Homemade Vanilla Pudding {Honey Sweetened}
Creamy, smooth homemade vanilla pudding sweetened with honey instead of sugar. We love this homemade vanilla pudding warm or cold, plain or dressed up with whipped cream or a fruit topping. It is also delicious served with cake instead of frosting.
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk divided, see note
- ¼ cup raw honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch see note
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
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Heat 1 ½ cups of the milk and the honey in a medium-sized heavy-duty saucepan over medium low heat until bubbles just start to form around edges (about 3 to 5 minutes).
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In a separate medium heat-proof bowl add the remaining ½ cup milk and salt. Slowly whisk in the cornstarch until mixture is smooth without lumps. Then gently whisk in egg and set aside.
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When milk/honey mixture starts to bubble around the edges, remove from heat and very gradually add it to the cornstarch mixture in the bowl. Whisk quickly and continuously as you slowly pour it in, so that no lumps form.
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Return the mixture back to the saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly with a whisk until it comes to a simmer and begins to thicken (about 4 to 5 minutes). Then cook for one minute longer. Bubbles will pop at the surface of the thickened pudding.
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Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and butter. Strain pudding through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps or pieces of cooked egg, if desired (see note).
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Serve pudding warm or cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface to avoid getting a skin on the pudding. Then refrigerate until chilled.
Recipe Notes
1. I usually use whole milk in this recipe, but it is also delicious with half and half or part milk/part cream. We have also made this with canned or refrigerated coconut milk (for dairy free) and it gives a yummy coconut flavor to the pudding. You can also try almond milk. The butter can be omitted in the dairy free variations.
2. You can substitute ¼ cup all-purpose flour in place of the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
3. Straining the pudding is optional. As long as you whisk quickly when you add the hot mixture to the egg mixture you should be able to avoid the lumps and cooked egg pieces. If you are super picky about a smooth texture, go ahead and strain the produce the smoothest, creamiest pudding ever.
3. For a no-sugar whipped cream topping, beat heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Then flavor it with a little vanilla extract and a bit of agave or pure maple syrup. We’ve tried flavoring the whipped cream with honey but since our raw honey is usually crystallized it gets kinda clumpy and doesn’t work quite as well.