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National Vanilla Pudding Day

Food · May 22

A day for vanilla pudding, the soft, creamy dessert made from milk, sugar and vanilla, served chilled in cups, pies and layered treats.

National Vanilla Pudding Day falls on Saturday, May 22, 2027. That is 207 days away.

Vanilla pudding is a soft custard of milk, sugar and vanilla, thickened on the stove until it coats a spoon. American cooks usually thicken it with cornstarch, and some add egg yolks for a richer, more yellow result.

It tastes mild and sweet, which is exactly the point. Vanilla gives it a warm, rounded flavor without taking over, so the pudding gets along with almost anything placed next to it. Sliced bananas and vanilla wafers turn it into banana pudding. A graham cracker crust turns it into a cream pie. Layered with cake and fruit in a glass bowl, it becomes a trifle.

Many people know it first from a boxed mix or a snack cup in a lunch bag. Homemade pudding takes about the same effort as a pot of oatmeal. You whisk, you stir, and you keep stirring, because pudding that is left alone tends to scorch on the bottom.

The skin that forms on top as it cools divides households. Some press plastic wrap right onto the surface to prevent it. Others consider the skin the best part and eat it first.

Served warm, it is loose and comforting. After a few hours in the refrigerator it sets firm enough to hold a spoon upright, or close to it.

Ways to celebrate

• Try making vanilla pudding from scratch on the stovetop.
• Layer pudding with bananas and vanilla wafers in a dish.
• Fill a store-bought pie crust with chilled pudding.
• Share a bowl warm and a bowl cold, and compare.
• Settle the pudding skin question with a family vote.

Dates

All national days on May 22

Also on May 22

• National Craft Distillery Day
• National Italian Beef Day
• National Buy a Musical Instrument Day
• National Maritime Day
• Sherlock Holmes Day
• National Solitaire Day

Categories: Food days