Growing up, chocolate pudding was a staple in my home and one of my favorite comfort foods. Making pudding from a box, stirring it slowly over the stove is one of my earliest memories of food.
Now a bit older and wiser, I know that the real thing is so much better! You can’t beat the smooth, velvety texture and rich creamy flavor. You’ll likely have many of these ingredients on hand. Why settle for preservatives when you can easily make the real thing? I like it served warm in a bowl with a nice dollop of freshly whipped cream on top. It’s a simple, year-round dessert.
Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
Pudding:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/3 cup high quality cocoa powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or half & half
- 4 large egg yolks
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons high quality vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature (cut into small pieces)
Optional garnish:
- Fresh whipped cream
- Grated chocolate
Instructions
- In a large stainless steel bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt. Then whisk in 1/2 cup of the milk until you have a thick paste.
- Add the egg yolks, one at a time, whisking to blend into the cocoa paste mixture. Set aside while you heat the milk and cream. Have a fine medium-sized strainer and bowl ready near the stove as you will need to strain the pudding after it is cooked.
- Pour in the remaining 2 cups of milk with the cream into a medium-sized heavy saucepan. Bring this mixture just to a boil and then remove from heat. (The milk will foam up to the top of pan when done, so watch carefully.)
- Gradually pour the milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the pudding mixture to a clean large, heavy bottomed saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise. Remove from heat and pour through the strainer to remove any lumps that may have formed during cooking.
- Add the finely chopped chocolate, vanilla extract, and butter, stirring gently with a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth.
- Pour into 6 to 8 bowls. Can serve warm chilled. If serving cold, press plastic wrap onto the surface of the warm puddings to prevent a skin from forming. Can be made a day or two ahead of serving.
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Recipe Troubleshooting
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gorgeous photograph! :)
i adore homemade chocolate pudding, you’re so right, it’s better than the boxed version.
over the summer i put them in popsicle molds to make pudding pops, it’s awesome.
Nice job!
Looks absolutely delicious ..
Laila ..
I’m making my way through your blog and I had to stop to tell you, I love your photos! The chocolate pudding photo makes me want to go grab a spoon!
I’m glad you like the blog! The pudding recipe is one of my favorites.
I made this pudding tonight. It’s delicious! I used Droste cocoa powder, and the custard that was made before straining was chocolately enough on its own, but I diligently followed the rest of the recipe using Belgian semisweet chocolate, and it elevated it to a whole new level of decadence.
This was my first time making pudding from scratch, and I found it quite easy and well worth the effort!
I did take one shortcut, which was to use the same saucepan that I boiled the milk & cream in to cook the custard, and I didn’t clean it out first. It doesn’t seem to have hurt it any. I wouldn’t have done this if the milk had scorched, though.
Thank you so much!