Classic Homemade Chocolate Pudding is not only thick and silky, but it’s deceptively easy to make!
Sometimes a girl gets a craving for chocolate pudding, and I’m not talking about the boxed stuff. Nooo, I’m talking about the homemade kind: rich, thick, smooth and silky, with no weird ingredients or powdery aftertaste…homemade chocolate pudding that’s simple, classic, and positively addictive!
So since I recently had such a craving and whipped up such a batch, I reckon I ought to share it here with you today. There’s nothing really groundbreaking about this recipe, y’all…it’s just easy, and dang good, and one that I feel you should have in your repertoire.
Can I admit a little something if you promise not to judge? I’m a pudding snob. That’s right…I can’t stand the instant boxed kind that requires no cooking. The cook-and-serve variety is immeasurably better, but guess what? With only slightly more effort, you can cook up a pot of 100% homemade chocolate pudding that is above and beyond anything you can find in the inner aisles of the grocery store.
Homemade Chocolate Pudding is magical in its simplicity and deliciousness. It’s a challenge not to eat it warm, straight out of the pot. But allowed to chill, it becomes thick and glossy, ready to satisfy any chocoholic or pudding lover’s deepest cravings.
In fact, I have no doubt that I could ingest a whole pot of this stuff in one sitting…but fortunately for my waistline, I have pudding aficionado children who wouldn’t allow such a travesty to occur in their presence. Nooo, if I tried to keep it to myself, you’d be able to hear their protests (AKA, whining) from here to Timbuktu. So as long as I don’t make this recipe in solitary confinement, I have no choice but to share. Yay and darn.
Before I leave you to the recipe, I feel obliged to share my favorite homemade pudding making trick, in case you’re not already privy to it. If you don’t like the thick skin that forms on top of cooked pudding as it cools, simply lay a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding while still warm. The plastic wrap will act as a replacement for the skin and, once peeled off, it will reveal completely smooth and silky pudding underneath.
So are you a fellow chocolate pudding fanatic? If so, I do believe you need this recipe in your life. Easy…homemade…BLISS.
Classic Homemade Chocolate Pudding is not only thick and silky, but it's deceptively easy to make!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup good-quality cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups whole milk, divided
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Fresh whipped cream & chocolate shavings, optional garnishes
Instructions
- Sift (if lumpy) the cocoa powder into a medium saucepan and stir in the sugar. Slowly whisk in 1 1/2 cups milk until the mixture is smooth. Set on the stove over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup milk, cornstarch, egg yolks, and salt. Stir rapidly while very slowly pouring the hot milk/cocoa powder mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Transfer entire mixture back to the saucepan and set pot over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until pudding comes to a full boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue whisking for a few more minutes until pudding is thick. Remove from heat and mix in melted chocolate chips, butter, and vanilla, stirring until smooth.
- Strain pudding through a fine mesh sieve and divide between four (4-ounce) cups or small bowls. Cover each pudding with plastic wrap, ensuring that the plastic is touching the entire surface with no air bubbles (to prevent a skin from forming). Chill until set, for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
- Garnish chilled pudding with fresh whipped cream and chocolate shavings, if desired.
Adapted from Food Network
More chocolate delights…
One-Minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake
Triple Chocolate Fudge Cookies
Zucchini Fudge Bundt Cake with Chocolate Glaze
I am also a chocolate pudding snob. I hate the instant stuff, buuut I LOVE the pudding skin. I really think it’s the best part! I usually pour my pudding into wide, shallow bowls in order to get more skin. Lol
I was wondering, why it’s necessary to pour the cocoa/milk mixture into the milk/cornstarch mixture instead of the other way around? Especially since you have to transfer it back to the saucepan. Why are we not supposed to just whisk the cornstarch/milk mixture directly into the cocoa/milk mixture in the pan?
And is the sieve step necessary? I don’t own a fine sieve, just a pasta colander. Will my pudding be lumpy or something? I dont mind, but I don’t know if maybe it wouldn’t set if it’s not strained. Thanks!
Hi Sharon! Too funny that you try to create extra skin on your pudding while a lot of people try to avoid it altogether! 😉
The reason for pouring the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks mixture is to temper the eggs. This brings up the temperature of the eggs gradually. If you added the egg yolks directly to the hot milk mixture, their temperature would increase all at once and they would likely scramble/cook, which would result in your pudding having lumps instead of a nice, silky texture. 🙂
As for the sieve step, you could definitely skip it if you don’t have one. There shouldn’t be any big lumps in this pudding, but there could be tiny ones, so I always like to strain my pudding just to make sure it’s completely smooth.
Hope that helps, and I apologize for my delayed reply. Happy Friday!
I have always wanted to try making my own chocolate pudding, but have never got around to it. Need to put this on my to-do list 🙂
Definitely, Cathleen! It’s oh-so-worth the effort. 🙂 Hope you have a great weekend!
Do you think this would work with 1% milk? I have a bunch of it. I could add more butter to make up the fat if need be…
Hi Allison! Since this recipe relies on cornstarch for thickening, I don’t think 1% milk would affect the outcome. The final pudding just won’t taste quite as rich. Sorry for my delayed reply…I hope it worked if you already tried it! Have a great weekend… 🙂
I’ll give it a try and report back hopefully. Thank you!
Thank you! I just made this chocolate pudding. It was exactly as discribed. Creamy decadent chocolatey goodness!
So happy you enjoyed it, Anna! 🙂
I needed to make a dessert that was not only decadent, but easy and delicious – and also gluten free for a new family member. I used a package of gluten free graham crackers (holy crap are they expensive!) to make a graham cracker crust and made a batch and a half of this pudding as a filling. I didn’t want to estimate a half an egg yolk so i just used 4 and added another teaspoon of cornstarch. That amount was just perfect to completely fill up the pie shell…which is kind of sad as I was hoping there would be a tiny bit left to have as a pudding lol. Thanks for making this so easy to do!
Loved the pudding…used extra egg whites a put a meringue top on pudding🤗
Nice — chocolatey and creamy but too much sugar for my liking. I reduced it to 1/3 cup for my first try and would go lower next time…1/4 c maybe less. I like the skin too!