Toss out the snack packs and learn how to make homemade chocolate pudding completely from scratch, no box-mix required. This is an easy recipe that has been a hit with my family and is a richly chocolate treat that’s a far cry from the artificially flavored snack packs you can buy at the supermarket.
For some reason, I thought I’d lost my taste for chocolate pudding years ago. It was one of the first desserts I learned to make on my own when I was a kid, mostly because it was so easy — just open the little brown box, shake out a packet of chocolate powder into a bowl full of milk, and whisk until smooth.
Somewhere through the years I lost my interest, sure it was easy, but it wasn’t exactly great, and so I moved on to cookies and cakes and other desserts.
It wasn’t until I shared my chocolate pie recipe late last year that I realized how rich, chocolatey, and un-artificial real, homemade pudding could really be, and so I decided it might be time to give chocolate pudding another chance, just maybe without the little brown box of powder involved.
This is a more sophisticated chocolate pudding than the one you might have made yourself as a kid. The flavors are more authentic, deeper, darker (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 not that much more work and the taste improvement is worth every extra second of stirring.
There are just a few things to know before you get started, and knowing these tips and keeping them in mind will ensure your chocolate pudding comes out perfectly every time, so let’s get to it.
First, let’s talk about the back-of-the-spoon test.
Since everyone’s oven and stovetop is going to run slightly different from mine, I love it when a recipe has visual/textural cues that indicate a dessert is progressing as it should. Most cookies will have slightly golden brown edges, cakes should spring back to the touch, and homemade chocolate pudding should coat the back of a spoon before removing it from the stovetop, and not a second sooner. This is essential, if your pudding does not reach this thickness, it is never going to firm up correctly in the refrigerator, and you’ll be left with a runny mess.
How long it will take for the pudding to reach this consistency will vary depending on your stovetop and where exactly you set the dial for “medium low”, but for me it has taken 10 minutes and even longer.
Let’s talk more tips, like why you can’t crank your heat up to high to speed up the cooking process and why I recommend covering your pudding with cling wrap as it cools.
More tips for making homemade chocolate pudding
- Gather all of your ingredients before you begin. Once the pudding has thickened, you’ll want to work quickly and add your chocolate, butter, and vanilla immediately so that they melt, so have them prepped and ready to go.
- Do NOT increase the heat of your burner to speed up the cooking process. The pudding needs a low heat to ultimately thicken to a pudding consistency. If it doesn’t reach this consistency, your pudding will never firm up and you’ll essentially be left with a chocolate soup.
- As mentioned above, you can tell that the pudding has reached appropriate thickness when it coats the back of a spoon and no metal can be seen showing through.
- The cornstarch in this recipe is essential, but it can also cause some small lumps in your pudding. I personally prefer a smooth texture, and so I recommend pouring your pudding through a fine mesh strainer once it’s finished cooking to eliminate any lumps. This is the one I use (affiliate).
- Placing plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding will prevent a skin from forming over the surface as it cools.
I pour my chocolate pudding into a large bowl and chill it that way, then portion it out into separate serving dishes when I’m ready to serve. If you prefer you can portion it directly into the serving cups and chill it that way (still cover with cling wrap), do whichever is easier for you!
I like to top my pudding off with homemade whipped cream, but that is completely optional.
Enjoy!
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How do you Make Homemade Chocolate Pudding
Homemade Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons natural cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups milk (710ml)
- 4 oz dark chocolate bar, chopped into small pieces I use 60% dark chocolate (113g)
- 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.
- Add milk and transfer to stovetop over medium-low heat and whisk ingredients together.
- 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.
- 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).
Nutrition
Katharin says
Just tried it today! My kids love it! The chocolate is such a nice addition to the sweet taste.
Sam says
I am so happy to hear everyone enjoyed, Katharin! Thank you so much for commenting, I really appreciate it! 🙂
Lauren says
I think I need some help with this one. I’ve made it 3 or 4 times now with different milks, whole, 2% and 1% and I think the flavor is great (like really really great) and I love that there no eggs, but I’m missing something. It takes my pudding at least 25 minutes to thicken, most of the time way longer. When I looked back at the 5 minute cook time I’m in disbelief. I’m literally sitting and stirring until my hand feels like it’ll burn off. What am I doing wrong? I have a gas stove and use medium heat (4.5 out of 10 On the knob). Of note, I have put a liquid mixture back on the stove the next day to reduce it and that worked but ended up with much less pudding. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!
Sam says
Hi Lauren! Everyone’s stovetops will work differently, though I will say the 5 minute cook time is probably a bit of an underestimate, it probably takes me closer to ten. I will have to adjust that and make a video of this recipe soon, that might be helpful. You could try increasing your heat just a notch (5 or 5.5, don’t overdo it or the pudding will cook too quickly and not turn out).
Are you putting it back on the stove the next day because it’s too liquidy even after the 25 minutes?
Lauren says
Yes! I made it 2 nights ago, cooked it on medium heat for at least 35 minutes, stirring the whole time, it boiled for way more than a minute, and it’s still liquidy. I have experimented on higher heat but didn’t want the bottom to burn.
Sam says
If it’s taking that long I think you are safe to turn up the heat a bit higher. That’s crazy it’s taking so long!
Suzanne Hale says
I read somewhere that boiling cornstarch too long will cause it to not thicken as will over stirring. So boiling longer than 1-2 minutes is a no-no.
Sue says
Make sure your cornstarch isn’t outdated
Josie says
Could you substitute the milk in the recipe with almond milk?
Sugar Spun Run says
Hi, Josie! I have not tried it personally, however, someone has and reported success. I hope that you enjoy it! 🙂
Josh Reid says
What if i don’t have chocolate bar can i add more coco
Sam says
Hi Josh! Do you have another solid chocolate like chocolate chips? The texture will be much better if you have a solid chocolate. 🙂
Char says
Delicious! True chocolate goodness!
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that you loved it, Char! Thanks for trying my recipe. 🙂
Mrs Simi madhu says
Extremely delicious… would love to recommend it to my friends too…kids enjoyed alot… expecting more from you….way to go
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that it was such a hit, Mrs. Simi! Thank you for trying my recipe. I can’t wait to see what recipe you try next! 🙂
Kylene says
OMG! This recipe is delicious! The pudding is rich and chocolatey with the perfect amount of sugar for me, I didn’t find it too sweet. I used Droste cocoa and Baker’s semi sweet 4oz chocolate bar.
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that you enjoyed, Kylene! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Lucy says
Delishously silk and smooth! I’ll definitely be using this recipe again, but next time I think I’ll cut down on the sugar, it was extremely sweet!
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Lucy! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Arna says
I didn’t have dark chocolate so used bittersweet baking and eating chocolate. Delicious! So chocolately.
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that it turned out so well and you enjoyed the recipe, Arna! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Phyllis Klemp says
Can I substitute cocoa powder ?? if so — how much??
Sugar Spun Run says
Hi, Phyllis! I am sorry but I am not certain the question you are asking. This recipe already calls for 2 Tablespoons of natural cocoa powder. Are you looking to replace this? I have a vanilla pudding that you can try instead if you don’t want the chocolate flavor.
Lauren says
Hi! Looking forward to making this … and then working out double time to compensate 🙃. Can I use heavy cream instead of milk?
Sugar Spun Run says
Hi, Lauren! Someone recently tried this recipe using a combination of heavy cream and 2% milk and it turned out well for them. Having not tested this myself, I can not provide you with any personal recommendations. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out for you! 🙂
Johanna says
Process was easy enough, texture was great, but I used 1/2 cup sugar and 70% dark chocolate and it was WAY too sweet for me.
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Johanna! I am sorry that it was too sweet for your liking. Feel free to make adjusts to accommodate next time. 🙂
Debra says
Extraordinary! I’m so glad I found you and this pudding recipe. Your instructions are spot on. My only change was to use Trader Joe’s 72% dark chocolate (7 squares measured at 4 ounces). I made my mom’s icebox cake (layered graham crackers, warm pudding, and so on up to 4 layers with pudding on top) which is now in the refrigerator. I’ll be adding whipped cream and the fabulous will happen. Truly, this is a remarkable and easy chocolate pudding. Thanks so much for this recipe.
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so happy that you found my site too, Debra! Thank you for commenting, I appreciate the feedback. I am so glad that you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Sue says
Thank u so much. My four year old granddaughter was so amazed we could make yummy chocolate pudding without a trip to the store for a little cardboard box. Fun, delicious and educational!
Sugar Spun Run says
I love it, Sue! I hope that she had fun being apart of the pudding making process. I am so glad that it was a hit too! 🙂