Homemade butterscotch pudding is underrated, yet unbelievable. In this recipe, you’re combining the outstanding flavors of caramelized brown sugar and butter with vanilla and a splash of bourbon. This butterscotch pudding recipe is luxuriously creamy, velvet-rich, and totally unforgettable with salted caramel and fresh whipped cream on top.
The work is cut out for me today as I have to twist your arm into trying TWO underrated desserts. First, butterscotch. Often overshadowed by chocolate, peanut butter, lemon, and every other flavor on the planet, butterscotch quietly sits in the corner until it’s noticed. Second, pudding. Normally pudding is as exciting as watching paint dry; a majority of dessert lovers don’t give it the time of day.
But let’s take a moment to appreciate both. Homemade butterscotch pudding is in its own playing field. In 1 pot, we’re combining caramelized brown sugar and butter with a splash of vanilla and bourbon. Butterscotch pudding is luxuriously creamy and velvet-rich. Top with salted caramel, fresh whipped cream, and toffee bits for a truly unforgettable dessert.
And the best part? Box mix pudding is not invited to this party!
Oh, and if you’re ever in need of gluten free dessert recipes, this one fits the bill. Win!
Guess what? Butterscotch pudding is actually making a comeback. LA’s restaurant Pizzeria Mozza has been all the buzz lately because it serves up an iconic dessert: butterscotch budino. (Budino is Italian for pudding-like desserts.) Reading about it, as my mouth totally salivated, inspired today’s recipe.
Video Tutorial: Butterscotch Pudding
How to Make Homemade Butterscotch Pudding
Instant box pudding mix has skewed our perception of what real pudding actually tastes like. It’s much creamier and smoother, close to creme brรปlรฉe. And it’s easy to make! If you’ve made banana cream pie, coconut cream pie, mocha chocolate pudding pie, or homemade dirt pudding, you’ll be familiar with the process. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you know how to stir, you know how to make pudding.
- Combine whole milk and heavy cream. Heavy cream is the secret to REALLY GOOD pudding. Thin it out with whole milk so the pudding isn’t overly thick.
- Combine egg yolks and cornstarch. They thicken the pudding to the best consistency.
- Cook brown sugar, water, and salt together. You are essentially caramelizing the brown sugar on the stove. It’s the most important step in the entire recipe because it develops the butterscotch flavor. Without it, you’re eating brown sugar pudding, not butterscotch pudding.
- Slowly add the milk/heavy cream to the pot. The colder the milk, the more the pot will sizzle. Add it carefully, then bring to a boil.
- Add the egg yolk mixture to the pot. Temper it first by adding some of the boiling pudding to the egg yolk mixture, then pour it all back into the pudding. You can watch me do this in the video above. The purpose of tempering is to slowly raise the egg yolk’s temperature without scrambling them. It’s very simple.
- Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients. You need butter, vanilla extract, and bourbon, rum, or scotch. Softened butter keeps the pudding creamy and the last 2 are for flavor. You won’t regret the splash of alcohol!
This is a 10 minute recipe. Add each ingredient to the pot in different stages, then let the pudding cool and thicken. Your 10 minutes of work will be certainly be rewarded!
Ingredients in Homemade Butterscotch Pudding
You only need a few basic ingredients for stovetop butterscotch pudding.
- Whole Milk
- Heavy Cream
- Egg Yolks
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Dark Brown Sugar
- Salt
- Butter
- Vanilla Extract and Scotch or Bourbon.
My #1 tip: Use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar. In my recipe testing, I found light brown sugar to be good, but dark brown sugar is great. The sugar cooks into a darker color and the butterscotch flavor is much more intense.
What Does Butterscotch Taste Like?
My love for butterscotch runs deep. Deeper than peanut butter, deeper than apple pie, deeper than sprinkles. But what does butterscotch taste like? Butterscotch is like caramel, but its base is brown sugar, not regular white sugar. Therefore, butterscotch has that richer, more complex flavor than caramel. You’ll love it in my butterscotch pie, too. And I actually have a homemade butterscotch candy recipe in Sally’s Candy Addiction! They’re called Butter Rum Hard Candies on page 27.
Speaking of caramel, this butterscotch pudding is elevated to heaven with a generous dose of salted caramel and crunchy toffee. Homemade whipped cream is a convenient finishing touch since you already have heavy cream on hand for the pudding, or you can try hot fudge. But these toppings are optional. Truly all you need is a spoon to enjoy this stuff!!
PS: I serve the pudding in regular cups and/or these French wine glasses. So fancy!
Print
Homemade Butterscotch Pudding
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 10 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This butterscotch pudding comes together in about 10 minutes on the stove. In this recipe, you’re combining the outstanding flavors of caramelized brown sugar and butter with vanilla and, if desired, a splash of bourbon. This butterscotch pudding recipe is luxuriously creamy, velvet-rich, and totally unforgettable with salted caramel and fresh whipped cream on top.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) whole milk
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed dark brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional but recommended: 1 Tablespoon scotch, rum, or bourbon
- optional for topping: salted caramel, Heath Bar toffee bits, homemade whipped cream
Instructions
- Whisk the whole milk and heavy cream together. Set aside. Whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch together. Set that aside too. Have both ready to go in step 3.
- Whisk the brown sugar, water, and salt together in a medium heavy duty saucepan over medium heat. Without stirring, allow to cook and bubble until darker brown, about 5-6 minutes. It should begin to smell caramelized at that point. If desired, you can take the temperature with a candy thermometer to be certain it is ready. Look for around 240ยฐF (116ยฐC).
- Slowly and carefully whisk in the heavy cream/milk. It will sizzle and may splatter, so pour in slowly. Cook on medium heat until mixture begins to boil. Once boiling, remove about 1/2 cup of the mixture and, in a slow and steady stream, whisk into the egg yolks. Keep those egg yolks moving so they donโt scramble. In a slow and steady stream, pour and whisk the egg yolk mixture into the pot.
- Turn the heat down to low. The pudding will immediately begin to bubble and thicken. Whisk and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the butter until completely smooth, then add the vanilla and bourbon.
- Cool for 5 minutes, then pour into serving glasses or bowls. Cover tightly with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding (to prevent a skin from forming) and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight until chilled and thickened.
- Serve with optional toppings. Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Medium Heavy Duty Saucepan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Candy Thermometer (optional) | French Wine Glasses (or regular bowls for serving)
- Whole Milk + Heavy Cream: I strongly recommend these two. You can try subbing both for the same amount of half-and-half, but I recommend sticking to the recipe for best results. Lower fat alternatives will yield a thinner pudding. I haven’t tested dairy-free alternatives, but let me know if you do! Milk and cream can be cold or room temperature, but the colder they are, the more they will splatter when added in step 3. To avoid a mess, room temperature is the better choice.
- Egg Yolks: Note that the photo above shows only 2 egg yolks, but additional recipe testing proved 3 egg yolks is the magic number. Here are recipes using egg whites.
- Dark Brown Sugar: For stronger flavor and darker color, I strongly recommend dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar.
- Adapted from Mozza’s Butterscotch Budino
Reader Comments and Reviews
Thanks again, Sally, for a fab recipe. My husband requested a layered pudding parfait of chocolate, vanilla, and butterscotch for his birthday dessert, rather than a birthday cake. Truth is (blowing my own horn), I make so many really great, wonderfully decorated and themed birthday cakes for family and friends throughout the year, that he wants something different. Unsure of what recipe to use for the butterscotch, I came right to you. Because…where else? It came out even better than my mother’s was. I made one changeโI used butterscotch liqueur instead of the bourbon. I’m putting just a touch of crushed chocolate covered toffee between the layers and finishing it off withโhere comes your bourbonโbourbon whipped cream. He’s going to love it, I’m sure.
I had fun with this, despite the small, red burn I got when the mixture blurped. The finished product looks perfect. But I just have a curiosity questionโฆwhen I added the milk/cream mixture to the sugar mixture, the sugar seized/crystalized, whatever, around the whisk. Obviously it eventually incorporated into the liquid, but I was wondering if this was normal or if the sugar mixture was too hot. Thanks for the recipe!
Budino is one of my favorite desserts! Iโd been searching for a good recipe and then happened to see Sally had one listed. After comparing a few I decided to go ahead with this one (always have much success w/ Sallyโs recipes). This recipe was easy to follow and produced a buttery Budino that I topped with Carmel and salt flakes. One tip, it took more than 5/6 minutes to get the sugar right, it did say 240ยฐ on the candy thermometer, but it was a bit too dark for my liking. Not burnt, just dark, so I definitely recommend using the thermometer and watching it, Iโd add the milk mixture around the 200ยฐ to 220ยฐ mark next time.
I donโt usually comment on recipes, but I just wanted to let you know how much I liked this recipe. The instructions were very clear, and the video helped so much. I hate when people make changes to recipes and then rate them poorly, but I did make changes, which did not negatively affect the results. I did not have whole milk, so I used half and half (I still used the whipping cream as the recipe called for), I used salted butter because thatโs all I had, and I didnโt add the liquor, but used extra vanilla like I saw recommended in some of the comments. It was yummy!!
Unfortunately plant-based milk doesn’t thicken like dairy milk does. I haven’t tried this recipe yet but several attempts making lemon pudding with oat and/or almond milk combined with dairy didn’t thicken tho when I used just dairy milk it did.
Unfortunately plant-based milk doesn’t thicken like sairy milk does. I haven’t tried this recipe yet but several attempts making lemon pudding with oat and/or almond milk combined with dairy didn’t thicken tho when I used just dairy milk it did.
The fat content does make a difference. Adding more of the cornstarch (or gelatin, or pectin) will help you thicken it, but it will of course be harder rather than a creamy thick. I would not attempt to replace dairy in such a heavily dairy based recipe and expect good results. (I’m all about substitutions, but sometimes you just have to pivot.)
Could I add baileys itโs the only alcohol I have on hand ?
Hi Lisa, that should work well here, or you can omit the alcohol.
Hi there the pudding is delicious I wanted it for my Mother sheโs 85 and remembers having this when she was young it is amazing thank you for making this day so memorable with her we added Baileys ( her favorite) and it is delightful thank you Sally you are the best
I used a scant Tablespoon of rum and this was a DELICIOUS!!!!! BUTTER RUM pie! But the rum took over the butterscotch flavor. Next time I will make the recipe sans rum for the pure butterscotch flavor. But, I definitely will use rum in future pies and perhaps try scotch and bourbon. Thanks for a great recipe!
I used a scant Tablespoon of rum and this was a DELICIOUS!!!!! BUTTER RUM pie! But the rum took over the butterscotch flavor. Next time I will make the recipe sans rum for the pure butterscotch flavor. But, I definitely will use rum in future pies and perhaps try scotch and bourbon. Thanks for a great recipe!
I love this-but I did alter it slightly. I used 2/3 cup of not too tightly packed brown sugar, but all the rest was true to the recipe. A real treat, because caramel and butterscotch are such lovely flavors!
Help Iโm so excited to eat this but after checking at about three hours I donโt think the pudding is setting up in the fridge? Could it take all the way to the six hour mark to set? If it doesnโt set, can I put it back in the pot and reheat until it gets thicker? Iโm afraid I maybe pulled it off of the stove before it was ready
Hi Laura, so sorry no one got back to you about this in time. How did your pie turn out?
If I top the pudding with your salted caramel when should I do that? After the pudding is cooled or before? Should the caramel be warm so it will spread? Thank you!
Hi Amanda! After the caramel has cooled, before serving. You can warm the caramel a bit so it is thin enough to drizzle on top.
Hello, Iโm about to make this after my children LOVED your butterscotch pie and Iโm looking for a version that keeps better throughout the week. Iโd like to put this pudding into little glass screw-top jars so the kids can grab a jar as a snack. If I cover the pudding in the jar with whipped cream as soon as itโs fully cooled, will that prevent a film from forming (and the hassle of adding cling wrap inside the jars)? The whipped cream seemed to fulfill that role on the butterscotch pieโฆ thanks for your thoughts!
Hi Kelsey, yes, that should help in this case!
Could this be used for butterscotch
Pie?
Hi Graeme, you can definitely use this as a pie filling. Enjoy!
Delicious, but I didn’t get that strong a butterscotch flavor. I wonder if it has to do with making this recipe at altitude (Denver, mile high). In particular I wonder if the stage where you caramelize the sugar solution maybe didn’t work as well as it would at sea level.
Try mixing the butter and brown sugar together so that the butter browns and adds a rich nutty profile. The method can be tricky, so do a little research, but you want it to land around 325-330F. Donโt stop stirring, and donโt stop before the butter browns. Best of luck!
Can I make this without the alcohol?
Yes, itโs optional so you can simply leave it out.
Iโve enjoyed this recipe so many times! Iโm wondering now if I could make it ahead of time a bit? And if so, should I wait to add the salted caramel just before serving?
Hi Allison! This recipe is great to make a day in advance because it needs to set in the fridge (see step 5). We would wait to add the salted caramel, yes. Enjoy!
I could cry, thank you so much for getting back to me so quickly.
Has any made this w non-dairy alternatives? Or lactaid products?
Hi Judy, we haven’t made this recipe with non-dairy alternatives, but other readers have with success. Let us know how it turns out for you if you try anything!
I ran out of brown sugar so I carmelized regular sugar and let me tell
You this was THE BEST THING IโVE EVER HAD. Iโll be making this again and again. What a treat! Thank you! Made meringue cookies with the egg whites.
Did I follow the directions and use the highly-recommended dairy products? No.
Did the pudding turn out delicious? Yes.
Did the pudding resemble butterscotch-flavored cream of wheat? Also yes.
I suspect that my subbing lactose-free whole milk for the regular whole milk and heavy cream was what did it, but it’s still tasty and will not go to waste! Much better flavor than the traditional B.C. recipe I used to use.