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!
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.
- Turn 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!
I love this recipe, smells great and real easy. I found that if you eat it before you put in the frig it will keep its firmness. I refrig it and it got watery.
Great consistency and flavor. I cut the sugar to 1 cup and used 1/4 cup arrowroot in place of the cornstarch. Will definitely make again.
It worked well, but turned out way too sweet for me, and it’s rare for me to describe something that way. Definitely reduce the sugar, and I would add more cocoa. Otherwise, I completely recommend. Thanks for the recipe! <3
Unfortunately, this recipe was a big flop for me. It came out like water. I followed the recipe exactly and used high quality ingredients. I have no idea what went wrong. Any suggestions are appreciated!!!
It is possible that you over mixed the cornstarch. When over mixed it doesn’t thicken or hold the pudding together as intended.
This recipe worked perfectly for me, and I’m not the most experienced cook. I think where other commenters have trouble with the consistency might have to do with the cooking time. It took a WHILE for mine to reach a boil over medium heat and stay bubbly for a whole minute while being stirred constantly per step #3. I wonder if others saw the first bubble and pulled it from the heat. Also, I just stirred gently, enough to keep the bottom scraped. I didn’t “beat” or whisk.
does it matter what percent of milk I use
It should work with any percent of milk but it will be creamier the higher percentage you use.
is there a way to turn this into vanilla without eggs? was hoping you had a recipe. the choc is delicious!
We don’t have a vanilla puddings recipe yet, but we do love this vanilla custard recipe!
The pudding was very easy to make.
My family said it tasted way too sweet. If I make it again I will decrease the sugar by 1/3 of a cup.
Made the chocolate pudding and was very disappointed in it. Made it exactly as the recipe stated but the pudding was not thick enough. The taste was very good but the thickness left a lot to be desired. I even put in more cornstarch to thicken it, but it was still not thick. It came out very soupy.
Oh no! I am sorry to hear this happened Winny. It is possible that you overmixed. Overmixing cornstarch can have the opposite effect and it won’t thicken properly.
I may have overmixed as well as my pudding (though delicious ) is not firming up. Maybe htis caution can be added above. Thanks!
very good recipe and very easy! I used tapioca starch because that’s all I had. turned out great! thanks!
Wowee zowee! This stuff rocks, and pretty simple to make! I used an electric mixer to combine the cocoa mixture with the milk at first, but a whisk once it warmed up. Kids loved it! I even ate it warm. Yummy! (Side note: mamaw used to serve something very similar hot over biscuits and called it chocolate gravy!)
What a fun memory, I love that she called it “chocolate gravy”!
Wow – so quick and easy to make!! Delicious! Thanks
Eh, it was okay. I’ve had better.
Hello, i’ve tried the recipe many times and it was great. However, yesterday i brought the pudding to my mom’s and the pudding went runny. I don’t know what happen. Does the outside tempreture caused the changes?
Oh no Shasha! I haven’t had this issue so I can’t say for sure what happened. It is possible that the outside heat could have made it runny.
Creammey texture, but way too sweet for me. I halved the recipe and added instant coffee crystals and some bitter sweet chocolate chips to even out the sweetness.All to no avail. I’m sure there are many people who’ll love sweetness of this, just not me. I was looking for rich and decadent but not overly sweet.
Was so excited for this. Everything looked good until dinner was over and I went to grt the pudding from the fridge, where it had 6+ hours to set. I remove the plastic, stick the serving spoon in, and it hasn’t thickened AT ALL. I was so disappointed and embarrassed… What went wrong? Too much stirring? But I was warned about scorching. ???
Oh no! I am so sorry to hear this happened ChocoSad. It is possible that you overmixed. Overmixing cornstarch can have the opposite effect and it won’t thicken properly.
Made with skim milk, sugar substitute and sugar free chocolate chips. Stirred in the chips after thickened. No one knew the difference.
I made this exactly as it was written and my husband said it is the best chocolate pudding he has ever had. Of note, it is a dark chocolate and not a milk chocolate, possibly depending on what kind of chocolate powder used. I cooked it on a medium heat per instructions and turned it down a little when it started to boil. It took a few minutes but once it started to thicken, it went pretty fast so stir constantly so it doesn’t scorch or burn. Be patient and wait until it thickens before removing from the heat. This will be a frequent treat in our home. Thank you for sharing.
This was delicious!
I dont usually leave recipe reviews but this one deserves the 5 ⭐!!
So happy to hear you loved this pudding recipe Jenn!
Love the rich, decadent flavor. Tastes like a melted chocolate bar. Only downside: it took 40 minutes of constant stirring to thicken on medium heat with my glasstop stove.