Historic Corn Pudding

Uses: Cornmeal
Source inspiration: Plimoth Patuxet Museums – Corn Pudding Recipe

Serves: 6–8
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 2 to 2½ hours

Ingredients

  • 4 cups whole milk (divided)

  • ½ cup yellow cornmeal (traditional, not fine polenta)

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter (½ stick)

  • ⅓ to ½ cup molasses (use dark or robust molasses for authentic flavor)

  • ⅓ cup brown sugar (light or dark, optional but adds depth)

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

  • ½ tsp ground ginger

  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

  • ½ tsp salt

  • 2 large eggs, beaten

  • Optional: ½ cup raisins (traditional in some versions)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven:
    Set to 300°F (150°C). Grease a 1½–2 quart baking dish or casserole with butter.

  2. Scald the milk:
    In a heavy saucepan, heat 3 cups of the milk over medium heat until just steaming (do not boil).

  3. Add cornmeal:
    Slowly whisk in the cornmeal, stirring constantly. Cook over low heat, whisking often, for about 10 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly (like a thin porridge).

  4. Add flavorings:
    Remove from heat. Stir in the butter, molasses, brown sugar, spices, and salt until smooth.

  5. Temper the eggs:
    Whisk the beaten eggs in a bowl. Slowly add a few spoonfuls of the hot cornmeal mixture to the eggs while whisking, to avoid scrambling. Then stir the egg mixture back into the pot.

  6. Add the rest of the milk:
    Stir in the remaining 1 cup of cold milk to loosen the pudding.

  7. Bake:
    Pour the mixture into your buttered baking dish. Bake uncovered for 2 to 2½ hours, or until the pudding is firm around the edges but still a little wobbly in the center.

    • Optional: After the first 30 minutes, you can stir the pudding once to distribute the cornmeal evenly.

  8. Cool slightly:
    Let rest for at least 20–30 minutes before serving so it sets properly.

To Serve

Serve warm, traditionally with:

  • Vanilla ice cream (modern favorite)

  • or Whipped cream

  • or Cold heavy cream poured over top (the old-fashioned way)

Notes & Tips

  • You can make it ahead — it reheats beautifully in a warm oven or microwave.

  • The texture should be like a soft custard rather than a firm cake.

The Story of Corn Pudding

Historic Corn Pudding is one of New England’s oldest and most cherished desserts, with roots tracing back to Colonial Massachusetts in the 1600s. Early English settlers brought with them recipes for hasty pudding—a simple dish made with wheat flour or oats cooked in milk. When they arrived in the New World, they found that wheat was scarce but cornmeal—known then as “Indian meal,” among the Wampanoag tribe and used for centuries by Indigenous peoples—was plentiful.

Adapting their Old World recipe, the colonists combined cornmeal with milk, eggs, butter, and local sweeteners like molasses and maple syrup. Over time, warm spices such as cinnamon and ginger were added, turning the humble porridge into a rich, baked custard.

By the 18th and 19th centuries, corn pudding had become a staple in Massachusetts kitchens and a symbol of hearty New England comfort food. Though it has fallen out of everyday use, it remains a nostalgic taste of early American history—simple, wholesome, and deeply tied to the land and people who first made it home.