Real actual fresh strawberries, turned into creamy delicious pudding! Homemade Strawberry Pudding is perfect for a fuss-free dessert when you need to use up all your ripe strawberries, quick!

A serving of strawberry pudding with whipped cream and fresh sliced strawberries.

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Pudding is my kind of dessert (see: Dark Chocolate Pudding, Homemade Butterscotch Pudding and Homemade Vanilla Pudding) because there isn't a ton of skill involved in making it, it's made relatively quickly. But don't be fooled by its simplicity, it's so darn good and can stand up to any other fancy dessert out there. This Strawberry Pudding recipe is the ultimate reflection of the classic strawberry and cream combination. With a smooth fruity flavor and a beautiful pink hue, it is both refreshing and indulgent, making it a perfect end to any meal.

A few years back, I developed a Strawberry Cream Pie recipe that was so darn delicious. But the set on the filling was finicky, and year after year, I made the recipe for my family to enjoy in Spring, but I always felt like maybe there was a way I could make the recipe better. The flavor was spot on, but the texture was just a little too soft, especially after it sat for a few days. As usual, when strawberry season rolled around again this year, I made that Strawberry Crema Pie. And as I was making it, I had a recipe epiphany. I truly love when those happen, when the answer that I'd been seeking about how exactly to "fix" a recipe appears to me. However, the method from the recipe epiphany was completely different than the original. I hesitated for a minute because I really loved that strawberry pudding in that strawberry cream pie, and I didn't want to get rid of it. And then I decided, well, the strawberry pudding itself is incredible, so I can create a new recipe sharing it while updating the original Strawberry Cream Pie to reflect the new method of making it. And that, is how we landed here on this recipe.

So, let's get to making it, shall we? The article below details all the information you need to know to make these successfully, concluding with the recipe at the end. You can jump around using the menu below, or skip to the end of the article for the full recipe.

Jump to:

Strawberry Pudding Ingredients
How to Make It
After the Pudding is Made
A Note on the Texture
Serving Suggestions
More Pudding Recipes:
More Strawberry Recipes:
Full Recipe

Strawberry Pudding Ingredients

Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed. The recipe card lists the full recipe with quantities and detailed instructions (located below this article).

fresh strawberries (while in-season strawberries offer the best flavor, this recipe works well with any strawberries, even defrosted frozen ones, as they get macerated and cooked…but be sure to taste any fresh ones first and adjust the sugar if they are super tart by adding an additional ¼ cup)
fresh lemon juice (this helps brighten it up)
unsalted butter
granulated sugar
cream + milk (if you have bottled "half and half" you can replace the individual quantities of each with it)
cornstarch
eggs
vanilla + almond extract (this is technically optional, but it highlights the strawberry flavor)

How to Make It

To start the recipe, you'll need pureed strawberries as the base. Once you have the strawberry puree, putting together the pudding is a breeze. It's made in one pot and doesn’t require tempering of the eggs. Once you've cooked the pudding, strain it, and whisk in butter and vanilla and almond extract.

Here is a quick visual overview of the steps needed to make this recipe. This is not the actual recipe, which is located at the end of this article and has much greater details to ensure success.

Step 1: Puree the strawberries and lemon juice together.

Step 2: In a pot combine the sugar and cornstarch, then the eggs.

Whisking together strawberry pudding ingredients in a pot.

Step 3: Add in the strawberries, cream and milk.

Cooked strawberry pudding in a pot before straining.

Step 4: Cook, stirring constantly to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot, until it's thickened and bubbles form throughout.

Step 3: Strain the thickened pudding through a fine-mesh sieve.

Adding butter and vanilla to a strawberry pudding recipe.

Step 4: Stir in the butter, vanilla and almond extract.

After the Pudding is Made

The pudding needs about 3 hours to chill and finish setting up. The pudding can be placed into individual serving dishes to chill or left in on larger container.

Also note: To prevent the "skin" that forms on top of the pudding, lay a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the pudding while it's still warm.

A Note on the Texture

This pudding is on the thinner side, due to the high acidity of the strawberries interfering with the thickening from the cornstarch. Over the years I've experimented with adding more cornstarch to get it to set more tightly, but the more cornstarch you add, the more starchy the pudding tastes. I believe this recipe has the perfect amount of cornstarch for the correct consistency of pudding, but if you want to use it to make a pie or any other dessert, add a tablespoon or two of cornstarch to the recipe.

A serving of stovetop strawberry pudding made from scratch with cream and fresh strawberries.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this pudding chilled with diced fresh strawberries and/or crumbled freeze-dried strawberries and the biggest dollop of whipped cream on it. You won't regret it.

Pudding will stay fresh for 1-2 days in the refrigerator, but it's best served within 24 hours of making.

Strawberry pudding inside of a crumb crust to make a strawberry pudding pie.

More Pudding Recipes:

More Strawberry Recipes:

I am so honored when you make a recipe from my site! If you make this Fresh Strawberry Pudding recipe, please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating with your experience! If you have any questions about this recipe, feel free to comment here, and tag me on Instagram!

Full Recipe

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5 from 3 reviews

Fresh Strawberry Pudding

Recipe by Kelli Avila

Print Recipe

Total Time15 minutes
YieldServes 6

Ingredients

14 ounces washed and hulled strawberries (from about 1 quart), plus more for serving
1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar (see notes for sweet strawberries)
¼ cup (28 grams) cornstarch
Pinch salt
1 cup (227 grams) whole milk
½ cup (115 grams) heavy cream
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract

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Instructions

In a blender or food processor, purée the strawberries and the lemon juice.
In a heavy-bottomed medium pot, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in the milk, cream, eggs, yolks, and strawberry purée until fully combined.
Turn on the heat to medium. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly and occasionally using a spatula to scrape up any thickened pudding in the edges of the pan, until the pudding has completely thickened and large bubbles are forming, about 8 minutes.
Remove from the heat and immediately pour the pudding through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, using the spatula to push all the pudding through the strainer while leaving behind any bits of cooked egg and strawberry seeds.
Whisk the butter, vanilla, and almond extract into the pudding until fully combined.
Pour the pudding into a serving dish or individual dishes. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the pudding to prevent skin from forming. Let cool to room temperature before chilling in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Serve the pudding chilled, with fresh strawberries and whipped cream for garnish, if desired.

Notes

This recipe was developed using regular grocery store strawberries, which aren't always super sweet. If you have amazing, perfectly ripe, sweet strawberries, you can reduce the amount of sugar in the pudding to just ½ cup.

Pudding will stay fresh for 1-2 days in the refrigerator, but it's best served within 24 hours of making.

This recipe has the perfect amount of cornstarch for a soft pudding, but if you want to use it to make a pie or any other dessert, add a tablespoon or two of cornstarch to the recipe.

This pudding originally first appeared as featured in this Strawberry Cream Pie recipe. That pie was recently updated to a brand new recipe.

Prep Time: 00:05
Cook Time: 00:10
Category: Pudding
Method: Stove

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