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Home » Blog » Homemade Chocolate Pudding!

Homemade Chocolate Pudding!

 Updated: March 24, 2017    Lisa Leake    44 Comments

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Chocolate pudding used to be a regular thing for me as a kid and also for my kids before we cut out all highly processed food. We used to “make it” ourselves. By that I mean we would mix milk together with some mystery powder out of a box. I just thought that was how it was done. I can’t believe I even managed to find this picture of my now 11-year-old (soon to be 12) daughter during one of our many pudding making moments back in the day! She was hamming it up for the camera (and yes, it was an actual camera back then, not my phone, haha).

Homemade Chocolate Pudding on 100 Days of Real Food
My daughter when she was two in 2007! Back when we ate processed pudding…

Once we made the switch to real food, though, it meant saying goodbye to things like highly processed instant pudding (and for good reason!). Come to find out, it’s full of artificial additives, preservatives, and other unwanted ingredients. Not to mention it contains way more sugar than necessary to taste great. And here’s the funny thing – the box lures you in by saying it’s “instant” pudding. But the real made-from-scratch version only takes all of 5 minutes to make. You’re really not saving all that much time in the end. So this recipe for Homemade Chocolate Pudding (which does contain regular sugar and refined corn starch and is therefore considered a special treat) is definitely worth it!

Homemade Chocolate Pudding on 100 Days of Real Food

Sponsor Shoutout: Enjoy Life

For this recipe, I used our favorite chocolate chips from Enjoy Life! Since their chips are only made with ingredients that are supposed to be in chocolate, they’re also allergy friendly (which, let’s face it, can come in handy these days) as well as vegan and paleo. And they taste great, too. I loved adding the mini chip version as a garnish on top so you’d still get plenty of pudding in every bite.  I also melted some right into the recipe. Trust me, this is a good one! :) And be sure to check out what’s coming soon – Enjoy Life chocolate chips in little snack pack sizes. I know my girls would flip out if I surprised them with this treat in their lunch one day!

Homemade Chocolate Pudding on 100 Days of Real Food

Homemade Chocolate Pudding
4 from 4 votes

Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy and healthy snack for kids
Dietary Restriction: Egg Free, Gluten Free, Peanut/Tree-Nut Free, Vegetarian
Category: Freezer Friendly

Active Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes
Servings (Adjust to suit): 4 people
Calories: 276 kcal

This Homemade Chocolate Pudding only takes 5 minutes to make and it's not full of artificial additives, preservatives, and other unwanted ingredients.

Print

Made from Scratch Chocolate Pudding on 100 Days of Real Food

Ingredients

  • 2 cups milk
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, I very much prefer the extra dark variety
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips, + extra for garnish if desired (I used Enjoy Life brand)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • whipped cream, optional garnish

Instructions

  1. In a wide-bottomed sauce pot, whisk together the milk, sugar, corn starch, cocoa powder, and egg. Set it over medium heat and whisk until the mixture begins to bubble up. Turn the heat down to medium-low and keep whisking until thick and creamy, less than 5 minutes.
  2. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips, butter, and vanilla. Divide among 4 or 5 bowls, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture cools and is set, about 2 hours.
  3. Garnish with whipped cream and more chocolate chips, if desired, and serve. YUM!

Recipe Notes

*We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
**With a few substitutions this recipe can be made dairy-free and allergy-friendly.

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition Facts
Homemade Chocolate Pudding
Amount Per Serving
Calories 276 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 63mg21%
Sodium 104mg5%
Potassium 195mg6%
Carbohydrates 37g12%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 32g36%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 380IU8%
Calcium 161mg16%
Iron 0.6mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

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Category: Recipes, Treats & Dessert

Previous Post: «Sheet Pan Apple Pie on 100 Days of Real Food Sheet Pan Apple Pie Recipe (with whole-wheat crust)
Next Post: Real Food for Halloween Parties! (+ Pumpkin Energy Balls) »

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About Lisa Leake

Lisa is a wife, mother, foodie, blogger, and New York Times Best-selling author who is on a mission to cut out processed food.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chris

    January 26, 2019 at 1:10 pm

    Love this recipe! My go-to for a chocolate snack with my daughter.

    Reply
  2. Amy Taylor (comment moderator)

    June 16, 2017 at 10:52 am

    Hi there. That is not something we’ve tried. If you give it a go, let us know how it turns out.

    Reply
  3. Lauren

    June 3, 2017 at 9:30 pm

    Any suggestions for making this into banana pudding?

    Reply
    • Angela

      September 15, 2017 at 2:33 pm

      Lauren, did you try making it banana pudding? If yes, how did it work out? I’m looking for a good dairy free banana pudding recipe for my son’s birthday treat.

      Reply
  4. B

    January 29, 2017 at 7:24 pm

    I was so excited to make this but unfortunately in never set up. Has anyone else had this problems? Any ideas on what went wrong? Thanks!!

    Reply
  5. Fix Your Skin

    January 12, 2017 at 3:55 am

    Just tried this and it was exactly what I needed. Thank you for this article. I am looking forward to similar ones that are informative and helpful on a daily basis.

    Reply
  6. Margaret

    January 10, 2017 at 11:55 am

    Has anyone tried maple syrup instead of sugar? Or agave nectar? Love this website and your cookbooks!

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator)

      January 17, 2017 at 11:07 am

      Hi. Well, we do not use agave but in developing recipes, Lisa usually tries honey or maple before going with granulated sugar.

      Reply
  7. Jen

    November 23, 2016 at 11:14 am

    This may be a silly question, but does the raw egg end up fully cooked by the end? I’m asking bc a pregnant woman will be eating this and I don’t want to put her at risk by the chance of any raw egg being in there!

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator)

      November 29, 2016 at 12:33 pm

      Hi Jen. Well, I would think it is heated to a point of being fully cooked but if you are concerned, you could leave it a bit longer on the higher heat. I’m definitely not an expert on Listeria, though, so check with your OB. :)

      Reply
  8. Lauren Mulkey

    November 16, 2016 at 4:27 pm

    Thank you for this awesome recipe. Made it for guests and everyone including myself loved! I doubled it and would say it took about 15 minutes before it thickened but this will be my go to recipe from now on!

    Reply
  9. Brenda

    November 13, 2016 at 6:45 pm

    Do you have any suggestions for making this without the egg? My son is allergic.

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator)

      November 17, 2016 at 12:35 pm

      Hi. You might give a flax egg a try: http://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-a-flax-egg/.

      Reply
  10. Meg

    November 5, 2016 at 9:49 pm

    Just so everyone knows we’ve made this twice with unsweetened almond milk and it works perfectly.

    Reply
  11. Just Someone

    October 20, 2016 at 8:06 pm

    You said it takes 5 minutes yet you have to let it set for 2 hours.
    Hmmmmmmmm……………………..

    Reply
    • Kathy

      November 1, 2016 at 8:36 pm

      The same is with the boxed pudding. Five minutes to cook … and then you let it chill.

      Reply
      • Just Someone

        November 4, 2016 at 4:52 pm

        Not instant. 5 minutes for instant! :-P

        Reply
        • Kathy

          November 4, 2016 at 5:29 pm

          Instant? Yuck? (shivers) LOL

          Reply
  12. Elisha

    October 18, 2016 at 7:31 pm

    My daughter is allergic to cows milk. Do you think coconut milk would work?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator)

      November 3, 2016 at 8:21 pm

      We’ve not tried but I think it will work.

      Reply
  13. Haley

    October 6, 2016 at 10:51 am

    This looks awesome. We arent a huge milk family. I understand it would change the thickness….but how about with a skim milk or almond?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator)

      October 13, 2016 at 12:44 pm

      Hi Haley. We’ve not made subs in this recipe but I think it would work.

      Reply
  14. Michelle

    October 6, 2016 at 12:21 am

    Do you think I could sub in cacao powder for the cocoa?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator)

      October 21, 2016 at 5:23 pm

      Hi Michelle. I use cacao almost always but have not tried it in this recipe.

      Reply
  15. Michelle

    October 5, 2016 at 1:15 pm

    I hate to be a downer here, but Enjoy Life brand is not fair trade or ethically sourced. They are one of the many chocolate companies who continue to engage in child slave labor and trafficking to make their products. One alternative I found is Nuts.com – they have fair trade mini chocolate chips that are also vegan. I hope everyone gives this some consideration because it’s a real problem in the world today.

    Reply
    • Hélène

      October 5, 2016 at 2:13 pm

      May be a downer but an important consideration for sure! Child labor, with no education…soooo cruel.

      Reply
  16. Erin

    October 5, 2016 at 12:48 pm

    Can you use arrowroot instead of cornstarch? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator)

      October 21, 2016 at 5:21 pm

      Hello. We’ve not tried it in this recipe but I have found that arrowroot works well as a sub as long as the food does not need to be reheated.

      Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator)

      October 6, 2016 at 1:08 pm

      We’ve not tried that substitution. Let us know if you do.

      Reply
    • Michelle Wood

      October 6, 2016 at 12:19 am

      I am wondering this too!

      Reply
    • Sarah

      October 5, 2016 at 4:55 pm

      I was wondering this as well….

      Reply
      • Jen

        October 5, 2016 at 6:53 pm

        This would be great to know…my daughter is allergic to corn starch.

        Reply
  17. Kim

    October 5, 2016 at 12:36 pm

    This looks fantastic! Now i have a new recipe to try during the hurricane tomorrow (if we still have power). Thank you!!!

    Reply
  18. Linda Furness

    October 5, 2016 at 11:51 am

    I do this kind of custard in a two-quart pyrex bowl (looks like a big measuring cup) in the microwave. Nuke at one minute intervals and stir. Works great, no lumps, no chance of scorching. Have not made this particular recipe, but I make the custard for banana pudding that way all the time. Also make Creme Anglais. that way

    Reply
  19. Emily

    October 3, 2016 at 11:55 am

    Looks great can’t wait to make!

    Reply
  20. Alli

    October 2, 2016 at 6:45 pm

    Would I be able to sub unsweetened Almond Milk to help make it dairy free?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator)

      October 6, 2016 at 1:17 pm

      Hello. We have not tried any substitutions but I do think it would work.

      Reply

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