Grape-Nuts Pudding

If you’re lucky enough to have grown up in New England or have had a meal at a New England diner while on vacation, then you’ve probably heard of Grape-Nuts pudding. It’s simple and comforting like many Depression-era desserts, with a light wheat cereal flavor in every creamy bite. While old-fashioned recipes for the pudding have a very mild flavor, my recipe for Grape-Nut pudding is zhuzhed up just a little—with cinnamon, maple syrup and extra-toasty cereal.

What is Grape-Nuts pudding?

Grape-Nut pudding is a simple baked blend of milk, eggs, sugar and, of course, cereal. Grape-Nuts is one of many long-lived vintage food brands, invented in 1897 as a health food by C.W. Post, founder of Post Cereals. Despite the name, the cereal is not made with grapes or nuts, but rather from dark, hearty wheat and barley bread. Baked loaves are ground into crumbs, which are baked again to create the cereal.

To promote sales of Grape-Nuts, Post advertised extensively in the early 1900s and even held contests to entice consumers to create recipes with the cereal. This may explain why a product created in Michigan became the star ingredient of a beloved New England dessert. Sweet bread puddings were already a popular treat for thrifty northeastern families as a way to use up stale bread. Using Grape-Nuts in place of regular bread crumbs made a more flavorful but inexpensive pudding.

Grape-Nuts Pudding Ingredients

• Grape-Nuts cereal: Find it in the cereal aisle, or if you’re feeling really ambitious, you can make your own homemade Grape-Nuts. Use the leftover Grape-Nuts in another recipe with breakfast cereal.
• Whole milk: The base of the pudding is whole milk. For a creamier pudding, you can swap in 1 cup half-and-half cream for the 1 cup milk.
• Eggs: Three large eggs beaten into the milk mixture help the Grape-Nut pudding set.
• Vanilla extract: Use a quality store-bought vanilla extract or your own homemade vanilla extract made from vanilla beans and vodka.
• Brown sugar: The light molasses flavor in brown sugar works beautifully with the nutty wheat flavor of the cereal.
• Maple syrup: A 1/4 cup syrup adds sweetness and another layer of delicate flavor to the pudding. Use a high-quality maple syrup brand here, as the recipe calls for enough syrup that you’ll be able to taste it.
• Cinnamon: Use your favorite type of cinnamon, such as mild Ceylon or the stronger-flavored Vietnamese cinnamon, in this Grape-Nut pudding recipe.
• Salt: Add a small amount of salt to the pudding to sharpen the other flavors and make the whole dish more delicious.
• Ground nutmeg: Add a sprinkle of nutmeg over the top before baking. For a stronger flavor, use a Microplane to grate whole nutmeg instead of using pre-ground. Either way, nutmeg is a traditional flavoring in Grape-Nuts pudding.

Directions

Step 1: Toast the cereal

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish that’s at least 2 inches deep.

Pour the Grape-Nuts into a small nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Stirring constantly, toast the cereal for three to four minutes until fragrant and beginning to turn deep brown. Transfer the cereal to a bowl or plate to cool.

Step 2: Combine the ingredients

Pour the milk, eggs, vanilla, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk the ingredients thoroughly until combined, then whisk in the toasted Grape-Nuts cereal.

Step 3: Make the water bath

Pour the milk and cereal mixture into the greased baking dish. Dust the top with ground nutmeg. Set the dish inside a larger roasting pan or baking dish. Move the pans onto the center rack in the preheated oven. Carefully pour hot water (from the tap or heated in a tea kettle) into the roasting pan until it comes three-quarters of the way up the sides of the baking dish with the pudding.

Step 4: Bake the pudding

Bake the pudding uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes. It’s done when the pudding is set with just a slight wobble in the center and a skewer inserted in the center of the pudding comes out clean. Lift the pan of pudding out of the water bath and transfer it to a wire rack.

Step 5: Cool and serve

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Let the Grape-Nuts pudding cool for about 15 minutes, then cut it into slices and serve. Or, to serve it cold, let the pudding cool completely, then refrigerate it for an hour or more before slicing and serving.

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Grape-Nuts Pudding Variations

• Go really old-fashioned: For Grape-Nuts pudding that’s more like the mild “nursery puddings” of the old days, omit the cinnamon and maple syrup and reduce the sugar to 1/3 cup. You can also skip toasting the cereal.
• Give it more spice: For a pudding with a stronger spiced flavor, you can add other spices like a pinch of ground cloves, ground ginger or allspice.
• Add dried fruit: Raisins are a classic addition to Grape-Nut pudding, and dried blueberries are also lovely here. For a little tartness, try adding dried cranberries.

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How to Store Grape-Nuts Pudding

Because Grape-Nuts pudding is made with milk and eggs, it’s important to refrigerate it once it’s cooled. Cover the pan tightly with storage wrap or portion the pudding into smaller airtight food storage containers. Store the pudding in the refrigerator.

How long does Grape-Nuts pudding last?

When Grape-Nuts pudding is kept thoroughly chilled and tightly covered, it can be enjoyed for up to five days after baking.

Grape-Nuts Pudding Tips

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Do you need to soak the Grape-Nuts for Grape-Nuts pudding?

Many older versions of the recipe for Grape-Nut pudding call for pouring scalded milk over the cereal and letting it soak before making the pudding. However, in my tests with this recipe, I find that soaking the Grape-Nuts isn’t necessary. Add the crunchy cereal right in with the other ingredients because it softens just fine during the long bake time.

What else can you serve with Grape-Nuts pudding?

This simple pudding doesn’t need a lot of adornment—a dollop of store-bought or homemade whipped cream is a perfect finishing touch. However, Grape-Nuts pudding is also tasty when served warm with a side of cinnamon ice cream or butter pecan ice cream. You can also scatter fresh blueberries, raspberries or sliced bananas over the pudding. For extra sweetness, add a few drizzles of caramel sauce, butterscotch sauce or hard sauce to servings of Grape-Nut pudding.