Purin: A Japanese Custard Pudding

By
Setsuko Yoshizuka
Setsuko Yoshizuka
Setsuko Yoshizuka is a freelance food writer and Japanese cookbook author.
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Updated on 04/30/21
Purin - Custard pudding recipe

​The Spruce / Teena Agnel
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
259 Calories
9g Fat
39g Carbs
7g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 259
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 11%
Saturated Fat 4g 22%
Cholesterol 141mg 47%
Sodium 117mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 39g 14%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 39g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 118mg 9%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 163mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Purin is a flan-like cold custard dessert in Japan. The name “Purin” comes from “pudding”, but it is not the same thing as the gooey pudding in the U.S. It has a firmer texture similar to Mexican flan and also has caramel sauce on top. It is a very basic sweet—silky, creamy, rich, and smooth—that is served chilled, and adored in Japan. Purin is a comfort dessert for Japanese people.

There is a popular instant purin mix you can buy at grocery stores in Japan. Add some milk, mix, and chill, and there you are—easy purin. Though, the best kind of purin is made at home from scratch. The ingredients are simple: milk, eggs, sugar, and some vanilla. Purin is baked in a water bath in the oven, so it is hard to overcook. It may be a little more work to make than going to the store, but the outcome is incomparable to store-bought.

In Japan, there are a few types of purin, including yaki pudding, which is custard cooked in the oven, and mushi pudding, a custard cooked on a stovetop in a steamer or in a bain-marie in a pot or frying pan.

Ingredients

  • Butter, for the molds

  • 3 tablespoons warm water, divided

  • 6 tablespoons sugar

  • 2 cups milk

  • 2/3 cup sugar

  • 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

  • 4 large eggs

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for purin custard pudding

    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  2. Butter individual pudding molds.

    Butter molds

    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan then add 6 tablespoons of sugar, and simmer until the sauce is browned. Carefully add 1 tablespoon of warm water to thin the sauce.

    Sauce is browned

    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  4. Pour sauce into the molds.

    Pour sauce into molds

    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  5. Put milk in a medium pan, and heat to about 140 F.

    Milk in saucepan

    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  6. Dissolve 2/3 cup sugar in the milk, and add vanilla extract.

    Dissolve sugar in milk

    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel 

  7. Remove from heat.

    Remove from heat

    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  8. Lightly beat eggs in a bowl.

    Beat eggs

    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel 

  9. Gradually add warm milk to the egg mixture.

    Add milk

    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  10. Run the egg mixture through a strainer.

    Run through strainer

    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  11. Scoop out some bubbles from the surface of the strained egg mixture.

    Remove bubbles

    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  12. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the sauce in the molds.

    Put in molds

    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  13. Place the pudding molds in a steamer, and steam on low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through.

    Put in pot

    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  14. Turn off the heat and let them cool.

    turn off heat and cool

    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel

  15. Remove pudding from the molds and serve on plates.

    Remove from molds and enjoy Purin, Japanese custard pudding

    ​The Spruce / Teena Agnel