Hailing from New England originally, Grape-Nut pudding features a smooth and creamy egg custard with a bottom layer made from softened cereal, all warmed by cinnamon and nutmeg. Don’t be intimidated by the water bath (bain-marie) baking method – this delicious dessert recipe is extremely easy to make, and we guarantee it won’t last long once you serve it!
Grape-nut custard pudding has been a favorite of New England cuisine since the early 1900s. It was very popular in the 1970s when I lived in Rhode Island, and it was on the dessert menu of many casual restaurants, which is where I first had it. If you’ve never tried it, the flavor is somewhat reminiscent of rice pudding, lightly sweetened (a quality we love), and fragrant with cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. The custard has a smooth, silky texture that melts in your mouth too, so it’s no wonder this dessert has become such a classic.
Featured Ingredients
A few key ingredients make this recipe work – here’s what to know. A complete list with quantities is in the recipe card below.
POST GRAPE NUTS CEREAL: Grape Nuts breakfast cereal was developed by C.W. Post in 1897. Despite its name, it doesn’t contain grapes or nuts; rather, it’s made from wheat and barley baked into crunchy little nuggets. For this recipe, the Grape Nuts are softened in scalded milk.
WHOLE MILK: Even if you have reduced-fat or skim milk in the fridge, whole milk is your best choice when making a custard. The fat content in whole milk is crucial for achieving a smooth, creamy texture. Low-fat options might yield a thin or runny consistency.
EGGS: Eggs are the other key ingredient in making a custard. They emulsify and thicken the custard, but it’s important to cook them at the proper temperature, which is why we use a bain-marie. At too high a temperature, the eggs can curdle, and if it’s too low, the custard won’t set properly.
CINNAMON AND NUTMEG: The warmth and sweetness of ground cinnamon is the predominant flavor in this dessert, accompanied by the warm and peppery notes of nutmeg. There are two main types of cinnamon, Ceylon and cassia. Ceylon is more delicate, with hints of floral notes, while cassia is a bit spicier and more intense. Either variety works here.
A Quick Look at Preparation
How to Make Grape Nuts Pudding
Here’s how this dish comes together, along with a few tips for the best results. Full instructions are in the recipe card below.
First, get the oven hot, heat up some water, and butter the baking dish.
Warm up some milk and pour most of it over the cereal to soften.
While that happens, mix the eggs, vanilla, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Then, slowly add the rest of the warm milk to the eggs.
Mix the eggs with the cereal and milk, pour it into the dish, and sprinkle with spices.
Put that dish in a bigger pan, add hot water around it (like a bath), and bake until it’s set. Cool it completely before serving.
How to Make and Use a Bain Marie (Water Bath)
A bain-marie helps to prevent cracking or curdling of custard dishes by surrounding the food being baked with hot water to produce an even, gentle heat. Here’s how to use this technique:
- Select an outer container that is deep enough to hold water reaching about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up the sides of your ramekins, baking dish, or souffle dish. The container should also be large enough to leave at least 1 inch of space between the inner dish and the outer container and at least 1/2 inch between individual ramekins (if using).
- If desired, you can line the bottom of the outer container with a kitchen towel to keep the inner dishes from sliding around inside the pan.
- Position what you’re baking in the bain-marie container and slowly pour boiling water into it. Add enough to reach halfway up the side of your inner baking dish/es.
- Very carefully, move the dishes to the oven and bake your recipe according to the instructions.
- Remove your food from the bain-marie as soon as it’s done, because if left in the hot water, it will continue to cook, even once it’s out of the oven.
More Favorite New England Recipes
New England has a wide variety of dishes unique to the region. 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 like lobster rolls, steamer clams, baked stuffed shrimp, baked cod, and a stovetop clambake.
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 9 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish (see notes).
- Place the Grape Nuts cereal in a large bowl. Scald the milk in the microwave or a saucepan, reserve 1/2 cup for tempering the eggs, then pour the remainder over the cereal and set it aside for 5 minutes to soften.
- While the cereal soaks, whisk the eggs, vanilla, sugar, salt, and cinnamon together until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is somewhat frothy.
- Whisk the reserved milk into the eggs, 1 tablespoon at a time to temper them, then add the mixture to the bowl with the milk and cereal and stir to combine.
- Slowly pour the entire mixture into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle some nutmeg and extra cinnamon over the top.
- Place the baking dish in the center of a large roasting pan and carefully pour the hot water into the outer pan to a depth of about 1 inch. This is your bain-marie (or water bath).
- 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 rack to cool completely.
- To serve, cut into squares for serving and top with whipped cream if desired.
Notes
- CHOOSE YOUR BAKING DISH: We used a 9 x 9 x 2-1/2-inch baking dish to make this recipe, and as you can see, our pudding turned out to have two distinct layers, one of custard and one of cereal. If you prefer the cereal to be mixed throughout the custard, you’ll want to use a larger (13 x 9 x 2-inch) baking dish. The pudding will be thinner, but it should have the Grape Nuts will be mixed throughout.
- TEMPER THE EGGS: Adding the scalded milk one tablespoon at a time will gradually raise the temperature of the eggs before you combine them with the scalded milk and cereal combination. This step is essential for a smooth, silky custard, so it’s important not to rush it.
- USE A WATER BATH (BAIN-MARIE): A bain-marie (also known as a water bath), is used for baking delicate dishes like custards and cheesecakes. It involves placing the baking dish in a larger container of hot water to produce a uniform, gentle heat that helps to prevent curdling, cracking, and overcooking the edges. One thing to remember is that It’s important to remove the pudding from the water bath as soon as it’s done as it will continue to cook until the water cools.
- LET THE PUDDING COOL COMPLETELY: Custard firms and stabilizes as it cools, so it’s important to let your pudding cool to room temperature before serving or storing. Grape Nut pudding can be covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. You may want to bring it to room temperature before serving.
- FREEZE LEFTOVER CEREAL: Leftover Grape-Nuts cereal can be frozen in a tightly sealed container for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Being born in MA, this was a very common dessert.
Love it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
My grandmother used to make this recipe (she just passed away a week ago) and now i’m going to pass on this amazing tradition of making grape-nut custard! I could eat the entire tray! 🙂
I lived in Maine and a little restaurant called the Railway cafe in Randolph served grapenut pudding with whipped cream. It brings back fond memories of my daughters enjoying this desert on Sunday after church.
I used to get it at Marcellos family restaurant in e. providence or cranston
Enjoy!
Just like I remember it from Rhode Island!!!
Same as I remember from Rhode Island. Made it as a regular dessert in my Restaurant in San Diego. People loved it!
I believe the recipe used to be printed on the box of Grape Nuts cereal.
I am from New England and I grew up with this dessert and love it! I now live in Georgia and recently made it for some people that I work with (who had never even heard of it!)and they absolutely loved it too!
I remember going to the Stop&Shop with my mom in the early 60’s and at the bakery they would serve Grape Nut Custard. That’s where I first encountered this wonderful dessert. Then my mom started making it at home and I would get in trouble for eating it all.
im from Boston,Masss ….my Mom made this,but she baked it in a bowl.i made some a long time ago and then lost the recipe. is this just a New England thing?
Hi Deirdre,
Grape Nut pudding is a classic New England recipe that I believe was first published in Yankee Magazine (which explains the regional focus). I’ve seen instructions for making it in a bowl too – we just prefer cutting it into squares for serving.
It was….and this weekend when I started craving it (I grew up in Fall River, MA), I bought the cereal and was disappointed NOT to find the recipe on the box. LOL…had to do my own research.
Hi Linda,
Glad you found a solution. Hope you enjoyed it.
I have never made this pudding before but your instructions seem pretty easy to follow. thank you.