22 Easy Homemade Pudding Recipes That Are So Much Better Than Store-Bought (2024)

Banana pudding is one of our all-time favorite desserts. It's a classic Southern recipe, and for good reason; luscious layers of pudding, whipped cream, ripe bananas, and wafer cookies are completely impossible to resist.

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If you’re looking to up your brownie game from fudgy to rich, melt-in-your-mouth goodness, then you’re gonna have to try this recipe. It’s got all the traditional brownie ingredients, but has a fun twist: This version is made with Baileys, both in the batter and in the whipped cream, so you can think about St. Patrick’s day all year round. It’s just too good to have it only once a year.

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This rich, custardy dessert is a guaranteed hit at any gathering. It's one of our favorite ways to transform stale bread into a versatile and (most importantly) easy dessert. We love challah for it's subtle sweetness and light, airy texture, but any [stale] bread will do.

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Chia seeds might sound intimidating, but in reality, they couldn't be easier to whip up into a delicious, customizable breakfast. Not only do chia seeds pack in the health benefits, but once mixed with milk and refrigerated, they turn into the most delicious, creamy pudding that only requires 5 minutes of prep time.

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Making pudding from scratch is surprisingly simple and so satisfying. With little effort—and butter, and chocolate—you'll have a rich serving of luxury right in your own home. It's the perfect make-ahead dessert for dinner guests or just a nice little treat to have in your fridge on a Wednesday night.

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On a brisk fall day, there’s nothing better than a bowl of apple bread pudding. Filled with juicy caramelized apples and finished with a crunchy turbinado sugar topping, this warm and comforting dessert is practically the definition of fall comfort food.

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Traditionally a date-studded sponge cake topped with a rich toffee sauce, it’s the perfect dessert for holiday meals or special occasions. Even if you’re not a date fan (and we get it, they’ve got a bad health food rap), trust us—they bring a lot of molasses-y sweetness to the cake and help keep it light and moist.

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While we'll always adore straight up banana pudding, we also can’t get enough of turning the delicious flavor combination into other crowd-pleasing desserts, from cheesecake to cookies to dessert lasagna. But, when we’re craving the staple dessert in the summer, these banana pudding pops are the bite-sized treat we turn to. A simple frozen dessert, these refreshing pops couldn't be easier to make. With only 15 minutes of prep, the hardest thing about this recipe is waiting for them to chill—we guarantee it. 😉

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In Mexican culture, capirotada, or Mexican bread pudding, is a popular casserole-style dish that evokes religious significance during the Easter holiday. The ingredients are symbolic of Christ, his body, his blood, the cross, the nails on the cross, and the holy shroud. The result? A delightfully sweet-savory hybrid bread pudding that is ideal when drizzled with a spiced syrup.

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We think rice pudding is wildly underrated. Often put in the category of boring vintage desserts along with Jell-O molds and homemade pudding (another fave of ours), it's too easy and too delicious to fall out of style. This classic recipe is ripe for improvisation—try it with raisins or your favorite dried fruit, toasted nuts, or a fresh fruit compote. For vegan and dairy-free folks, try it with coconut milk!

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Dirt pudding (aka dirt cups) is a classic kids recipe that everyone should know how to make. Using crushed Oreos to mimic dirt and garnishing with gummy worms might sound kind of silly, but the truth is this: This creamy and indulgent layered dessert tastes ridiculously good, is incredibly easy to whip together, and is equally as fun to make as it is to eat.

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A homemade vanilla pudding is the perfect dessert. It feels old school but it's a throwback that everyone loves. Our pudding is made with vanilla beans and extract for a vanilla flavor that isn't lacking. It's simple and easy to make ahead for a no-fuss, no-bake dessert. What's not to love? Try our chocolate pudding out too!

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This silky smooth sweet potato pudding is a lighter, simplified cousin of sweet potato casserole without the topping or crust. It's essentially the filling of sweet potato pie with an optional whipped cream or marshmallow fluff topping. No crust or crimping fuss required!

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To give this a special spin, we made pudding from scratch. It’s hard to match the boxed stuff, so whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk give it the richness we were after and vanilla bean enhances the flavor. The result is heavenly, almost ice cream-like. Make it the night before, then enjoy it cold, right out of the cooler. Mom would definitely approve.

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We've all had carolers demand for us to bring them some figgy pudding, but have you ever wondered what that actually was? If so, let us introduce you to the classic British Christmas dessert. This steamed cake is super-moist and filled with a warming combination of spices guaranteed to make your kitchen smell like the coziest place imaginable.

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Chocolate pudding pie is a rich, chocolate-y dessert that won't stick out on your holiday dessert table. Plus, it's crazy easy to make. Even with homemade chocolate pudding! Sweet and buttery graham cracker crust + chocolate pudding + plenty of whipped cream = a luxurious pie even a pie-hater would enjoy.

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Christmas pudding might not be the dessert you make every year, but we are here to suggest you start! This one is gluten-free, which will help give you a break from all of the heavy (but delicious) desserts on the table. Full of dried fruit and nuts and topped with a brandy sauce... what's not to love?

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This dessert is peanut butter overload in the best way possible; layers of whipped cream, Nutter Butters, peanut butter, and vanilla pudding that's then topped with Butterfingers?! If you love this, you gotta try our s'mores dessert lasagna next.

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During the fall we look for every single way we can use pumpkin. Our easy bread pudding was basically begging to become pumpkin-fied. Mixing pumpkin puree into the egg base makes this a fall treat worthy of your Thanksgiving table or even your brunch table.

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Bananas, all about 'em. Pudding, love it. Lasagna… wait, what? Stay with us! It’s true that this isn’t a true Italian lasagna, with layers of pasta, sauce, and cheese. Instead, we’ve layered Nilla wafers, cheesecake filling, and bananas into the perfect no-bake dessert to make for a crowd.

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