Grape-Nut Pudding
America went mad for breakfast cereals in the late 1800s, when the Kellogg brothers founded the Battle Creek Sanitarium and the Sanitas Food Company, advocating a diet rich in whole grains. Rival cereal maker C. W. Post, a former patient at Battle Creek, created Grape-Nuts in 1897. The pudding came soon after. We found a recipe for Grape-Nut pudding in a 1901 church cookbook published by the Dudley Street Baptist Church in Boston, but the dish appears to have gained wider national popularity by the 1920s. It seems that New Englanders have a particular fondness for this creamy custard with its cereal “crust” on the bottom, and many of our region's great diners still feature it on their menus.
Ingredients
Instructions
Heat oven to 350° and butter a 2-quart baking dish. Put milk and Grape-Nuts in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, stir, and let cool 15 minutes. In a medium-size bowl, beat eggs with sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the cooled milk and Grape-Nuts to egg mixture and stir well. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle nutmeg over the top. Set the baking dish into a deep roasting pan.
Place in the oven and pour water into the roasting pan, enough to reach halfway up the side of the dish. Bake until almost set in the center, 50 to 60 minutes. There should be a very slight jiggle when you shake the pan and a knife inserted into the center should come out clean. Let the pudding set atop the stove for at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve plain or with whipped cream.
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Reader Comments
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Grapenut pudding is very
Grapenut pudding is very delicious especially cooled and served with fresh whipped cream and sooo easy. Great for breakfast too!
I have a large family and I can't make enough of it. It quadruples wonderfully.
I have made it for years. I have a couple of comments.
1)Scalding the milk helps the pudding cook faster. After scalding the milk take it off the stove and temper the eggs by adding 1/2 of the hot milk slowly to the eggs first while whisking and then add all the egg mixture back to the hot milk.
2)Nutmeg is much better than cinnamon in my opinion and you do need 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla.
3)Custard cups cook faster than a casserole, but I like the casserole better even though it takes longer to bake.
Comments shared by readers: I
Comments shared by readers:
I was taught to soak grapenuts in hot water, but by soaking them in the scalded milk they didn't seem to all sink to the bottom of the pan. Either that or it was because I froze them in individual bags (1/2 c). I don't eat it as a cereal and a box was always too big to buy for occasional pudding. I loved this pudding. – Anonymous Review
Wonderful recipe. Just like I had at a local restaurant. I've been looking for its duplicate and I think I've found it! Try it and I'm sure you'll love it. I topped it with freshly whipped cream. Yummy – Reviewed by Maria DeLuca
The grapenut pudding is sweet and light. – Anonymous Review
This is a great recipe and will make this again and again....it is truly a five star good eatin' recipe. – Reviewed by chuck simon
This grapenut pudding should be called A Touch Of Heaven!!!!! – Reviewed by Denise Prevade
The recipe is so easy and tastes GREAT! – Anonymous Review
I grew up in New England and remember this as one of my favorite restaurant desserts and this recipe, warmed and topped with a touch of cinnamon and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, brought back fond memories. I also substituted half the sugar with brown sugar and the flavor was rich and delicious...even better the next day! I now reside in Boise, Idaho, and can't wait to serve it to my friends here who have never tried it. – Reviewed by Deborah Fogel
I finally tried this recipe yesterday, October 16 2004. It was delicious. I will make it again, and will share it with all my friends. – Reviewed by robert & lucy leslie
Wonderful recipe. Doubles well. I like to use 1/2 teaspoon of maple extract in place of the vanilla. – Anonymous Review
This recipe is very good and very easy to make. – Anonymous Review
Loved this recipe--have shared it with others. – Anonymous Review
Baked it at 350 degrees F for one hour and it came out good. A favorite at Bill’s Truck Stop in Fairfield, Maine. – Anonymous Review
I made this using 4 small casserole dishes instead a 2 quart, thinking I could give some to a neighbor and father-in-law. I tested for doneness with the "knife inserted 1 inch" recommendation. It ended up in the trash instead. The grapenuts sunk to the bottom, and the custardy part wasn't all that remarkable. A waste of ingredients and time. – Reviewed by debbie osburn
I don't know what this other lady is talking about. Look at the reviews this pudding has received.... always good...I make this for my family all the time.....MMMMMMM good!!! Great Recipe. – Reviewed by Catherine Cabana
I think there is a typo in the recipe. Should be 1 teaspoon vanilla not 1 tablespoon. – Anonymous Review
Hi, as a Chef that used to make this recipe twice per week, let me give a trade secret here on the grapenuts. Heat the milk. Mix with the other ingredients, and place it into the pan -- hand feed the grapenuts at a slow handful pace evenly around the pan into the mixture. This will make the grapenuts come to the top. I don't know why but this always worked for me. – Reviewed by James Taylor
I know this recipe well, however the secret to having the grapenuts evenly distributed within the pudding was given to me by a 93-year-old friend a long time ago on Cape Cod, Mass. You MUST stir it TWICE within the first 20 minutes it is in the oven. – Anonymous Review
I did not care for this recipe. I think it was a waste of time and ingredients. – Reviewed by Carol Bellamy
I cannot understand how anyone would not like this recipe, if they followed it carefully. Unless they just don't like grapenut pudding, which of course is not the fault of the recipe. – Reviewed by geo whetstine
It was okay, but noone would eat it but me! – Anonymous Review
This is one of my all time favorites! My recipe calls for the same amount of sugar as Grapenuts and I also melt a tablespoon of butter in the scalded milk/grapenut mixture after I have removed it from the heat. YUMMY! – Reviewed by Katy Walker
I am from Maine, and can remember eating this in a restaurant, and loving it when I was young. I was thrilled when I came upon a recipe for it a few years back. I put 3/4 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla, 3 eggs, 3 cups milk, 1 cup grapenuts, and spinkle top with cinnamon. Stir twice before putting it in casserole. It's more grapenutty. Delicious! – Reviewed by Kathy Lambert
I have been cooking this pudding for the last 65 min and it still is not cooked. I suspect that the sugar amount is not correct. Most recipes I have looked up call for a cup of sugar. – Reviewed by Marianne Pacheco
1. 1 tablespoon of vanilla is the correct measure from the original recipe. 2. The milk does not need to be scalded unless it is raw ... just heated. 3.The grapenuts form the bottom crust of the pudding. 4. Baking: set the pan with the pudding in it, into another pan with water reaching about halfway up the pudding pan, this is important. 5. It takes about an hour and a half to set. – Anonymous Review
My recipe calls for soaking the grapenuts in butter while mixing the other ingredients. They always float..... – Anonymous Review