This homemade chocolate pudding is silky smooth and luscious with an intense chocolate flavor. Made without eggs, it can also be a dairy-free pudding using a milk substitute. It's easy enough for a weeknight dessert, and much better than a box mix!
Jump to:
[December, 2022: I've reworked the recipe and updated this post with all new pictures. Enjoy!]
Why this recipe works
- Smooth, creamy, and delicious, homemade dark chocolate pudding takes only a few minutes to make
- You can choose the intensity of the chocolate, from dark to semisweet
- No eggs are needed
- Can be made with milk, or use a milk substitute for a dairy-free pudding
When you have a hankering for smooth, creamy chocolate pudding, you can easily make it in a matter of minutes with common pantry ingredients, no boxed mix required. Perfect for a weeknight dessert!
And if you're really wanting intense chocolate flavor, using dark chocolate is the way to go.
Dark chocolate pudding has a satiny smooth mouth feel with the deep intensity of dark chocolate, yet without coating your mouth the way a box mix can. Topped with a little bit of whipped cream and some chocolate shavings, this chocolate pudding is truly a treat!
The next time you have a craving for pudding that's silky smooth and luscious, this dark chocolate pudding is the answer!
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this homemade chocolate pudding recipe:
Ingredient Notes
This dark chocolate pudding recipe is essentially a thickened rich chocolate milk.
Chocolate: You'll use chocolate in two forms. Whatever type of chocolate you choose, use the best quality you can find.
- Dark chocolate: While I use dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao, either as chocolate wafers or from a solid chocolate bar), semisweet chocolate will also work.
- Cocoa Powder: I use dark chocolate cocoa powder to really intensify the chocolate in my homemade chocolate pudding, like when I make brownies or hot fudge. You can reduce the intensity of the flavor by using regular cocoa powder.
Milk and Heavy Cream: You can use any combination of milk, half & half, and/or heavy cream for this pudding, or any dairy-free milk products you prefer. The richness of the final product depends on the richness of the dairy (or non-dairy) product(s) you use, so you can make a homemade pudding to fit your dietary needs.
Cornstarch: Since we're not making a custard that's thickened with egg yolks, cornstarch is used to thicken the pudding. While some pudding recipes include or exclusively use flour, cornstarch does the job without masking the taste of the finished product. Plus, using cornstarch makes this a gluten-free recipe.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
This chocolate pudding recipe is an egg-free custard
Is chocolate custard the same as chocolate pudding? Even though pudding is a form of custard, there are no eggs used in this recipe, just like in the recipe for vanilla pudding.
A classic chocolate custard recipe requires egg yolks for thickening. They're tempered into the hot milk mixture, like with pastry cream or ice cream. That means gently heat an egg yolk mixture (usually yolks combined with sugar) by slowly adding ½ cup of a warmed cream mixture while continuously whisking. This process is called tempering the eggs, and its purpose is to prevent the eggs from curdling while the custard cooks. The custard then thickens as it cooks because of the inclusion of eggs in the mixture.
In this chocolate pudding recipe, we use cornstarch for thickening, so there's no chance of having any bits of scrambled egg in the pudding and no need to strain the custard before chilling. The final product is just as rich and creamy as chocolate custard, so you won't miss the eggs.
How to make homemade chocolate pudding
Step 1: Whisk the base ingredients
In a 3-quart heavy saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt (photo 1). Sifting the cocoa powder first helps eliminate lumps for the next step.
Slowly stream the milk and heavy cream into the sugar mixture, whisking to prevent lumps (photo 2).
Step 2: Cook the pudding
Heat the saucepan on medium high and whisk continuously until the chocolate milk mixture just starts to steam. Add in the dark chocolate wafers or chopped chocolate and continue stirring until it has melted and the pudding thickened (the whisk leaves noticeable streaks) and the mixture is bubbling. (photo 3).
Remove the pudding from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract (photo 4).
Step 3: Portion into ramekins
Pour the warm pudding into six 6-ounce ramekins (photo 5).
Place plastic wrap directly onto pudding (if desired, to prevent skin from forming) and refrigerate until the pudding is completely chilled, about 2 to 3 hours.
Storage information
Chocolate pudding will keep in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for 3 to 5 days.
Yield Notes
The recipe as written makes about 2½ cups (24 ounces), and is easily halved or doubled. The number of servings will depend on the size of your ramekins. Use six 6-ounce ramekins filled a little over ½ full (about 4 ounces of pudding), or use 4-ounce ramekins for more servings.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
No! You can use any combination of milk, half u0026 half, and/or heavy cream for this pudding recipe. If you prefer a dairy-free chocolate pudding, you can choose any dairy-free milk products you prefer. Plus, using a dairy-free milk product yields a vegan chocolate pudding because there are no eggs.
Skin or no skin? That's up to you. If you don't like a skin forming on the top of the pudding, place plastic wrap directly on the top of the pudding after you pour it into the ramekins. Personally, I kind of like having a thick layer to spoon through in order to get to the creamy center.
Didn't find the answer you're looking for?
Ask AI to answer for this specific recipe:
Disclaimer: I am not responsible for the quality of AI information
I hope you like this recipe! Let me know if you have any questions, and don't forget to leave a comment and rating. Thanks!
Slainté! L'chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
More custard & sauce recipes to try
Recipe
Homemade Dark Chocolate Pudding (No Eggs)
Equipment
- 2-quart heavy saucepan
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder, sifted, see Recipe Notes
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ cups milk, see Recipe Notes
- ½ cup heavy cream, see Recipe Notes
- 2 ounces dark chocolate wafers, or solid dark chocolate, chopped (⅓ cup), see Recipe Notes
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- whipped cream, for garnish
- dark chocolate shavings or cocoa powder, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large heavy saucepan, whisk together ½ cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, ¼ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder, and ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt. Sifting the cocoa powder first helps eliminate lumps for the next step.
- Slowly stream 1½ cups milk and ½ cup heavy cream into the sugar mixture, whisking to prevent lumps. Heat the saucepan on medium high, whisking continuously, until the chocolate milk mixture just starts to steam.
- Add 2 ounces dark chocolate wafers or chopped chocolate and continue stirring until it has melted and the pudding has thickened (the whisk leaves noticeable streaks) and the mixture is bubbling.
- Remove the pudding from the heat and stir in 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.
- Pour the warm pudding into 6 6-ounce ramekins. Place plastic wrap directly onto the pudding if you want to prevent a skin from forming.
- Refrigerate until the pudding is completely chilled, about 2 to 3 hours.
- When you're ready to serve, use a vegetable peeler to make small chocolate shavings for the garnish.
- Top each pudding with whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings or cocoa powder (sifted). Serve and enjoy!
- Storage instructions: Pudding will keep in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for 3 to 5 days.
- Yield Notes: The recipe as written makes about 2½ cups (24 ounces), and is easily halved or doubled. The number of servings will depend on the size of your ramekins. Use six 6-ounce ramekins filled a little over ½ full (about 4 ounces of pudding), or use 4-ounce ramekins for more servings.
Marsha Robertson says
Okay. This was fabulous. I don’t make pudding with a mix since I was in college. I loved the process of watching milk, flour (which is what I used), good cocoa, and good chocolate become something entirely different. This time was special. The texture of this pudding was so luxurious. The six servings of chocolate pudding are now chilling in the fridge. I decorated the pudding with a whole marshmallow.
Thank you for a tremendous recipe.
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Marsha, I’m so glad you like this! The marshmallow on top sounds very cute. Thanks for sharing, and enjoy! 🙂