The EASIEST Chocolate Pudding Recipe (Only 4 Ingredients!) (2024)

This is the BEST chocolate pudding recipe you’ll ever find! Plus, it’s super easy to make, with just 4 main ingredients, no eggs, and NO added sugar. Take just 5 minutes to whip up this delicious treat!

This homemade chocolate pudding recipe is AMAZING. I kid you not, I ate two jars of it while taking the pictures!

Which seems to be the trend anytime I’m re-making some of my childhood favorites…

Like Homemade Cheez-it’s? Ate them all.

Black Bean Brownies (that taste like Little Debbie Fudge Brownies)? At them all, too…

And my favorite ice cream treat growing up? I made a homemade version of that too, and between me and the kids, they were gone in less than two days.

I’d say it’s a good thing when I make something so good that I can’t help but eat it all. It means the recipe is a winner and there’s a high probability that your family will like it, too.

EASY CHOCOLATE PUDDING RECIPE

Let’s be honest, who doesn’t love to eat puddings with chocolate? But for this homemade chocolate pudding recipe, I was looking for a few specific things.

• I wanted something fun. Something that I could make for the kids, totally surprise them, and make them feel special.
• I wanted something NOT loaded down with sugar. Especially when we’re on a constant quest to quit sugar, I know I’m on the right track when my daughter (who LOVES sugar) says hot chocolate from the local coffee shop is a bit too sweet for her.
• I wanted something easy. Most recipes I’ve seen for chocolate pudding (like Pioneer Woman chocolate pudding) call for lots of ingredients including egg yolks, cocoa powder, and cornstarch. They just seem like a lot of work. In this season of life, that’s not happening.
• I wanted something that was like what I had growing up. Did you ever have those Snack Pack pudding cups as a kid? I did, and so did all of my friends, and I wanted to replicate that flavor.

When it’s all said and done, this homemade chocolate pudding recipe is definitely easy, fun, not loaded with sugar, and EERILY similar to the kind I had as a kid. (Dare I say better?!)

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BEST CHOCOLATE PUDDING

• milk
• gelatin (I use Perfect Supplements gelatin)
• chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)
• vanilla extract (store-bought or homemade)
• salt (a tiny pinch)

Psst! Want to kick this up a notch? Try finishing this recipe with a pinch of finishing salt! I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because it doesn’t have microplastics (gross, right?) and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get an 8oz bag for FREE!! (Just pay shipping.) Get your bag of salt on this page.

There are only 4 main ingredients in this recipe for chocolate pudding (and one is optional), which means all of them are important, so let’s break them down.

Milk

I used 2% milk because my husband went to the store for me and that’s what he brought home. I actually wanted to test this using whole milk, but knowing it works with 2% means I have NO DOUBT it would be just as good (possibly better!) with whole milk.

If you’re dairy-free, I suggest using Coconut Milk. You’ll probably want the lite version, as the full-fat version will make an incredibly rich chocolate pudding. This isn’t a bad thing, but it will be a bit more indulgent than the pudding snacks we had as a kid.

Chocolate Chips

There is no added sugar in this recipe so choose your chocolate chips wisely. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips and as I mentioned, I ate two servings of pudding without batting an eyelash.

• If your family is used to sweeter things, you might consider using milk chocolate chips or a combination of semi-sweet and milk chocolate.
• If your family is quitting sugar, you might consider using a blend of semi-sweet chocolate chips with dark chocolate chips. That’s my plan the next time I make this!
• If you don’t have chocolate chips, chopped up chocolate bars would work just as well! Give them a rough chop and measure into the measuring cup.

Note: I tested this chocolate pudding recipe using fewer chocolate chips and to me, it just wasn’t chocolate-y enough. Have you ever had watered down hot chocolate? It was kind of like that. Unappealing and not worthy of a second bite. (My kids agreed!)

Bumping up the chocolate chips fixed that right up to give me the best chocolate flavor!

Gelatin

This is THE KEY ingredient to delicious homemade chocolate pudding and surprisingly, it’s good for you!

Gelatin is essentially cooked collagen. You’ve heard of collagen before, right?

(If not, it’s the secret to strong hair, long nails, and healthy skin. I add one tablespoon to my coffee or tea every day! You can read more about my personal experience with collagen here.)

Gelatin is the key ingredient to making homemade gummies – Elderberry Gummies and Charcoal Gummies – and it’s also the secret to making amazing homemade chocolate pudding.

A Special Note on Gelatin

Just like collagen, not all gelatin is created equal. I did aside-by-side tests of two popular brands of collagen. One failed miserably and one blew my expectations out of the water.

Because of that test, I only recommend Perfect Supplements brand collagen and gelatin.

I know you work hard for your grocery dollars and I certainly don’t want you wasting it on things that won’t work like you expect them to!

HOW TO MAKE PUDDING INSTRUCTIONS

Making chocolate pudding is easy, but it does require your constant presence. Pull out your ingredients and get cooking!

Step 1: Measure milk into a small measuring glass or bowl (I usethis one-cup glass measuring cup.)

Step 2: Pour ¾ cup of milk into a small saucepan.

Step 3: Sprinkle the gelatin over the top of the remaining ¼ cup of milk still in the measuring cup. Let it sit to bloom.

Step 4: Meanwhile, heat the milk in the saucepan over medium heat and add the chocolate chips. Using a flat whisk (I usethis flat whisk), stir the chocolate chips until they begin to melt.

Step 5: When the chips are melting, whisk well until they’re completely dissolved, and then immediately remove the milk from the heat.

Step 6: Whisk in the vanilla extract.

Step 7: Stir the measuring cup with the bloomed gelatin so it’s mixed well. While whisking constantly, pour the gelatin mixture into the chocolate milk. Whisk well.

Step 8: Pour the chocolate mixture evenly between four 4 oz mason jars. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the mixture to prevent a thick film from forming. This doesn’t have to be perfect, but do your best to avoid any significant air pockets.

Step 9: Place in the refrigerator and let the chocolate pudding chill for 2 hours. At that point, you can serve or keep it for later.

Step 10: To serve, remove the plastic wrap and top with Homemade Whipped Cream, Homemade Chocolate Whipped Cream, fresh fruit and/or just eat plain.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING RECIPE TIPS

Do not add extra gelatin!

In my recipe testing, I made chocolate pudding using three different amounts of gelatin: less, normal, and more.

The difference between each of the recipes was just ½ teaspoon, but let me tell you – that half teaspoon makes a HUGE difference! When the chocolate pudding was made with:

• Less gelatin, it was too runny. It barely stayed on the spoon. Boo.
• More gelatin, it was WAY too thick. Literally, it tasted like chocolate jelly. I had my kids try it and sure enough, they agreed. They thought it was weird, weren’t fans, and went outside to play without asking for a second bite.
• The normal amount of gelatin, it was absolutely perfect. It gave me the best pudding consistency! (Maybe that’s why I ate two servings?)

CHOCOLATE PUDDING FAQS

MORE GREAT CHOCOLATE DESSERTS

• Double Chocolate Blender Waffles
• Avocado Chocolate Mousse
• Crockpot Hot Chocolate
• Healthy Benefits of Collagen for Hair, Skin, and Nails
• 5-Minute Chocolate Hummus
• Black Bean Brownies

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WATCH HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

Print Recipe

★★★★★4.3 from 3 reviews

This is the BEST chocolate pudding recipe you’ll ever find! Plus, it’s super easy to make, with just 4 main ingredients, no eggs, and NO added sugar. Take just 5 minutes to whip up this delicious treat!

• Author: Tiffany
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Total Time: 2 hours 5 mins
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Desserts
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

• 1 cup milk (I used 2%)
• 1 tsp Perfect Supplements gelatin
• ½ cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)
• ⅛ tsp vanilla extract
• tiny pinch of salt

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Measure milk into a small measuring glass (I use this one-cup glass measuring cup.)
2. Pour ¾ cup of milk into a small saucepan.
3. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top of the remaining ¼ cup of milk still in the measuring cup. Let it sit to bloom.
4. Meanwhile, heat the milk in the saucepan over medium heat and add the chocolate chips. Using a flat whisk (I use this flat whisk), stir the chocolate chips until they begin to melt.
5. When the chips are melting, whisk well until they’re completely dissolved and then immediately remove the milk from the heat.
6. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
7. Stir the measuring cup with the bloomed gelatin so it’s mixed well. While whisking continuously, pour the gelatin mixture into the chocolate milk. Whisk well.
8. Pour evenly between four 4 oz mason jars. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the mixture to prevent a thick film from forming. This doesn’t have to be perfect, but do your best to avoid any significant air pockets.
9. Place in the refrigerator and let it set for 2 hours. At that point, you can serve or keep it for later.
10. When you serve, remove the plastic wrap and top with homemade whipped cream, homemade chocolate whipped cream, fresh fruit, and/or just eat plain.

Notes

• To keep for later, place the mason jar lids on the jars with the plastic still cover the pudding.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 141

Keywords: chocolate pudding