Chocolate Pudding is a classic favorite dessert! This easy, kid friendly treat is a cinch to prepare and a great make-ahead option!
My family loves fruit desserts like Rhubarb Crisp and Strawberry Pie but sometimes I just need my chocolate fix! Light, creamy, rich, and chocolatey, this easy chocolate pudding recipe goes perfectly with fruit or on its own!
How to Make Chocolate Pudding
This chocolate pudding recipe takes no time at all on the stovetop, and then a quick chill while you’re eating dinner and voila! Homemade chocolate pudding can be made in advance and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to enjoy it.
To make homemade chocolate pudding:
- Combine dry ingredients (sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch). Whisk in milk.
- Bring to a low boil and remove from the heat as soon as the pudding has thickened.
- Cool the chocolate pudding completely.
Tips for Making Pudding
- Use medium heat and sugar and milk can scorch or burn at a higher temperature.
- Whisk constantly while it comes to a boil.
- To keep the pudding from having a skin, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding while it cools.
How Long Does Homemade Chocolate Pudding Last
Homemade chocolate pudding has to be stored in the fridge. I like to store it in serving-sized plastic containers for ease. It will last 5-7 days.
This recipe makes a pretty good amount so it’s perfect for packing in lunches. Grab some single-serving plastic containers and you have delicious chocolate pudding to send with your kids (or yourself) for the whole week.
Chocolate pudding can change texture when frozen because of the corn starch so it’s not great to defrost but it does make great drip-free pudding pops!
More Chocolate Love
- Caramel Chocolate Trifle – always impresses
- Best Ever Chocolate Cake – decadent!
- Chocolate Macaroons (No Bake) – so easy
- Easy Triple Chocolate Cookies – kid approved
- Easy Chocolate Truffles – a holiday favorite!
- Oreo Dirt Cups – fun snack or dessert
Did you enjoy this Chocolate Pudding? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Homemade Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- pinch salt
- 4 ½ cups milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and cornstarch. Mix well. Add in cold milk, whisk until combined.
- Increase heat to medium, stirring constantly until mixture reaches a boil*.
- As soon as the pudding has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
- Allow mixture to cool completely, stirring occasionally to avoid a skin forming on the pudding.
- Serve chilled or warm.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
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Even More Chocolate Desserts You’ll Love
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Chocolate Ganache Frosting – Just 2 ingredients.
- Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies – Popular recipe!
can this recipe be made with plant based milk “dairy” products?
I have never tried but other readers have with good results. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
This pudding was practically perfect, except I found it too sweet for my taste. I used 1 cup sugar (i.e., 2 TB per serving) but next time will use 1/2 cup instead. I used half whole milk and half chocolate almond milk (had some in the fridge I needed to use up), and it set well. I love Holly’s recipes and will definitely be making this again!
Yummmmy!! I think the recipe is a bit to sparse for us literal folks. I took it off the stove as soon as it started bubbling but it wasn’t actually thickening but i was so scared about burning it I took 2 hours to make this lmao.
For anyone reading this, keep mixing until you feel *resistance* from the pudding as it will go from being like mixing hot chocolate to cake batter.
I love that description, Talia! Thanks for sharing.
Very easy — I teach a class in backcountry cooking, so this worked well because it uses mostly shelf ready foods. I used dried milk to keep it shelf friendly. I decreased the butter to 2 TBLS, and added 4 TBLS choc chips. I also added about 2 teaspoons of instant coffee.
This was amazing!
I won’t be buying the store bought stuff anymore! This has so much more flavour!
Wayyyyyyyy too sweet. I’m sad I wasted so much milk on it. Cut the sugar at least in 1/2z
Oh no, I am sorry to hear that Kelly! I would love to hear how it turns out for you if you try again with reduced sugar.
Easy to make an absolutely delicious!!!
Great recipe!!!
This set well but I found it waaaay too sweet. I followed another reviewer’s suggestion to add some instant coffee to cut the sweetness and that helped a lot. Next time I’ll try it with half the amount of sugar.
Thanks for trying our recipe, Christina! You will have to let us know how it turns out for you.
I made the chocolate pudding with no changes to the recipe and it is wonderful!
I must admit I couldn’t wait for it to cool, so ate a bowl of warm pudding right out of the pot. Yummy! Also, it took no longer to make than the boxed “cooked” pudding mixes in grocery stores and so much better. Plus, no preservatives or other additives. 5 stars!
Made exactly as the recipe said, with the exception that I only had salted butter, which did not harm the flavor. It’s a real arm workout to stir nonstop, but worth it! It set up incredibly creamy and smooth. This is going in my Tested-and-True folder to make again.
First time making this recipe and it won’t be my last! I didn’t want to use a lot of milk for my first time trying this recipe, so I cut the recipe in half. I used Fairlife milk and cacao powder (1:1 swap). I cut the sugar a little after reading some comments where others had done the same and the flavor was still excellent! I brought it up to boiling slowly over medium heat and stirred it constantly, but not vigorously — just enough so the milk didn’t burn at the bottom. I could feel it starting to thicken before it began to boil and removed it immediately. My youngster helped me stir in the butter and vanilla (and taste test… multiple times). I poured it into a glass bowl, cut a circular piece of parchment paper, laid it directly on top in case a skin formed, and then covered it with plastic wrap and chilled. My whole family loved it and I wish I would have made the whole batch!
Thanks for sharing your alterations, TC! I am glad it turned out so well for you.
Loved this recipe especially that no eggs are needed. when I had an abundance of chocolate almond milk, I adapted this recipe. it worked great. icut the sugar and cocoa powder each to 1/4 cup and used 4 1/2 cup of chocolate almond milk and followed the rest of the recipe.it was great. According to my 10 year old grandson. the best grandmas make chocolate pudding.
So glad it turned out well for you, Lynn. That’s one lucky grandson you have!
Delicious and easy. What a hit! Thank you!!!!
Very good. I used 1.5 cups Almond Chocolate milk and 2.5 cups of 1% Lactate Milk. It set up a little but that was fine with us. A little to strong flavour though. So I think to much chocolate?
Made this with half the sugar, and cacao powder, and it was phenomenal! Really nice, easy recipe. (Have never tried it cold, because it always disappears in my home before it cools!)
Made this with half regular cocoa and half dark cocoa. Smooth and silky- delicious!
I had forgotten how easy it is to make pudding! No sense to buy the mix. This recipe is perfection. I think it’s very important to use whole milk. Fairlife milk would not set up like regular whole milk. It was great warm but set up wonderfully in the fridge and was very rich and creamy. I used Penzy’s cocoa which is lovely for this. Highly recommend. Yum! Thanks for a great recipe.
I Love this recipe. I wish I could explain better how much time we actually have to make foods rather than buy the foods prepared. Most of us have the ingredients in the pantry anyway. Marketing companies tell us we do not have time to make this recipe since we work full time and raise children. I worked full time ,went to school full time ,(not online) and raised my daughter and brought her to her after school activities. I still had the time and/or made the time to make my own food. This recipe is so easy and tastes so much better than the pudding you will pay for all the preservatives in that pudding. Please try this recipe, you will see how easy and delicious it is. You may never go back to shelf bought food!