The Best Vegan Chocolate Pudding (Paleo, too!)
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The BEST Vegan Chocolate Pudding – You’ll never believe this is dairy-free chocolate pudding! This vegan chocolate pudding is the real deal–chocolatey, rich, and creamy, with no avocado, banana, or tofu. It’s the perfect simple dessert (or packed lunch surprise!)
Photos updated + video added January 2017
Sophie’s preschool has an awesome practice of eating class snacks. There’s a snack calendar with pretty healthy snack choices and each parent is assigned to bring snack once a month. There are pros and cons, of course. On the pro side, it’s a great way for positive peer pressure to help kids try new foods, and it makes it easy for most parents to just need to worry about sending in a snack once a month.
The cons mostly revolve around the difficulty of navigating a snack calendar with dietary restrictions. We try to provide a snack as close to what the class is having as possible (it helps her try new things and makes things easier on the teachers), but sometimes the class is having cheese cubes or crackers or something that makes things tricky.
Tricky as it is sometimes, it’s also been a chance to practice some homemade recipes for things since that’s easier and less expensive in lots of cases to tracking down pre-made equivalents of what the rest of the class is eating. Once or twice a quarter, for instance, the kids get to have chocolate pudding as part of their snack, and this is the BEST gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate pudding recipe we’ve put together.
It’s rich, creamy, and ULTRA chocolatey, all without dairy! It’s a decadent, delicious treat whether you have dietary restrictions or not!
Our Vegan Chocolate Pudding: No Weird Ingredients Included!
A lot of vegan or dairy-free chocolate pudding recipes use avocado, banana, or tofu to help the texture. Sophie’s texture issues are so acute that she can detect the avocado or tofu a mile away, and banana, well…it just really makes everything taste like banana. This vegan pudding recipe has all the chocolate flavor you crave, just none of the dairy or eggs!
This dairy-free chocolate pudding is the real deal–silky, thick, chocolatey and not too heavy. Thank heaven that dairy-free chocolate is a real thing. A real, beautiful, wonderful thing. There are several brands out there these days that sell dairy-free chocolate chips, and I want to send them all Christmas cards this year. We buy Enjoy Life or Guittard Extra Dark chocolate chips. (If you’re allergic rather than intolerant to dairy, you may want to avoid Guittard as there is a risk of cross-contamination, but we have never had a problem from the intolerance side.)
Yummy Toppings To Try On Vegan Chocolate Pudding:
- Fresh Berries. I love berries and chocolate, so this is always my first pick! Strawberies and raspberries are my favorite, but all berries work.
- Whipped Cream. Try some whipped coconut cream (store-bought or homemade!) on top. It feels so special!
- Sliced Bananas. I love bananas and chocolate together.
- Chocolate Covered Strawberries. If you want to really go for it (say, for Valentine’s Day or another special occasion), try serving each bowl of chocolate pudding with one of our vegan chocolate covered strawberries on top!
- Cacao Nibs. I love the crunch these add! They’re not sweetened, so use a light hand when you add them.
- Mini Chocolate Chip. If you want your crunch a little sweeter, go for mini chocolate chips.
- Toasted Almonds. Add a nutty crunch with some toasted almonds (or hazelnuts!)
- Fresh Mint Leaves. A pretty pop of green adds such a lovely look!
FAQ + TIPS & TRICKS FOR PERFECT VEGAN CHOCOLATE PUDDING:
WHAT MILK CAN YOU USE FOR DAIRY-FREE CHOCOLATE PUDDING? I like using a combination of almond and coconut milk since it prevents either flavor from overpowering the chocolate and the coconut milk lends a nice richness. You can substitute other dairy-free milk (like soy milk, cashew milk, or oat milk), but know that if you’re skipping the coconut milk, your end result will be a bit thinner. If you’re not dairy-free, you can also use dairy milk in the same proportions (the more skim the milk, the thinner the pudding).
ARROWROOT VS CORNSTARCH. You can use cornstarch instead of arrowroot if you like here. Arrowroot powder is a grain-free starch that’s common in allergy-free and paleo cooking. I like it here because it gives such a gorgeous texture, but if you’re a corn starch fan, go for it! (Note: for paleo chocolate pudding, be sure to use the arrowroot option!)
MAKE IT THINNER OR THICKER. This vegan chocolate pudding does continue to thicken as it cools (as most homemade chocolate pudding does). If you want to loosen your pudding up a bit, just add a splash of milk and whisk it in.
HOW TO GET RID OF LUMPS IN YOUR PUDDING. I don’t mind a few little lumps here and there in my homemade chocolate pudding, but if you want yours completely smooth or end up with some accidental lumps, you can either whisk-whisk-whisk till things smooth out, or just use an immersion blender to smooth things out. It works like a charm!
CHANGE IT UP! If you want a change of pace, I like a few drops of almond extract in this for a little something extra, but it’s also completely delicious without it if you’re not a fan. I’ve also tried adding a few drops (2-3) of peppermint extract around the holidays and it was AWESOME.
More Chocolate Recipes You’ll Love:
Don’t forget to leave a star review and comment below when you make our Vegan Chocolate Pudding recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
HELPFUL TOOLS & INGREDIENTS FOR THIS VEGAN CHOCOLATE PUDDING RECIPE:
The Best Vegan Chocolate Pudding
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
The best vegan chocolate pudding – made without avocado, banana, or tofu! This is the real deal–chocolatey, rich, and creamy.
Ingredients
For The Vegan Chocolate Pudding:
- 1 (13oz) can full fat coconut milk
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)
- 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao powder (I prefer regular cocoa powder, NOT Dutch processed for this pudding)
- 4 Tbsp arrowroot starch/arrowroot flour
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar or maple sugar
- 2/3 cup dairy free chocolate chips
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)
- pinch salt
Optional Toppings:
- Fresh raspberries, chopped chocolate, fresh strawberries, sliced bananas, a drizzle of peanut butter, etc.
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together cocoa powder, arrowroot, and sugar. Pour in the coconut and almond milk and whisk to combine. Bring to a bubble over medium heat, stirring regularly. The mixture will slowly thicken as it comes to a low boil. Whisk it for about 2 minutes after it starts bubbling. You’ll feel it thicken.
- Remove from the heat and stir in chocolate chips, vanilla, almond (if using), and a pinch of salt. Whisk to melt the chocolate chips until smooth.
- Transfer to a container or serving cups. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the pudding (to prevent a “skin” from forming). Refrigerate until completely chilled. Pudding will continue to thicken as it cools.
- If the pudding ends up thicker than you prefer, you can thin it out with a tiny drizzle of additional almond or coconut milk.
- Cover leftovers with plastic wrap or food wrap and store in the refrigerator. Chocolate pudding will keep covered in the fridge 4-5 days for best results.
Notes
- Thicker, thinner. This pudding does continue to thicken as it cools. If you want to loosen it up a bit, just add a splash of milk and whisk it in.
- What about lumps? I don’t mind a few little lumps here and there, but if you want yours completely smooth or end up with some accidental lumps, you can either whisk-whisk-whisk till things smooth out, or just use an immersion blender to smooth things out. Works like a charm!
- Can I Use Another Sugar? Don’t have or like maple sugar or coconut sugar? You can use vegan white sugar (granulated sugar). Your pudding will just be a bit sweeter.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
This looks so delicious! We’ve been on the hunt for healthier desserts, and I love pudding! We’ll have to try this soon!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I literally can’t even. SIGN ME UP!!!!!
I don’t even follow a vegan diet, and I want this! It looks divine!
Do you think tapioca starch would work in place of arrowroot here? Thanks! 🙂
HB – You can try it, but in my experience, the texture will be slightly more gloopy. You can sub the same amount of cornstarch in its place.
Hello – I made this last nite subbing an equal amount of cornstarch. It turned out divine: silky, smooth, and even delicate. (Glad I chose the cornstarch as I was on the fence about the tapioca starch since I don’t have any arrowroot.) Would make a great pie filling!!! Bookmarking this one for later – 5 stars!
Dawn – I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It makes a GREAT pie filling! We made it for Thanksgiving and it was awesome!
Yeah I used it .came out as some
😄
What would be a good substitute for the almond milk, if trying to avoid all nuts for school? We have no intolerances to dairy, etc. and I’d love to be able to send it to school for a small lunchtime dessert. Thanks!
If you’re not dairy free, you can absolutely make this with dairy milk in place of the almond milk. It should work like a charm!
Maybe you can try oat or rice milk 🙂
This looks wonderful! Do the chocolate chips serve as a thickening/texture agent or just another layer of chocolate flavor? Wondering if I can forego them and make the pudding sans chocolate chips.
They do both, I’m afraid. They finish thickening the pudding and lend most of the chocolate flavor. The cocoa powder lends some, but the real chocolatey flavor comes from the chocolate chips.
Approximately how many cups does this recipe yield?
Liz – This is between 3 1/2-4 cups of pudding. (Mine is usually closer to 3 1/2 cups) It’s plenty for a pie filling, or 4-5 servings.
I’m just leaving a comment as I noticed you didn’t have any reviewers to testify if this really is the best vegan chocolate pudding. ? I made this for the first time today and used maple syrup and didn’t have almond extract so left it out and it is really darn good! I haven’t made the weird tofu or avocado puddings just chia -which I do love. But this is a class of it’s own and is so thick and rich it truly is a chocolate pudding, not a vegan-so-it-will-have-to-do pudding either! Yum!
Akela – THANK YOU! You made my day with such a nice comment! I’m glad you liked it! It’s just one of my all-time favorites.
I’ve just made this and followed the recipe to the T , thinking I’ll try the original and probably end up tweaking it to my liking….well lady let me me say, this recipe needs NO tweaking!! It’s perfect!!! It’s delicious!! It’s beyond delicious!!!
I’ve always loved chocolate pudding and but hated the sadness that accompanied the scratching of the bottom of an empty cup of store-bought pudding. I always said “Man I could eat a whole pot of this” ….well….NOW I CAN! Thanks a million!
Oh, I’m SO SO SO glad to hear it! What a fantastic comment to get today. Thank you so very much!
To make a vanilla version of this, would you simply omit the chocolate ingredients and add more vanilla extract? Wondering if anyone has ever tried this…
I haven’t made a vanilla version before… Because you’d be removing the cocoa AND chocolate chips (which also add to the texture), I couldn’t guess at the amounts without doing some more experimenting. Sounds like vanilla pudding is a good recipe for me to try to develop!
I was thinking that too…removing the cocoa and chocolate chips would strip it from its rich texture. I’m going to put on my thinking hat and looking forward to your development 🙂
I was thinking the same thing and maybe, white chocolate chips and extra vanilla extract
mmm
coconut and white chocolate.
drool
How long will this keep in the refrigerator?
At least 4-5 days, but probably up to a week (ours never lasts that long because we eat it!)
Ha! Mine didn’t last until midnight. It’s that good. Make it on a day when nobody else is in the house so you won’t have to share.
Anna – You TOTALLY made my day! This is TOTALLY how it goes at our house, too!
This recipe looks amazing! But I was just wondering if any of the coconut flavor comes through? I have a brother that hates coconut so I can make this and not tell him what’s in it, as long as he cant tell.
I’ve found that by mixing the almond and coconut milks, the coconut flavor is very diluted. If he’s a die-hard hater, he might still be able to tell. I’ve tried making this with all almond milk, and it was just a little too thin for my taste.
I was thinking about a coconut free version, dairy free version..
whole fat coconut is very high in fat. hmmm
how about a cashew nut butter for fat?
omit coconut milk and add nut butter with maybe extra white chocolate
no test kitchen here
I would suspect the chia version might be a good combo
the cooking of the base (sugar/starch/fluids)
this also would make a really excellent non dairy iced numnum
caramel sauce… mini m&m’s
You could certainly try your suggestions, though I wouldn’t be able to guarantee results. Best of luck!
Coconut fat is healthy. This misnomer of fats being bad needs to be erased. Good fats are good for you. Nuts are just as high in fat as coconut. Feed your body healthy foods and it will respond nourishingly.
I made this as is and it’s delicious. Celiac and dairy free here and very easy to make such a chocolate bomb. Is great with some fresh raspberries for relief from the richness or serve with whipped topping for more calories lol. I would say that I didn’t find it very sweet which was excellent for my adult palate but if you wanted something closer to a sweeter milk chocolate version add a bit more sugar. I used the coconut sugar so perhaps it’s less sweet on the palate than white sugar.
Did I mention how fast you can make this??? Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Christina! I love it, too!
I saw the picture pop up on Instagram today and thought I have strawberries, I have to make this! Just cooked it and can’t wait till dinner to eat it. And thanks for a healthier recipe, this is one I won’t feel guilty letting my 20 month old eat!
Oh, I hope you love it! It’s been one of our favorites for the last couple years and it makes me so happy every time!
Could you use regular sugar in place of the coconut sugar?
Absolutely! You can use the same amount of white sugar. 🙂