The Old-School Canned Sweet Treat That You Don't See Much Of Anymore

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If you've ever been curious about how big the pudding industry is, wonder no longer. The global instant pudding market is a significant industry, with some reports valuing it at over $2.5 billion in 2025 and projecting continued growth (per Archive Market Research). While you can often find your favorite store-bought pudding brands served up in individual cups and squeeze pouches, the instant stuff was first sold to consumers in cans nearly a century ago.

In the United States, Snack Pack hit the market in 1968 with individual canned puddings that were perfect for snacks and school lunches. The cans featured a pull-ring tab, allowing you to peel the top off and making it easy to enjoy anywhere. Opening the can made a distinct sound that, for some people, was even part of the appeal. Unfortunately, a sharp metal lid and children were a potential recipe for disaster, so the company phased out the metal cans in favor of plastic cups back in 1984.

Snack Pack didn't innovate the canned dessert treat market by any means. That honor rests with Ambrosia in the U.K. The company, founded in 1917, began canning its rice pudding in 1936. Called "creamed rice" at the time, the cans were reportedly sent to British prisoners of war thanks to the efforts of the Red Cross. While Snack Pack ended its canning years ago, Ambrosia still offers canned rice pudding in several flavors, with individual plastic cups also available.

Canned pudding shows up in pop culture every now and then, from songs featured on "The Simpsons" to jokes in "Stranger Things." It's not all nostalgia, though. Aside from Ambrosia, the Japanese company Imuraya sells canned custard pudding, and companies like Betram Foods also offer industrial-sized cans of pudding for commercial kitchens in the U.S. — but these aren't typically available for home use. And even if they were, seven pounds is a heck of a lot of pudding to power through.

For that classic nostalgia fix, there's not much a modern consumer can do. Ambrosia's rice pudding is available for sale in the U.S. on Amazon. However, if you were hoping to pop the top on some classic chocolate or butterscotch flavors, you are likely out of luck.

Of course, for every vintage snack no one remembers anymore, there's one that gets a second chance at success. You can look at treats like Crystal Pepsi, Dunkaroos, and Ecto Cooler, which have returned to the market after ending their runs. But the metal pudding cup doesn't seem to have the same appeal. Maybe it's because, for most people, pudding is pudding. The allure of the packaging isn't enough to convince manufacturers to put it back in potentially unsafe cans again. There's always the future, but until then, you can still enjoy plastic cups of pudding in many flavors (or make your own pudding at home and enjoy it fresh).