Vanilla Pudding Mix Substitute?

October 20, 2008, written by Debra Lynn Dadd

Question from CJ

I have a recipe for Amish Friendship Bread that I have successfully reduced the sugar in, but it calls for a large box of instant vanilla pudding (which makes me question that it originated as an Amish recipe…). What would you suggest using instead of a large box of instant pudding. Even my 4-year-old son says “Mommy, we can’t buy that…it has artificial flavorings! 

Debra’s Answer

Vanilla pudding mix is basically cornstarch, sugar, and artificial flavorings and coloring. 

So to replace it in a recipe, you need cornstarch and sweetener and vanilla flavor. 

A standard vanilla pudding recipe contains: 

So thats 1 part cornstarch to 2 parts sugar. Find out how the amount of mix is in one package of dry vanilla pudding mix and mix that amount of cornstarch and sweetener with a 2:1 ratio. Then try to estimate the amount of vanilla to add. 

This should work.