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Classic Indian Pudding Recipe | The Old Farmer's Almanac

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Indian Pudding

traditional cornmeal indian pudding in a bowl with a spoon and a scoop of vanilla ice cream
Photo Credit
Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock
Catherine Boeckmann
Yield
Makes 8 servings
Category
Puddings and Custards
Course
Desserts
Occasions
Thanksgiving
Preparation Method
Bake
Sources
Old Farmer's Almanac
September 14, 2023
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Indian Pudding is a traditional warm baked custard that uses native cornmeal, milk, molasses, and cinnamon. It’s a delicious, cozy dessert—and a great alternative to holiday pies! Make in advance and just reheat, topping with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

The origin of Indian Pudding dates back to the 1700s; it was said to be a favorite dish of Founding Father John Adams! It’s essentially a version of British “Hasty Pudding” (which was made by boiling wheat flour in water or milk until it thickened into a pudding), but in the New World, native corn was the grain of choice, and it substituted wheat in this recipe. The Native Americans made cornmeal, which early settlers called “Indian flour.” 

Over time, Indian Pudding became more of a sweet dessert (vs. savory). While it’s certainly not the prettiest pudding, this dessert more than makes up for looks with its rich flavor. There’s just nothing quite like it!

If making Indian Pudding in advance, reheat in the microwave before serving. You could try making this dessert in individual ramekins for a holiday dinner (we love it to finish out a Thanksgiving feast!). Sprinkle with more spices and top with whipped cream if you wish. 

Ingredients
4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup light-brown sugar
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter a 1½-quart casserole dish.
  2. Bring milk to a simmer in a double boiler over high heat.
  3. Slowly combine cornmeal to the milk. Cook for about 15 minutes, whisking frequently, until the cornmeal is smooth.
  4. Slowly add the molasses, then remove from heat. Add brown sugar, butter, eggs, salt, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then stir until smooth.
  5. Pour the mixture into the greased casserole dish. Bake for 2 hours or until the pudding is firm and the top is browned.

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Comments

Rob (not verified)

10 months 1 week ago

Looking forward to trying out this very straightforward recipe not too hard but with the double boiler step. Tempering the eggs is a great idea. Corn is toothy in coarser state, a nice texture, some recipes use different pulverizations. This is similar to a half-a recipe I saw on the road show, a hand-scrawled Indian Pudding recipe on an index card, ‘“abstracted” from Rombauer’ by Georgia O’Keefe. I came looking for the remainder, and I bet this is pretty close, even improved, and simply. Btw, in the small trove of autographs of hers, the recipe was the most valuable. Just sayin’…y’ never know!

Karen Stephenson (not verified)

12 months ago

One step I added, and you should always do this when adding eggs to a hot mixture, I slowly added a cup of the hot mixture to the beaten eggs. Then, added the egg mixture to the pot. This “tempers” the eggs so they don’t scramble

Jessica D (not verified)

1 year ago

Hi, My Indian pudding is a quarter of the way through the baking process and I’m very confused and concerned about the last step, adding 2 cups of cold milk on top. Is it not supposed to be mixed in? I just checked on it and the milk is still sitting separately as a layer on top. I gave it a gentle stir but it still looks separated. Is that correct?

Also, I used salted butter, and because of that I only added a half teaspoon of additional salt even though the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon. I tasted the mixture before adding the eggs and it’s salty! I hope it turns out okay. The recipe doesn’t specify salted or unsalted butter.

This is a custard. The only milk is what was initially cooked with the cornmeal. There should not be milk sitting on the top- or added past the initial boiling process. If I use salted butter I eliminate salt as an ingredient

Eva Knight (not verified)

2 years 10 months ago

Could I use dark corn syrup instead of molasses? I have a lot of the former and none of the latter.

Hi, Eva. Yes, you could make that substitution. The flavor will be slightly different, but not in a bad way.

A ROCKWELL (not verified)

3 years ago

A very interesting recipie; I did not know Cornmeal was referred to as Indian Flour; I would guess whole unrefined corn meal has more nutritents than "white bleached flour"; European colonists tweaked the British pudding recipe and substituted cornmeal (often called “Indian flour”) for wheat flour, producing the dish we know as “Indian Pudding.” Molasses is healthy!!!

Mary A. Boutin (not verified)

3 years ago

Could I substitute almond or any other nut flour for the cornmeal? Does that change the cooking time or amounts?

Hi, Mary. We would not recommend that substitution. It would change the dish entirely, from texture to cook time to taste.

Kathleen (not verified)

4 years ago

Can you do this in a slow cooker/crock pot? How long would you cook it for and at what level of heat - high or low?