The best Vegan Chocolate Pudding comes together in minutes! This homemade dairy free pudding has the decadent, rich taste of traditional chocolate pudding and the kiddos love it, too. Creamy, chocolatey, deliciousness in every bite. Prep this vegan pudding ahead of time and you’ve got the perfect snack all week. This post contains affiliate links for products I’m obsessed with.
We are huge fans of chocolate pudding, especially during the summer months, but my little guy is dairy free and my older daughter is very picky about dairy free desserts – they have to be just right. I desperately wanted to figure out a low sugar, no dairy homemade chocolate pudding recipe that would work for everyone in my family.
Well, I think I nailed it.
We loved this pudding so much, we made it for our Easter dessert and now I am finally sharing it with you all!
Vegan Chocolate Pudding
What’s not to love about a big bowl of decadent, rich, sweet, chocolatey pudding? And vegan at that? Most dairy free pudding recipes still contain egg or butter, but not this one! This is a completely vegan pudding!
I love when I can take a classic recipe and put a healthier or more dietary friendly spin on it. And I think I’ve achieved that goal with this pudding recipe. With just a few simple ingredients, you can be on your way to pudding paradise.
Ingredients for Vegan Chocolate Pudding
This recipe makes about four servings, perfect for snack time during the week, or an after dinner treat!
- cornstarch – Arrowroot could also work as a potential substitute.
- cocoa powder – The base of our flavor in this delicious chocolatey pudding!
- maple syrup – I love to use maple syrup for a natural sweetener. Honey could work as well but I prefer the flavor of the maple syrup, plus honey is not considered vegan.
- salt – To balance and enhance the flavor and to combat bitterness in the cocoa.
- cinnamon – This is optional but I love the extra bit of flavor it adds to the chocolate.
- vanilla extract – Again, this is optional, but I love the flavor boost vanilla extract gives to chocolate.
- vanilla almond milk – You’ll want to make sure to choose unsweetened if you are watching your sugar, and make sure it’s nice and cold! Regular almond milk also works well.
- raw sugar – This is optional as well if you’d like a sweeter pudding mix.
- dairy free chocolate chips – These are just for extra fun and flavor. I love to sprinkle these on top for a bonus chocolate treat for my kids, but remember that chocolate chips are a treat swap for 21 Day Fixers.
- So Delicious CoCo Whip – If you love your pudding topped with whipped cream, I love So Delicious Cocowhip for a delicious and clean vegan whipped cream.
How To Make Vegan Pudding
This recipe is so quick and easy, you’ll be whipping it up for every occasion.
- In a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, 3T of vanilla almond milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Stir to incorporate until it looks a bit like frosting.
- Place this mixture on medium heat and begin adding in the rest of the vanilla almond milk ¼ cup at a time, stirring constantly to keep the mixture smooth. Add in 1 T of raw sugar, if desired, for extra sweetness.
3. Continue to cook the pudding mixture over medium heat and continue to stir until pudding reaches the consistency of a thick sauce. If you want to add in the optional chocolate chips, turn off heat and stir them in now. If the pudding thins out too much from the chocolate, just heat it again for a few minutes.
4. Transfer the pudding into individual ramekins or into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
5. Let cool and enjoy with cocowhip and a glass of almond milk (or the milk of your choosing)!
How long will this Vegan Chocolate Pudding stay fresh?
This easy Vegan Chocolate Pudding will stay fresh and delicious for up to a week in the fridge! It’s a great recipe to make the day or night before so it has ample time to chill before serving and will stay fresh for days after. If you can keep it in the house that long!
Tip: I have even frozen this to eat when the cravings strike!
How can I serve Dairy Free Chocolate Pudding?
Vegan Chocolate Pudding can be served in individual ramekins or in one large bowl. It makes for a great healthier snack option for the kiddos after school or at a family gathering. You can easily double the ingredients for a larger batch if taking to a party or get together. You could even use this as a pie filling. Pour it into a vegan friendly crust, let chill, top with cocowhip and dairy-free chocolate chips or shavings and you’ve got a show stopping dessert!
How do I count Cocowhip for the 21 Day Fix?
Based on the ingredients and the nutritional information, I count each tablespoon of Cocowhip as 1/4 oil teaspoon and 1/4 sweetener teaspoon.
Looking for more healthy, dairy free and vegan dessert options? Check out some of these sweet treats below!
No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies [Vegan | GF]
Healthy Edible Cookie Dough [Vegan | Flourless]
Caramel Apple Dip | Caramel Apple Nachos
Vegan Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch arrowroot should also work, but I haven’t tested it
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup of maple syrup
- 1 pinch salt
- ⅛ - ¼ tsp of cinnamon optional
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups cold vanilla almond milk unsweetened
Optional:
- 1 tablespoon of raw sugar or sugar of your choice
- 2-4 tablespoon of Dairy free chocolate chips optional
- So Delicious CoCo Whip
Instructions
- In a small saucepan combine the cornstarch, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, 3T of milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract, stirring to incorporate until it looks a bit like frosting.
- Place on medium heat and begin adding remaining almond milk, ¼ cup at a time, stirring constantly to keep the mixture smooth. Add in 1 T of raw sugar, if desired, for extra sweetness.
- Continue to cook over medium heat and continue to stir until pudding is like a thick sauce. This may take a little while. If you want to add in the optional chocolate chips, turn off heat and stir them in now. If the pudding thins out too much from the chocolate, just heat it again for a few minutes.
- Transfer the pudding into individual ramekins or into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool and enjoy with cocowhip!
Lauren Maldonado says
How could you make a vanilla version ?
Nancylynn says
This is a great question! I will work on one!
Natasha says
I loved this as pudding and loved it even more after I froze it into pudding popsicles!
Nancylynn says
Whoa! Mind blown!! Thank you for sharing, Natasha!
Hannah says
I made this for a small dinner party tonight and it turned out delicious! I’m planning to top it with raspberries. There were a few details that I was confused about while making the recipe: (1) Since I added 3 T milk up front, am I supposed to add 1 3/4 cup milk minus 3 T in the next step? And (2) I started to panic because the mixture was not thickening, but I eventually solved the problem by turning up the heat a little (and I also threw in another tsp of corn starch in my panic). It might be helpful to note approximately how long you’ll have to keep stirring before it will start to thicken, or what to do if it hasn’t thickened after a certain amount of time. Those were minor issues though, and I will make this again! I love the cinnamon and vanilla in the pudding, they add depth to the taste. Thanks for this great vegan recipe!
Nancylynn says
Thank you so much for this feedback! Will look to clarify some of the directions! 🙂
Carrie Bandy says
By far the BEST vegan chocolate pudding recipe that exists!
Nancylynn says
Thank you, Carrie! You’re the best!