This Homemade Butterscotch Pudding recipe is one of the best desserts you will ever consume. It is sweet, creamy, and buttery with a caramelized flavor that will make you never want to make boxed pudding mix again.
My family loves to enjoy this butterscotch pudding right in the dish, but it also is excellent served up in a pie crust or Cream Puffs!
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🥣 The Underrated Dessert
I have always loved butterscotch. It rates right up there with caramel and salted caramel in my book. However, pudding just wasn't a dessert I thought of eating on it's own. It was more of an ingredient that came in a box for other recipes we made.
Then one day, as an adult, I was visiting my former 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Baker, who also happened to be Great Aunt to my husband. She was one of the best cooks I knew. Her chicken and dumplings could not be beat. Then she introduced me to her homemade Butterscotch Pudding recipe.
I fell in love. I will never forget that first bite. The creamy, buttery, sweet caramelized flavors of butterscotch came through. Butterscotch pudding jello doesn't hold a candle to this recipe!
👪 Serving Size
This homemade recipe for butterscotch pudding will serve 6 people.
🥘 Ingredients
- Whole milk and heavy cream is the combination that will make this butterscotch pudding creamy and rich and absolutely delicious.
- Cornstarch and egg yolks are the thickening agents for this recipe.
- Dark brown sugar and water are the magic ingredient that will give the this dessert the caramelized butterscotch flavor. Light brown sugar will work also, but dark brown sugar deepens that caramel flavor.
- Unsalted butter and vanilla extract are added to enhance the butterscotch flavor.
- Scotch, rum, or bourbon are an excellent but optional addition to the flavor of butterscotch. My favorite is scotch and if you haven't tried it in pudding, I highly recommend it.
- Whipping cream and bits of brickle for topping the butterscotch pudding are also optional but add a nice touch to the finished product.
🍽 Equipment
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Heavy duty saucepan. I like to use this 1.5 quart saucepan. The thick bottom aids preventing scorching.
Hand whisk. I use a hand whisk every single day and for this recipe I recommend this sauce and gravy hand whisk. It is made especially for making this type of recipe.
Serving dishes. These dishes aren't a requirement as you can use any dish in your cabinet that suits your need to serve up this pudding. But, having said that, these dessert dishes are elegant. I love to use them when serving homemade butterscotch pudding for special family dinners.
🔪 Instructions
This homemade butterscotch pudding is made in a few very simple steps. The ingredients are whisked together in two separate steps, then combined at the end.
Step 1:
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch until well combined. Set aside.
- In a 4 cup measure, stir together the milk and heavy cream. Set aside.
Step 2:
- Add the brown sugar, water, and salt to a medium sized heavy duty saucepan Cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and begins to bubble. Continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning.
- Slowly whisk the milk and heavy cream into the brown sugar mixture.
- Continue to cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to boil.
Step 3:
- Remove ½ cup of the milk mixture from the saucepan and whisk into the egg yolk mixture until fully incorporated.
- Slowly whisk the egg yolk mixture back into the milk mixture. Turn the heat down to low and continue to whisk as the pudding bubbles and thickens. Cook for 1 minute while continuing to stir.
- Remove the pudding from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
💭 Top Tips
- The milk and heavy cream will spatter and sizzle when adding it to the brown sugar mixture so it is important to add the ingredients slowly and carefully.
- Be sure to whisk constantly when adding the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
- Whisk constantly when adding the egg yolk mixture back to the milk mixture on the stove.
- To prevent a skin from forming on top of the pudding, I like to place plastic wrap over the top of the pudding, making sure it touches the pudding.
👩🏻🍳 FAQs
Moisture from condensation build up during the cooling process can cause the pudding to become runny. This is why I like to put plastic wrap right on top of the pudding itself. Be sure to smooth out any pockets of air between the pudding and plastic wrap to prevent condensation.
Curdling happens under two circumstances. Either the eggs were not at room temperature when adding to the hot milk, or the hot milk was added too quickly to the egg mixture.
Either the egg mixture was cooked too fast or too long. A solution can be to use an immersion blender to work out the lumps.
Butterscotch flavor comes from using brown sugar where caramel uses granulated sugar.
📖 Variations
- Make a chocolate pudding and layer between chocolate and butterscotch in the serving dishes.
- Substitute light brown sugar for a less prominent caramel flavor
- Top the pudding with whipped cream and then sprinkle with dark chocolate shavings, toasted pecans, or dust with espresso powder.
- Bake a chocolate or vanilla sheet cake and poke holes over the surface of the baked cooled cake. Spread the pudding over top of the cake and add a layer of cool whip.
📚 Related Recipes
If you love deep rich caramelized butterscotch flavors and I especially love these Butternut Squash Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting. Below are more recipes that have that addicting butterscotch taste.
*If you made this recipe, please give it a star rating*
📖 Recipe
Homemade Butterscotch Pudding
Ingredients
- 1½ cups whole milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon scotch, rum, or bourbon (optional)
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch until well combined. Set aside.
- In a 4 cup measure, stir together the milk and heavy cream. Set aside.
- Add the brown sugar, water, and salt to a medium sized heavy duty saucepan Cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and begins to bubble. Continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning.
- Slowly whisk the milk and heavy cream into the brown sugar mixture. Continue to cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to boil.
- Remove ½ cup of the milk mixture from the saucepan and whisk into the egg yolk mixture until fully incorporated.
- Slowly whisk the egg yolk mixture back into the milk mixture. Turn the heat down to low and continue to whisk as the pudding bubbles and thickens. Cook for 1 minute while continuing to stir.
- Remove the pudding from the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes. Add the butter and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. Refrigerate at least 4 hours prior to serving.
Notes
- The milk and heavy cream will spatter and sizzle when adding it to the brown sugar mixture so it is important to add the ingredients slowly and carefully.
- Be sure to whisk constantly when adding the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
- Whisk constantly when adding the egg yolk mixture back to the milk mixture on the stove.
- To prevent a skin from forming on top of the pudding, I like to place plastic wrap over the top of the pudding, making sure it touches the pudding.
Ann
There are no salt measurements. No instructions for adding the butter. Help !
Shelby Law Ruttan
Hi Ann, sorry about that. It has been fixed now.
kim
yum, your pudding looks delicious and pretty! love the whipped cream topping. i enjoyed it too 🙂
happy new year!
Lynnylu
Great looking pudding! I like the whipped cream topping.