Homemade Chocolate Pudding (33 cents/serving)

Homemade chocolate pudding comes together in just a few minutes. With just sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, milk, salt, vanilla extract, and chocolate chips, you can whip up an easy stovetop chocolate pudding.

Rich in chocolatey flavor, it makes such an easy dessert for small groups. Don’t forget to top it with Homemade Whipped Cream.

If you pack your pudding in small containers with lids, you can add them to packable lunches.

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Jump to:

• Why Make This
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Tips for success
• FAQs
• Recipe costs
• Tell us what you think!
• Homemade Chocolate Pudding Recipe

When I was a kid, pudding came in a box. Or a plastic cup. But usually a box that I added cold milk to and whipped with the mixer. In five minutes, I had a sweet chocolately treat. #childofthe70s

For my husband, nine years my senior, pudding also came in boxes and plastic cups, but if you were to mix up a box, you did so in a pan on the stovetop. And had to wait hours for it to cool. And risk its forming a skin, which he actually liked. Ew. #childofthe60s

Clearly, we had different childhoods. 😉

Good thing we both love homemade chocolate pudding. I don’t go for the skin, but that’s okay. We can both have it our own way.

Why Make This

It’s simple! Chocolate pudding is a thick, cooked dessert made from milk, sugar, and some form of chocolate that is thickened with either eggs or cornstarch. It can be served hot or cold.

This chocolate pudding is super simple to make. Serve it in pudding cups or in a Homemade Chocolate Cream Pie.

It uses standard kitchen staples. You don’t need any fancy ingredients or equipment, just sugar, cocoa powder, milk, chocolate chips, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla extract. It’s a great recipe to help you use up a lot of milk.

You get to control the ingredients. The little extra work to make homemade chocolate pudding is totally worth it since you get to control what goes into the pudding. (The commercial stuff has a pretty sketchy ingredients list. Takes about 90 seconds to measure those ingredients, and you’ll know that your pudding is all real food. Amen. Hallelujah.

Ingredients

Many recipes for homemade chocolate pudding call for egg yolks mixed into it, creating a custard. This recipe is egg-free, making it a little bit cheaper and easier to make. It’s thickened with cornstarch instead. 

This recipe is made with:

• sugar – granulated sugar is best
• cornstarch – cornstarch is what helps the pudding thicken
• cocoa powder – unsweetened cocoa powder is the first layer of chocolate
• salt – salt helps round out the flavor of chocolate
• milk – you can use whatever milk you like: cow’s milk or a plant-based version. If going with dairy milk, the fuller fat you use, the thicker and more flavorful the pudding will be
• chocolate chips – any variety or size you like is fine here. I like dark chocolate. If you’re making this dairy-free, be sure to use DF chips.
• vanilla extract – adds another layer of flavor. You can use another extract if you prefer to add a different twist, such as coffee or peppermint.

Variations

You can definitely customize this pudding and add some fun things to it to have it take on a whole new flavor.

Add ¼ teaspoon of another extract, such as coffee, almond, or peppermint. Try my Mint Chocolate Cream Parfaits for a fun twist on the recipe!

If you want to go in the mocha direction, add some instant coffee or espresso powder to the mixture as you’re heating it.

Step-by-Step Instructions

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1. In a large saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt until well combined.

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2. Whisk in the milk, taking care to get the dry bits in the corner of the pan.

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3. Heat the mixture. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until it thickens and starts to bubble lightly, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

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4. Stir in the chocolate chips and vanilla extract.

Divide the pudding into six 4-ounce ramekins. Place a bit of plastic wrap or waxed paper ON the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from developing. Refrigerate for several hours until cold. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Tips for success

• Have all of your ingredients ready. That way when your pudding is ready to come off the stove you can quickly add the vanilla and chocolate!
• Whisk constantly. The pudding mixture could easily burn on you. So don’t walk away. And stir like you mean it!
• Don’t forget to cover the surface. If you don’t your pudding will definitely get this skin on top. And nobody wants to eat that. So make sure it’s not just covering the pudding, but in actually ON the pudding surface. 
• Finish with whipped cream! Once your pudding is ready, it’s time to serve! And there’s nothing like homemade whipped cream on top. Be a little extra and use chocolate whipped cream for a triple dose of chocolate.

FAQs

Recipe costs

Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.

• sugar – $0.11
• cornstarch – $0.16
• cocoa powder – $0.16
• vanilla extract – $0.13
• salt – $0.02
• chocolate chips – $1.00
• milk – $0.42

Made with non-sale prices at a midrange grocery store, this recipe costs $2/batch or $0.33/serving.

Comparatively speaking, 4-packs of pudding cups sell at the same grocery store for between $0.89 and $2.50. A boxed mix goes for $2.19, but you still need to add milk.

Admittedly, you could buy the low-end cups for just 22 cents each. It’s up to you to decide if homemade is worth it. Personally, I think homemade is a winner. You can get your costs down even lower using the Good Cheap Eats System.

This post was originally published on November 30, 2015. It has been updated for content and clarity.