Almost Instant Pudding
Ah, convenience. That’s what we’re looking for when we pull a box of instant pudding off the shelf, right?
Who has time to stand over a stove and stir? Yeah, I thought so.
Still, whether because of food allergies, or food additives, some folks (like me!) shy away from using instant pudding mix. We like to choose the ingredients that go into our gluten-free recipes. Our own flavorings, sweeteners, and dairy products.
Enter the microwave
Now there’s a controversy. Some call it a necessity, others say it will kill you. If you’re part of the first group, you may love this recipe. If not, well, I don’t know what to say.
When you microwave the milk/sugar/cornstarch mixture, there’s no need to stir. Just mix it together, pop it in the microwave, and come back when it’s done.
Thus the name Almost Instant Pudding.
Cornstarch will easily mix with a small amount of cold milk, so you can use a “healthy” sweetener in place of the sugar without the fear of lumpy pudding.
PrintAlmost Instant Pudding
A delicious pudding without the hassle of standing at the stovetop. You’ll love it!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1-3 minutes
- Total Time: 6-8 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
Mix together with your choice of flavor variation (see below) and store in an airtight container.
To use: mix 2 tablespoons of mix with 1/2 cup of milk. More or less depending on the thickness desired. Microwave on high for 90 seconds, depending on your microwave, until thick.
Make sure you use a large enough cup/bowl!
Sugar-free method: mix the cornstarch with your choice of powdered sweetener, since the volume needed for each sweetener varies, you’ll need to adjust the mix-to-milk ratio accordingly.
Sweeteners such as stevia ad very little volume. In these cases, you’ll need to mix the pudding mix with a very small amount of cold milk to a kid lumps before all the milk is added.
Flavor variations:
- Vanilla – Add 1 teaspoon powdered vanilla to mix recipe. Alternatively, you can stir in a few drops of regular vanilla to each small batch after its cooked. For the entire recipe, use 1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.
- Chocolate – increase sugar to 1/2 cup, add 1/3 cup of cocoa.
- Caramel – use brown sugar In Place of white.
Enjoy!
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Would this mix work on the stove too? I’d rather stay away from the microwave if possible…
Yes, definitely. Although that obviously takes it away from being instant.
I *have* heard that you also don’t have to stir if you use a double boiler set up.
Could I use a dairy alternative for this recipe?
Yes, you can. It will taste different of course, but it will still work just fine as far as thickening goes. 🙂