Basic Recipe for German Vanilla Pudding (Vanillepudding)

Creamy, delicious and versatile are all characteristics of a German Vanilla Pudding. For many, they are a fond childhood memory. Vanilla pudding (Vanillepudding) is not only one of the most popular desserts in Germany, but also a key base ingredient for many German dishes. 

When I was living in the UK, the lack of Vanilla pudding instant mixes stopped me making a lot of German recipes. I simply did not know how to make vanilla pudding from scratch. In hindsight, I scold myself for not checking out a recipe for homemade vanilla pudding earlier. The recipe is very simple and the ingredients are easy to get hold of. 

Let’s get started by diving into the background of German vanilla pudding. 

What is Vanilla Pudding? 

Vanilla Pudding is a thick dessert crème made from milk and thickened with starch. It is traditionally flavoured with a vanilla bean. Nobody knows when exactly the tradition of pudding started in Germany, but it is believed to be have a British influence. 

History of Dr Oetker Vanilla Pudding (Vanille Pudding) 

The production of the German pudding powder began in 1894 in the town of Bielefeld. The founder and pharmacist Dr. August Oetker started filling one of the first “instant pudding mixes” into paper bags. The mix was supposed to produce delicious pudding without having to add eggs. This brought pudding until then reserved for the rich, to the general population. 

Dr Oetker was not the only manufacturer who started producing instant pudding powder mixes. At the beginning the pudding was known as “„Stärkemus“ (starch mousse) and later  „Stärkepudding“ (starch pudding) with reference to the high volume of starch in it’s ingredients. 

The term “pudding” came from England, where it did not mean dessert at the time but was the name for a dumpling, consisting of bread, vegetables or meat.

The ingredients for Dr. Oetker’s pudding have not changed much in 130 years. The first two flavours were vanilla and chocolate pudding (which are still the most popular flavours today). Source Westfalen.blatt.de artle: Als Bielefeld »Puddingtown« wurde)

Uses of Vanilla Pudding in German Recipes

For Cakes

In Germany, you will find cakes with vanilla pudding filling everywhere. From Berliner donuts filled with pudding or little pastries called “Pudding Teilchen”. 

Vanilla pudding is one of the key ingredients for many German cakes. You can for example just spread it on top of a cake base – see my Strawberry and Vanilla Pudding Cake Recipe.  

Many German cake recipes, such as some German cheesecakes, use vanilla pudding as a stabilizer. 

For German Butter Cream

German butter creme is a popular cake filling that is made from butter, vanilla pudding and milk. Some of the most famous cakes like Donauwelle, Frankfurter Kranz or the Bienenstich cake is filled with this German Butter Creme.

For Dessert

There are various desserts that make use of vanilla pudding. For example it is great for layered desserts. I used my homemade rhubarb compote and layered it with vanilla pudding to create an easy but impressive dessert.

What else goes well with Vanilla Pudding

• Rhubarb compote 
• Fresh fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries and raspberries 
• Rote Gruetze (Red Berry dessert) 
• Hot cherries 
• Chocolate sprinkles or chocolate powder

How to make homemade German Vanilla Pudding from scratch

 Ingredients

• 1 vanilla bean (alternatively use 6 tsp of vanilla sugar or 2 tsp of vanilla extract)
• 500 ml / 16.9 fl oz whole milk (5% fat)
• 2 egg yolks (medium size)
• 40 g / 1.4 oz corn starch
• 20 g / 0.7 oz sugar
• 1 pinch of turmeric powder (optional for colour)

German Vanilla Pudding Recipe Steps

1. Slice open the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the vanilla pulp. 
2. Pour the milk into a saucepan/ cooking pot and place the vanilla pulp on top. You should also cook the vanilla bean skin as it has a lot of flavours. Start to boil. 
3. While heating the milk, place the corn starch and sugar in a bowl. Add the 2 tbsp of milk and two egg yolks and whisk to combine to a smooth mass. Make sure to whisk the mixture thoroughly as you do not want to have any clumps. (if you want to achieve a nice yellow colour add a pinch of turmeric. This will not affect the taste, just the colour).
4. Remove the vanilla bean skin from the milk.
5. Pour the cornflour mixture into the milk and quickly stir. Bring back to boil while continually stirring. The milk should thicken. Remove the pudding from the heat. 
6. Pour into pudding moulds or bowls and leave to cool.

Bonus Tips:

• To avoid a skin building on the cooked vanilla pudding, place a sheet of cling film directly on the top of your vanilla pudding.
• Do not discard the vanilla bean after boiling the milk. Leave to try and use for your homemade vanilla sugar.

Recipe Variations

By Ingredient

• Without Eggs: Corn-starch is enough to stabilize the pudding. You can just omit the egg altogether. The egg yolk does help the pudding to get its lovely yellow colour. You can just use a pinch of turmeric in your egg-less vanilla pudding.
• Without Sugar: For all those of you who follow a low-carb diet or don’t eat sugar, you can also use artificial sweetener. 
• Without Milk: Vanilla pudding can very easily be made with almond or soya milk. Just replace cow milk one to one with the milk of your choice. 
• Gluten-Free: Vanilla pudding is naturally gluten free, so you don't need to worry about this.

By Flavour

• Chocolate Pudding (Schokoladenpudding) – add 2 tbsp of cocoa powder to your vanilla pudding 
• Cream Pudding (Sahnepudding) – simply replace 150 ml / 5 fl oz of the milk with 150ml 5 fl oz stiff whipping cream.  

Homemade Vanilla Pudding Powder Recipe

Making homemade vanilla pudding powder is easier than you think. It is also free from any preservatives and a lot more environmentally friendly than importing products around the globe. 

I make my own and since then have not used any shop-bought pudding mixes. (even though I now live in Germany). 

Ingredients for homemade German vanilla pudding powder

• 240 g corn starch 
• 2 tsp ground vanilla bean (you can buy it - or make your own)

To make up the vanilla pudding with homemade powder:

Simply use 40 gr of the Vanilla Powder, with 20 gr sugar and 2 egg yolks. Mix to a smooth paste with 2 tbsp milk. Bring the 500 ml milk to boil and add the pudding mixture.