Simple strawberry pudding recipe, just for two! This smooth and creamy strawberry pudding is delicious enough to enjoy on its own, dolloped with whipped cream, or between a soft vanilla layered cake. 8 easy ingredients are all you need to make this pretty pink small batch dessert!
Strawberry Pudding Small Batch Recipe
Oh, the lovely strawberry pudding. I use it to make a fun layered dessert in my strawberry lemonade granita parfait. And now as a standalone strawberry dessert, I think it will be a delicious explosion of flavor when I top it with strawberry whipped cream. Because why not?!
This small batch pudding recipe is designed just for two. But, don’t let that stop you from making a larger batch. The beauty of the recipe is that is easily doubled. Win, win.
And if you’re like me, and you love pudding, you’ll want to also check out my chocolate pudding for two recipe for the utmost chocolate indulgence. And, holiday desserts wouldn’t be the same without the pumpkin small batch pudding or the peppermint hot cocoa pudding for two.
the Delicious Details
- The strawberry pudding does taste like strawberry – And fresh strawberry to be exact. That’s the beauty of using fresh strawberries.
- Creamy, thick, and silky – Three adjectives that are repeated to describe just how good this strawberry pudding for two is!
- Possibly one of the easiest desserts – That’s one of the reasons why I love pudding so much – is it only takes a few ingredients and it is so easy to make. The hardest part – waiting for it to chill. 🙂
Easy Ingredients
8 simple ingredients and you’ll soon have silky strawberry pudding!
- Strawberries – Use fresh if they are in season to get vibrant strawberry flavor. However, don’t let that stop you from making the pudding in the middle of winter – you can swap in frozen strawberries.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar works great, but feel free to use your favorite sweetener in a 1:1 swap.
- Milk – You will want to use fuller-fat milk so the pudding turns out thick and creamy. I recommend whole milk or 2%.
- Egg Yolk – The egg yolk gives the pudding a silky finish. You can certainly omit it, but the pudding may not be as smooth.
- Corn Starch – We rely on corn starch to thicken the pudding. Without it, you will have strawberry soup. Still good, but strange consistency. 🙂
- Butter – I like to finish all my pudding recipes with butter. The butter adds richness and shine to the pudding.
- Vanilla – For an extra layer of flavor, a little vanilla goes a long way.
- Salt – One of my favorite ingredients! Salt balances all the flavors and sweetness in desserts.
Tip! Use half milk and half heavy cream to make a super creamy pudding!
Let’s Make The Pudding
1. Prepare The Strawberries
Blend the strawberries in a blender until smooth. Then pour the strawberry puree through a mesh strainer set over the saucepan. This will remove the seeds.
2. Heat The Puree
Add sugar to the strawberry puree and heat until it has thickened. Be careful not to overheat. We don’t want to make jelly, or worse, have the sauce burn! This should take about 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Make The Corn Starch Slurry
Whisk together the milk, egg yolk, and corn starch until everything is well combined. Give this a good mix because corn starch likes to clump!
Tip! The result of dissolving corn starch in liquid is called a slurry. This ensures the cornstarch does not cook into small lumps in the pudding!
4. Temper
Temper is the process of bringing all the ingredients to the same temperature, especially the egg yolk, so we don’t scramble it when we heat it. To do this, pour about half of the heated puree into the slurry mix. Whisk constantly as you do this so the egg doesn’t scramble!
Then, pour the tempered mix back into the saucepan – still whisking! – and continue to heat the pudding until it thickens and starts to bubble. This won’t take long – maybe 3 minutes.
Tip! The reason we whisk the strawberry pudding so much is to avoid lumps from forming and to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
5. Finish The Strawberry Pudding With Butter
This may be my favorite part of making pudding – add the butter when it is done heating. You can see how it makes the pudding so glossy and velvety! Also, add the vanilla and salt and stir well to incorporate.
Tip! Ok, not really a tip, but adding a pat of butter at the end of making a sauce – or pudding in our case – is a professional chef practice. It is called Monter au Beurre, or mount with butter. It increases the indulgence factor of the pudding by adding flavor, silky texture, and richness.
6. Cover and Chill
You can either transfer the strawberry pudding to one larger bowl, or individual serving glasses. Then, cover the pudding with plastic wrap, with the wrap directly touching the pudding. This keeps skin from forming on top of the pudding.
Chill the pudding for at least 4 hours to let the pudding chill and thicken even more. However, overnight is best.
Recipe FAQ
You can swap the corn starch 1:1 with tapioca flour or arrowroot flour.
No, but you can easily make a small batch of strawberry mousse with this pudding! Whip 1/3 cup of heavy cream to stiff peaks, and carefully fold the whipped cream into the pudding in increments until it is combined.
Keep the strawberry pudding covered and refrigerated for 2 to 3 days. It will start to loosen after a few days.
Best Ways To Serve Strawberry Pudding
Yeah right, like there is a bad way to serve the pudding! 🙂 While the small batch pudding is incredible by itself, it can make some pretty tasty desserts:
- Make it into a trifle – Swap it for the pudding in my small batch blackberry mousse trifle or the peach mousse trifle for two.
- Create a dessert parfait – Similar to a trifle, but without the cake. Top it with blueberry coconut cream for a fruit explosion, or layer it with even more pudding like the candy corn pudding parfait or chocolate butterscotch pudding parfait.
- Use it as a filling inside a cupcake – The vanilla cupcakes for two or small batch gluten free funfetti cupcakes would be next level with this strawberry pudding hidden inside!
Recipe
Strawberry Pudding For Two
EQUIPMENT
- Serving Glasses
INGREDIENTS
- 2/3 cup milk (whole, 2%, or even cream)
- 1 large egg yolk (room temperature)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup strawberry puree (approximately 1 cup of strawberries)
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar (or any sweetener)
- 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Puree the strawberries in a blender or food processor. I recommend fresh strawberries if in season, otherwise frozen strawberries will work. Approximately 1 cup of strawberries will yield a 1/2 cup of puree.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the milk, egg yolk, and cornstarch. Whisk together until the cornstarch is dissolved.1 large egg yolk, 1 ¼ teaspoons cornstarch, 2/3 cup milk
- Strain the strawberry puree through a mesh strainer set over a medium saucepan to remove the seeds. Add the sugar and heat the puree over medium heat until the puree thickens to a thick sauce.1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar, 1/2 cup strawberry puree
- Temper the egg yolk – While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle about half of the heated puree into the cornstarch mix. Then transfer the tempered strawberry mix back to the saucepan.
- While whisking constantly, continue to heat the pudding over medium heat until the pudding starts to thicken and bubble. Remove the pudding from the heat and stir in the butter, vanilla, and salt.1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Optional – Strain the pudding through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. This will remove any lumps from the pudding.
- You can keep the pudding in one bowl or transfer it to serving bowls/glasses. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap, with the wrap directly touching the pudding. This will keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight is best, to allow the pudding to thicken more.
RECIPE NOTES
- Serving Size – This is a small batch recipe that is easily doubled. As written, the recipe will yield 4 smaller servings or 2 larger.
- Strawberries – I always recommend fresh fruit if it is in season. Otherwise, frozen strawberries will work.
- Milk – I recommend fuller-fat milk for the pudding so it is thick and creamy – either whole or 2%. You can also use heavy cream, or a mix of half cream, half milk.
- Sweetener – Swap in any sweetener you prefer 1:1.
- Chill – The pudding will thicken more as it chills in the refrigerator. I recommend at least 4 hours, but overnight is best.
- Storage – Store the pudding in a covered container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Beyond that, it will start to loosen.
NUTRITION ESTIMATES
about the author ...
I'm Erin and I'm all about desserts - and a little bit of butter!
I've tested, written, and photographed hundreds of recipes on my website. Here you'll find the tastiest small batch desserts - all homemade, all simple, and all for you! Click here to learn more about me!