Chocolate Pudding
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Why settle for store-bought chocolate pudding when homemade is so easy to make?
If you’ve never had homemade chocolate pudding, you’re in for a real treat. It’s silky-smooth and intensely chocolatey—a world apart from the instant or store-bought varieties. While kids always love chocolate pudding, its nostalgic appeal makes it a fun and crowd-pleasing dessert for grown-ups too. Despite the ease and convenience of ready-made mixes, making chocolate pudding from scratch is surprisingly simple. The only challenge is waiting for it to set up in the fridge—you’ll need to allow at least 5 hours—but the wait is well worth it!
“Something this chocolatey and decadent shouldn’t be so easy to make. This recipe is so easy and so delicious!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Pudding
- Sugar: Sweetens the pudding, balancing the cocoa’s bitterness and enhancing its flavor.
- Unsweetened Natural Cocoa Powder: Provides the rich chocolate flavor that defines chocolate pudding.
- Cornstarch: Acts as a thickening agent, giving the pudding its smooth and creamy consistency.
- Whole Milk: Forms the base of the pudding, and contributes to its creamy texture and richness.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate: Adds depth to the pudding, intensifying the chocolate flavor. Be sure to use good quality chocolate, such as Ghirardelli)
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall flavor profile of the pudding with its aromatic notes.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Combine the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt in a heavy medium saucepan.
Whisk to combine.
Add half of the milk and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the remaining milk.
Continue whisking over medium heat until the pudding thickens and comes to boil, about 8 minutes. Continue to boil 1 minute longer, whisking constantly.
Off the heat, add the chopped chocolate and vanilla.
Whisk until the chocolate melts and the pudding is smooth. Pour the pudding into a medium bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the pudding to prevent a film from forming at the top.
Cool in the refrigerator until set, 5 to 6 hours. Before serving, whisk the chilled pudding until smooth.
Spoon the pudding evenly into 4 dessert bowls.
Top with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired, and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’d recommend sticking with solid chocolate here; chocolate chips are made with stabilizers to help them retain their shape when heated, so they’re not the best option for pudding.
Sure! It keeps nicely in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I don’t recommend it as the pudding isn’t firm enough to hold up when sliced. This chocolate cream pie recipe may meet your needs – it’s delish!
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Chocolate Pudding
Why settle for store-bought chocolate pudding when homemade is so easy to make?
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder, such as Hershey's
- 2½ tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2½ cups whole milk
- 1½ ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (best quality, such as Ghirardelli)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Homemade whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Whisk the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt in a heavy medium saucepan. Add half of the milk and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the remaining milk. Continue whisking over medium heat until the pudding thickens and comes to boil, about 8 minutes. Continue to boil 1 minute longer, whisking constantly.
- Remove the pudding from the heat. Add the chopped chocolate and vanilla; whisk until the chocolate melts and the pudding is smooth. Pour the pudding into a medium bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the pudding to prevent a film from forming at the top. Cool in the refrigerator until set, 5 to 6 hours. Whisk the chilled pudding until smooth, and then spoon it evenly into 4 dessert bowls. Top each pudding with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired, and serve.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 310
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Sugar: 47 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Sodium: 142 mg
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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I Love this Recipe! I use the same ingredients with a bit more milk and sometimes heavy cream! Delicious!
This was excellent! It tastes just like the chocolate pudding that my mom used to make, and brought back many happy and yummy childhood memories. It’s what I used to call a real homemade pudding, as opposed to the Jello Instant variety. This recipe was delicious. Came out nice consistency. Thanks for this!
Nothing better than homemade pudding! Kids bring the best imaginations!
Just made this with 70% chopped chocolate and skim milk and it’s bittersweet and delicious! Thanks, we love it!
Is there a vanilla flavor version of this recipe?
Unfortunately, I don’t have a vanilla version of this (yet) — sorry! I do have this banana pudding and these Lemon Berry Parfaits. Hope you enjoy if you try either one of these.
yum- I have two girls that would LOVE this- and you are sooooo right about homemade chocolate pudding- It is so much better!
Sarah, The chocolate pudding sounds great for a dinner party. Unfortunately, vanilla is a bit more involved to make and I don’t have a go-to recipe that I can pass on to you. Most good homemade vanilla puddings call for eggs. You might try this recipe: http://www.joyofbaking.com/VanillaPudding.html …I haven’t made it myself but everything else I’ve made from the site has been good. Good luck!
Oh, I love it. I have never made pudding before, isn’t that pathetic. Thanks for the recipe!
What a wonderful idea for the kids! Such a nice alternative to the classic ice cream sundae.
The pudding recipe itself looks yummy, perhaps it would make for a good filling in a chocolate pie 🙂
Thanks for the recipe!
This looks awesome! Reading this made my mouth water!
I love this idea and think I will use it for an upcoming dinner party. I would also like to offer a vanilla option – would I just leave out the cocoa powder and chopped chocolate?
I am loving your blog – I check it daily to see if there are new posts and the recipes have all turned out wonderfully!