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).
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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. So we're loving this tasty homemade recipe for Homemade Chocolate Pudding, which does contain regular sugar and refined corn starch and is therefore considered a special treat!
My Go-To Chocolate Chips: 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!
Try our delicious Chia Pudding too!
Homemade Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (I very much prefer the extra dark variety)
- 1 egg (beaten)
- ⅓ 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Garnish with whipped cream and more chocolate chips, if desired, and serve. YUM!
Notes
**With a few substitutions this recipe can be made dairy-free and allergy-friendly.
Elisha says
Will this work with dairy free milk?
Kerry Schnell says
I grew up on homemade chocolate pudding. I still remember trying store-bought pudding for the first time and thinking how awful it was! I have recipes for vanilla and butterscotch pudding as well. All are favourites with my family!
Chris says
Love this recipe! My go-to for a chocolate snack with my daughter.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi there. That is not something we've tried. If you give it a go, let us know how it turns out.
Lauren says
Any suggestions for making this into banana pudding?
Angela says
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.
B says
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!!
Fix Your Skin says
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.
Margaret says
Has anyone tried maple syrup instead of sugar? Or agave nectar? Love this website and your cookbooks!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi. Well, we do not use agave but in developing recipes, Lisa usually tries honey or maple before going with granulated sugar.
Jen says
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!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
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. :)
Lauren Mulkey says
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!
Brenda says
Do you have any suggestions for making this without the egg? My son is allergic.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi. You might give a flax egg a try: http://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-a-flax-egg/.
Meg says
Just so everyone knows we've made this twice with unsweetened almond milk and it works perfectly.
Kathy says
The same is with the boxed pudding. Five minutes to cook ... and then you let it chill.
Just Someone says
Not instant. 5 minutes for instant! :-P
Kathy says
Instant? Yuck? (shivers) LOL
Elisha says
My daughter is allergic to cows milk. Do you think coconut milk would work?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
We've not tried but I think it will work.
Haley says
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?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Haley. We've not made subs in this recipe but I think it would work.
Michelle says
Do you think I could sub in cacao powder for the cocoa?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Michelle. I use cacao almost always but have not tried it in this recipe.
Michelle says
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.
Hélène says
May be a downer but an important consideration for sure! Child labor, with no education...soooo cruel.
Erin says
Can you use arrowroot instead of cornstarch? Thanks!
Sarah says
I was wondering this as well....
Jen says
This would be great to know...my daughter is allergic to corn starch.
Michelle Wood says
I am wondering this too!
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
We've not tried that substitution. Let us know if you do.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
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.
Kim says
This looks fantastic! Now i have a new recipe to try during the hurricane tomorrow (if we still have power). Thank you!!!
Linda Furness says
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
Emily says
Looks great can't wait to make!
Alli says
Would I be able to sub unsweetened Almond Milk to help make it dairy free?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hello. We have not tried any substitutions but I do think it would work.
Amy says
Made it yesterday after I saw the post on FB. It was so easy and yummy. Hoping to find a vanilla pudding recipe when I search the site.
Kristin says
I use the pudding recipe from the better homes and gardens basic cookbook. The only difference between chocolate and vanilla pudding is the cocoa powder. So, for vanilla, simply omit the cocoa powder.
Rachel says
Do you have any idea if this would work with coconut milk? I substitute coconut milk for dairy in all of my cooking because of allergies in the family - but I'm not sure if pudding would set.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi there. We have not tried any substitutions but I do think it would work.
Jennifer says
I thought sugar was not allowed?
Lisa says
That is correct and why I mentioned this above "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!"
Sherri says
Ooooh. I have all these ingredients right now so I guess I know what I'm making tomorrow. Yum!!!! Thx Lisa