The key difference between custard and pudding and mousse is that pudding is made with a mixture of milk, sugar, and starch, while custard substitutes eggs for starch, and mousse uses beaten egg whites or whipped cream, in addition to milk and sugar.
Pudding, custard, and mousse are dairy-based creamy dishes that are served as desserts. All three are yummy in taste and have many similarities to confuse those who are not connoisseurs. There are millions who use the wrong words when talking about these recipes. This article takes a closer look at these creamy delights to come up with their differences.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Pudding
3. What is Custard
4. What is Mousse
5. Custard vs. Pudding vs. Mousse in Tabular Form
6. FAQ – Custard and Pudding and Mousse
7. Summary – Custard vs. Pudding vs. Mousse
What is Pudding?
Pudding is a dessert that is made by heating together milk and sugar along with cornstarch or flour until the molecules of starch bond together. This causes the thickening of the mixture to provide a thick and creamy dessert that is served cold and tastes yummy.
What is Custard?
Custard is a dessert that is considered a cousin of pudding. This is because instead of cornstarch, a custard makes use of milk and eggs heated together to form a thick and creamy mixture. Upon cooling, this mixture solidifies.
Custards served as desserts contain sugar too though some homemade custard does not have sugar contained in them and sweet toppings are used instead. It is common to have fruit-based custards with grapes, apple pieces, and banana pieces added as toppings to make them more flavorful.
What is Mousse?
Mousse is a light and airy dish with a smooth and creamy texture. It is a dessert that is very similar to a pudding as it is made with a mixture of beaten egg whites and milk that is heated with milk to make a thick and creamy mixture.
Sometimes, whipped cream is used in place of egg whites. Therefore, if you add whipped cream to a mixture being used to make a pudding, you end up with a mousse.
What is the Difference Between Custard and Pudding and Mousse?
All three namely custard, pudding, and mousse are thick and creamy desserts that are delicious to eat and served chilled. While pudding is made by mixing milk and sugar along with cornstarch or flour, custard uses eggs in place of starch. In the case of mousse, the ingredient is beaten egg whites or whipped cream, in addition to milk and sugar. Therefore, the key difference between custard and pudding and mousse lies in the ingredients and preparation methods. There are also savory varieties of these three culinary preparations though it is in the form of a dessert that these three are most popular.
The following table summarizes the difference between custard and pudding and mousse.
FAQ: Custard and Pudding and Mousse
Is mousse lighter than pudding?
Yes, mousse is generally lighter than pudding due to the use of whipped cream or beaten egg whites, creating a fluffier texture.
What are the 2 types of mousse?
The two main types of mousse are savory mousse and sweet mousse.
Is mousse just whipped cream?
No, mousse is not just whipped cream; it typically involves beaten egg whites or whipped cream, along with other ingredients such as milk and sugar, to create a light and airy texture.
Summary – Custard vs Pudding vs Mousse
The key difference between custard and pudding and mousse is that pudding is made with a mixture of milk, sugar, and starch, while custard substitutes eggs for starch, and mousse uses beaten egg whites or whipped cream, in addition to milk and sugar.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Cabinet pudding (4)” By Storye book – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Caramel Custard Pudding” (CC0) via Needpix
3. “Chocolate mousse – stonesoup” By jules / stonesoup – chocolate mousse-9 (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia