Happy Pride 2026! We’re closing in on the end of Pride Month, but there’s still time for Rainbow Pride Pudding Cups. Check out my recipe, essentially a cornstarch vanilla pudding, and eat the rainbow!
Another great way to acknowledge Pride Month is to consider how to be a better ally. Maybe start here with this article from Block Club Chicago.
Cornstarch vanilla pudding is decidedly retro. Despite a rather milquetoast reputation, it shines as a pride dessert, open to colorful layering. The creamy vanilla flavor of Rainbow Pride Pudding Cups is understated but the feeling is festive.
Creating a rainbow effect takes some effort, so I wanted the recipe itself to be easy. Cornstarch thickened pudding is smooth and velvety, simple but delicious. Some pudding recipes include eggs for richness, but I’m opting for heavy cream. It’s a back-to-basics recipe, one I fondly remember from Food Science 101.
In an era of ready-made pudding cups, homemade pudding is a buttery delight. And the vanilla palette easily adapts to a color scheme that will make you proud!
If you’d rather celebrate with a savory dish, check out my Rainbow Pride Platter.
Rainbow Pudding Cups
Cornstarch vanilla pudding has a back-to-basics appeal. Pudding thickened with cornstarch is smooth and velvety, simple but delicious. It shines as a pride dessert, easily adaptable to colorful layers. The creamy vanilla flavor of Rainbow Pudding Cups is understated but the feeling is festive. Creating the rainbow takes effort, so I wanted the recipe itself to be easy. Some pudding recipes include eggs for richness, but here I'm opting for heavy cream.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cup (14 oz) milk
- 1 ½ cup (12 oz) heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- gel food color classic color 4-pack
- whipped cream, for serving
- rainbow sprinkles, for garnish
Instructions
Prep your Mixing Bowls and Serving Cups
- Prepare your rainbow mixing station before you start cooking. Line up 6 small bowls or ramekins (each to accommodate at least 6 ounces) to use for making 6 different colored portions of pudding.
- Add the gel food color to create a single rainbow color in each of 6 prep bowls as follows: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. I think it’s better to handle the food color now before cooking rather than use up time later when hot pudding is starting to cool and firm up.
- The intensity of color will vary with the amount of gel food color. You can make bolder colors by adding more food color. I used 2 small squirts of the gel food color per prep bowl – two squirts of the same for the colors represented in the 4-pack (red, yellow, green, and blue), and one squirt of each contributing color for the blended colors (orange made from red and yellow, and purple made from red and blue).
- Choose 4 serving cups (each to accommodate a 6 oz or ¾ cup serving of pudding). Just set them aside on the counter so they’re ready to go and you won’t need to use up time while the pudding is cooling and firming up, making it more difficult to layer.
Make the Pudding
- Combine dry ingredients – sugar, cornstarch, and salt – in a medium saucepan and give them a stir.
- Combine the milk and cream in a single large measuring cup. Slowly pour the milk & cream combo into the saucepan with dry ingredients and stir until mixture is smooth. (You can pour the milk and cream separately into the saucepan, just be sure to stir well till mixture is smooth.)
- Put the saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Then boil for 1 minute, continuing to stir the whole time.
- Remove pudding from the heat. Now stir in the butter and vanilla.
Dye the Rainbow
- Divide the hot pudding mixture equally into the previously prepared 6 small bowls. Because it’s best to work quickly while the pudding is still hot, I prefer to eyeball and count as I pour from the saucepan into each small bowl, with the goal an equal amount of pudding in each. You could use a measuring cup or spoon, but don’t worry too much about precision as you want to avoid taking too much time and the pudding getting too cool.
- If you haven't already, add food coloring to each prep bowl to create the following colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. Using a clean spoon for each bowl, stir the pudding and food coloring together until the color is smooth throughout.
Final Assembly
- If you want your rainbow colors in order from top to bottom, you need to work backwards when building your layers, meaning purple first at the bottom, then blue, green, yellow, orange, and finally red on top.
- Layer the pudding into each of 4 serving containers. Use a spoon as the pudding will be cooling and less pourable as time goes by. Eyeball the amount of each layer into the four serving cups as best you can, going for about ¼ of the single-color pudding into each cup. Also important, work neatly so pudding falls directly to the bottom center of the serving cup without hitting the side. Use a spoon or gently swirl the cup to even out the layer and ensure that pudding layer covers the entire surface area from edge to edge.
- Continue layering the pudding into each serving cup, following the backwards rainbow order, and ensuring that each layer spreads out from edge to edge.
- Cover each serving cup and refrigerate. Chill for at least 30 minutes or until serving.
Serve it up Proud
- When ready to serve, add a dollop of whipped cream, then top with rainbow sprinkles.
Notes
- Check the date on your cornstarch. While cornstarch lasts years when properly stored and might be safe to use beyond its “best by” date (per Argo®), I think that for best results and peace of mind, you should make sure your cornstarch is within date and looking good.
- I used whole milk.
- Salted butter is fine, as is unsalted.
- I opted to make 4 Rainbow Pudding Cups to streamline the layering process and ensure substantial layers. To yield 4 Rainbow Pudding Cups, your individual serving cups should be big enough to accommodate ¾ cup of pudding, plus some room for whipped cream. I think you could also make 6 Rainbow Pudding Cups from this recipe, if you don’t mind a bit more work, shorter layers, and less fill per serving cup.
- I recommend using serving cups that accommodate at least 8 ounces. I used 8-ounce (half pint) jelly jars to yield 4 Rainbow Pudding Cups (about ¾ cup of pudding per jar). I think that 8-ounce clear disposable party cups would also work, and the sloping sides might be easier to manage.
- My Rainbow Pudding Cups recipe was adapted from Easy Vanilla Pudding.
