Pudding vs. Dessert — What's the Difference?

A specific dessert dish, particularly in the US.

A category of foods including cakes, pastries, ice creams.

A creamy, sweet custard-like dish.

A sweet course eaten at the end of a meal.

A dense, soft dessert, often with ingredients like rice or bread.

Any sweet dish, typically served post main course.

Pudding is a type of food that can be either a dessert or a savory (salty or spicy) dish that is part of the main meal.In the United States and Canada, pudding characteristically denotes a sweet, milk-based dessert similar in consistency to egg-based custards, instant custards or a mousse, often commercially set using cornstarch, gelatin or similar collagen agent such as Jell-O. The modern American usage to denote a specific kind of dessert has evolved over time from the originally almost exclusive use of the term to describe savory dishes, specifically those created using a process similar to that used for sausages, in which meat and other ingredients in mostly liquid form are encased and then steamed or boiled to set the contents. Black (blood) pudding and haggis survive from this tradition.In the United Kingdom and some of the Commonwealth countries, the word pudding is still used to describe both sweet and savory dishes.

Sweet treat consumed to satisfy a sugar craving.

A sweet, soft dessert, often with a base of milk or cream thickened by flour, cornstarch, or a cereal product, that has been boiled, steamed, or baked

Concluding course, often contrasting the savory dishes before it.

An edible mixture with a soft, puddinglike consistency

Dessert () is a course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur.

A sweet dish eaten at the end of a meal; dessert.

A usually sweet course or dish, as of fruit, ice cream, or pastry, served at the end of a meal.

A sausagelike preparation made with minced meat or various other ingredients stuffed into a bag or skin and boiled.

Chiefly British Fresh fruit, nuts, or sweetmeats served after the sweet course of a dinner.

Any of various dishes, sweet or savoury, prepared by boiling or steaming, or from batter.

The last course of a meal, consisting of fruit, sweet confections etc.

A type of cake or dessert cooked usually by boiling or steaming.

A sweet dish or confection served as the last course of a meal.

A type of dessert that has a texture similar to custard or mousse but using some kind of starch as the thickening agent.

A service of pastry, fruits, or sweetmeats, at the close of a feast or entertainment; pastry, fruits, etc., forming the last course at dinner.

Dessert; the dessert course of a meal.

A dish served as the last course of a meal

(originally) A sausage made primarily from blood.

(slang) An overweight person.

(slang) Entrails.

(obsolete) Any food or victuals.

A piece of good fortune.

A species of food of a soft or moderately hard consistence, variously made, but often a compound of flour or meal, with milk and eggs, etc.

Anything resembling, or of the softness and consistency of, pudding.

An intestine; especially, an intestine stuffed with meat, etc.; a sausage.

Any food or victuals.

Same as Puddening.

Any of various soft thick unsweetened baked dishes;

(British) the dessert course of a meal (`pud' is used informally)

Any of various soft sweet desserts thickened usually with flour and baked or boiled or steamed

A dish, either sweet or savory, boiled or steamed in a cloth or bag.

General term for dessert in some UK contexts.

Typically, desserts are sweet, but some cultures may have mildly sweet or neutral desserts.

American puddings are usually milk-based and thickened with agents like cornstarch.

No, they are types of desserts, but not puddings.

Not always. Some puddings, like bread pudding, can be served hot.

"Dessert" refers to the course, while "sweets" can refer to candies or sweet dishes in general.

While most puddings are desserts, some savory puddings, like Yorkshire pudding, aren't.

Fruits can be served as desserts, especially if presented in a sweet dish form.

In some cultures, yes. For example, black pudding contains blood and fillers.

While uncommon, some might eat sweet dishes as mains, but traditionally, desserts conclude meals.

While the concept exists everywhere, the term 'dessert' might differ across languages and cultures.

Linguistic evolution and cultural differences have led to varied usage.

It varies by recipe. Both can be made healthier or indulgent based on ingredients.

No, cheesecake is a type of dessert, but not categorized as a pudding.

Yes, certain puddings, like bread pudding, are baked.

While similar in texture, mousse and pudding differ in preparation and ingredients.