Indian Pudding Recipe with Cranberries and Maple Syrup
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The Betty Crocker New Picture Cook Book (1961) notes, “The Puritan women learned to make it (Indian pudding) from the Indians. In New England, it always shared the old brick oven with baked beans. Traditional dessert for a clam bake.”
I’ve been curious about Indian pudding for years, since I’d heard about it but never tried it. (It’s not something you normally see on the table here in Wisconsin.)
In this post I’ll share a couple of Indian pudding variations, and provide a little history on the dish.
Most recipes I’ve seen specify eating the pudding warm, but I found the leftovers quite tasty served cold with a little milk. It reminded me of baked oatmeal, except, of course, with a cornmeal base. If you think your leftover pudding may last more than a day, it’s probably best to refrigerate them.
What is Indian pudding made of?
Indian pudding at its most basic is cornmeal cooked with milk and molasses. Modern versions often include a variety of spices and dried fruits, and sometimes eggs, butter or other fats.
When New England colonists came to North America, they missed their English puddings. (Everyone has a favorite comfort food, right?)
The “Indian” part of the name is from the Indian corn, in this case flint corn, which was ground to make cornmeal. (Great River Organic Milling offers whole flint corn for milling your own fresh cornmeal.)
The book,”Food on the Frontier” includes this simple recipe for “Boiled Indian Pudding”:
“One-fourth pound suet. Chop very fine and mix with one quart of Indian (corn) meal, 1 quart milk, boiled with a little cinnamon. Strain it into the meal while hot, add 1/2 pint of molasses.
Let this cool, then mix 6 well-beaten eggs into it, and boil 4 hours. Leave room in pudding bag for the pudding to swell. Eat with syrup and butter.”
When is National Indian Pudding Day?
Yes, there really is such a thing. National Indian Pudding Day is November 13th – just in time to enjoy the harvest season and fire up the cook stove.
Indian Pudding Recipe
Adapted from The Wisconsin Pure Maple Syrup Cookbook
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Ingredients
- 5 cups milk
- 2/3 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup dried cranberries (optional)
Directions
Heat milk in large saucepan. Slowly add in cornmeal, whisking to blend thoroughly. Maintain heat at medium high and continue to whisk for about 10 minutes, or until mixture begins to thicken. (Courser grind cornmeal will take longer to thicken.)
Lower heat and add remaining ingredients. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring continuously, until all ingredients are heated through.
Pour mixture into buttered 9″x13″ baking dish. Bake at 300°F for two hours, until pudding is set.
Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream, or allow to cool and slice and serve with milk (or topping of your choice).
More Seasonal Recipes
Visit the Common Sense Home Recipes and Kitchen Tips page for more great recipes, including:
Easy Cranberry Sauce with 7 Flavor Variations
Maple Leaf Cookies Made with Real Maple Syrup and Maple Glaze
Print Friendly Recipe
PrintIndian Pudding Recipe with Cranberries and Maple Syrup
Pioneer recipe with a modern twist. Enjoy this hearty pudding hot or cold.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 20 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 5 cups milk
- 2/3 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup dried cranberries (optional)
Instructions
Heat milk in large saucepan. Slowly add in cornmeal, whisking to blend thoroughly. Maintain heat at medium high and continue to whisk for about 10 minutes, or until mixture begins to thicken. (Course grind cornmeal will take longer to thicken.)
Lower heat and add remaining ingredients. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring continuously, until all ingredients are heated through.
Pour mixture into buttered 9″x13″ baking dish. Bake at 300°F for two hours, until pudding is set.
Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream, or allow to cool and slice and serve with milk (or topping of your choice).
Originally posted in 2017, updated in 2020.