DIY Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
Confession time. I really love the idea of making as much as possible from scratch. Not only do I know exactly what is in something, but 99.9% of the time, the homemade version contains significantly less processed ingredients (and usually none at all). From body scrubs to taco seasoning mix and hot chocolate mix, I’ve been working on transforming the convenience packages for homemade versions. The truth is, that the from-scratch versions of these things take literally minutes to make and are infinitely cheaper, not to mention healthier.
My search for a DIY instant pudding mix spun off of my search for a from-scratch version of a favorite family cake. The problem? The “recipe” was basically a box cake mix with a box of instant pudding and a few other ingredients. I knew I wanted to make the cake from scratch, but boy does that box of pudding do wonders to a cake, right? Makes it so moist and melt-in-your-mouth fantastic. I needed to somehow mimic those characteristics, when lo and behold, I actually found a formula for instant pudding mix!
Whether you want to make a cake that calls for pudding mix, banana pudding, an icebox cake or lush dessert, you’re going to love this DIY hack!
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I was able to throw this together in 5 minutes, and now I have a stash of instant pudding for whenever I see a recipe that calls for a mix. Not only do I not have to run to the store, but I can keep from-scratch recipes just that.
In addition to using it in your own recipes, this would make a great gift for the holidays. Maybe a basket of this, some homemade cocoa mix, homemade vanilla extract, and other goodies. I am working on a chocolate version as well, so stay tuned!
Now just wait until you see what I have up my sleeve. I think you’re going to love the cake that I used this mix in! It’s an oldie but a goodie, and reinvented to be completely homemade. Be sure to check back tomorrow!
If You Like This Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix, Try These Recipes:
- Banana Pudding
- Chocolate Pudding Recipe
- Best Butterscotch Pudding
- Pineapple Icebox Cake
- Grandma’s Icebox Cake
One year ago: Deviled Eggs
Three years ago: Pigu (Italian Gougeres)
DIY Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (96 g) cornstarch
- ¾ cup (96 g) nonfat dry milk powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 whole vanilla beans
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, milk powder, and salt; set aside.
- Split open the vanilla beans and use the back of a knife to scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds to the sugar mixture, and again whisk well to evenly combine, using a fork or the back of the spoon to break up any chunks of vanilla bean seeds. Cut the empty vanilla bean pods into two or three pieces each.
- Place the vanilla bean pieces into an airtight container or jar, and add the sugar mixture. Seal it, and then give it a few good shakes to distribute the vanilla bean pieces evenly. Store in a cool, dry place.
- To make pudding: Combine 2 cups of milk with ½ cup of the instant pudding mix in a medium saucepan over high heat, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, and then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer and continue whisking until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon (about 3 to 5 minutes). Let sit for at least 5 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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Hi there,
Could you please give me specs and price for Sugar free, fat free Vanilla and Chocolate Pudding mix? I need 500 kg
regards
Great recipe! I didn’t have vanilla beans (way too expensive) so I mixed the rest of the recipe and jarred it . When it was time to add the pudding to my strawberry/pineapple cake, I added the mix and 1-1/2 tsp of vanilla. It worked beautifully! I also like to experiment with new food ideas am thinking about trying this pudding recipe using dehydrated fruits.
Fantastic! We are allergic to milk so I used coconut milk powder instead. What a perfect recipe for those of us who have to make everything homemade!
I was wondering if you could add dried vanilla bean powder (organic) to this instead of the whole bean? Thoughts?
I am going to use dry vanilla powder (like the mix in at Starbucks) because I don’t have vanilla pods. The vanilla pudding I need is to mix in a cake so I don’t think it will be a problem.
How long can this be stored for? Looking to make some for long store.
How is this instant pudding if you need to cook it?
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. It works like a charm in place of the Jello instant vanilla pudding mix.I did sub arrowroot 1:1 for the cornstarch since I’m very allergic . Your
Recipe is a real lifesaver!
Perhaps the author should put a disclaimer or change the title, with all of the complaints below about having to cook the pudding. Cooking the pudding though, is not the purpose of this recipe. The purpose of the recipe, if you read closely, is to serve as a substitute for cake/cookie recipes which call for adding a small box of instant pudding in its dry form. I have a favorite recipe which calls for a box cake and a box of instant pudding as part of the dry ingredients – both though when purchased at the market are full of chemicals. This is a simple DIY sub which meets my needs of a clean product (substituting arrowroot for the cornstarch) Thanks for this.
Perhaps the author has no idea what she’s talking about! Worst recipie ever!!!!!!!!
Well I did not see any of your ideas .
I think is a great recipe. Cornstarch, does make the cake better.
In cs you do not know, the cake flour has cornstarch
I also think you are a very rude person.
Brillant, exactly what I thought. I only need the dry ingredients in a small box of commercial instant pudding. It is part of a list of ingredients for the recipe I am making. Not willing to run to the store to buy an expensive little box full of chemicals and enhancers, for an otherwise healthy, homemade cake. Thanks for sorting through the nonsense about that this isn’t Instant!!
But this isn’t instant pudding, it’s cook and serve.
It did not turn out even usable
Clearly this is not “instant’ pudding mix since it must be COOKED
If you read the first part it tells you how to make the instant dry form then it tells you how to make the drypudding mix into a cookedform , not that hard to figure out .
Completely not the point. We’re looking for instant recipes, and since the name is misleading, we’ve landed here from Google. The name needs changing because it’s not what it is. Also, certain recipes will explicitly call for INSTANT, not cook and serve, therefore, this is incorrect all around.
My goodness. I like to use the Jello brand cheesecake pudding mix in my box cake mixes because it gives it a really good and unique flavor to my cakes. Here lately there has been a shortage and I need a good alternative and I’m thinking this with a splash of cheesecake flavoring will do. I don’t understand why people are so confused as you clearly state it’s a DIY instant pudding MIX and not a DIY instant pudding.
Thank you for the recipe. I’m sorry you get so many negative comments. People need to relax and so being so mean. If you don’t like or agree with a recipe, just move on. I’m going to try it as other have as instant filing in my pumpkin pie.
neutral stars: You call it “instant” pudding mix, yet the directions say to “bring to a boil.” Instant puddings are NOT cooked. ???
I need instant pudding mix to add to a box cake mix or to add to the whipped cream frosting, can I use this as is or do I need to cook it and cool it first…… Either way is okay with me……???????
For cake mix you add it dry, for whipped cream frosting you make it but with less milk (I use half as much) and then chill it (I put it in a small bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and stir it every now and again). It works great for me! You can chill it while you are whipping the cream, but be sure to fold it into the whipped cream after you lighten the pudding part with a little of the whipped cream or it won’t stay as fluffy.
Zero stars because the recipe isn’t what the author claims it to be. This is just a cornstarch pudding recipe. Instant pudding uses a modified cornstarch that does not require cooking to gelatinize.
Agreed, truth does matter, but you have clearly missed the point.
The truth is anyone using this not-instant pudding mix in place of truly instant pudding mix (in any recipe that requires truly instant pudding), will fail.
The point of why the author devised this recipe is something clearly seen. The point of it being erroneously labeled (hence having the potential to ruin food creations for anyone that uses it as ‘instant’), is both worthy of nothing (and worthy of the author taking note and correcting the error).
Just made this mix… it is wonderful and easy
I wanted a recipe for instant pudding because I found a recipe to add a box of instant pudding to my cookies. I got tired of buying some
You can use this recipe for that. You don’t have to cook it to use it in a cake mix or cookies. I have done that. I don’t LIKE instant pudding, it does not taste good or have a good texture, plus I would just as soon steer clear of all the chemicals.
I’m confused. What do you do with the vanilla sugar? Does it get mixed into the pudding mix?
This is NOT instant pudding. It is COOKED pudding. Instant pudding requires NO HEATING. Just add cold milk and blend,then chill. THAT would be INSTANT pudding.
Exactly what I was going to comment! Cooked pudding and instant have a different texture when done. If I wanted the hassle of standing over a pot of milk and carefully laying plastic wrap on the finished product to prevent that nasty skin, I wouldn’t have searched “instant pudding”, I would have just searched “pudding”.
So, I’m not 100% sure if the author didn’t use it, or is she just forgot the modifier, but you want to use gelatinized cornstarch not plain (and maybe even 2 teaspoons of a carrageenan) for “instant” pudding. I get my stuff at a restaurant supply place down in Bayview; but if you don’t live near a shop like that I’m sure you can find it online.
Will this recipe work if substituting Stevia for the sugar?
Vanilla beans are very exoensine. Is it possible to add pure vanilla extract wh enough the pudding is finished?
Recipe is exactly what I was looking for. The dry mix will be incorporated into cookie dough recipe, and baked. But, I would like to delete the white sugar out of the recipe? Or reduce by more than half.
I mean, it’s not a bad recipe, but it’s not what you’re claiming it is. I’ve made lots of pudding from scratch, home cooked recipes. It’s not novel or difficult to get a recipe for homemade pudding, last time I checked. The unique thing about instant pudding is not having to wait for it to cool. That a pretty significant thing. Instant means no chilling. So just call this a recipe for homemade pudding-which there are many, but that’s what it is. It’s a pretty decent homemade pudding recipe. I was looking for a recipe for homemade instant pudding-for times you need it to be chilled at the stage when it’s liquid.
can’t be used for no bake recipes :(((
Wow, so many complaints about having to cook your recipe! I was just so happy to find something to add to cake recipes instead of the boxed stuff. These folks should watch Alton Brown’s episode with “Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix” that has to be cooked AND chilled for four hours.
Do you have a way to add different flavors to your basic vanilla mix (such as chocolate, caramel, banana, etc.) and still keep the mix shelf stable?
Hi Laura, I haven’t played around with flavors, but you might be able to try adding cocoa powder or crushing freeze-dried bananas. Not sure about the caramel, I’ll have to think on that one!
Thank you Laura for your comment – I felt the same way about the complaints. We all are looking for healthy alternatives to Jello Brand…… it is so wonderful we are able to share our creativity.
Happy cooking to all!
No, that is not what “WE ALL” are looking for. Some of us came here looking for what this recipe purports to be in its title – homemade INSTANT vanilla pudding mix. That would be what all the complaints are about. Completely valid complaints.
Thank you for figuring out the right proportions! I needed pudding powder for cheesecake recipe but I didn’t want to buy a German brand with artificial flavors. It worked, hurray! The only thing I changed was sugar, I put dextrose instead (like it was in a German brand package) .
this article is pretty garbage the texture and the flavor base is completely wrong honestly seems like this person just threw it together 5 minutes and didn’t even bother testing it for 1 if they wanted to actually make instant pudding mix they would have to use gelatinized starch and a small amount of ultratex for a smother texture and to completely get rid of the cooking step and for flavoring it is much better to use the whole bean sliced lengthwise and roasted in the oven you will notice when it is done because the aroma changes completely and become very intense then blend the entire bean into powder also the use of instant egg yolk powder is absolutely necessary in order to be able to make a full bodied flavor not to mention they are using basically 1/3 the amount of salt necessary and while vanilla is delicious i often find using just vanilla leaves any custard or pudding tasting hollow so id recommend adding a small amount of artificial vanilla to the sugar the night before and letting it dry over night then blend it the day after and also the Addison of a small amount of cassis and rum extract add a nice complexity
This isn’t instant pudding if you have to cook it! I am hoping it can be used in a recipe without cooking it!
Jello brand works well for your purpose.
This isn’t instant pudding. This is just a standard pudding mix. If it was instant, it wouldn’t need to go onto the stove…
Hi,
I’m sorry if this sounds harsh but this article is a waste of time. The title is misleading …… “Instant Pudding Mix” is a “no-cook” pudding powder.
(If you don’t believe me, please look for ” Instant Pudding” at your local supermarket or online.) This recipe is just plain old Pudding Mix & any cook who googles “diy instant pudding” like I did, is going to be annoyed at the misleading description & won’t return. That’s sad, because all it needs is the deletion of one word (instant)