Easy Vegan Chocolate Pudding requires just 6 ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes to make! This pudding recipe is a super creamy chocolatey delicious, it's 20 thousand times better than those store-bought cups. The perfect addition to your school or work lunchbox, or for an easy dessert or snack!
Whether you're staying at home, or it's safe to go out and about where you live, back to school time is right around the corner. No matter what building you're in, every kid (or kid at heart) deserves a special lunchtime treat. So to celebrate, I wanted to make a kid-friendly recipe, and nothing says lunchbox more to me than these little chocolate pudding cups.
This chocolate pudding recipe is also waste-free (no disposable packaging), vegan (meaning it's dairy-free and egg-free), and it's so incredibly lush and chocolatey rich. Win win win!!!
I used these cute little reusable pudding cups which will also be perfect for vegan yogurts, dressings, small snacks, and sauces. The individual servings are so fun and are prefect for snacking, but you can also store it in any sized container you like.
Chocolate pudding is lovely served still warm, but you can stash it in the fridge for up to a week. Prep the chocolate pudding on the weekend and enjoy this little pick me up all week long. 🙂
To Make Easy Vegan Chocolate Pudding:
In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch. Add the plant-based milk and whisk to combine.
Put the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer while whisking often.
Continue to simmer for about 3 minutes until the pudding is slightly thickened and glossy looking. It will thicken more as it cools. Remove from heat and whisk in the vegan butter and vanilla extract. Divide into ramekins, jars, pudding cups, or pour all of it into a large heat proof bowl. Enjoy still warm or cover and let cool in the fridge for a few hours or overnight until chilled. Store in the fridge for up to one week.
This vegan chocolate pudding would be perfect paired with my vegan egg salad sandwich, a vegan baloney sandwich, tofu caesar wrap, or vegan alphagetti.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
Easy Vegan Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch (sub arrowroot powder if preferred)
- 2 ½ cups plant-based milk (such as soy or oat)
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch until there are no lumps. Add the plant-based milk and whisk to combine.
- Put the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer while whisking often. Continue to simmer for about 3 minutes until the pudding is slightly thickened and glossy looking. It will thicken more as it cools. Remove from heat and whisk in the vegan butter and vanilla extract. Divide into ramekins, jars, pudding cups, or pour all of it into a large heat proof bowl. Enjoy still warm or cover and let cool in the fridge for a few hours or overnight until chilled. Store in the fridge for up to one week.
Maggie says
Sam , you did it again! Just like grandma used to make. Without the cruelty. Yummy!
Eva says
I very rarely leave reviews. This is the smoothest, most delicious pudding I've ever made. I don't understand those that complain about it not thickening. Its texture is perfect.
Jules says
I made this tonight for dessert, after having made the Jackfruit Bar-BQue for dinner (SO GOOD). I did NOT at white sugar, as I do not buy or it. I used coconut sugar and instead of coco powder, I used the organic cacao. I used 1/2 almond and 1/2 soy milk. Very, VERY rich and chocolatey!! Now to find a good recipe for vegan whipped topping!
Thank you Sam for all of your wonderful recipes for this new vegan!
Yuli says
Wow wow wow! We fancied something sweet and quick tonight but didn't want to go to the shops, as we are trying to cut back on the processed foods even though we eat homemade stuff 95% of the time. I had this bookmarked for a week now and thought I would give it a go, as we love anything with sugar and chocolate in it. Didn't have high expectations but oh wow it turned out deliciouuus (we only had warm leftovers but I reckon it will taste even better when cold - can't wait for these to cool down)! I used oat milk and followed the recipe exactly, will definitely make this on a more regular basis and will cut the sugar to just 100gr. I cooked mine for a minute longer and by the time I poured it into jars it was already thick and creamy, yum. Thanks Sam!
Charlene says
I personally loved this recipe. I didn’t happen to have cornstarch so I decided to try tapioca starch and it worked wonderfully! Maybe the texture is slightly different, but I can’t be sure until I make this with cornstarch. Would highly recommend though!
Serena Hogan says
Super unhappy with this recipe. I've made vegan chocolate pudding before, with fewer ingredients, and it always turns out great. I decided to try your recipe...I cooked it for 20min....and its still SO thin.... The other recipe I use uses a lot more corn starch. I dont understand how you can say cook for 3 MINUTES?? Even after 20 its not pudding, its liquid. Frustrating and a waste of time and ingredients, and I didn't even get a good treat in the end.
Meagan says
I used this pudding as a layer in a chocolate cake and it was AMAZING. Best pudding I ever ate. Probably could have cooked it a tad longer because it was a little thin, but I don’t care, it tasted so good. I used macadamia nut milk btw 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! WOnderful!!
Abi Elvins says
Another huge hit! So easy to make and perfectly creamy and chocolatey!!!
Sibel says
Hi.
Can I get the same result if I use wheat flour instead of cornstarch?
Amy says
No. Cornstarch and wheat flour are two very different ingredients.
Eric says
White sugar, refined through charred animal bones isn’t vegan. Will substitute turbinado sugar. Haven’t tried the recipe yet, which looks great. Thanks!
Susanna says
I have just made this and it turned out great, but couldn’t resist making it more chocolatey by adding in extra cocoa, two squares of dark chocolate, and a pinch of salt.
Rochelle says
Tried this recipe exactly as written. I was amazed. It tasted just like the snack pack chocolate pudding cups I used to get in my lunch box as a kid!
I was wondering what I could substitute for the chocolate to make other flavors?
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo!! So happy you enjoyed it, Rochelle! I haven't recipe tested any other flavours yet so I can't advise on that just now.
danielle says
SO delish !!! highly recommend this recipe
Lauren Ulmer says
I tried this and the pudding didn't thicken at all. Even overnight. Any thoughts as to why it remained liquid? I followed the recipe exactly.
Sam Turnbull says
The cornstarch is what thickens the recipe. So make sure that is whisked in well and then cook until thick.
Dodi Ellis says
3 minutes is NOT long enough!!!
Corinne says
Ran into the run I was issue cooking as directed - but Sam’s response is right. For my stove, I had to crank the heat higher and longer to get the thickness to kick off. Then it was perfect! Just wanted to chime in here with my kids for anyone else running into the issue.
Dodi Ellis says
She should’ve clarified that.
Ramona says
Love your recipes, can I use Almond Milk for this?
Thanks
Jacki Christopher says
Awesome recipe--I used homemade almond milk so it was very rich and creamy. Such a treat!!!
Adrienne Edge says
I made this pudding today and it is 100% AMAZING! I also made a second bath for my son who hates chocolate and just left out the cocoa powder— LEGIT!!!!! This will be a definite treat for school time lunch this year!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! Thrilled you loved it, Adrienne 🙂
Margo says
Sounds yummy! I have vegan "Silk" coconut beverage in my fridge that is looking for something to do... I'll make this recipe with it... coconut+chocolate pudding=happiness?!
This is my first comment...love this site, thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Welcome Margo! And thank you! I hope you enjoy the pudding 🙂
Estacee says
Thanks for the wonderful recipe! Can I use a sugar replacement? I usually prefer monk fruit as a substitute. Will this change the viscosity of the recipe?
Sam Turnbull says
I'm not an expert in sugar-free cooking so you would have to experiment on your own with that one. Enjoy!
morgan says
Hi there! This pudding recipe looks so yummy! You call for "2 1/2 cups plant-based milk (such as soy or oat)" in the ingredient list. Due to allergies I drink rice milk. Has this recipe been tested using rice milk? I know rice milk is pretty thin compared to soy and oat milk and I don't think it has the same protein content -- I didn't know if those factors would cause this recipe to turn out differently if I used rice milk.
Also, can anything be subbed for the vegan butter? Again, due to allergies I don't buy vegan butter anymore. Could I use canola oil? (I do not use coconut oil.)
I know it's hard to please everyone ingredient-wise since some of us have all sorts of food allergies and I appreciate you sharing your free fabulous recipes, I'm just hoping for some advice from you regarding my questions.
Christine says
I am not Sam but in the event she is too busy to respond I am familiar with the recipe so here is my 2 cents!
I think rice milk would work, as the real thickener is the corn starch/sugar combo. If you are not allergic, I would try cashew or pea-based Ripple (Ripple does have some added stabilizers so check ingredients first). Rice milk will likely yield a considerably less 'creamy' result, particularly if you are not using vegan butter either.
As for the butter, I believe the added fat adds to the creamy mouthfeel so you could try canola oil for a similar result, although the end product may be a bit runnier as vegan butter firms up when refrigerated. You could also try using avocado.
Hope that is helpful!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Morgan, rice milk should work just fine, it just may make the pudding a tad thinner. If you can't have vegan butter either try adding a couple of spoonfuls of coconut cream, or omit it. Enjoy!
morgan says
Hi Sam. I don't know what coconut cream is but I can't use it because of allergies 🙁
Out of seemingly no where I developed several food allergies last year including soy and wheat/gluten 🙁
But back your chocolate pudding recipe, I can't use vegan butter or coconut cream. Does the pudding require some kind of "fat"? Should I add canola oil or just skip it entirely?
Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
You can just skip it. Enjoy!
Jess says
I dont use vegan butter. But, I have been using Avocado oil as a butter substitute. It has a creamy full flavour. Im going to try it with this chocolate oat milk my kids wont drink. guarantee they eat it as pudding;) thanks for the recipe. I ❤️ The jars.
Nisha says
The jars - they look an awful lot like those Riviera yogurt pots you can buy at the grocery store (at least here in Ottawa). They make a coconut yogurt that is totally delicious. I bought them just to get the little jars. 🙂
PJ says
What about adding a little cocoa butter? You would have to shred it so it melts, but it would add creaminess, chocolate flavor and thickness.