Pudding Cup Filling Machine for Refrigerated Snack Cups
Fill, seal and lid chocolate, vanilla, rice and plant-based pudding cups in one rotary pass. The SDH-R delivers ±0.5% servo piston accuracy, clean cut-off nozzles and up to 30 cups per minute from a 44 × 52 in footprint.
A pudding cup filling machine doses pudding into pre-formed cups and seals them automatically. Hummus Pack's SDH-R rotary pudding cup filling machine uses a servo-driven volumetric piston to fill 50–500 g at ±0.5% accuracy, heat-seals roll film to each cup and can add nitrogen MAP and snap-on lids, at up to 30 cups per minute (18–25 real-world). It is built for refrigerated pudding cups, not shelf-stable aseptic or retort products.
- Output
- Up to 30 cups/min (18-25 real-world)
- Fill accuracy
- ±0.5% (servo-driven volumetric piston)
- Fill range
- 50 g – 500 g (approx. 2 oz – 17 oz)
- Standard cups
- 4 oz, 8 oz, 10 oz, 16 oz; custom 2–32 oz
- Closing
- Roll-film heat seal; optional snap-on lid
- Changeover
- Under ~15 minutes between SKUs
- Price
- From $45,000 USD (single filler)
What a Pudding Cup Filling Machine Does
A pudding cup filling machine takes empty pre-formed cups, deposits a measured portion of pudding into each one, and closes the cup with a heat-sealed film and, usually, a snap-on lid. For chocolate, vanilla, rice, tapioca and plant-based puddings sold in the refrigerated case, our SDH-R automatic rotary cup filling and sealing machine handles the full sequence in one pass.
Pudding looks simple, but it is one of the less forgiving products to fill. It changes viscosity with temperature, strings off a nozzle, forms a skin when exposed, and a smear on the cup flange is enough to compromise a seal. This page explains how we configure the SDH-R for those behaviors, where it fits and where it does not. For the machine format itself, see our overview of the rotary cup filling machine.
How the SDH-R Fills and Seals Pudding Cups, Station by Station
Cups sit in tooling on an indexing dial and move through each station in turn:
- Cup loading: a pneumatic denester places one pre-formed cup in each tooling pocket.
- Base fill: a servo-driven volumetric piston deposits 50–500 g of pudding at ±0.5% fill-weight accuracy.
- Optional second and third fills: a peristaltic pump adds a caramel or fruit sauce; a garnish filler adds cookie crumbs, nuts or chocolate pieces.
- Membrane sealing: film cut from a roll is heat-sealed to the flange for a tamper-evident closure.
- Optional nitrogen MAP flushing to reduce residual oxygen to 0.3–0.4%.
- Optional lidding: a pick-and-place or snapping device fits a plastic over-cap.
- Discharge to a conveyor for coding, labeling and case packing.
Recipe settings for each SKU are stored on the PLC-based HMI, which also raises diagnostic alerts. Changeover between SKUs takes under about 15 minutes, and the machine fits a 44 × 52 in footprint at 65.6 in high.
Refrigerated vs Shelf-Stable Pudding: Where This Pudding Packaging Machine Fits
Pudding cups reach shoppers by two very different routes, and you need to know which one you are on before choosing a pudding packaging machine.
- Shelf-stable pudding cups, sold at room temperature in grocery aisles, are typically produced with aseptic filling or retort sterilization, which require equipment validated for commercial sterility. The SDH-R is not an aseptic filler and not a retort system.
- Refrigerated pudding cups, including fresh dairy, rice, chia, deli-style and plant-based puddings, are filled into clean cups, sealed and kept cold through distribution. This is the category the SDH-R is built for.
For refrigerated products, optional nitrogen MAP flushing reduces residual oxygen to 0.3–0.4%. Typical refrigerated shelf life with MAP extends from roughly 7–10 days to 30–45+ days, but the result is product-dependent: for pudding it rests on the recipe, the hygiene of the cook and cool steps upstream and the cold chain. Treat MAP as one hurdle within a validated shelf-life study, not a substitute for one. Our MAP cup filler page explains how the flush works.
Pudding Viscosity and Fill Temperature
Viscosity is the variable that shapes a pudding filling machine configuration, and in pudding it moves with temperature. A cooked starch pudding flows relatively freely while warm, then thickens as it cools and the starch gel sets. Rice and tapioca puddings carry particulates in a thickened liquid phase. The same recipe can behave like a sauce at one point in your process and a soft paste an hour later.
That is why fill temperature is the first question our engineering team asks. Some producers deposit pudding while it is still warm and pourable; others fill chilled, set product. The SDH-R targets refrigerated cups filled at a pumpable temperature, and the fill temperature your recipe needs is confirmed with our engineers before we quote. Holding that temperature steady is what keeps the fill consistent across the shift.
Why a servo-driven piston suits pudding
- It displaces a fixed volume per stroke, so portions do not drift with viscosity the way a time-based pump fill can.
- It moves product with relatively low shear, helping protect the starch gel; overworked starch gels can thin and weep (syneresis) later in shelf life.
- With the optional weight checker and feedback loop, it can compensate for density changes in aerated or mousse-style puddings.
For more on drive choice, see our servo cup filler page. If your product is an egg-thickened custard rather than a starch pudding, our custard filling machine page covers the differences.
Get a configured SDH-R quote for your productSend your product, cup size and target cups per minute — we reply within 24 hours.
Request a quoteClean Cut-Off Without Stringing: Nozzle Choice for Pudding
Pudding is cohesive. At the end of a dose, a set pudding tends to pull a tail of product from the nozzle, and that tail lands on the flange or the next cup's rim. Trapped between film and cup, it prevents a fused seal and creates a leak path. We address stringing with nozzle selection rather than by slowing the machine:
- Cut-off nozzle: closes at the tip and separates the product cleanly. It suits thick, set puddings and gel-like textures such as chia pudding.
- Suck-back nozzle: draws the tail back into the nozzle for a drip-free finish on smoother, more fluid puddings.
- Large-bore valving: lets rice grains, tapioca pearls and soft inclusions pass without crushing or bridging.
A clean flange is the cheapest quality control on any pudding line: it prevents leakers that otherwise surface days later in a retailer's chiller.
Pudding Cup Sealing Machine Performance: Skin, Flange and Seal Integrity
Once pudding is in the cup, two things work against you. Exposed to air, the surface dries and forms a skin, especially on warm-filled dairy pudding. And warm product can release moisture that condenses on the flange and the underside of the film. Sealing quickly limits both. On the SDH-R, the cup reaches the sealing station within a few indexes of the dial rather than travelling down an open conveyor to a separate sealer.
Seal quality depends on temperature, pressure and dwell time, matched to your film and cup material, and a clean, dry flange is the precondition for all three.
Seal integrity checks we recommend for pudding cups
- Inspect the full seal ring on sample cups at start-up and after every changeover for channels, wrinkles or trapped product.
- Peel-test to confirm the film releases cleanly without tearing.
- Squeeze or vacuum-test samples to find leaks before cases are packed.
- If you use MAP, check residual oxygen against your target.
- Save validated seal settings in the HMI recipe so every operator runs the same values.
An optional plastic over-cap protects the film in transit and lets consumers reclose family-size cups. Our cup filling and sealing machine page compares closure options.
Pudding Types and Recommended Pudding Filling Machine Setup
The table summarizes how we typically configure the SDH-R for common pudding styles. Final selection is confirmed with our engineering team against your recipe, fill temperature and cup.
Pudding type vs filler, nozzle and handling notes on the SDH-R
| Pudding type | Filler / nozzle | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate or vanilla starch pudding | Servo volumetric piston; cut-off nozzle | Viscosity rises as it cools; hold fill temperature steady; seal promptly to limit skin |
| Rice pudding | Servo piston with large-bore valving; cut-off nozzle | Keep grains evenly suspended upstream; confirm grain size |
| Tapioca pudding | Servo piston with large-bore valving | Pearls must pass the valve intact; confirm pearl size with engineering |
| Chia pudding (plant-based) | Servo piston; cut-off nozzle | Gel-coated seeds string easily; clean cut-off protects the flange |
| Oat, soy or almond-based pudding | Servo piston; suck-back or cut-off nozzle | Behavior varies by thickener; validate dairy-free changeover cleaning |
| Mousse-style or aerated pudding | Servo piston plus weight checker with feedback loop | Density varies with overrun; gentle handling preserves aeration |
| Layered pudding with sauce or crumble | Piston base + peristaltic pump + garnish filler | Up to 3 fillers in one pass |
Layered desserts are where multi-component filling earns its place: a caramel layer from the peristaltic pump and a cookie crumble from the garnish filler go in during the same pass as the pudding base. For parfait-style builds, see our parfait cup filling machine; for the wider range of chilled desserts, our dessert cup filling machine page.
4 oz Snack Pudding Cups, Family Sizes and Multipacks
The 4 oz cup is the classic format for a snack pudding cup filler, and it is one of the SDH-R's four standard sizes alongside 8 oz, 10 oz and 16 oz. Custom tooling covers 2 oz to 32 oz cups in round, square or rectangular shapes, within a standard fill range of 50 g to 500 g. A 2 oz portion sits at the low end; fills below 50 g are outside the standard specification.
At a real-world 18–25 cups per minute, one SDH-R produces roughly 1,080–1,500 cups an hour, or about 8,640–12,000 cups per eight-hour shift. In four-cup multipacks that is roughly 2,160–3,000 packs per shift.
The SDH-R fills and seals individual pre-formed cups; multipacking by sleeve, banding or cartoning happens downstream. If your format uses joined multi-cavity cups, discuss it with our engineering team before quoting. Optional top and side labeling integration and variable data coding add best-before dates and lot codes on the discharge conveyor.
Allergen Control for Milk, Egg and Plant-Based Pudding
Most dairy puddings contain milk, and many custard-style recipes contain egg; both are major allergens under the US Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA). Toppings can add wheat, soy, tree nuts or peanuts. If the same SDH-R also runs hummus or tahini, sesame, the ninth major US allergen since January 1, 2023 under the FASTER Act, joins the matrix.
Plant-based puddings raise the stakes: a product sold as dairy-free must not pick up milk from the previous run, so the clean between dairy and plant-based SKUs must be validated, not just performed. The SDH-R supports that work with:
- Food-grade 304 stainless steel construction and tool-free strip-down for inspection and cleaning.
- An optional CIP (clean-in-place) system for repeatable wet cleaning.
- FDA-compliant food-contact materials, with CE marking and UL listing.
The under-15-minute figure applies to SKU changeover; a full allergen clean takes longer and should be timed during validation. Plants operating under FDA FSMA Preventive Controls (21 CFR Part 117), HACCP, BRCGS, SQF or Canada's Safe Food for Canadians Regulations document these controls in their own food safety plans; the SDH-R is designed to support them, not certified to them. Many plants run plant-based SKUs first after a full clean. Our plant-based filling page covers dairy-free production in more depth.
When the SDH-R Is Not the Right Pudding Filling Machine
We would rather tell you now than after you have bought the wrong machine. The SDH-R is not the right choice when:
- Your pudding is shelf-stable and must be filled aseptically or retorted after sealing.
- You need more than 30 cups per minute on one long-running SKU; at that volume an inline cup filling machine is usually the better investment.
- Your dessert is frozen, such as ice cream cups.
- You want to thermoform cups on the same machine; the SDH-R runs pre-formed cups and tubs.
- Your portions are below 50 g, such as 1 oz tasting cups.
Where the SDH-R excels is the producer with several pudding SKUs, frequent changeovers, layered products and limited floor space, at refrigerated volumes up to 30 cups per minute. If you are unsure, tell our engineering team about your product and volumes and we will give you a straight answer.
Pudding Cup Filling Machine Price, Lead Time and Quote
The SDH-R pudding cup filling machine starts from $45,000 USD in its single-filler configuration. Price scales with additional fillers, nitrogen MAP, labeling and coding, CIP, the weight checker and custom cup tooling. Our guide to cup filling and sealing machine cost shows how those options add up.
- Lead time: 8–12 weeks from order confirmation.
- Warranty: 12 months.
- Built in: Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
- Service: centres in Alberta, New Jersey and California.
To quote, we need your pudding type, cup size and shape, target fill weight, target cups per minute and the options you are considering. Our team may follow up to learn more about the application, and we reply within about 24 hours. Request a pudding cup filling machine quote or call +1 (888) 922-7271.
Pudding Cup Filling Machine — Frequently Asked Questions
The Hummus Pack SDH-R pudding cup filling machine starts from $45,000 USD in its single-filler configuration. The price rises with additional fillers for sauces or toppings, nitrogen MAP flushing, labeling and coding, a CIP system, a weight checker and custom cup tooling. Every SDH-R is built in Calgary, Canada, ships 8–12 weeks from order confirmation and carries a 12-month warranty.
The SDH-R rotary pudding cup filling machine runs up to 30 cups per minute on a dry cycle and typically 18–25 cups per minute in real production, depending on the pudding, cup size, fill weight and options. That is roughly 8,640–12,000 cups per eight-hour shift. Producers needing more than 30 cups per minute on a single SKU should look at an inline machine instead.
The SDH-R fills four standard cup sizes, 4 oz, 8 oz, 10 oz and 16 oz, covering classic 4 oz snack pudding cups and larger family tubs. Custom change parts extend the range to 2 oz–32 oz cups in round, square or rectangular shapes. The standard fill range is 50 g to 500 g; fills below 50 g are outside the standard specification.
No. Shelf-stable pudding cups sold at room temperature are typically produced with aseptic filling or retort sterilization, and the Hummus Pack SDH-R is neither an aseptic filler nor a retort system. The SDH-R is designed for fresh, refrigerated pudding cups filled at a pumpable temperature, heat-sealed and kept cold through distribution.
The SDH-R pudding filling machine uses a servo-driven volumetric piston with fill-weight accuracy of ±0.5% across its 50–500 g range. Because a piston doses by volume, steady pudding density and fill temperature keep weights tight. For aerated or mousse-style puddings, the optional weight checker with feedback loop helps correct the dose to hold label weight while limiting giveaway.
Pudding tends to pull a tail from the nozzle that can land on the flange and break the seal. The Hummus Pack SDH-R offers a cut-off nozzle that separates thick or gel-like puddings cleanly at the end of each dose, and a suck-back nozzle that draws the tail back for a drip-free finish on smoother puddings. Large-bore valving lets rice and tapioca pass without crushing.
It can. The SDH-R's optional nitrogen flush reduces residual oxygen in the cup to 0.3–0.4%, which slows oxidation and aerobic spoilage. Typical refrigerated shelf life with MAP extends from roughly 7–10 days to 30–45 days or more, but results are product-dependent, so pudding producers should confirm shelf life through a validated study. See our MAP and nitrogen flushing shelf-life guide.
The SDH-R is built from food-grade 304 stainless steel with tool-free strip-down and an optional CIP system, so dairy, egg and plant-based pudding runs can be separated by a validated clean. SKU changeover takes under about 15 minutes; a full allergen clean takes longer and should be timed during validation. Many plants run dairy-free SKUs first after a full clean and record the controls in their HACCP or FSMA food safety plan.
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