Indian Pudding aka Warm Cornmeal Pudding of Love

Looking for a comforting dessert to warm you up on a chilly night? Then consider the delectable caramelly delight that is Indian pudding.

Indian Pudding, a New England tradition, is a delectable homemade cornmeal pudding. Serve it warm from the oven with your favorite vanilla ice cream and you'll wonder why you hadn't tried it sooner!

This recipe is not from India, but from New England.

Cornmeal was called "Indian meal" by the original English colonists in North America and anything made with cornmeal was referred to as "Indian". I know, I know, it is an offensive name to both Indians and Native Americans alike.

But, if I called it Cornmeal Pudding of Love, the almighty search engines would probably bury this post in the far recesses of the internet never to be found again.

So, I am using both names.

Is homemade pudding hard to make?

Most people my age and younger think of homemade pudding as made from a magic powder in a little a box that you mix with milk. To me that is a step above, those dreaded little snack cups.

But, once I learned how easy it is, I developed a love affair with real homemade puddings. Most involve simple ingredients cooked together to achieve the proper consistency then cooled.

But some, like this cornmeal pudding is best served warm. You cook the milk, cornmeal and sugars for about 15 minutes, and then bake for an hour.

Give it a try on one of these chilly fall evenings and I am sure you and your family will fall in love with it just like we did.

Ingredients for Indian Pudding

The ingredients are so basic and easy to find, you may already have them in your house.

• milk (I used dairy, but you can use non-dairy)
• light brown sugar
• yellow cornmeal
• molasses
• butter (or non-dairy alternative)
• spices: ground cinnamon, ground ginger, vanilla extract

For serving you may want some vanilla ice cream or whipped bream.

Recipe

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

 

• 2 ¼ cups milk
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ⅓ cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 325℉
• In a medium saucepan combine milk, sugar, cornmeal, molasses, cinnamon and ginger. Stir over medium heat until thickened about 10-15 minutes. It should be thick but still pourable.
• Stir in butter and vanilla and pour into a 1 quart baking dish.
• Bake for 60-75 minutes until the center no longer moves when the dish is shaken. Let cool 10 minutes.
• Serve while warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

Sound fabulous? Share it!

More Pudding Recipes

Until next time, happy eating.
~Audrey