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This chocolate pudding recipe is rich, silky, and delightfully easy to make. It is a no bake recipe that will give you a professional level pudding in under 30 minutes!

Dark chocolate pudding in a clear cup.

Equal parts decadence and nostalgia, this chocolate pudding has the perfect silky texture that will bring you back to the lunchroom in middle school! However, unlike those pudding cups of years past, this pudding isn’t super sweet and has a decadent chocolate flavor. 

Easy to follow instructions, pantry ingredients and less than 30 minutes needed, means you can make a batch any day of the week. Here is your professional chef fact of the day: pudding is a stirred custard! Just like this bright and tart lemon curd, this flavorful creme anglaise, and vanilla pastry cream!

Why You Will Love This Chocolate Pudding:

  • Rich chocolate flavor. This recipe uses both cocoa powder and dark chocolate for a quick chocolate dessert with the richest chocolate flavor. 
  • Smooth and creamy texture. Professional instructions and tips create a lump-free pudding, but finishing the pudding with butter creates a perfect silky smooth texture. 
  • Make as much pudding as you desire. This recipe scales up or down, and stays fresh for a week in the refrigerator.  The only limit is your pot selection, so stretch your forearms and get ready for some whisking!

Professional Tips for Homemade Chocolate Pudding

  • Pot height plays a significant role. Like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, you need a pot just right for the batch size. You don’t want your pot to be too tall, or you won’t be able to reach the edges of the pot and risk burning your pudding. Too short of a pot, and you risk spillage when whisking. 
  • Whisking is critical in all steps. A lump-free pudding starts by whisking your dry ingredients together to ensure the cornstarch is thoroughly distributed. Then, whisk until you don’t see any streaks of egg, and, once you turn on the heat, don’t stop whisking!
  • Have a strainer on hand for what ifs. If there’s one​​ thing I’ve learned in a professional kitchen is always to be prepared for the what ifs. The strainer is there if your eggs curdle from overcooking or from not enough whisking.
  • Slow and steady win the race. Cooking stirred custards is a patience game. Heating on medium heat will help prevent your pudding from burning or your eggs from curdling.
Three clear cups of dark chocolate pudding.
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Ingredients

  • Granulated Sugar: Sugar wears many hats in this recipe. It adds sweetness, protects the eggs from curdling in the milk, and will help prevent the milk from burning. 
  • Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder: The unsweetened cocoa powder is here to add more depth to the chocolate flavor. The higher quality the more robust and rich your pudding will be.
  • Cornstarch: Cornstarch is a thickener like the eggs, and it helps bind all the ingredients together when cooked. 
  • Kosher Salt
  • Cinnamon: The cinnamon is optional in the recipe, but it will add that little extra flavor to bring the wow factor to your pudding. 
  • Eggs: The egg in a stirred custard is integral to thickening the custard. 
  • Milk: The milk is the liquid in the pudding. The fat does add flavor but isn’t essential like it is in some recipes, so feel free to use coconut milk  or a lower fat milk
  • Dark Chocolate: I like to use chocolate that has at least 54% cocoa solids but up to 65% to balance the sweetness of the pudding. Chopping bar chocolate is a better bet than chocolate chips because the bar will melt and incorporate better to help create the desired smooth texture. 
  • Butter: Unsalted butter allows you to control the flavor of the custard while still adding all the buttery goodness. It also helps to give the pudding a luscious, silky texture! 
  • Vanilla Extract

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

  • Alcohol: You can add up to 1 ½ tablespoons of dark rum, bourbon, brandy, or Grand Marnier! Whisk in after the butter.
  • A Layered Budino: Pair this with caramel pudding and pipe alternating layers or swirl! Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream, and you have a delicious dessert for a dinner party or just a Tuesday night! 
  • Chocolate Cherry Trifle: Just layer chocolate pudding lightened with whipped cream, cherry preserves, and cherry almond pound cake!
  • Espresso Powder: Add the espresso powder to the milk before adding it to the sugar mixture.

How to Make Chocolate Pudding

Use these instructions to make smooth and rich chocolate pudding every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Prepare the pudding:

Step 1: In a pot, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, kosher salt, and cinnamon. 

Have a strainer on hand. The strainer is there if later your eggs curdle from overcooking or from not enough whisking. You can actually save your pudding by pouring it through the strainer over your chocolate, butter, and whisk to combine. 

Step 2: Whisk in eggs until smooth and homogenous. There should be no streaks of eggs and no lumps of cornstarch. Once fully incorporated, whisk in the milk. 

If there are lumps of either cocoa powder or cornstarch, grab a spoon and press them up against the side of the pot or saucepan to break up the cluster. Whisk again to incorporate. 

Step 3: Before turning the heat on, have your dark chocolate, butter, and vanilla measured and ready to add. Stirred custards wait for no one. 

Cook and cool the pudding: 

Step 4: Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until bubbly and thickened. Once the pudding has started to bubble, you will need to whisk for at least 1 minute to thicken your pudding and cook away the cornstarch flavor. Improperly cooked cornstarch also has an unpleasant mouth-feel. 

If your heat is too high and you start to see lumps in the pudding not all is lost. Turn your heat down or off and whisk until the lumps are gone. If the lumps don’t go away, finish cooking the pudding then strain it through a colander into your chocolate. 

Step 5: Remove the pot from the burner and stir in the butter, chocolate, and vanilla extract. Whisk until there are no streaks of butter or chocolate. 

Step 6: Pour the pudding into a bowl, plastic lined sheet tray, or individual cups. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap touching the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin. Then, poke a few holes to allow the steam to escape. Refrigerate until set. 

To keep your pudding completely smooth, you can pour your hot pudding into a bowl set inside an ice bath. Then, actively chill it with a whisk or spatula. This keeps it from clumping as it cools. Once cooled, it can be smoothed and loosened by whisking vigorously. (or in your stand mixer with a paddle attachment if you’re tired of whisking 🙂)

Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip

Make sure to have all your tools and ingredients ready before you start cooking. Stirred custards are fast moving, and once it’s done cooking, you will want to remove it from the heat and your pot as quickly as possible to keep the bottom from burning.

A rich, creamy dark chocolate pudding!

How to Serve Chocolate Pudding

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I store chocolate pudding?

Store pudding in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I do not recommend freezing pudding.  It will cause it to separate and affect the texture.

Does pudding need to be strained?

Not always. If you have cooked your pudding and no lumps are visible, there is no need to strain.

Do I need to use eggs in this pudding recipe?

Eggs add the rich flavor and silky texture of this pudding, but you can omit them. The cornstarch is the real thickening powerhouse. I do recommend using 3 tablespoons of corn starch if omitting the eggs.

If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!

Dark Chocolate Pudding in glass with whipped cream and spoon.
5 from 4 ratings

Chocolate Pudding

This chocolate pudding recipe is rich, silky, and delightfully easy to make. It is a no bake recipe that will give you a professional level pudding in under 30 minutes!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

Prepare the pudding:

  • In a pot, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, kosher salt, and cinnamon.
  • Whisk in eggs until smooth and homogenous. There should be no streaks of eggs and no lumps of cornstarch. Once fully incorporated, whisk in the milk.
  • Before turning the heat on, have your dark chocolate, butter, and vanilla measured and ready to add. Stirred custards wait for no one.

Cook and cool the pudding:

  • Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until bubbly and thickened. Once the pudding has started to bubble, you will need to whisk for at least 1 minute to thicken your pudding and cook away the cornstarch flavor. Improperly cooked cornstarch also has an unpleasant mouth-feel.
  • Remove the pot from the burner and stir in the butter, chocolate, and vanilla extract. Whisk until there are no streaks of butter or chocolate.
  • Pour the pudding into a bowl, plastic lined sheet tray, or individual cups. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap touching the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin. Then, poke a few holes to allow the steam to escape. Refrigerate until set.

Video

Notes

Presentation – Serve with crushed chocolate cookies and some whipped cream!
Flavor Tips – Use your favorite chocolate. It is the main flavor, and you’ll want to make sure you love it!
Storage – If you have them on hand you can store the pudding in a pastry bag. This is so your pudding is ready to be piped into a desired serving dish.

Nutrition

Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 259mg | Potassium: 366mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 368IU | Vitamin C: 0.003mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 3mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 347
Like this? Leave a comment below!

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other custard recipes, or try a custardy chocolate pie like my French Silk Pie next or her banana variation banana cream pie!

A rich, creamy dark chocolate pudding!

Hi, I’m Chef Lindsey!

I am the baker, recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind Chef Lindsey Farr. I believe in delicious homemade food and the power of dessert!

5 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




4 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Turned out perfect. Now I’ll use it to make a no bake chocolate delight pie, that I originally made with boxed chocolate pudding, that did not hit the dark chocolate note I love.

    1. That is fabulous to hear, Donna! That pie sounds delicious! I’m happy to hear this hit all the right chocolate notes for you too!

  2. 24 years old!? You keep getting younger by the day. 🙂 We never ate those pudding cups as kids, either. We did eat apple sauce though. And I still enjoy apple sauce to this day…although to be fair, now I like to make my own. I suspect the same goes here, too. A good chocolate pudding with a hint of cinnamon sounds delicious. I was actually thinking you added a splash of liqueur here when you mentioned making it adult. I think liqueur would be allowed, yes?

    1. Hehe! Younger by the day….A living miracle!
      You know around here a splash of liqueur is ALWAYS welcome! Perhaps in lieu of the vanilla extract? Who needs boozy brunch when they can have boozy dessert!