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
Made this for a Valentine treat and topped it with raspberries! I have really come to trust the recipes you post. I have made quite a few and they have all been wonderful! Thank you for helping our gluten-free, dairy-free household! My husband is also has to be salt-free if you can imagine.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! (Salt free would be so tough!)
This recipe is absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Can it also be made with reduced-fat coconut milk? I’m worried that the texture will be too thin if I don’t use the full fat version, but I’d like to omit a few calories if possible.
Abi – I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I’ve tried it with reduced fat coconut milk (still the canned kind) and it does turn out a bit thinner. If you’re want to offset this a bit, you can add an extra Tablespoon of thickener (arrowroot/cornstarch) to the mixture. It won’t be exactly the same, but it’s okay! I don’t recommend using the carton coconut milk since it’s VERY thin and your pudding won’t set up properly. Hope that helps! Thanks so much for your comment!
Best chocolate pudding recipe ever.
I’m so glad you love it! It’s my all-time favorite!
Made this a couple of weeks ago and it was heavenly! Ate it with strawberries and it was SO good. Just made it into mini pies tonight for PI day. Chocolate cookie in a muffin liner for the crust and made the pudding with peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips and whipped cream on top. Haven’t tasted it yet but hoping it’s yummy and chocolaty PB goodness!
YUM! Peanut butter chips sound amazing!
yumm..cant wait to try it..i might try it with carob chips even as cocoa causes me some issues.
Sue – I’d love to know how it turns out with the carob chips if you try it that way!
This is delicious! I used maple syrup instead of sugar. I never have it it. It turned out a little soupy so I added a quarter cup chia seeds. Thanks for the recipe.
Eager to give this a try. Thanks for having the “print” so easy to find and keep your recipe in my physical collection!
My pleasure! I hope you LOVE it, Becky!
Made pudding! Excellent and so easy a retired Entomologist could make it!
Mark – I’m so glad to hear that! (Also: one of my son’s dream jobs right now is entomologist!)
My 21 year old son just had his wisdom teeth extracted, I bought DF ice cream, sorbet, yogurt, what did he want pudding? Found this recipe, whipped it up (had everything in the freezer or cupboard, and it is AMAZING! Thank you.
Oh, I’m so glad this hit the spot! Wisdom teeth recover can be so rough!
Unfortunately I did not like the texture of this amazing sounding recipe. I followed the recipe as written, but found it to be slimey or glue-like in consistency. Not creamy. Had to dump it, no one in my family would eat it. Is there something you can suggest that I may have done wrong?
Susan – I’m so sorry to hear that! Have you made a lot of homemade pudding in the past? I’ve found most homemade puddings are more thick and dense than anything store-bought. Stirring it back up before I serve it tends to help me get a little more air into it (which can lighten it back up a bit). Mine has never been slimy before, though–that sounds awful! Was it from condensation on the top, or all throughout? I’m so sorry!
Sorry, I totally appreciate your recipe, but I found the same issue with texture. I think the culprit was the arrowroot. My daughter is a vegan and I am always looking for dinner/food ideas, I found the pudding had a very rubbery and gluey, icky texture.. I would have used cornstarch, but somewhere in the write up it said the texture that arrowroot added was great. The flavor was good, but the texture was awful, and I couldn’t even eat it. I will try another time with cornstarch, ’cause the texture of arrow root is HORRIBLE! Sorry for any offense – I so appreciate the overall recipe and I will post again to say how it comes out with cornstarch.
Carrie – No offense taken! Everyone’s tastes and preferences are different, and it sounds like you have a great plan for next time!
Do you have to make this with arrowroot because I couldn’t find any around my area.
Nope! In the “notes on the recipe” section, you’ll see that cornstarch will work too!
Made this tonight and it was fantastic! Probably the best, and easiest, vegan chocolate pudding I’ve found. It was a huge hit with my kids and my husband even enjoyed it. I usually modify recipes, but I didn’t need to change anything with this.
I’m SO glad to hear that! It truly is my all time favorite!
I had to come back and add… We had a little bit left over from last night and I added it to some CocoWhip vegan whipped topping. It made it like a mousse. Thank you again for a great recipe!
Ooh that sounds so great!
I just made this, the liquid os uber delicious but it’s not solidifying at all. Any tips? Thank you!!
Oh, dear! I’d love to help. How long did you refrigerate it? Did you use arrowroot or cornstarch?
Can you tell me the carb count per serving? Thanks!
Judy – I don’t have nutrition facts available (the software isn’t in my budget right now), but you can import the recipe into any free online calculator. My favorite is MyFitnessPal (the app or the site) because you can import recipes straight from the web. Wishing you well!
I have never used coconut milk from a can. Do you use everything in the can?
Elizabeth – What do you mean? I primarily use fresh ingredients, with a few pantry staples (like diced tomatoes, tamari, coconut milk, etc.) Canned coconut milk is really common where I live, and is much more thick than anything I can find in cartons. It gives such a delicious rich texture to this pudding that I love using it here.
My almond milk is the kind from a carton (sold in the refrigerated section).