Easy Chocolate Pudding from Cocoa Powder

This easy chocolate pudding is made with cocoa powder and other ingredients that you likely already have lying around your kitchen. It’s quick, creamy, and smooth. A great last-minute no-bake dessert!

I don’t know what possessed me to go hunting for pudding the other night, but I am so glad I did (and Zach is even more glad). This is the best pudding I have ever had. I used whole milk (though other milks will work) and it gave the cocoa powder such a rich and creamy taste.

Though it was also a huge mistake. Now I have a delicious dessert that takes no time to make and uses ingredients I keep on hand at all times.

Uh oh.

Easy Chocolate Pudding from Cocoa Powder

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3 tbsps cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 cups milk or non-dairy milk
• 2 tbsps butter or margarine
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Step 01: Mix the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt into a medium saucepan. Slowly add the milk.

Step 02: Cook over medium heat until it starts boiling. Boil for 1 minute. Stir constantly.

Step 03: Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. Serve immediately for warm pudding. For cool pudding, refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

You can probably substitute the cornstarch with flour. Just remember that it takes more flour to thicken a dish than it takes cornstarch. So double the amount you use if you’re going to substitute with flour. Also, flour probably won’t give the pudding the same glossy look.

I actually had to make this twice (oh nooooo) because I screwed up the refrigeration process the first time. My first batch turned out just a little bit chunky because I put it in the fridge without covering it. This created a film that I tried to stir back into the pudding, but it created chunks. It was still delicious.

But I wanted a completely smooth texture for the photos, so the second time I made this, I left it in the saucepan with the lid on while it cooled (instead of putting it in the glasses like I did the first time). That didn’t work, I still wound up with film. 😛 Apparently to avoid that problem, you should cover the pudding tightly with plastic wrap. But I didn’t have any, so this will do.

I also didn’t bring the pudding to a full boil the second time, like the directions said to. I brought it to a simmer and then removed it from the heat. As the pudding heats, it gets thicker. As it gets thicker, it retains heat. So once I removed it, I continued whisking and it starting boiling off the heat.

When I boiled it ON the heat, I wound up with a lot of chunks from the film that formed at the bottom of the saucepan (from milk and stuff sticking). Simmering it gave me the same thickness I needed, but didn’t create that film. So my pudding turned out much smoother the second time.

This pudding can be eaten by itself or used as a base for a chocolate cream pie (nom).

Do you have any dangerously easy dessert recipes?

Easy Chocolate Pudding

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 1m Cooking Time: 5-10m

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3 tbsps cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 cups milk or non-dairy milk
• 2 tbsps butter or margarine
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Step 01: Mix the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt into a medium saucepan. Slowly add the milk.

Step 02: Cook over medium heat until it starts boiling. Boil for 1 minute. Stir constantly.

Step 03: Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. Serve immediately for warm pudding. For cool pudding, refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Easy Chocolate Pudding from Cocoa Powder was last modified: June 16th, 2018 by Chelsey

Notes

To keep skin from forming, put plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding.