You can use heavy cream instead of milk in instant pudding mix, which will make for a richer, decadent and mousse like pudding dessert.
Although using heavy cream instead of milk in instant pudding mix, will make the instant pudding mix turn out very thick, so you may need to whip it some more, use less cream or even add some water and milk for a lighter texture.
Heavy cream is also a popular substitution for making a quick 2 ingredient mousse or a richer pie filling, and you can just whisk well and chill it before whipping again to get the light and fluffy consistency.
For a mousse, substitute heavy cream for all the milk, mix, chill briefly and then whip again until it's thick and fluffy.
And for a lighter texture, use a combination of half heavy cream, and half milk, or mix 1/2 cup of heavy cream with 1/2 cup of water for every 1 cup of milk that is called for.
To avoid any lumps, blend the mix thoroughly with a hand mixer before chilling to ensure that it combines well and for a flavor boost add a pinch of salt and splash of vanilla extract, which can cut the artificial taste of the instant pudding mix.
The rich pudding made with heavy cream also works well as a pie filling, cake frosting or dip for fruits.
You can also use sweetened condensed milk in instant pudding for a richer as well as sweeter and thicker pudding.
Sweetened condensed milk is commonly used in recipes for decadent banana pudding, although you might need to add some water or even use less regular milk as it adds a significant amount of sweetness to the instant pudding as well as density.
Even many popular no baked pudding recipes also use a can of sweetened condensed milk, along with the instant pudding mix and cold milk or even water for a classic creamy texture and flavor to the instant pudding.
To jazz up instant pudding you can use richer milk, add malt powder, stir in an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract or even add some baking spices like cinnamon or nutmeg
If you want a creamier and more decadent texture to the instant pudding, you can also substitute regular milk with whole milk, or evaporated milk or canned coconut milk.
Or stir in some vanilla extract to any flavor of instant pudding to get a richer taste.
You can also experiment with some other flavors like root beer extracts or peppermint for your instant pudding.
Or even whisking 1/3 cup of malted milk powder into the dry pudding mix before you add the liquid for a buttery and caramelized depth of flavor to the instant pudding can make it taste better.
Sprinkling in some baking spices into the instant pudding like nutmeg or cinnamon can make the instant pudding taste better and jazz it up.
For chocolate pudding, adding a teaspoon of espresso powder will also make the chocolate flavor of the instant chocolate pudding more intense or even a mocha flavor if you add more espresso powder to the instant pudding.
You can also alternatively, replace some or all of the milk in the instant pudding, with cold coffee for a nice tasting coffee flavored pudding.
Or if you like alcohol you can add a splash of spirits or liqueur to add a grown up twist to the instant pudding.
Mixing in some fresh fruit like berries, sliced bananas or chopped mango or even add texture to the instant pudding with crushed cookies like Oreos or vanilla wafers or even granola, graham or chopped or roasted nuts.
You can also stir in some mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, peanut butter or even lemon curd to complement the pudding flavor.