Here is my best homemade creamy chocolate pudding recipe! It is a kid-friendly perfect dessert that even the adults in the house can enjoy. This rich and creamy pudding comes together with 7 ingredients and less than 30 minutes of hands-on time!
Chocolate Pudding will be one of your favorite classic go-to desserts! Once you make chocolate pudding recipe from scratch, you will never want the store bought instant pudding again.
This easy chocolate pudding recipe can be served alone, as a layer to a chocolate pudding cake, frozen fudgesicles, or in many of my homemade desserts. If you love this chocolate pudding recipe, you should try my Oreo Icebox Cake and Homemade Vanilla Pudding.
This delicious chocolate pudding is also used to stuff my homemade chocolate cream puffs. Whether served alone or in combination with another dessert, this rich pudding is a staple at many of our family parties, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Jump to:
Ingredients
You can use store-bought milk or raw milk to make this recipe. We tend to make it as raw milk chocolate pudding. You would never know the difference. To be honest, if you source raw milk, almost the entire recipe can be made farm to table.
Butter can be made from raw cream, vanilla can be homemade (I have an amazing Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Recipe), eggs can be sourced from a local farmer or your own personal chicken flock. You only would need to buy the cocoa powder and cornstarch.
- Sugar: The sugar in the recipe is the only sweetener. In combination with the egg yolks, butter, and milk, the pudding is given its creamy texture.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cocoa powder is the staple ingredient that gives the pudding its chocolate flavor and color. You can use either natural cocoa powder or dutch cocoa powder. They will both give it a chocolate flavor. The only difference is that the dutch cocoa powder will result in a darker pudding.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch is a thickening agent as well. When mixed with other ingredients and then heated on the stove, it will thicken naturally. In place of cornstarch you can use cook-type clear gel or arrowroot powder.
- Whole Milk or Raw Milk: You need to use whole milk, due to the fat content in the whole milk. Whole milk will thicken better than 2% or skim milk. I do not recommend using almond milk or soy milk for this recipe.
- Egg Yolks: Egg yolks are a fat content in the pudding, they act as a thickening agent in chocolate pudding.
- Butter: Butter is another ingredient that is high in fat. It helps give the creamy thick texture of the pudding.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract can be homemade or store-bought. Using vanilla extract in this recipe, helps to enhance all the other flavors within the recipe.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Before you begin, my two biggest words of advice are to use a heavy bottomed pan, like a 5 quart enameled dutch oven, and stir continuously. Keep an eye on it and don't walk away while the pudding is cooking!
In a heavy saucepan or enameled Dutch oven whisk together the dry ingredients: sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder and cornstarch.
Pour in the milk and whisk until it's well combined. It will get a little foamy on top, and that's totally normal. The bubbles will pop during cooking.
Continue stirring and cook over medium heat or medium low heat until thickened and bubbly. This takes several minutes, and during this time I am constantly stirring and scraping the bottom.
*If the pudding begins to scorch on the bottom, remove it from the heat and turn the burner heat down lower. Let it cool down before returning the pot to the stove. Sometimes a minimally scorched pudding can be saved, but if it scorches a lot, you need to start over.
Cook 2 minutes more.
Remove the mixture from the heat and gradually stir in ½ cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks. Continue doing this until the eggs are thoroughly tempered. See the note below to learn how to temper eggs.
Once the eggs are very hot, pour them into the milk mixture and whisk to combine.
Bring it to a gentle simmer and then reduce heat.
Cook and stir for two more minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
Pour the pudding into a bowl or two quart mason jars.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and see helpful tips below for the best way to keep pudding fresh.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. For more delicious recipes from scratch and homesteading tips, follow me on instagram @NinnescahHomestead
📖 Recipe
BEST HOMEMADE CREAMY CHOCOLATE PUDDING RECIPE
Equipment
- heavy bottomed pot
Ingredients
- 1½ cup sugar
- ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 tablespoons corn starch
- 5⅓ cups milk whole is preferred
- 8 egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a heavy saucepan or enameled Dutch oven combine the dry ingredients: sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder and cornstarch.
- Whisk in the milk.
- Continue stirring and cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.
- Cook 2 minutes more.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and gradually stir in one cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks. See note below for how to temper eggs.
- Once the eggs are very hot, pour them into the milk mixture and whisk to combine.
- Bring it to a gentle simmer and then reduce heat.
- Cook and stir for two more minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
- Pour the pudding into a bowl or two quart mason jars.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and see helpful tips below for the best way to keep pudding fresh.
Notes
TROUBLESHOOTING AND TIPS
Did you know that it is possible to keep your chocolate pudding from getting watery? To do this, do not cover your pudding when it is still hot. Once it cools all the way, you can cover it with a piece of plastic wrap. I would recommend pushing the plastic wrap so it is snug against the top of the pudding. This does not leave any room for condensation to form on the plastic wrap. If your homemade pudding is not thickening when you are making it, you might need to add more cornstarch. To do this used 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water, mix it well and add it to the hot pudding mixture while it is still on the stove. Do not forget the pudding will continue to thicken in the fridge as it cools. If you have noticed that your pudding didn't set once it cooled, it could be a result of your eggs eating your cornstarch. The only way to possibly fix this is by adding more cornstarch and mixing it well then reheating it to a boil.SERVING SUGGESTIONS
If you looking for something a little more savory that plain chocolate pudding, try topping your chocolate pudding with whipped cream with chocolate shavings on top. My personal favorite "topping" is dipped fresh fruit. There is just something about chocolate covered strawberries or chocolate covered bananas, but not chocolate covered like you are thinking, a thick creamy chocolate.STORAGE
This homemade chocolate pudding recipe stores in the fridge covered in a layer of plastic wrap. Do not forget about it, though. It will taste best if eaten in the first 3 days.Nutrition
Equipment
There is no need to stress over needing any special equipment for this rich pudding recipe. All you need is a set of measuring cups and measuring spoons, a Dutch oven and a whisk. With these few pieces of equipment and the staple ingredients and you can have a simple dessert made in no time.
How to temper eggs
Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl to create a smooth, uniform consistency. Ladle a small amount of the hot milk mixture into the whisked egg yolks while continuously whisking.
This gradual addition prevents temperature shock. Once tempered, smoothly integrate the egg yolk mixture into the main pudding mixture without fear of curdling.
Troubleshooting and Tips
Did you know that it is possible to keep your chocolate pudding from getting watery? To do this, do not cover your pudding when it is still hot. Once it cools all the way, you can cover it with a piece of plastic wrap. I would recommend pushing the plastic wrap so it is snug against the top of the pudding. This does not leave any room for condensation to form on the plastic wrap.
If your homemade pudding is not thickening when you are making it, you might need to add more cornstarch. To do this used 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water, mix it well and add it to the hot pudding mixture while it is still on the stove. Do not forget the pudding will continue to thicken in the fridge as it cools.
If you have noticed that your pudding didn't set once it cooled, it could be a result of your eggs eating your cornstarch. The only way to possibly fix this is by adding more cornstarch and mixing it well then reheating it to a boil.
Serving Suggestions
If you looking for something a little more savory that plain chocolate pudding, try topping your chocolate pudding with whipped cream with chocolate shavings on top. My personal favorite "topping" is dipped fresh fruit. There is just something about chocolate covered strawberries or chocolate covered bananas, but not chocolate covered like you are thinking, a thick creamy chocolate.
Storage
This homemade chocolate pudding recipe stores in the fridge covered in a layer of plastic wrap or in an airtight container. Do not forget about it, though. It will taste best if eaten in the first 3 days.
FAQ
If the eggs in the chocolate pudding mixture over cook, it will result in curdling of the dish. The solution is tempering the eggs.
Dutch and Traditional cocoa powder are different but can be used interchangeably for this homemade chocolate pudding recipe. Both cocoa powders will provide a rich chocolate flavor.
You can use this creamy pudding to stuff homemade pop-tarts or homemade mini pies.
More pudding desserts
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Comments
No Comments