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Sweets · American

Butterscotch Pudding

Brown sugar, butter and vanilla cooked into a silky stovetop pudding. One pot, one sieve, no box.

Hands-on
25 min
Hands-off
3 h 5 min
Total
3 h 30 min
Makes
4 cups (about 6 servings)
Serves
6

About 25 minutes at the stove, stirring the whole time, then about 3 hours in the fridge to set. Total = 25 min active + 185 min hands-off chilling.

  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • comfort-food
  • make-ahead
  • stovetop

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Butterscotch Pudding
Amount
Units

Ingredients

You need: large heavy saucepan · whisk · heatproof spatula · fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl · serving bowl or 6 small cups, ramekins or jars · plastic wrap or parchment

Contains: egg · milk

Method

  1. Set up the sieve

    Set a fine-mesh sieve over a medium bowl and keep it next to the stove. You'll need it the moment the pudding is done.

  2. Whisk the yolk base

    In the saucepan, off the heat, whisk 28 g (1/4 cup) cornstarch, 3/4 tsp salt, the 5 egg yolks and 107 g (1/2 cup) of the brown sugar hard for about 1 minute. It looks too thick at first, then loosens.

    Ready when: Smooth, slightly thickened and paler than when you started.

  3. Add milk, cream and the rest of the sugar

    Slowly whisk in the 454 g (2 cups) milk and 171 g (3/4 cup) cream until smooth, then whisk in the remaining 213 g (1 cup) brown sugar.

    Ready when: Smooth, with no streaks of yolk or lumps of sugar.

    Otto tried this firstOtto dumps all the milk in at once and gets lumps of yolk paste. Pour it in slowly while you whisk.

  4. Cook until it coats the spatula

    Set the pan over medium heat. Stir constantly with the heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom and corners, for 10 to 15 minutes.

    Ready when: The pudding is thick enough to coat the spatula where it touches the bottom of the pan.

    Otto tried this firstOtto wanders off to check his phone. The bottom scorches and the pudding goes lumpy. This step needs nonstop stirring.

  5. Bubble for 1 minute

    Switch to the whisk and keep whisking. When the first bubble bursts on the surface, whisk for 1 more minute. Keep it at slow, popping bubbles, not a rolling boil.

    Ready when: Thick, glossy, with slow bubbles popping across the surface for a full minute. The yolks are fully cooked at this point (well over 71°C / 160°F).

  6. Butter, vanilla, sieve

    Take the pan off the heat. Whisk in 85 g (6 tbsp) butter and 1 tbsp vanilla until smooth and shiny. Right away, press the pudding through the sieve with the spatula, then pour it into a serving bowl or cups.

    Ready when: Smooth and shiny, with the butter fully melted in.

  7. Cover the surface and chill

    Press plastic wrap or parchment directly onto the surface of the pudding so no skin forms. Refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.

    Ready when: Set and spoonable, cold all the way through.

Swaps

  • Instead of light brown sugar: dark brown sugar, same amount Bolder flavor and a browner color.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
Make it a day ahead: it needs about 3 hours to set anyway. Keep it covered in the fridge.
Storage
This is an egg-and-milk pudding: keep it covered in the fridge, don't leave it out for more than 2 hours, and eat it within 3 to 4 days.

If something goes wrong

  • Lumpy pudding Why: Cornstarch or yolk set in spots, often on the bottom of the pan.
    Press it through the fine-mesh sieve right after cooking. Next time stir constantly and scrape the corners.
  • Skin on top Why: Air touched the surface as it cooled.
    Press the wrap directly onto the pudding, not just over the bowl.
  • Runny after chilling Why: It didn't bubble long enough for the cornstarch to thicken fully.
    Next time wait for the first bubble and then whisk a full minute more.

Good to know

  • Serve with whipped cream.
  • For adults, a tablespoon of Scotch whisked in with the vanilla adds depth.

Safety

  • Thick pudding spits hot drops when it bubbles and sticks to skin. Use a long-handled whisk, keep your face back, and let kids help with the measuring rather than the stove.
  • Don't taste the mixture before it has bubbled: it contains raw egg yolks until then.
  • Egg-and-milk puddings belong in the fridge. Don't leave the pudding out for more than 2 hours (1 hour above 32°C / 90°F).