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
Hello Katie!
Was wondering how much coconut milk is needed? I would guess that the can of coconut milk differs from place to place? haha apologies if its a weird question.
was wondering how much coconut milk do i have to use? I would assume that the volume of a can of coconut milk differs from where you get it? haha
much thanks 🙂
It would still be 2 cups.
Loved this, we just made it!
I substituted some stuff – namely we only had Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa, some Raw Cacao Powder, and half a packet of Carnation Chocolate Instant breakfast (lol) so I made a little cocoa cocktail. I used a handful of white chocolate chips and crushed a few peppermint candies to be festive. I also added a few splashes of fresh lime after I took it off the heat to cut through the sweetness a bit. I used soy milk for the half cup milk. Even after all these substitutions, it tasted great!! Anyone making this recipe: feel free to taste as you go if you’re substituting anything, you can always add more cocoa and sugar 😛
FANTASTIC 🙂
Sorry, Katie, but when you use chocolate chips or a chocolate bar, the recipe is NOT sugar free…
I think you need to go back and reread the recipe. It specifically says the chocolate is optional.
May I ask what year you were in sixth grade? I’m older than you and I was obsessed with the Dallas Stars for a very long time. We may have been obsessing together! Thanks for the pudding recipe! My girls will also thank you!
I’m pretty sure she is around 28 right now, so around 1998?
If your almond milk was “meaty” I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say your almond milk was rancid unrelated to this recipe. Almond milk should never taste meaty.
I can vouch for the recipe tasting fantastic with normal non expired almond milk and highly recommend making it again when you can get some new almond milk. I’d also say you should probably throw that almond milk away immediately!
This. Is. The. BEST!! My mum bought a few chocolate pudding tubs from the grocery store and was not impressed with the taste and claimed this recipe was better! It definitely is better than anything you can buy and it’s nice to know it’s not full of junk!
Also. I’ve tried a white chocolate version of this – not adding cocoa and adding white chocolate in at the end. Absolutely divine ?
Used toasted coconut almond milk and mixed in 1 mashed banana in stead of cocoa powder- and made banana pudding! Im going to put this in the pie crust with a layer of sliced banana and make banana cream pie- topped with delicious homemade whipped cream!
OH MY GOD I WANT ALL THE PUDDING
ALL THE FRIGGIN PUDDING
SO DELICIOUS