Rich, chocolatey, and ultra creamy, this delicious healthy chocolate pudding recipe is surprisingly easy to make at home!
A classic chocolate pudding recipe with no tofu, no banana, and no avocado!
Not that there is anything wrong with avocado, but sometimes you just want traditional homemade chocolate pudding without any surprise ingredients.
As much as I love recipes where you can’t taste the hidden vegetable, such as in the famous Sweet Potato Brownies, my everyday meals are usually much more simple.
This thick and healthy chocolate pudding can be soy free, sugar free, egg free, gluten free, nut free, and dairy free.
Also be sure to try these Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Creamy vegan chocolate pudding
In sixth grade, I went through a chocolate pudding phase, where I’d make a package of Jell-O chocolate pudding, add an obscene amount of Cool Whip to the top, and savor it slowly with a small spoon as I watched the Dallas Stars games.
(Hockey was another of my sixth-grade obsessions. I am a girl of many obsessions!)
Today’s recipe is a homemade version of that packaged chocolate pudding. And like most homemade recipes, it is so much better than anything that comes in a box.
This healthy chocolate pudding is super creamy, chocolatey, and absolutely fantastic!
If you want to avoid the hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, and hard-to-pronounce ingredients found in store bought Cool Whip, try topping the dairy free chocolate pudding with Coconut Whipped Cream or Coconut Ice Cream.
Healthy chocolate pudding ingredients
Here is what you need: milk, cocoa, sweetener, salt, cornstarch, and vanilla extract.
A few readers have substituted arrowroot for cornstarch and say it works if you use less arrowroot. I have not personally tried this substitution.
For healthy chocolate pudding with no cornstarch, try my Vegan Chocolate Mousse or this sugar free and paleo Keto Chocolate Mousse.
Feel free to test out different milks in this recipe to find your favorite taste and texture. If you use canned coconut milk, it is super thick and velvety like chocolate mousse.
I also love making the dairy free pudding with almond milk or cashew milk.
You can also change up the flavor if you wish, by adding a few drops of pure peppermint extract, maple extract, or even coconut extract along with the vanilla.
Still craving chocolate? Make your own Chocolate Truffles
How to make the healthy dessert
Start by heating two cups of milk in a small pot with the salt, cocoa powder, and sweetener of choice.
Meanwhile, whisk the cornstarch and the remaining half cup of milk in a small bowl until the cornstarch is completely dissolved.
When the mixture in the saucepan is warm, whisk in the milk with cornstarch and bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir constantly with a whisk or spoon for two minutes.
Lower the heat to a simmer for an additional minute, then turn off the heat and add the pure vanilla extract. If using the optional chocolate, stir it until completely melted.
Transfer the chocolate pudding to the refrigerator to thicken. It gets thicker and thicker the longer it sits and will be ready to eat after a few hours or overnight.
*If you do want a recipe with avocado, make this Avocado Chocolate Mousse.
Watch the healthy chocolate pudding video above
Healthy Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk of choice OR canned coconut milk
- heaping 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup dutch cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup sweetener (sugar, pure maple syrup, erythritol, or honey)
- 1/2 cup milk of choice + 3 tbsp cornstarch
- optional 3 oz chocolate chips or broken-up bar
- 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Healthy Chocolate Pudding Recipe: Heat the 2 cups milk of choice in a saucepan with the salt, cocoa powder, and sweetener. Meanwhile, whisk the cornstarch and 1/2 cup milk in a small bowl until dissolved. When the 2 cups milk are warm, add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir constantly for 2 minutes. Lower to a simmer for an additional minute, then turn off the heat. Once the heat is off, stir in the vanilla and broken-up chocolate pieces until the chocolate melts. Transfer the pudding to the refrigerator to thicken. It gets thicker the longer it sits and will be ready to consume after a few hours or overnight. *Note: I’ve not tried arrowroot and have only tried this recipe with Dutch cocoa powder so can’t vouch for the taste if regular unsweetened cocoa powder is used in its place. But you are always free to experiment!View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
More Healthy Desserts
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Last week I made chocolate pudding with canned coconut milk, recipe was from a different website, it was so rich and heavenly. I was out of canned coconut milk so I googled chocolate pudding with silk coconut milk and your recipe showed up. Made it today, wasn’t that great, I’ll eat it, but it isn’t rich nor heavenly! I would compare it to store bought pudding. I wouldn’t make it again. Sadly, I doubled the recipe because of the reviews!
Pudding with canned coconut milk is going to be better than with any low fat milk, no matter the recipe. It’s just like how cake made with oil will be better than cake made with yogurt. All the extra fat might not be as good for you, but it sure does make things taste good!
Thank you for the great recipe. I made it with almond milk and arrowroot and the flavor was delicious. I have a family member who has to avoid grain and coconut, although the flavor was good we thought the arrowroot textured kind of weird (gelatinous). Do you have a suggestion for another grain free thickener? Have you ever tried putting this pudding in an ice cream maker after to cook it?
Hey what about potato starch or tapioca starch? I’ve tried the latter in numerous recipes and it thickens things well. Or using cashew cream instead of milk. If you experiment, be sure to report back!
This recipe tastes AMAZING! Love it!
I have tried several times to make this pudding and it’s always a fail. It comes out liquid even after a few hours or overnight in the fridge. I used almond milk and one other time coconut milk and all other ingredients are the same. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.
Hmm that’s strange! What sweetener and thickener are you using? Is your cornstarch old? Or maybe just needs to cook longer?
This is probably the best chocolate pudding I’ve ever tried ❤
Great basic recipe for chocolate pudding and easy to customize, thank you!
I was looking for something extra chocolatey – I made it using a heaping 1/4 cup of organic raw cacao powder plus a handful of dark chocolate chips melted in towards the end. Sweetened with maple syrup and one time used full fat coconut milk, another time Oatly. Both puddings turned out great and with a very rich dark chocolate flavor.
Just made this (took 10 minutes, tops). It hasn’t chilled yet, but based on its already-thick consistency and my spatula-licking tests, I think it’s a winner!
Used Lakanto monkfruit/erythritol blend and plain old Nestle cocoa powder. First time making pudding! Impressed by how simple the recipe was.
Oh and I used unsweetened Silk almond milk.
Just made this and love it! I used soy milk and only a little hit of honey and it worked well. The only thing was that it was a bit lumpy after refrigerating. Do you have to let ik cool down a little bit before putting it in the fridge?
Hello Katie,
Can I substitute Xanthan gum or Guar gum instead of the cornstach?
Looks pretty delicious ????☺?
Sorry we have not tried. Be sure to report back if you experiment!
Jason (media relations)
I’m wanting to make a healthy pudding recipe adding Baileys Irish cream! Anyone try? I was thinking of doing less milk and replacing the difference with Baileys.
YES Chloe great idea 👍🏻