Cornflour swells more stably than potato starch and binds more evenly under heat. We use it for homemade pudding powder because it does not lose its binding properties even after repeated heating. Potato starch becomes watery again with prolonged cooking.
That is why shop-bought pudding powder almost always contains cornflour. The Thermomix® grinds it together with vanilla and sugar at speed 8 to such a fine consistency that no lumps form when you cook the pudding later. The uniform particles distribute evenly through the milk without creating local hot spots.
Vanilla Pudding Powder with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 3 ✓
- 2 vanilla pods
- 190 g sugar
- 310 g cornflour
Instructions 0 / 3
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1
Grind the sugar.
Add the vanilla pods and sugar to the mixing bowl and grind for 10 seconds / speed 8.
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2
Mix in the cornflour.
Add the cornflour and mix for 10 seconds / speed 6.
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3
Fill the jars.
Fill the pudding powder into sterilised jars and store in a cool, dry place.
To make 4 servings of pudding:
- Blend 100 g pudding powder with 500 g milk for 10 seconds / speed 10, then cook for 10 minutes / 98°C / speed 1.
- Pour into small bowls and leave to set.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Cornflour binds more stably than potato starch
Cornflour has a higher amylose content than potato starch. That makes it more heat-resistant and gives it a more even thickening behaviour. Potato starch loses its binding properties when heated repeatedly or for too long, becoming watery again (Schlaraffenwelt.de, 17.07.2023).
For pudding powder kept as a store-cupboard staple, cornflour is therefore the better choice. It stays stable whether you reheat the finished pudding or cook it for longer than 10 minutes. Potato starch makes the pudding firmer at first, but it turns liquid again when you warm it up.
Our recipe uses 310 g cornflour to 2 vanilla pods and 190 g sugar. That gives 500 g pudding powder for two jars of 250 g each. One jar is enough for 2.5 servings of pudding.
Real vanilla: 100 aroma compounds instead of just vanillin
Over 90 per cent of the vanillin used worldwide is synthetically produced and does not come from the vanilla pod (Verbraucherzentrale.de, 02.01.2025). Alongside vanillin, real vanilla contains around 100 further aroma compounds that together create its characteristic complexity (BOKU Wien, 24.11.2018).
We use whole vanilla pods, not vanilla sugar or flavouring. The Thermomix® grinds them together with the sugar at speed 8 until fine enough to release all the aroma compounds. Vanilla sugar delivers only a single note, whereas real vanilla tastes deeper and more layered.
When buying organic vanilla pods, look for Bourbon vanilla from Madagascar. It has a more intense aroma than standard pods. Two pods per 500 g pudding powder are enough to give a clearly noticeable flavour when you cook the pudding.
Thermomix® speed 8 for vanilla, speed 6 for cornflour
Vanilla pods are hard and woody. Speed 8 grinds them to a fine powder together with the sugar in just 10 seconds. The sugar acts like sandpaper and speeds up the process. Below speed 8, it takes considerably longer; above speed 8 adds nothing but noise.
The cornflour goes into the mixing bowl afterwards. We mix it into the vanilla-sugar powder at speed 6 for 10 seconds. Speed 6 is enough to create a homogeneous mixture without generating unnecessary heat. Cornflour needs no high speed because it is already finely milled.
If you grind the cornflour at speed 8 as well, nothing bad happens. But you waste energy and running time. Speed 6 mixes just as well and is easier on the motor.
Why mix starch into cold milk
When dry starch meets hot liquid, the outer layers swell instantly. This forms a gel-like coating that prevents the starch from dissolving further (Tipps25.de, 26.12.2025). That is why pudding turns lumpy if you stir the powder directly into hot water.
Our pudding powder is ground so finely that the particles are smaller than those in shop-bought powder. That reduces the risk of lumps, but does not eliminate it entirely. You still need to blend the 100 g pudding powder with 500 ml cold milk in the Thermomix® at speed 10 for 10 seconds before cooking at 98°C.
The Thermomix® distributes the powder so evenly that no local overheating occurs during cooking. The starch gelatinises uniformly across the entire mixture, not just at individual spots.
Shelf life: 1 year dry versus 3 days cooked
Homemade pudding powder keeps for up to one year when stored airtight, in a dark and dry place (Eatsmarter.de, 24.06.2024). Cooked pudding, on the other hand, keeps for only 2 to 3 days at 4 to 5°C in the fridge (Haltbarkeitsinfo.de, 31.01.2024).
We fill the powder into sterilised preserving jars of 250 ml each. Before filling, boil the jars in simmering water for 10 minutes or sterilise them in the oven at 120°C. Moisture is the enemy. Even a single drop of water in the jar will cause the starch to clump and the powder to become unusable.
We keep the jars in the pantry, not in the fridge. Dark and dry is enough. After a year the vanilla intensity fades, but the powder is not spoilt. You can still use it, though you may need to add a little more.
Cooking pudding from it: 100 g powder to 500 ml milk
For 4 servings of pudding, blend 100 g pudding powder with 500 g milk for 10 seconds at speed 10 in the Thermomix®. Then cook for 10 minutes at 98°C at speed 1. Pour into small bowls and leave to set.
The 98°C matters; do not use 100°C. At 100°C the milk spatters and the pudding becomes too firm. At 98°C the cornflour swells evenly without thickening too much. After cooling in the fridge, the pudding firms up a little more.
If the pudding turns out too firm, reduce the powder to 90 g next time. If it stays too thin, use 110 g. The consistency also depends on the milk: whole milk with 3.5 per cent fat makes the pudding creamier than semi-skimmed milk.
Giving it as a gift with a recipe tag
A 250 ml jar of pudding powder is enough for 2.5 servings of pudding. If you are giving it as a gift, write the instructions on a tag: 100 g powder, 500 ml milk, blend 10 seconds speed 10, cook 10 minutes 98°C speed 1.
Before Christmas we usually make 10 to 15 jars and give them to neighbours and colleagues. With a piece of fabric over the lid and a length of twine, the jars look like something from a shop, only better.
If you are making several gifts, double or triple the recipe. The Thermomix® can handle up to 1 kg of powder in one go if you have a large mixing bowl. Above 1 kg, the grinding becomes uneven.
Enjoyed our vanilla pudding powder with the Thermomix®? Then also try Chocolate Pudding Powder with the Thermomix® or make Vanilla Pudding in the Thermomix® straight away without keeping a stock of powder.
Goes well with: Rice Pudding and Semolina Porridge.
