Substitutions

What can I use instead of instant pudding mix?

Q: Can I use cornstarch + sugar + vanilla instead of instant pudding mix?

1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding = 3 tbsp cornstarch + 1/3 cup sugar + 1 tsp vanilla + a pinch of salt, cooked with 2 cups milk. This is essentially what the mix contains, so rebuilding it from scratch gives the same starch-thickened result with real vanilla and no stabilisers or colour. It must be cooked and chilled, so it cannot be folded into a cold mixture the way instant powder can. The result is cleaner-tasting but softer, without the mix's firm stabilised set.

A dry blend of pre-gelatinised modified starch, sugar, thickening salts, flavouring and colour that sets cold milk into a pudding within minutes, with no cooking.

What it does in a recipe: Instant cold-set thickening plus sweetness and flavour in a single scoop. Pick the swap that covers that job — the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.

Also called: Instant custard powder, No-cook pudding mix

4substitutes

1close matches

Thickenerscategory

Quick answer

Cooked pudding mix

1 box (3.4 oz) instant pudding = 1 box cook-and-serve pudding mix, prepared and fully chilled

All substitutes, best first

4 ways to replace instant pudding mix

Cooked pudding mix

Closest match

1 box (3.4 oz) instant pudding = 1 box cook-and-serve pudding mix, prepared and fully chilled

The same starch-and-sugar formula without the pre-gelatinisation, so it thickens by ordinary starch gelatinisation when heated instead of setting cold.

MethodCook it with the milk as directed and chill it completely before using it in a recipe that expected an instant set.

Trade-offTakes 20 minutes plus chilling rather than five minutes of whisking, and it will not set at all if stirred into a cold batter unheated.

BakingCookingVegetarianNut-free

Allergen checkBoth instant and cooked mixes are made to be prepared with milk and frequently contain milk derivatives in the powder itself, along with wheat starch or gluten-containing anti-caking agents in some brands. Neither is reliably dairy-free or gluten-free — read the box.

Cornstarch + sugar + vanilla

Reliable

1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding = 3 tbsp cornstarch + 1/3 cup sugar + 1 tsp vanilla + a pinch of salt, cooked with 2 cups milk

This is essentially what the mix contains, so rebuilding it from scratch gives the same starch-thickened result with real vanilla and no stabilisers or colour.

MethodWhisk everything into the cold milk, bring it to a simmer while stirring, cook one minute, then chill with cling film on the surface.

Trade-offIt must be cooked and chilled, so it cannot be folded into a cold mixture the way instant powder can. The result is cleaner-tasting but softer, without the mix's firm stabilised set.

BakingCookingVegetarianGluten-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-free

Allergen checkMade with dairy milk this contains milk protein. A plant milk works, though oat milk sets softest and soy or coconut hold best — and oat milk is not gluten-free unless the carton says so.

Custard powder (Bird's-style) + sugar

Reliable

1 box instant pudding = 3 tbsp custard powder + 1/3 cup sugar, cooked with 2 cups milk

Custard powder is cornstarch with vanilla flavouring and annatto colour, so it thickens by the same starch mechanism and lands in the same flavour territory.

Trade-offYellower than a vanilla pudding, with a distinctive flavour that reads as British custard rather than American pudding.

BakingCookingVegetarianEgg-freeNut-free

Allergen checkMost custard powders are cornstarch-based and free of gluten and egg despite the name, but some brands add wheat starch. Check the tin, particularly for a coeliac.

Cornstarch alone (for the thickening job only)

In a pinch

1 box (3.4 oz) instant pudding = 3 tbsp cornstarch, plus sugar and flavouring to taste

If the mix was in the recipe purely to thicken and stabilise — as it often is in a poke cake or a no-churn ice cream — plain starch covers that function without the sugar and flavour riding along.

Trade-offAdds no sweetness, no vanilla and no colour, so the recipe will need those built back in. It also lacks the mix's stabilising salts, so the set is less firm and less lasting.

ThickeningBakingVeganVegetarianGluten-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-free

Worth knowing

Instant pudding mix is not a neutral thickener. It brings a great deal of sugar, flavouring and colour with it, and most formulations contain dairy derivatives and sometimes wheat, so it should not be treated as dairy-free or gluten-free without checking the specific box.

At a glance

Instant pudding mix in summary

Category	Thickeners
Job in a recipe	Instant cold-set thickening plus sweetness and flavour in a single scoop
Suits	Vegetarian, Nut-free
Swaps available for	Dairy-free Egg-free Gluten-free Nut-free Soy-free Vegan Vegetarian
Number of substitutes	4

More thickeners

Agar-agar4 substitutes Arrowroot4 substitutes Breadcrumbs (as binder)4 substitutes Cornstarch5 substitutes Egg yolk (as thickener)4 substitutes Flour (as thickener)4 substitutes

Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter — confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.