This is the best homemade vanilla or chocolate pudding recipe—a creamy, delicious treat that’s perfect for dessert or a snack, especially for kids! It’s incredibly easy to make with ingredients you already have at home! And with a few simple tweaks, you can enjoy it in vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter, or butterscotch flavors. No boxed mixes needed—just rich, homemade goodness in every bite!
Creamy Homemade Pudding – Easy Vanilla, Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Butterscotch Variations!
Why settle for store-bought pudding when you can make a rich, creamy, and delicious version right at home? This simple homemade pudding recipe starts with a classic vanilla base, and with just a few tweaks, you can turn it into chocolate, peanut butter, or butterscotch! It’s quick to make with basic pantry ingredients—no box mix needed, just pure, comforting goodness. Whether you enjoy it warm or chilled, this pudding is a foolproof way to satisfy your sweet tooth. Check out the easy variations in the recipe and customize it to your taste!
PrintThe BEST Homemade Vanilla or Chocolate Pudding Recipe!
This homemade vanilla or chocolate pudding recipe is easy to make and you can make it vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter or butterscotch! The basic recipe is for vanilla pudding and you’ll find easy variations in the instructions.
- Yield: Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
- Mix the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a 2 qt. saucepan.
- Add the eggs to the sugar mixture.
- Slowly stir in milk until combined.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils.
- Boil and stir 1 minute.
- Remove from heat.
- Stir in the butter and vanilla.
- Cool slightly.
- Pour into dessert dishes and chill.
To Make Chocolate Pudding
Stir 3 Tbsp. cocoa into the sugar-cornstarch mixture in the above recipe.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding
Stir 1/4 cup peanut butter into chocolate pudding. Omit butter or margarine.
Butterscotch Pudding
Substitute 2/3 cup packed brown sugar for the sugar and decrease the vanilla to 1 tsp.
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Mmmm. Yum! I absolutely love homemade pudding. The flavors always seem so much stronger and complex than the powdered mix stuff. It really doesn’t take very long to make, maybe 10 minutes. The longest part is the cooling. I am guilty of eating it warm though. This is also a wonderful recipe to use for cream pies. I have a small bit of left-over coconut left in a package, may have to make some coconut pudding for tonight’s dessert…super simple, just substitute coconut flavoring for the vanilla and add a handful of coconut to the basic vanilla recipe.
I watched you make this on YouTube and I went right into the kitchen and whipped up a batch. I can’t believe how quick and easy it was to make. My husband loves butterscotch pudding, so I made that version. It was seriously done in 5 minutes flat. Wow! I won’t ever buy it boxed again. I ate some warm and was blown away! I’m waiting for it to chill now, but I don’t know if I can wait that long. Thank you so much for sharing.
Making this right now with my daughter!!
Can’t wait to make this!!
Delicious. Thank you.
You are welcome Jill. So glad you liked it and thank you for letting us know.
Wanted to suggest egg yolks only. I found a recipe in an old cookbook copyright in 1969. They used egg yolks rather than the whole egg.
I made this and I’m thinking I did t stork we’ll enough. It was a bit grainy and had some lumps— I’m thinking the lumps were the eggs. Should I have mixed then better with the milk?
Tasted great though. I just need to practice on my texture.
Anna there are a couple of different things that could have made it grainy or lumpy. First it helps to use a whisk (I didn’t own a whisk for many years so ask me how I know this. :) ) another thing is when you mix the eggs into the sugar mixture do it right before you add it to the milk. Sometimes when you mix the eggs and sugar if it sits too long it can cause a reaction making it grainy and lumpy. Try this first and see if it helps.
I made the recipe and did not have enough sugar and substituted brown sugar. I also only used the egg yolks but i beat them with the milk. I mixed the sugars, cocoa, and corn starch and salt together well and added the egg and milk mixture with dry ingredients and stirred constantly and it turned out great. Best I have ever made. Will not use instant box pudding again.
I made this pudding. It was perfect and delicious and so easy to make. The easiest I have found! Plus, it had just the right amount of sugar! Not too overly sweet! I used the whole eggs and used a whisk the whole time, which made it smooth and creamy! A lot of recipes I’ve used call for using only the egg yolks but it turned out perfectly adding the 2 whole beaten eggs. If I wanted to make a chocolate pie with this recipe would there be any adjustments I would need to make being a pie might need to be a little firmer than pudding. I will be using this recipe from now on when I crave chocolate pudding. Thank you!
Thank you Shirley. I am so glad you enjoyed it. You can use it in a pie by just reducing the milk by 1/4 cup (use 1 3/4 cup instead).
I had a windfall, as someone gave me 4 half gallons of milk. I always make yogurt, and I was looking for other ways to use it.
This morning I made a batch of your waffles to freeze, and decided to try this recipe. I made the chocolate version. It is chilling in the refrigerator now. I tasted it, and it is a winner.
I also learned on your website that you can use sour milk, which is a great tip. I already knew you could freeze milk, so none of this milk is going to be wasted.
Excellent!
Hi,
This sounds real good. I have never made homemade chocolate pudding.
I have one question,
The cocoa you add, Is that cocoa power?
That is the cooking cocoa power that is usually very bitter from the can.
Yum
I usually make boxed pudding,but decided to make this because I had to use up some cocoa powder that was going to expire at the end of the month. Very easy to make and tasted ok,but not super creamy like the boxed stuff. Maybe it needs half and half and milk or some cream instead of all milk? I don’t know if I would use this recipe again though.
Can you double this recipe?
Yes you can
This is a delicious pudding.
we tried the chocolate and it was
perfect. Not too sweet
thanks
Glad you liked it Luann. You can adjust the sweetness in some of these recipes too if you ever need to.
just made it, and have mercy, it is just as good as my mommas homemade chocolate pudding aka chocolate gravy!! grew up eating this with saltines and will occasionally have with biscuits but my favorite is still just off the stove with salt shaken on top, AMAZING. Will be making butterscotch soon. THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH!
LOL Carrie I am so glad you are enjoying it. I shouldn’t laugh because I too get that excited when I find a really good dessert recipe. : )