Toss out the snack packs and make this homemade chocolate pudding recipe! This egg-free, richly chocolatey treat is so easy and tastes remarkably better than the store-bought version.
The Best Chocolate Pudding Recipe
This rich, chocolatey, homemade chocolate pudding recipe is much more sophisticated than anything from a box mix or plastic pudding cup. It’s inspired by the filling in my chocolate pie recipe, and the flavor is so rich and satisfying (and you can make it even richer and darker by using a higher percentage cocoa chocolate bar!).
Sure, there is a bit more work involved than shaking chocolate gelatin powder into a bowl of milk, but it’s really not that much more work. And the taste improvement is worth every extra second of stirring–I promise!
Feeling fancy? Add a dollop of homemade whipped cream on top, and you’ll never look back 🤎
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No eggs! This pudding is naturally egg-free, which means it’s a great eggless dessert option.
- Perfect consistency every time with my spoon trick. I talk more about this below, but as long as your pudding thickens to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon, your finished product will have the right texture. I provide visuals, too!
- Ideal make-ahead dessert since it has to chill in the fridge for a few hours to set.
- Made with real melted chocolate and cocoa powder, so it has a rich chocolate flavor that is SO much better than those foil-topped snack packs you’d find in your lunchbox.
Ingredients
Gather all of your ingredients and have them prepped and ready to go before you begin. Once the pudding has thickened, you’ll want to work quickly to add your chocolate, butter, and vanilla immediately so that they melt.
- Cocoa powder. Either natural or dutch process cocoa will work for this recipe. Dutch process will produce a richer flavor and darker color though, so keep that in mind. Personally, I prefer natural cocoa in my chocolate pudding.
- Milk. I like whole milk, but you could try experimenting with other types. I talk more about this in the FAQ section below.
- Chocolate. Use a high quality dark chocolate bar; I prefer 60% cacao. I’ve used Baker’s, Lindt, or Ghirardelli chocolate bars with success here. Whatever you use, make sure to chop it into small pieces so it melts evenly into your pudding.
- Butter. Either salted or unsalted butter will work in this recipe, since it’s such a small amount. Use whatever you have on hand!
- Vanilla. Yes, even though we are making chocolate pudding, we are still adding vanilla extract! It complements the chocolate flavor so well, so don’t skip it!
SAM’S TIP: The cornstarch in this recipe is essential, but if not smoothly whisked it could cause some small lumps in the final product. To ensure a totally smooth texture, pour the pudding through a fine mesh strainer once it’s finished cooking to eliminate any lumps. This is the one I use (affiliate).
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Chocolate Pudding
- Whisk the sugar and dry ingredients together in a medium saucepan, then pour in the milk.
- Whisk over medium-low heat until the mixture begins to thicken. How long it will take for the pudding to reach this consistency will vary depending on your stovetop, but for me it usually takes 10 minutes, sometimes longer. Do NOT increase the heat of your burner to speed up the cooking process!
- Test for the proper consistency: Dip a spoon in the pudding mixture and check to make sure it coats the back with no metal showing through (pictured above, and shown in the video in the recipe card). Do not remove your pudding from the stovetop unless it passes this test! Otherwise, it will never firm up in the fridge, and you’ll be left with a runny mess.
- Whisk constantly and let the mixture come to a boil (without increasing the heat!), then whisk for an additional minute before removing the pot from the heat.
- Stir in the chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla until the pudding is smooth and combined.
- Pour the pudding through a fine mesh strainer and into a heatproof bowl. Let cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the pudding. This will prevent a skin from forming over the surface as it cools.
- Place in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
SAM’S TIP: I pour my chocolate pudding into a large bowl to chill, then portion it out into separate serving dishes when I’m ready to serve. If you prefer to chill it directly in your serving cups, that’s fine too; just make sure to still cover each one with cling wrap!
Frequently Asked Questions
Not quite! Aside from ingredients (mousse is made with eggs!) the biggest difference between the two is the texture. Mousse is light and airy, while chocolate pudding is thick and creamy. I have a classic chocolate mousse recipe is you’d like to make some and compare the two!
Several of my readers have successfully prepared this recipe with non-dairy milks like coconut, almond, and soy. I have not personally tried making chocolate pudding with those milks, so I can’t say for sure what tweaks you might need to make if you use them.
This pudding needs to cook slowly to reach the proper consistency; however, if you are going on 20-25 minutes and not seeing any signs thickening, you may need to bump up your heat a bit. Just like ovens, every stove is different.
I have a recipe for chocolate pot de creme coming soon, which is like a thicker, fudgier chocolate pudding recipe. I can’t wait for you to try it!
Enjoy!
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Homemade Chocolate Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons natural cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups (710 ml) milk
- 4 oz (113 g) dark chocolate bar, chopped into small pieces I use 60% dark chocolate
- 2 Tablespoons butter cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Homemade Whipped Cream for topping, optional
Instructions
- Read through the recipe and prepare and gather all of your ingredients before beginning.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt.¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, 3 Tablespoons cornstarch, 2 Tablespoons natural cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Add milk and transfer to stovetop over medium-low heat and whisk ingredients together.3 cups (710 ml) milk
- Whisk ingredients frequently on medium heat until ingredients begin to thicken (this will take several minutes). Do not increase the heat to expedite the process, as it is important that the sugars melt for the pudding to ultimately reach the desired consistency.
- Once mixture has thickened (it should be approaching a pudding consistency and be able to coat the back of a spoon so that no metal shows through) whisk constantly, the mixture will come to a boil (again, don’t increase heat, this will take several minutes but the mixture will eventually come to a boil) and continue to whisk for 60 seconds (use a timer) before removing from heat (still whisking constantly).
- Immediately add chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract.4 oz (113 g) dark chocolate bar, chopped into small pieces, 2 Tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk until ingredients are smooth and chocolate and butter are completely melted.
- Pour your pudding through a fine mesh sieve (optional, but this will eliminate any lumps) into a medium-sized heatproof bowl. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent skin from forming.
- Cover the surface of your pudding with clear plastic wrap, making sure that the clear wrap is pressed against the surface of the chocolate to prevent a skin from forming.
- Refrigerate at least 4 hours to allow pudding to cool completely before serving, topped with homemade whipped cream (if desired).Homemade Whipped Cream
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Heather
Wondering if its possible to skip the butter? If the pudding has already started to thicken on the stove, is the butter necessary for texture for some reason? Just trying to see how I could lighten it up a bit, but it still sounds delicious.
Sam
Hi Heather, the consistency will be fine but the butter adds a nice richness to the flavor.
Lindsey
I’ve got a wicked sweet tooth, heaven forbid I’m near dessert when stress hits… I’ve tried many pudding recipes, all sorts, but none were really *it*. Not bad, just not swoon worthy. One of my boys turned 15 yesterday and required his annual crepes with plentiful filling choices. I’d already tried another chocolate pudding recipe but wasn’t wowed. At all. Last minute, I made this. Ohhhh my. YUM. I realized that what I thought was a bittersweet bar was unsweetened… dangit… so I added extra sugar and prayed. Seriously, this is THE recipe. My hubby & 5 kids agreed. It was amazing in crepes. Seriously amazing. I can’t wait to try it with actual bittersweet chocolate! Thank you!!!!!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that everyone enjoyed the chocolate pudding, Lindsay, and that it worked perfectly in your celebration crepes! I hope that your son had a wonderful birthday. Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Karen
Outstanding! This was so chocolaty! I used a good cocoa powder from King Arthur and an excellent chocolate from Callebaut. I will try using less sugar next time. Best chocolate pudding I’ve ever had!
Thanks for the recipe!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that the chocolate pudding turned out perfectly, Karen, and you loved it! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Judi
I love homemade desserts and felt this recipe was worth a try. It is silky and smooth with a deep chocolate flavor but, is way too sweet for me. I will continue searching for the best chocolate pudding recipe.
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you for trying my recipe, Judi! I am sorry that you found the pudding too sweet for your taste buds.
Holly
Judi!! All you have to do is add less sugar in the recipe…taste while adding the sugar for your liking…this is a great pudding base to start with and just tweak it. Hope this helps…😊
Leslie
I just finished making this pudding. This recipe is special. I have never made it from scratch before. Your directions are so clear I had no trouble. This is delicious. I have come to rely on you for tasty, reliable easy-to-follow recipes. Thank you for sharing them with us.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the chocolate pudding, Leslie! Thank you for trying my recipes and for commenting. 🙂
Marsha
I made the pudding tonight and it is wonderful. It is the first time that I made pudding that didn’t fail. I will be trying the vanilla next. Happy new year.
Sam
Happy New Year to you too, Marsha! So glad you enjoyed the chocolate pudding, thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Starla Wheeler
The taste is yummy but mine turned out a little loose than I wanted. It’s for a chocolate cream pie. What can I do to make it thicker? Would whipping it help? Needing some advise asap!
Sam
Hi Starla! This pudding is a bit looser than you would want to use for a pie filling, I would really recommend checking out my chocolate pie recipe instead, which produces a sturdier (more slice-able) filling. That being said, if you’ve already made the pudding you may be able to thicken it by folding in some whipped cream. I might recommend making a half batch of my homemade whipped cream and folding that in, it will make the filling more airy but might help it to hold up inside a pie crust. Good luck, I hope that helps!
Aanchal Jain
Hi, can I double the recipe?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Aanchal! Yes, you can. I hope that you enjoy it! 🙂
Amy
Hello! Can I use Dutch processed cocoa powder instead of natural?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Amy! Yes, that should be fine. I hope you enjoy the pudding. 🙂
Jeff
Less sugar, 1/2 cup.
Added about one Tbsp of brewed coffee.
Increased Cocoa to 1/4 cup for more intense flavor.
We want big chocolate flavor in puddings and pies, so we turn to cocoa powder. It has a higher proportion of flavorful cocoa solids than any other form of chocolate, so ounce for ounce, it tastes more intensely chocolaty. It’s made in two styles—Dutch-processed and natural—and there’s fierce debate in the baking world about which is best. Both styles have staunch supporters who are convinced that using the wrong type will ruin a dessert. For years, we also viewed Dutched and natural cocoa powders as distinctly different products. But when we last evaluated cocoa powder, something surprising happened: A natural powder won. Dutched powder came in second.
Real vanilla, not Mexican.
Arrowroot not Cornstarch.
Arrowroot powder can replace cornstarch as a thickener.
Cornstarch is the traditional thickener used in cooking for things such as gravies, stews and sauces. … Even better, arrowroot powder has no taste and leaves food glossy and clear, whereas cornstarch has a slight taste and leaves food cloudy and opaque.
Cook very slowly.
My suggestions.
Would love comments!
Lilu
Start your own blog rather than critique someone elses recipe
Linda
Thank you. I really appreciate knowing I can reduce the sugar.
Dee
Wow. How rude.
Bruce
Chocolate pudding won’t be clear, even if made with arrowroot
Leila
I was craving for chocolate pudding and O-M-G… Thank you so much.
Simple enough for a lazy me.. No gelatine… Happy me.. Can’t believe it actually turned out heavenly!!!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you, Leila! I am happy that the homemade chocolate pudding cured your sweet tooth craving. I am glad that you found the recipe easy and enjoyable. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Megan
I’m thinking of doing this today for dessert later tonight and silly question, but I’m assuming unsalted butter is being added? Usually always specified, and I’m thinking since adding salt, then stick with the unsalted. Just checking in case this is one of those rare times salted butter is called for.
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Megan! Yes, unsalted butter. I hope that your chocolate pudding turns out well. Enjoy! 🙂
Victoria in the Fort
I had to make some variations because I did not have the exact ingredients. I did not have cornstarch so I exchanged it with 6 tablespoons of unbleached brown flour. I didn’t have the chocolate bar so I added another tablespoon of cocoa, a quarter cup of sugar and another tablespoon of butter. I didn’t have the vanilla either. But it has turned out amazingly good. Thanks!
Sugar Spun Run
Hooray! I love the substitutions and am so happy that the Chocolate Pudding turned out so well. Enjoy! 🙂
Michelle
What brand of cocoa powder do you use?
Sugar Spun Run
Hello, Michelle! I typically use Hershey’s or Ghirardelli cocoa powder. Let me know how the chocolate pudding turns out! Enjoy! 🙂
Mark Cheron
Can I use Soy Milk instead?
Sam
Hi Mark! Unfortunately I am not too familiar with the use of soy milk, but I am thinking it won’t set up quite right because the fats in soy milk are different than those in whole milk.
Tressa
I did this recipe with soy milk and it turns out great every time!
Sam
Thank you for the feedback! 🙂