variety. Splendid!!! You should re-post this recipe so it can get some attention! We’re going to use it as crepe filling tonight in celebration of finishing our homeschool year!
We are making this pudding now, the chocolate, and plan to put it into a graham cracker crust to eat as a chocolate pudding pie after dinner tonight. I even had the blonde-haired 8 yo to help me! Already we taste-tested it, and everyone agrees it is de-lish! Thanks a bunch. :)
We just made the chocolate pudding too and it was so good I didn’t want to let it cool down! :). My husband and boys love butterscotch too so I’m going to try that later this week!
This is a great recipe! I’ve used it a few times and really liked it. Last week I tried making fudgesicles with it and it turned out amazing:http://turn2thesimple.blogspot.com/2011/07/yummy-treat.html
Thanks!
I am totally going to do this – don’t know why I didn’t think of it before!!!
Does this keep well for several days in the fridge? I am planning on chilling it in 1/2 cup bowls for single servings throughout the week (or realistically, half the week…I don’t see it lasting that long–we’ll eat it!).
Yes, it will keep for at least a week or more – IF you don’t eat it first!
I was just wondering why grade B maple syrup is best for you? I’m going to try and cook this up tonight! Yum!
Grade A has been processed a little bit more to make it more “pure”, but it actually strips away some of the nutrients during that process.
Not sure where you got this info from, but it’s my understanding from the farmers who make maple syrup in our area, that the grade of syrup depends on when in the season it was harvested. The first sap makes lighter coloured and lighter tasting syrup (Grade “A” or “1”) and the sap that flows later makes darker, more heavily flavoured (and denser in nutrients) Grade “B” or “2” syrup. It does not depend on the processing.
YUM! I was wondering about a nutritious recipe for the puddings I grew up with, this sounds fabulous! Going to make it ASAP!
My husband will LOVE this! He’s always talking about the homemade pudding his mom used to make (you know, the kind with the “skim” on top, ick!) but now I can make him some yummy, healthy homemade pudding. I will NEVER buy those yucky pudding cups again, I just didn’t know there was a healthy alternative. Thanks again!
found this on google.COMMON NAMES: West Indian Arrowroot. BOTANICAL NAME: Maranta arundinacea. FAMILY : Marantaceae. PLANT DESCRIPTION. It is native to tropical South America. …
http://www.greenharvest.com.au/Plants/west_indian_arrowroot_info.html – Cached – Similar
I have been using arrowroot for 50 years. I grew up in Key West and my aunt introduced us to it. It add no ‘taste’ of its’ own but thickens beautifully any liquid you use it in. Stir like crazy tho and on low heat. Sometimes I add some to (the liquid I am cooking) after I cool it a little and stir arrowroot in and THEN add it back and stir like crazy with that whisk.
I’ve been wondering about arrowroot powder, too! Thanks for the info. Do you have a link or some info on WHY it’s healthier than cornstarch?
My understanding is that corn starch is generally made with genetically modified corn, so I had been using arrowroot powder instead. But, if you use organic corn starch, it’s just fine!
The cheapest source for arrowroot powder is herbalcom.com . (also knows as Ameriherb) They sell it for a little over $2/pound!! Compare that to $17/pound at Frontier!! Herbalcom is also cheaper on most other herbs/spices than Frontier. They don’t charge ‘shipping’, but do charge a flat ‘handling fee’ – $6.25.
Hi! I just attempted to make the chocolate pudding recipe tonight, and it just never quite thickened to pudding consistency. I followed the recipe and took it off the heat immediately when it started to thicken (I think), but it didn’t thicken any more after that. How long should it take? I am just stumped as to what I could have messed up…. it does taste good though :).
I just edited the recipe to say that once it begins to thicken, cook it for about 15 more seconds before removing it from the heat. I’m sorry about that – I don’t think my instructions were clear enough about that. It’s better to cook it just a tiny TINY bit more once it begins to thicken so that it can thicken all the way. Thanks for pointing that out so I could fix it. Glad it still tastes good!
Thanks for the clarification – I am definitely going to try it again! (I also have some whipping cream just waiting to top off a successful batch of pudding.)
Do the eggs get cooked enough during the cook time so they are safe to eat?
I am not sure how long it would take to thicken.
Thanks :)
Yes the eggs will be fine in this recipe. It takes somewhere between 7-10 minutes of cooking time for the pudding to thicken, depending on how high your heat.
Thanks so much, This will be our dessert for tonight and our craft for today :)
Thank you so much for the great recipe. I also remember those awesome pudding pops and Cabbage Patch dolls. Those were the days. I’m so excited I can relive them with my kids now that I know how to make pudding pops. Thank you so much!
We had to go dairy/soy free for our daughter and have found it to be healthy option for all of us. Pudding is something I miss, so I can’t wait to try this with a little vanilla almond milk-that might be a nice flavor!
Did you try this dairy-free yet? I’d love to hear the results! :)
So far we have made the vanilla flavor. It tasted supersweet! I just replaced the milk with vanilla almond milk and added an extra tbsp of cornstarch (since almond milk is thinner than regular milk). Can’t wait to try the chocolate!!!
Ashleigh
it was just a mess…I could only find arrowroot flour could that have done it? Could I have over cooked it didn’t ever seem to thicken…I am so frustrated with myself…
sigh~ have 2 batches of glue on my counter to hit the trash!
Aw, bummer – don’t feel bad – I burned our quesadillas at lunch today. How hard are quesadillas??! :)
Yes, arrowroot flour would be different than the powder. You could also use cornstarch to thicken if that’s easier to find! Hope it works out better next time!!!
What can I do with the egg whites?
I make coconut macaroons with them: https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/healthy-treat-for-today-coconut-macaroons
I just use 2 whole eggs in the recipe, it works great!
I just used your vanilla pudding recipe and added pureed pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and honey to taste. I poured into popsicle molds and now we have pumpkin popsicles!
I just made the chocolate and vanilla pudding and they both turned out great. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the recipes. I had a craving for banana pudding last week and was searching for a good, healthy homemade pudding recipe. I was asking a girlfriend of mine if she had a recipe and when she offered her favorite box flavor, she then raised her eyebrow when I told her I was looking for homemade :)
Just made a batch of the chocolate pudding. Once it is cooled off I’m going to mix it with some whipped topping to make chocolate mousse.
Made the chocolate …. Delish!!!!
could one use almond milk here? i’m trying to cut down on dairy lately!
i would LOVE to make this for my parents for dessert tonight!
I think almond milk should work. I’ve not tried it, although I have made this with coconut milk and it was great!
i ended up making the vanilla pudding with coconut milk. it was AMAZING. i used honey to sweeten it. also subbed tapioca starch for the arrowroot powder. we served it with berries for desserts throughout the week. -although, really, it didn’t last too long because i ate giant servings of it.
thanks for the awesome recipe, i hadn’t eaten pudding in years due to my grain-free diet!
if you have to go completely dairy free, do you think you could use coconut oil instead of butter?
Yes, you could. :)
anyone tried pudd-ing ( lol) coconut flakes in the pudding?! for like a coconut cream pie?
Just got done putting this in the fridge to cool…yes this took restraint. The little taste I took made the baby in my tummy do a little dance ;) I was a little skeptical about using arrowroot powder since when I’ve used it to make gravies my family has commented on it’s unique texture (read “slimy”..think Okra) I was however pleasantly surprised with the perfect texture. My only complaint is the strong taste of arrowroot powder. I make homemade pudding all the time, but I’ve always used cornstarch. After finding out how bad it is, I purchased some organic/non GMO from Azure…but I won’t get it til Tuesday and banana cream pie can’t wait so…I’m thinking that the chocolate version of this might have a stronger taste that would cover up the arrowroot taste. I’d like to try making it with beef gelatin instead, but as long as I have it, I’ll stick with the tried and true corn-starch. Guess I’m just a stick in the mud, but I miss the taste of my normal pudidng…we’ll blame it on the baby ::poor kid::
Arrowroot powder does not always cook the same as cornstart. Can’t remember for sure but seems like I made a chocolate pudding with honey (Sue Gregg Dessert Cookbook)and then tried to make the vanilla pudding – it was like it had “slime” in it. It went in the trash.
searching all over net for great pudding recipes. None were quite “right”. THEN I looked at your site! (silly me to not head here first) And not only is the vanilla pudding recipe PERFECT but you also have a butterscotch and chocolate version with it! I love you :)
I make banana pudding every year for Thanksgiving, but I use instant vanilla pudding in my recipe… It is my father-in-law’s favorite dessert& I am always required to bring it to every family event. I had to rush at the grocery store& got all ingredients but forgot instant pudding! So of course I go to pinterest to see if there are any recipes that are easy & that I had all ingredients (it’s almost midnight) and I found your recipe! It’s simple to make & I had all ingredients (had to use corn starch) but I doubted that it would taste as good as the instant, I’ve just made it & tasted it & it’s delicious! Pretty sure it’s better than the instant! So now I’m going to use the vanilla pudding to finish my banana pudding, hope my father-in-law likes it, will find out tomorrow! But thanks so much for putting this out there, truly a lifesaver for me tonight!!
Jennifer :)
The butterscotch flavor comes from using sucunat? I was reluctant to try arrowroot because there seems to be a notion that arrowroot and dairy equals slimy. Glad to see it doesn’t. I like the lower carbs that arrowroot has and my daughter needs gluten-free.
I’ve tried this recipe 3 times now. Last night being the 3rd time, and I used raw goat’s milk to make it. It thickens up on the stove nicely, but when I put it in the refrigerator overnight, it becomes runny again. Why? What am I doing wrong?
Hmm, I’m not sure what could be going wrong. Maybe try cooking it just a tiny bit longer (stirring the whole time, of course!) or maybe adding a little extra arrowroot powder?
My 11 year old made this and it came out wonderful. I made it and it came out gooey, kinda slimy. She asked me if I took it off the heat right after it started to thicken. I hadn’t. I left it on the burner for a minute or two after it started to thicken and let it start to boil. She didn’t even have to look back at the recipe to remember it and figure out what I did wrong. Curse and a blessing to have a child with near photographic memory. :) Definite blessing to have a daughter that loves to be in the kitchen.
So simple comment is: follow the directions and take it off the heat when it starts to thicken.
As usual excellent recipe that is easy and quick to make.
This chocolate is my favorite. So rich! I usually make my boys “popsicles” with leftover smoothies but I turned this pudding into a cold treat for them..they ate it right up!
Do you know if this recipe will work with non-dairy milk (ie coconut or rice milk)? Our daughter is allergic to dairy and soy; I would LOVE to make her some creamy, delish, non-dairy treats.
Just made this today using coconut milk- it came out great!
Yes, any form of non dairy milk will work great!
Hi, I have been making homemade pudding for over a couple years now, kinda have my own invented recipe after many pudding recipe mistakes. I have used soy milk and it has excellent results, but this year i tried almond milk for my recipe (which is almost identical to the recipe listed. Unfortunately the almond milk did not work FYI as all my ingredients started warming up, the pudding made with almond milk curdled and ruined final product! I am interested in trying the coconut milk though, that sounds like a yuimmy variation for me to try!
Could you use stevia, monk fruit or xylitol in place of the sugar and syrup?.
My daughter and I made this recipe tonight, and it was really delicious. I’m not sure if it’s because I had to use organic corn starch instead of arrowroot, but I had to keep it on the stove until it really thickened. Incidentally, is tapioca flour a good sub for arrowroot in this recipe?
My daughter’s birthday is in a month, and she is requesting Death by Chocolate.
Thanks for a great recipe!
I’ve never tried tapioca flour, so I can’t say for sure, but I would assume it would work well!
We are making this today to use up some milk that needs to find a quick purpose. My daughter was thrilled to read that a cute blonde headed 8 year old was part of the directions/helpful tips. :) She’s sweetly helping as it is now part of the directions!
So dairy free milk works but what would I replace the butter with to make it dairy free?
I was wondering the same thing…would Coconut oil work maybe?
Actually, just skip the butter altogether and you’ll be just fine. :)
My son is allergic to dairy and I use Earth Balance Vegan Butter Sticks for use in baking. Haven’t had any trouble using it. I would love to hear other options if anyone has any though! Oh, I get my “butter” at the local health food store.
Earth Balance is the BOMB for a replacement margarine type product, have used it for many years, although pricey, i use it for cooking, baking and on toast!!
Can you substitute anything for the eggs? I have a son who is extremely allergic to eggs. Maybe chia seed gel?
I’ve not experimented with subbing eggs in recipes, so I’m not sure. :)
How long does it take to thicken? I have has it on medium heat for about 20 mins (stirring constantly) and it hasn’t started to thicken.
It should thicken after just about 10 minutes at the most. Maybe higher heat?
I haven’t been able to have pudding in years, since I discovered my milk allergy, and had just given it up as something I would never be able to have again. But this, made with rice milk, is WONDERFUL! I made vanilla last time, and am in the process of making another batch of vanilla and a batch of chocolate as we speak. Oops, better get back to stirring! Just wanted to say how good it is, and thank you for sharing!
I just made the vanilla recipe but added about a 1/4 cup
Of pumpkin, some cinnamon, ground ginger, and nutmeg. I ended up adding 1 T more arrowroot mixed into 1/4 cup milk to thicken it, but it’s amazing. Oh my word, reminds me of my old German grandmother’s pudding from childhood. I sweetened with honey and its simply perfect!!! I’m eating it warm, the kid’s servings are cooling. So amazing, thank you for a great recipe!
Oooh, I was just wondering if I could make it ‘pumpkin’ thanks for doing it first!
We made this tonight- it seemed perfect after a chilly, drizzly day. It was WONDERFUL ! Thank you for sharing.
Hi, I was going to try these. Wondering on ingredients is t. for teaspoon and T. for tablespoon?
Yes, that is correct! I have edited most of my recipes to be more specific – glad to know that I need to fix this one too, thanks!
Could you freeze this into pudding pops? I loved these as a child & think my boys would too! Love a wholesome snack for them :)
You can! Here is the link for how Laura does it! https://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/homemade-pudding-pops-2
We made this last night with raw milk and everything else as called for…and it’s perfect. It’s great over sliced bananas!
I’ve just found a recipe for a banana pudding poke cake that sounds so yummy! They used banana flavored pudding poured over a plain (poked) yellow cake, cool whip spread over the top and crushed nilla wafers on top. I’ve made everything else from scratch before except the pudding. Do you know of any way I could make this pudding banana flavored? If I blended bananas into it, how many do you think and would it turn brown if not used quickly? Thanks for your website and help!
I am not sure of the best way to do that. I would think it might be good to just cut up bananas and put a layer of those between the pudding and the topping.
Any thoughts on how to adapt this recipe into a creamy banana pudding? My husband loves the instant banana pudding from the store, but I am not a fan of all the additives and yellow dyes! It would have to be perfectly smooth with no chunks though, he is a picky eater about texture! :)
I’d wait for a couple bananas to get over ripe, then blend them until smooth in a blender. Stir them into vanilla pudding and see how it goes!
Wow, this was great! Thanks for the recipe! I’ve tried before to make naturally sweetened puddings and they didn’t work, but this was perfect and loved by all:)
Can I use fat free milk or do I need to use 2% or whole?
I love whole milk best, but I think fat free should work. :)
Hey, FYI the (cooked/cooled) vanilla pudding works fantastically thrown into an ice cream maker and turned into ice cream, sans cream:)
Can I make the pudding recipe using Almond Milk? I have tried it with “packaged” pudding mix but it remains a little runny. Any help would be appreciated. Carol
I haven’t tried this myself, but I would imagine almond milk should work in this recipe!
Thanks for the great recipe! Just a note: 4T is the same as 1/4 cup :)
I used your vanilla pudding to make a banana cream pie. It was very good. So then I tried the chocolate pudding to make a chocolate cream pie! Both were a huge hit with my family and guests. Thanks so much!
Have. Loved this recipe for years! Tonight we added about a tablespoon of natural creamy pnut butter into the choc. Pudding version as it started to thicken. So yummy my kids said tasted like a reeses!