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
Notes
Have you made this recipe?
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More Healthy Desserts
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Shirl says
Love this pudding. Took it to our vegan potluck and it was a great hit.
JD says
I agree this is better than using store bought pudding mixes, but as soon as someone uses regular milk, cornstarch, cocoa powder or erythritol, it’s not considered that healthy anymore. Stick to coconut milk, arrowroot and cacao.
KarenB says
LOVE this recipe!!! It’s so much better than store bought …. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk and regular bakers cocoa powder and it turned out amazing!! Thank you for this recipe.
LW says
This was sooooo good!! I used cacao powder as it was all had and also used canned coconut milk. This was fantastic! Very chocolatey with a rich flavor. It thickened up nicely and was very easy to make. My husband loved it and he’s a bit picky. I will definitely make this again.
Elissa says
Great!
Gauri says
Could we sub arrowroot for cornstarch?
Jackie says
This was AMAZING!! I used unsweetened cacao powder, pure maple syrup, and one 3.17 oz Ghirardelli intense dark (86% cacao) bar and followed the recipe exactly. It is seriously the best pudding I have ever had! I divided it into 1/2 cup servings in very small mason jars in the fridge to take to work each day. Thank you for this recipe!
Jenn says
I made this with arrow root powder and maple syrup and it was excellent! By far The best non-existent healthier pudding I have found – much better option than store bought and the kids loved it. Good recipe Katie 😊👍
Erica says
I used arrowroot powder and it did not solidify. Left in fridge overnight too. Poured into mugs and it became hot chocolate since didn’t want to throw it away.
Lilly says
Best chocolate pudding recipe ever, with canned coconut milk it’s the tastiest, most creamiest pudding everrr
Dawn Guerra says
Can agave be a substitute for the maple syrup?
CCK Media Team says
Sure 🙂
Amy says
The BEST pudding!! No one can tell it’s not regular pudding with sugar in it
Tineall N says
This pudding is delicious! My husband just had dental surgery so this was a perfect treat. And I love that it’s healthy and so simple to make with items I already have.
Lorraine says
I’ve made this in the past using maple syrup with excellent results.
I now need to reduce my sugar… do you know what the amount of Stevia in the Raw to be used for 1/3 cup of sugar?
Thank you
Lorraine says
oops I missed the star rating… 5
Mary Beth Mcclean says
YUM! Super easy to make and delicious. I am looking forward to making it as directed but I am currently on a special diet right now and am only using Stevia liquid as a sweetener when needed. So I only added 2 squirts (impossible to measure) of Stevia and I did not add any of the additional chocolate chips or bar. I would easily make it this way again when I need a chocolate fix. I also did 10oz canned coconut milk and the rest was the boxed coconut milk. Texture was perfect.
Alyssa says
Great recipe! I use tapioca starch instead of coconut oil and it works great.