Low in calories (only about 200 per serving) and easy to make, this dessert is simply a lightly-sweetened egg custard, flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg and combined with Grape-Nuts cereal.
Grape-Nut custard pudding has been a favorite of New England cuisine dating back to the early 1900s. It was very popular in the 1970s when I was living in Rhode Island and you could find it on the dessert menu of many casual restaurants.
Tips for making grape nut pudding
Depending on the size of the pan you use for baking, the cereal will either sink to the bottom of the custard to form a thick, soft crust (photo above) or be distributed throughout the custard (photo below).
- Scald the milk and use some to soften the Grape Nuts prior to mixing them with the other custard ingredients.
- Temper the eggs by mixing in a little of the scalded milk.
- Bake the custard in a bain-marie (water bath).
- Cool completely before cutting.
- Leftover Grape-Nuts cereal can be frozen in a tightly sealed container for up to 6 months.
More New England recipes
New England has a wide variety of dishes unique to the region and with its vast and bountiful coastal waters, many of them center around fish and seafood.
Even though we no longer live there, we honor our New England roots by making a few iconic regional dishes. Here’s a partial list of our favorites:
If you’re interested in reading more about New England foods, Yankee Magazine/NewEngland.com has a full list of classics.
Grape-Nut Custard Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 cup Post Grape-Nuts cereal
- 4 cups whole milk
- 5 large eggs
- 2 to 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for dusting over the top of the pudding
- Freshly ground nutmeg, for dusting over the top of the pudding
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and heat a kettle of water to just below boiling.
- Generously butter the bottom and sides of a glass baking dish (either 13 x 9 or 9 x 9 – see notes).
- Place the Grape-Nuts cereal in a large bowl and set it aside.
- Scald the milk in the microwave or a saucepan and pour it over the cereal, reserving 1/2 cup for tempering the eggs.
- Set the cereal and milk aside for 5 minutes to begin softening.
- While the cereal soaks, whisk the eggs, vanilla, sugar, salt, and cinnamon together until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is a little frothy.
- Start whisking the reserved milk into the eggs, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Once the eggs are tempered, add them to the bowl with the milk and cereal.
- Stir to combine, pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle some extra cinnamon and nutmeg over the top.
- Place the baking dish into the center of a large roasting pan and carefully pour the hot water into the outer pan to a depth of about 1-inch.
If you aren’t familiar with baking custard in a water bath (bain-marie), click here for a more detailed explanation. - Carefully place the pan in the oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the pudding pulls away from the edges of the dish slightly and a butter knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove the pudding from its water-filled outer container and set the dish on a cooling rack to cool completely.
- To serve, cut into squares for serving and top with whipped cream if desired.
Gina Loccisano says
I have made this several times, my mother and husband both enjoy this recipe the only thing i changed is i as an extra teaspoon of all spice to the egg mixture and one vanilla bean to the egg mixture also. But if I’m in a hurry this recipe is just fine the way it is. I also make a fresh whipped cream and add just a pinch of cinnamon in that also. But again that’s if you feel ambitious.
Peg says
Love this recipe. People eat as a dessert. I also eat as a quick nutrional breakfast. Milk,eggs, and cereal you can’t go wrong. Thanks
Lynne Webb says
Hi Peg,
Never thought of trying this for breakfast, but why not – great idea!
Peg w, says
I enjoy grapenut custard. Everyone ears it as a dessert. I also eat it for a quick nutritional breakfast. Cereal, milk, and eggs you can’t go wrong. Thanks for the recipe. I add 2 more eggs.
Cathy says
I made this recipe it was fabulous it reminded of when my grandmother use to make it. Love this recipe
Michelle Casas says
I love grapenut pudding ! It is hard to find . My daughter recently moved to Hamilton MA and I have found probably 1 of the best grapenut pudding there in Crosby’s Marketplace , 15 Walnut Rd. They make it & sell it in containers ($6.99 a lb.) MA has 6 Crosby’s Market places’s. Not sure if all make it but hope you get to try it !
JEG says
I used to meet regularly with 4 other women and one of our favorite desserts was grape-nut custard. Tonight 4 of us were able to get together and I made the dessert==Grape-nut custard with a good stiff whipped cream. It was enjoyable.
No one in my family likes it, so it was a great treat.
Lynne Webb says
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting.
Tracy Randall says
I have been making this for years, I use whole milk and evaporated milk, makes it creamier, also I add two egg yolks in addition to the whole eggs.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Tracy,
Whole milk, evaporated milk, and an extra egg yolk are great enhancements! Thank you for sharing with our readers.
Mary says
My mother and grandmother made this..
I’m from Boston and 62. I LOVE grapenut custard! I’ve been able to find it at Marshland Restaurant in Sandwich and Plymouth and also at a couple of places in Naples FL where I now live.
Gretchen Phineas says
Made this yesterday and it is absolutely delicious!
Kate L says
I love grapenut pudding, ate it as a kid. I wrote in to our local news info show about it when they were talking about grapenuts and they ended up making it in a cooking segment on their show! Everyone raved about it
Lynne Webb says
Hi Kate,
Glad to hear they took your suggestion on the local show. It’s a great dessert – easy to make and tasty.
Christine Caines says
I am from Massachusetts and THIS was my mother’s favorite dessert. She always asked for it in restaurants…up to her late 90’s. Of course it was never served…no matter how many times I told her “Mom, no one makes that anymore”, she always wanted it. So today, in her honor, I’m going to make it.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Christine,
Hope you enjoy the Grape Nut Pudding. It may be an old fashioned recipe, but it’s still a favorite for many New Englanders. Easy to make too!
Deb F says
Can the recipe be doubled to put in 13×9 dish?
Lynne Webb says
Hi Deb,
This recipe can be made in a 13×9 dish with the quantities as they are, but the finished dessert won’t be as thick. I mention this in the recipe notes and you can see the difference in the way the custard turns out in the two photos in the post.
I’ve never doubled the quantities, so I can’t speak from experience to answer your question, however, a 9×9 pan has a capacity of 10 cups, a 13×9 has a capacity of 14 cups. If I were to try to make a thicker version in the 13×9 here are the quantities I’d use:
1-1/2 cups Grape-Nuts cereal
6 cups whole milk
8 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Preparation would remain the same. Hope this helps.
Nancy O’Rourke says
Making an old family favorite now! Grew up outside Boston. Grandmother and mom made it! Love it! The Red Wing Diner on rt 1 serves it still to this day!
Lynne Webb says
Grape Nut Pudding is a favorite for us too!
Judith Nevers says
We’re New Englanders and this is my families favorite dessert. My Mother always made it and I’m about to make it right now. I use a recipe I got out of an old Grange cookbook of my Mother in laws from I think the thirties maybe, and now it’s my favorite. Very easy, and very good.
4 eggs
One quart whole milk
3/4 c grape nuts
3/4 c sugar
1 ts vanilla
Cinnamon
Butter casserole dish. Set oven to 425 degrees.
Beat eggs until thick and lemony. Add milk.
Add grape nuts and sugar and mix. Add vanilla.
Pour into buttered casserole, sprinkle top with cinnamon and bake for around ten or so mins and then stir carefully to lift nuts a bit from bottom to spread around. Continue baking (1 hour?) until table knife in center comes out clean.
Lynne Webb says
Hi Judith,
Thanks for sharing!
Keith Smith says
The foods native to New England are so good. This is one of my favorites. To bad lots of the recipes from New England, are becoming so rare. Thanks for posting this.
Barb says
Tried and true New England favorite. it seems like comfort food to me!
Lynne Webb says
It’s one of our favorite New England specialties – so simple, but so good.
Francis Craft says
Still desire it here in New York. I notice that it is also hard to find in New England anymore. It is a tradition that should not be lost. I remember as a very young kad that my Grandmother ordered it in a restaurant. That was early 50’s. Oh, memories!
Lynne Webb says
Hi Francis,
I’ve been in Florida for a long time and I still make this on occasion – particularly in the fall when I’m missing New England. I guess the recipe isn’t trendy enough to be served in restaurants anymore, but it’s easy enough to make at home. Enjoy!
Wynn says
Thanks for the original ingredients list!
Lynne Webb says
You’re welcome! This recipe is a classic for New Englanders.
GEORGE A. JESSOP, JR. says
Sundays were stock car races in Lonsdale with dinner at Oates’ Tavern where my favorite desserts were Grape-Nut pudding and Indian pudding w/ vanilla ice cream. I can buy the Indian pudding