Homemade Butterscotch Pudding For One - rich, creamy and wonderfully indulgent! This nostalgic single serving butterscotch pudding is so easy to make and serves up the perfect amount for anyone cooking for one.
There's something about the flavor of butterscotch that I absolutely love. The buttery, sweet taste of butterscotch pudding brings back memories from my childhood.
Why This Recipe Works
Butterscotch pudding is a dessert we don't always think of making at first. When we think of puddings, we often choose chocolate or vanilla. But butterscotch is my absolute favorite and you won't believe just how easy it is to make.
Butterscotch is basically brown sugar and butter cooked together. These two ingredients along with milk, cream, eggs and a few pantry staples all come together beautifully and the result is a rich, creamy, velvety smooth dessert.
With this homemade pudding recipe, you won't find any artificial thickeners or flavorings - just real ingredients, many of which you likely already have in your fridge and pantry.
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Ingredients
Making butterscotch pudding will give your arm a workout. You will whisk and whisk but it will be so worth it.
See recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Cornstarch: This ingredient helps to thicken the pudding.
- Brown sugar, a pinch of salt, and vanilla extract: Use these ingredients for flavor. I tested this recipe with both light and dark brown sugars. Although you can use either, I prefer using dark brown sugar in this recipe because it has a deeper molasses flavor.
- Milk and heavy cream (also called double cream): Heavy cream is the secret to thick and rich pudding. You may use all milk, if necessary. The pudding just won't be as thick and rich.
- An egg yolk: The egg yolk works with the cornstarch to thicken the pudding. See below for ways to use the leftover egg white.
- Butter: I use salted butter.
RELATED: 15 Easy Single Serving Dessert Recipes
Expert Tips
- Be careful when heating sugar and butter. Use a deep saucepan and go slowly. Melted sugar is hot so please be careful.
- Mixing the cornstarch with a little cream before adding it to the pot practically guarantees that you will not have any lumps in your pudding. Just mix it well until it's smooth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Butterscotch is a simple mixture of butter and brown sugar. It has a buttery, almost caramel-like flavor. The real difference between butterscotch and caramel is that caramel is made with white sugar and butterscotch is made with brown sugar.
After you make the pudding, be sure to refrigerate it for at least 1 hour. It will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Yes! This recipe doubles well.
I use a 2-quart saucepan when I making a single serving of butterscotch pudding. For best results use a pot of similar size.
If you would like additional information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
What To Do With A Leftover Egg White
You will only use an egg yolk in this butterscotch pudding recipe. You might consider using the egg white in any of these recipes:
Other Single Serving Pudding Recipes
RELATED: 15 Easy Dessert Recipes For One
If you’ve tried this butterscotch pudding or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Butterscotch Pudding For One
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
- whipped cream , optional
Instructions
- Whisk the cornstarch with the salt in a small bowl. Slowly add the milk and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Make sure there are no lumps.
- Whisk in the egg yolk and set the bowl aside.
- Melt the butter in a deep saucepan set over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, whisk in the brown sugar.
- The brown sugar will look grainy at first, but whisk vigorously until the brown sugar completely melts and becomes a liquid.
- Remove the pan from the heat.
- Slowly whisk in the cream. (The sugar and cream will steam but continue to whisk. The sugar will clump together, this is normal). Return the pan to the stove, reduce the heat to low and continue to whisk until the sugar has melted and is smooth.
- Very slowly add most of the hot butterscotch liquid to the bowl with the cornstarch and milk and whisk. (You want to add the hot butterscotch slowly because you don't want the heat from the butterscotch to "cook" the eggs.)
- Return the tempered cornstarch slurry to the pan and cook. Raise the heat to medium-high and whisk vigorously until it comes to a boil.
- Continue whisking and cooking for an additional 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.
- Carefully spoon into a bowl or a glass and chill for at least an hour.
- Top with whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
- Be careful when heating sugar and butter. Use a deep saucepan and go slowly. Melted sugar is hot so please be careful.
- Mixing the cornstarch with a little cream before adding it to the pot practically guarantees that you will not have any lumps in your pudding. Just mix it well until it's smooth.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Heather says
I made this for my husband, but it turned rubbery and was almost completely solid after I stuck it in the fridge. Did I overcook it?
Joanie Zisk says
Hi Heather,
That's frustrating, I'm sorry your pudding didn't turn out as planned. It is possible that it was overcooked. If you try this recipe again, keep a close eye on the time. Also, make sure that the cornstarch "slurry" is well mixed and that no lumps remain. This should also help. Please keep me posted.
Joanie
Abeer says
I usually just make a classic chocolate pudding but this looks so wonderful and would be a wonderful change!