Frugal Feeds | 8 Pudding Ideas and How to Make Multitudes of Puddings from Scratch

These puddings are the type of milk based puddings that most Americans think of when they think of pudding. Pudding can be a healthy option for desserts and snacks when made with 2% milk or low fat non-dairy alternatives. It can be your basic vanilla or chocolate but it can also be so much more than that. We'll start with the basics and then get on to some more creative ideas.

Plain Pudding

4 1/2 Tablespoons starch
up to 3/4 cup sweetener (I use 1/2 a cup of most sweeteners)

3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon flavoring


Starches:          Best For:
Corn Starch      Low Shine
Arrowroot        High Shine, Fruit Puddings, Freezing
Tapioca Starch High Shine, Fruit Puddings, Freezing
Tapioca Pearls High Shine, Tapioca Pudding, Freezing
Kudzu                Expensive, so only use it if you have to
Rice                   Rice Puddings

Starch                Sweetener            Milk                    Flavoring

Corn Starch       Raw Sugar           Cow's milk           Flavor Extract

Arrowroot         Brown Sugar        Coconut Milk     Chocolate

Tapioca Starch Agave Syrup       Almond Milk      Cocoa

Tapioca Pearls Maple Syrup        Rice Milk             Nuts

Kudzu                  Honey                    Oat Milk               Coconut         

Rice                      Stevia (Tiny bit) Hemp Milk           Fruit

Choose one starch, one sweetener, one milk and one flavoring the first time you use this chart. Once you get accustomed to their properties you can blend them into custom puddings that suit your tastes. Because each type of milk, each type of sweetener and each type of starch work differently you will want to start with what you are familiar with and then the next time change only one of the ingredients. Do that each time until you have worked out how each of those ingredients delivers taste, texture, structure and how it cooks.

Basic Pudding Instructions:
Mix together the starch and sweetener and then whisk in the cold milk. Using a large cook pot, fill it half way with water. Place a large glass or metal bowl onto the pot so that it does not touch the water and has enough height that you can easily hold the bowl steady with a pot holder on your hand. Turn on the stove top burner to high heat. Pour pudding mixture into bowl. Once the water starts to boil be sure to whisk the pudding regularly. When smooth, carefully transfer to a skillet over very low heat. Continue to whisk until the pudding takes on a thick and creamy consistency. When it does, remove from heat. Add the salt and flavoring to the pudding. Cool. When cool pour into a bowl, place a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface of the pudding and chill. Remove the plastic film when fully chilled and you shouldn't have a film of pudding on the surface. Serve with stewed fruit, berries, sweetened apples, braised bananas or broiled pineapple slices. Top with toasted nuts or sweetened coconut. Using different starches results in different look, feel, taste, texture and thickness. Use cornstarch the first time you make it. Using different sweeteners results in different tastes, textures and thickness. Use raw sugar the first time you make it. Using different milks results in different tastes and thickness. Use cow's milk the first time you make it. Use vanilla flavoring the first time.

Variations on Plain Pudding


When using Cocoa add 1/2 cup cocoa to the starch/sugar mix.
When using Chocolate add 1 ounce of chocolate to the bowl over the pan of boiling water and let it melt before adding the milk/starch/sugar mixture.
When using Nuts, toast them first.
When using Fruit add 1/2 cup to the milk/starch/sugar mixture but don't use acid fruit like lemons, pineapple..
When using Tapioca pearls simmer the tapioca and milk for 20 minutes and slowly add in two well beaten egg yolks, then the salt and sugar. Cook 15 minutes more. Beat the 2 egg whites fluffy and fold in to the tapioca pudding mixture.
When using Rice use 1 cup rice and 3/4 cup raisins or currants. I like to add cinnamon too. Try it with Maple Syrup as the sweetener. Adding two beaten eggs makes it hearty.
To make Butterscotch use brown sugar and add a Tablespoon of butter.
To make Caramel place sugar in a dry saute pan over medium-high heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir constantly until the sugar melts and turns dark brown--do not let it go too brown or it will burn. Add a teaspoon of water and stir well. Mix the carmelized sugar with the milk and allow to cool completely. Then add the starch and proceed as usual.
When using Stevia only use a small amount. Stevia is a powerful sweetener so you must decide by taste how much is enough. Generally two small drops is equal to one teaspoon of sugar.

Some Popular Pudding Types:
   Almond
   Banana Cream
   Berry
   Boston cream
   Butterscotch
   Chocolate
   Coconut Cream
   Caramel
   Dulce De Leche
   Lemon
   Orange
   Peanut Butter
   Pistachio
   Pumpkin
   Rice Pudding
   Strawberry
   Tangerine
   Tapioca

Again, once you get the basics down you will be able to create many recipes on your own and adjust the ingredients to suit your taste.

Frugal Feeds | All About Grain Flours

Plain white flour is what we grew up with so it takes some time to learn all about the various flours out there. Once you get to know these flours you can add new tastes, textures, nutrients and necessary fiber to all of your baking and sauces.

Amaranth flour is a strong, sweet and nutty gluten free flour. It absorbs a lot of moisture so you'll want to use it in conjunction with milder, less moisture absorbing flours, and it isn't good to use with yeast. Use one part amaranth flour to three parts regular flours. So, if your recipe calls for one cup of flour you can use 1/4 cup amaranth and 3/4 cup of your usual flour.

Atole is also known as Blue Corn Flour. It is gluten free. Use it where you would usually use regular corn flour. Think about how the final product will be used because it can look more gray than blue, and yellow corn flour with blue corn flour makes your baked product look an odd green. Using a higher ratio of blue corn flour results in a deeper lavender color. It is a great sauce thickener. It is significantly more nutritious than the yellow variety.


Barley Flour is a sweet flour that makes breads that are more like cake and extra moist. Low in gluten it needs to be added to a flour with gluten for raised breads. Also available as Malted Barley Flour which is lightly sweet and prolongs the shelf life of your baked goods. Both are also a great thickener for your sauces. Use one part barley flour to four parts regular flour. So, if your recipe calls for one cup of flour you can use 3 1/2 tablespoons barley flour and 3/4 cup of your usual flour.

Brown Rice Flour is great, in small quantities, for adding crispness but needs to be mixed with a stickier flour. It is gluten free. Add a tablespoon to pizza dough, cracker dough, quickbreads, etc. as a thickener. Only buy small quantities or keep in an air tight jar in the fridge or it will go rancid. 

Buckwheat Flour is gluten free and is not a wheat product. It makes baked goods feel hearty while remaining fine crumbed. Buckwheat flour gives the highest level of protein in the grain flours. Use one part buckwheat flour to three parts regular flours. So, if your recipe calls for one cup of flour you can use 1/4 cup buckwheat and 3/4 cup of your usual flour.

Cake Flour is made from soft wheat flour that is low in gluten. It is not used for raised breads but for cakes and pastries. 

Corn Flour Can be processed gluten free. It is a great sauce thickener. Excellent in quick breads, like pancakes, waffles, muffins, etc or to make corn tortillas. Use it in place of corn meal in your corn bread recipe and the outcome will be closer to cake in texture. When finely ground and yellow it is Masa Harina. When coarsely ground it is Polenta. Also available as White Corn Flour which is milder tasting and white, also known as Masa Lista. Look for whole grain.

Gluten Flour is white wheat flour with added wheat protein concentrate. It makes dough rise higher. Use two tablespoons of gluten flour in place of two tablespoons of regular flour for every cup of flour called for in a recipe. Particularly useful for lightening whole grain breads.

Graham Flour is a coarsely ground whole wheat flour that gives heft, heartiness and texture to your baked goods. Use it where you would use whole wheat flour.

Kamut Flour is a rich, buttery flour with lots of protein and gluten. Adds a lovely color to the baked product. You want to mix it one part kamut flour to three parts regular flours. So, if your recipe calls for one cup of flour you can use 1/4 cup kamut and 3/4 cup of your usual flour.

Millet Flour is gluten free and adds beautiful color to your baked goods, extra nutrition and a light but unique nutty flavor. Nutritious and inexpensive it should be a part of every frugal cooks repertoire.  It creates a lightness in the baking goods so it is a great balance to heavier grain flours. Used alone it makes great flatbreads. Use millet flour to replace up to half of the regular flour in your recipe.

Oat Flour is a sweet flour that is great in plain and sweet baked goods as well as for thickening soups. Because of the antioxidants in oat flour it will prolong the shelf life of your baked goods. Use it to make non-dairy cream soups also. Add up to one half oat flour to one half regular flour.

Quinoa Flour is a lightly nutty, gluten free flour that goes well in sweet baked products and quick breads. Also one of the most nutritious grains out there. It lends a cake like quality to your breads. Add up to one half quinoa flour to one half regular flour.

Rye Flour has a strong flavor but makes baked goods more moist and dense. It doesn't rise well because it is low in gluten, so you'll want to add it to flours that have more gluten to make it lighter.You can use light rye if the flavor is too strong for you but the light rye is made by removing the nutritious germ and fibrous bran leaving you with little nutrition and fiber. Better to add small amounts to other nutritious but light flours.

Semolina Flour is the wheat flour that pasta is made from and is used for couscous.

Sorghum Flour is a gluten free, bland but sweet, light with a yellow color with bits of brown. It is generally ground coarser than white wheat flour. The outcome of your baked goods will be much drier than if you used plain white flour so you will want to add a moist flour or extra juice or oil to compensate. Use up to half sorghum in your recipe.

Spelt Flour is a great replacement for wheat in recipes. It has more protein and more moisture so you will want to reduce the liquid called for in a recipe by one quarter. If the recipe calls for one cup of milk, only add 3/4 cup of milk. Use to replace wheat in any recipe.

Stone Ground Flours are ground between huge stone disks. It creates a coarser, heavier and nuttier tasting.

Teff Flour makes nice quick breads but for yeast breads use one part teff flour to five parts wheat flour. So, if your recipe calls for one cup of flour you can use 3 1/2 tablespoons teff flour and 3/4 cup of your usual flour.

White Whole Wheat Flour is a new variety of whole wheat that is slightly sweet, light and lightly colored--although not bright white like bleached white flour. Look for hard white whole wheat for baking, and soft white whole wheat for pastry making.

Whole Wheat Flour means whole grain wheat. Look for stone ground whole wheat. It does not rise as easily as plain white flour so you may want to add a flour that helps lighten it.


These are your grain flours, next we'll look at non-grain flours.