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I've been trying vanilla pudding recipes but they're all too sweet for our liking.

I want to change the amount of sugar from 3/4 cup to 1/2. Is that a culinary no-no, or should I use a substitute?

Duarte Farrajota Ramos
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LadyBlue Robinson
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    Welcome! Which kind of pudding are we talking about? The liquid-thickened-with-starch kind or the steamed-batter kind? “Box pudding” hints at the former, but could you nevertheless clarify? – Stephie Jan 16 '23 at 05:56

1 Answers1

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For this answer I am assuming the flan-type of pudding, where a liquid (e.g. milk) is cooked with starch until thickened.

Sugar is for the thickening process pretty irrelevant, which means you can even make a pudding completely without sugar or sugar substitute. So feel free to adjust the recipe to your and your family’s liking.

However, if you are making batter-based puddings, you can’t simply eliminate the sugar, because it’s not only for the sweetness, but a structural component for the cake (or pudding). You typically can leave out some of the sugar, but will soon reach a point where you need to make further adjustments. Follow the same rules as for pound cake and similar batters.

Stephie
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  • Thanks so much, Yes I'm making a custard base pudding (I think considered flan as well as).And I guess our only true experience was with Jello pudding and pudding pops...if it don't taste like that these kids won't eat it – LadyBlue Robinson Jan 16 '23 at 20:37