Candy Corn Pudding Parfait Dessert

Get ready to indulge in the Halloween spirit with candy corn pudding parfaits!  These delightful candy corn inspired dessert parfaits layer velvety vanilla and pumpkin-spiced pudding, with a fluffy dollop of whipped cream. It’s like the grown-up and tastier version of the classic Halloween candies!

Love candy corn candies – or maybe just love the fun fall colors of the candies? Then this is the dessert for you! We take different flavors of pudding to match the iconic stripes and layer them into an easy pudding parfait dessert. But, first things first, this pudding does not include any actual candy corn. I saved that for my candy corn caramel sauce recipe.

Instead of the sweet confection, a layer of creamy vanilla pudding is topped with my homemade pumpkin-spice pudding, and your choice of whipped cream finishes off the dessert. A little color to the vanilla layer gives it a deeper yellow hue – so we can truly pay respect to the beloved candy.

Easy Steps To Make Halloween-Inspired Pudding

These are the same easy steps I use to make my chocolate pudding for two, and the pretty pink strawberry small batch pudding.

1. Mix the egg yolks, cream, and cornstarch – Whisk the ingredients until they are fully incorporated.  
2. Heat the milk and maple syrup – Heat to scalding – which means just before boiling.  Little bubbles will form along the sides of the pan.
3. Temper the egg yolk mixture – Pour a little of the heated milk over the egg yolk mix to temper it.  This alleviates making scrambled eggs!
4. Heat the pudding until it is thick – Transfer the tempered mix back into the saucepan and heat the pudding until is bubbly and thick.
5. Transfer half the pudding into a mixing bowl – You can strain the pudding if you like, then enhance the color with food coloring.
6. Add the pumpkin to the remaining pudding – In the saucepan, add the pudding and heat back up until bubbly.  Transfer to the other mixing bowl.
7. Cover the pudding and refrigerate – Cover each bowl of pudding with a piece of plastic wrap directly touching the pudding.  This will keep a skin from forming.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight is best.
8. Assemble – Use your serving glass of choice and layer the puddings and finish with whipped cream.

My Best Pudding Tips

• Whole milk and heavy cream make super creamy pudding – I have made pudding using coconut milk, and it tastes great.  Though, nothing beats the richness of a full-fat dairy pudding!
• Strain the pudding – I do this every time, regardless if I think the pudding is lump-free.  It reassures me that the pudding will be free of lumps and bumps.
• Cover the pudding directly with plastic wrap – When the pudding is ready to be chilled, the plastic wrap placed directly on top of the pudding will keep skin from forming.

Candy Corn Pudding Parfait Dessert

5 from 2 reviews

Get into the Halloween spirit with this Candy Corn Pudding Parfait Dessert! Layers of creamy vanilla and pumpkin pudding are crowned with a dollop of whipped cream. A classy twist on the iconic Halloween candy!

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by Erin Cernich

Yield4 Servings

Prep20 minutes minutes

ChillChill4 hours hours

Cook22 minutes minutes

Total Time4 hours hours 42 minutes minutes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• ▢
  Small Heavy Duty Saucepan

Ingredients

Base Vanilla Pudding

• ▢ ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 2 large egg yolks (room temperature)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons corn starch
• ▢ 1 ½ cups whole milk
• ▢ ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ▢ pinch salt

Pumpkin Pudding

• ▢ ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ 6 tablespoons pure canned pumpkin (room temperature)
• ▢ yellow food coloring (optional)
• ▢ red food coloring (optional )

Whipped Coconut Cream

Instructions

 

Base Vanilla Pudding

• ▢
  In a medium mixing bowl add the cream, egg yolks, and corn starch. Whisk until the corn starch dissolves.
  ½ cup heavy whipping cream, 2 large egg yolks, 3 tablespoons corn starch
• ▢
  In a small saucepan set over medium heat, add the milk and maple syrup. Heat the milk until it is scalding (just below boiling – small bubbles will form around the side of the saucepan) – do not boil. Remove from the heat.
  1 ½ cups whole milk, ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• ▢
  Slowly drizzle about half of the heated milk into the corn starch mixture, whisking constantly. This tempers the egg yolk so it does not scramble. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and return to medium heat. Gently whisk constantly until the pudding starts to thicken – about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• ▢
  Add the vanilla, butter, and salt to the pudding and whisk until the butter is melted and incorporated. Transfer half of the vanilla pudding to another mixing bowl. Optional – To ensure you have a silky smooth pudding, strain it through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl.
  ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, pinch salt
• ▢
  Coloring the vanilla pudding – If you want to color the pudding to be more yellow, add 1 small drop of yellow food coloring, and stir until fully mixed.
  yellow food coloring
• ▢
  Cover the vanilla pudding with plastic wrap set directly on top of the pudding – this keeps a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours – or overnight is best.

Pumpkin Pudding

• ▢
  With the remaining vanilla pudding still in the saucepan, add the pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice. Heat on medium heat and whisk until the pudding is fully incorporated and the pudding is bubbly again. Transfer the pumpkin pudding to another mixing bowl. Optional – To ensure you have a silky smooth pudding, strain it through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl.
  1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 6 tablespoons pure canned pumpkin
• ▢
  Coloring the pumpkin pudding – If you want to color the pumpkin pudding to be more orange, add 1 small drop of red and 1 small drop of yellow food coloring, and stir until fully mixed.
  red food coloring, yellow food coloring
• ▢
  Cover the pudding with plastic wrap set directly on top of the pudding and refrigerate for at least 4 hours – or overnight is best.
• ▢
  Assembling the parfaits – Spoon in equal amounts of your vanilla pudding into your parfait glasses. The number of parfaits will depend on the size of your glasses. Then spoon equal amounts of the pumpkin pudding over the vanilla. Top whipped cream and a candy corn candy. Enjoy!

Notes

• Serving Size – This recipe will yield two pudding parfaits and can easily be doubled.  The number of parfaits will depend on the size of your serving glasses.  
• Coloring the Pudding – The vanilla and pumpkin layers will naturally have a yellow and orange hue.  A drop of food coloring will deepen the colors.
• Candy Corn in the Pudding – There is no actual candy corn candies in the pudding – except for a garnish!  If you want a recipe that uses candy corn candy, try my candy corn caramel sauce.
• Pumpkin – Depending on the brand, canned pumpkin can have different names, but is the same thing:  Pumpkin Puree, Pure Pumpkin, 100% Pumpkin, Organic Pure Pumpkin.  Just be sure it is not Pumpkin Pie Filling. 
• Strain the Pudding – This is optional.  Sometimes you may get small lumps in the pudding where ingredients didn’t combine well.  Straining the pudding through a mesh strainer will remove any lumps.
• Pudding Consistency – The pudding will thicken as it refrigerates.

Nutrition Estimates

Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 270mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 4298IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 174mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is calculated by a third-party and should only be considered an estimate and not a guarantee.