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
Could not believe this was vegan. Great recipe and comes together easily!
Excellent! I used coconut milk instead of almond milk, but it still turned out GREAT! Rich, creamy & delicious! Will be making it again, for sure!
This is so good I really wanted to eat the whole batch in one sitting, but I restrained myself and portioned it out lol. Will be making agin soon for sure!!
This is delicious!!! I made it (as opposed to buying a package) because I wanted to substitute Monk Fruit for the sugar. I also only used 2 tbsp of cornstarch instead of 3. Turned out great! Will definitely make again 👍👍👍 Thx for sharing this recipe.
I made this using 2% milk and honey (another time I used maple syrup). The sugar content was higher than I expected but it did not leave me with a headache as the processed packaged ones. AND it made 4 servings. This tasted great. I did use the dark Dutch cocoa, and it was delish. I will definitely be making this again and will try a different milk and sugar alternative.
Question. The recipe calls for cornstarch. Can I use arrowroot in its place?
Is there another thickener other than corn starch that you would recommend? I would like to make this, but there is a corn/dairy/egg/soy/nut allergy in the family.
Quick, easy, creamy
I LOVE chocolate pudding! This was easy, liked the creamy texture. I doubled mine for dinner guests so I think I added too much salt. I used maple syrup and whole milk. I would try coconut milk next time, up the chocolate flavor with dark Dutch cocoa. I’m working on toning down my sugar intake but love dessert so this is going to be my new go to chocolate pudding recipe! Thank you Katie!! 💕
This recipe was so easy! I used almond milk, regular unsweetened cocoa powder and arrowroot for the thickener. Turned out perfect! It took a while to get to boiling point but it finally did (I almost gave up). When I added my vanilla I also added a touch of instant coffee. It is amazing! Thank you for the recipe!
I was wondering if you ever tried whipping the cold pudding to make it like a mousse? I just finished cooking mine and so far it tastes amazing!
Hmm we have not!