Homemade Chocolate Pudding
on Nov 04, 2022, Updated Feb 24, 2023
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
So rich, so chocolatey, so creamy, and so easy to make! Serve with lots of whipped cream.
Chocolate Pudding
Comfort in a cup…or a bowl… or a vat. Have you ever watched a kid (or, um, yourself, scrape, scrape, scrape the corners of a cup of pudding until you could practically put it back in the cabinet without needing to wash it? There’s a reason that chocolate pudding has long been one of the most cheering and soothing desserts around. The British actually call all desserts puddings, which shows you right there how elevated the status of actual pudding is in that culture.
What To Serve with Chocolate Pudding
Whipped cream! You do not have to make homemade whipped cream, but I highly recommend it. But if you’re pressed for time, there is nothing wrong with those cans of sweetened whipped cream in the supermarket. It’s actually real whipped cream, and totally ok in a pinch.
Rich Thick Chocolate Pudding
This gluten-free pudding calls for a combination of cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate, and it is this combo of chocolates that make this pudding so rich, so chocolatey that it’s in a class by itself. Again, this is ideal served with lots of whipped cream (have I mentioned that? I might just mention it again). A bit of cornstarch helps make this pudding thick enough to stand up tall on a spoon!
Homemade Chocolate Pudding: So rich, so chocolatey, so creamy, and so easy to make!
Chocolate Pudding Variations
You can add a couple of teaspoons of the following liqueurs to the chocolate pudding (not if you’re serving it to kids! Nope, save this for the grown-ups):
- Cointreau or another orange liqueur
- Frangelico or another nut liqueur
- Godiva, or another coffee liqueur
- Baileys or Carolan’s or another Irish Cream liqueur
How to Make Chocolate Pudding
Combine the cocoa powder, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Slowly whisk in the cream, then whisk in the egg yolks until well blended, then whisk in the milk. Let the mixture come to a brisk simmer, whisking almost constantly and making sure to keep scraping the sides and bottom of the saucepan. Let the mixture simmer until it starts to thicken, 1 to 2 minutes, then add the chocolate and stir until it melts.
Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, whisking frequently, until the pudding is fairly thick, about 2 minutes (it will thicken much more upon cooling). Whisk in the butter and vanilla until the butter has melted.
Transfer the pudding into a big serving bowl, or a bunch of individual servings dishes, press some plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding and refrigerate until chilled – about 2 hours or more for a bigger bowl, at least one hour for smaller servings.
Unless you like your pudding warm, in which case just let it sit at room temp for about 20 to 30 minutes and don’t bother to refrigerate.
Serve with lots of whipped cream!
(Oh, and perhaps you want to check out this Butterscotch Pudding. I think the perfect end to a party would be the two types of pudding serves in little cups or jars for people to sample).
Other Chocolate Dessert Recipes:
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Homemade Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅔ cup sugar
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 cup light or heavy cream , at room temperature
- 3 large egg yolks , at room temperature
- 2 cups whole milk , at room temperature
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Copious amounts of Sweetened Whipped Cream for serving
Instructions
- Combine the cocoa powder, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Slowly whisk in the cream, then whisk in the egg yolks until well blended, then whisk in the milk. Let the mixture come to a brisk simmer, whisking almost constantly and making sure to keep scraping the sides and bottom of the saucepan. Let the mixture simmer until it starts to thicken, 1 to 2 minutes, then add the chocolate and stir until it melts. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, whisking frequently, until the pudding is fairly thick, about 2 minutes (it will thicken much more upon cooling). Whisk in the butter and vanilla until the butter has melted.
- You can strain the pudding through a fine mesh strainer if you’re determined to rid the pudding of any lumps or bumps but if you don’t have the time or inclination to dirty up one more utensil, then just transfer the pudding into a big serving bowl, or a bunch of individual servings dishes, press some plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding and refrigerate until chilled – about 2 hours or more for a bigger bowl, at least one hour for smaller servings. Unless you like your pudding warm, in which case just let it sit at room temp for about 20 to 30 minutes and don’t bother to refrigerate.
Notes
- Cointreau or another orange liqueur
- Frangelico or another nut liqueur
- Godiva, or another coffee liqueur
- Baileys or Carolan’s or another Irish Cream liqueur
