Dark Chocolate Pudding

Homemade Dark Chocolate Pudding is made with a blend of chocolates and cocoa powder for extra richness and depth of flavor. Enjoy the pudding as is, or add it to your favorite parfaits, trifles, icebox cakes, and more! 

This dark chocolate pudding recipe was originally created in partnership with Scharffen Berger Chocolate as part of a Holiday Recipe Exchange.

Rich, creamy, and packed with pure chocolate flavor, this homemade chocolate pudding puts the boxed kind to shame! Although making chocolate pudding from scratch requires more time and effort than mixing a pre-made packet of ingredients with some milk, the result is so much better. 

I made this a dark chocolate pudding recipe, but you’re welcome to switch up the type of chocolate used to make the pudding sweeter and less rich. 

Homemade pudding can be eaten as is, or you can garnish it with whipped cream and some fresh berries. Or, use the finished pudding in your favorite desserts, like an icebox cake, parfait, trifle, and more! 

Keep this easy recipe in mind for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or any time you need a make-ahead dessert that everyone will love. 

Kitchen Equipment Needed

Homemade pudding requires a few extra pieces of equipment than the store-bought kind, but not that much more!  

• Saucepan — Use a medium-sized saucepan with a heavy bottom so the bottom of the pudding doesn’t scorch. 
• Liquid Measuring Cup — For measuring the milk. 
• Measuring Cups and Spoons — A must for almost any dessert recipe! 
• Whisk — You’ll need to continually stir the pudding as it cooks.
• Heat-safe bowl — The easiest way to melt the chocolate is in 20-second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each interval. You can also place a heat-safe bowl over a saucepan of simmering water; place the chocolate in the bowl and melt using the double boiler method. 
• Jars or Small Bowls — I prefer ladling the hot pudding into the containers I plan on serving it in, but you’re welcome to chill the pudding into a larger container and dole out individual servings from that. 
• Plastic Wrap — Must be placed directly on the surface of the pudding as it cools so that it doesn’t form a skin.

Recipe Ingredients 

Below are the ingredients needed to make dark chocolate pudding from scratch. However, you can use a different blend of chocolates if you want your pudding to have a different flavor.  

• Granulated sugar
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Cornstarch
• Salt
• Eggs + egg yolks 
• Whole milk
• Semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate 
• Unsweetened chocolate
• Unsalted butter
• Vanilla extract

How to Make Chocolate Pudding From Scratch 

If you thought making homemade pudding would be difficult, think again! 

The main thing to remember is that after the pudding cooks on the stove, it must be refrigerated for at least an hour before being eaten. That time in the fridge gives the pudding time to set up.  

1. In a saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Then, add the eggs, egg yolks, and milk. 
2. Heat over medium-low heat until the mixture begins to simmer. 
3. Stir in the melted chocolates. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. 
4. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for another 2 minutes. When the pudding mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, stir in the butter and vanilla. 
5. Transfer the pudding to a heat-safe container or individual glass jars. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. 
6. Let cool for 30 minutes on your counter, then transfer to the fridge to chill. 

Chocolate Pudding Garnish Ideas

Scratch chocolate pudding doesn’t need any garnishes to taste incredible, but if you have one of the following on hand it would pair nicely with the pudding.  

• Fresh berries 
• Banana slices 
• Macerated strawberries
• Whipped cream (if preparing in advance, make stabilized whipped cream because it holds its shape for longer)
• Chocolate curls or mini chocolate chips 
• Chopped nuts or chocolate-covered nuts
• Toasted coconut
• Rum caramel sauce (just a drizzle!)

Recipe Tips and Tricks 

• Not sure how to separate the egg yolks from the whites? This recipe calls for two whole eggs and two egg yolks. Here are detailed instructions on how to separate eggs in case that’s a kitchen skill you’ve not yet mastered! 
• Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the pudding. As in, touching the top of the pudding. This will prevent the pudding from forming a skin as it cools. 
• Use a blend of chocolates for more flavor. This recipe calls for bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate, plus additional sugar. This gives the pudding an incredibly rich, deep chocolate flavor without making it overwhelmingly sweet. 
• Use chocolate bars, not chocolate chips. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers that make them resistant to melting. Although chocolate chips could be used in this recipe in a pinch, the resulting pudding would not be as silky smooth in texture. 
• Use full-fat milk and regular butter. Using full-fat dairy products will create the silkiest chocolate pudding. (Low-fat or non-fat milk would result in thinner, runnier pudding. No, thanks!) 

Ways to Use Dark Chocolate Pudding  

Chocolate pudding isn’t just for eating by the spoonful! You can also add the cooked and chilled pudding to lots of different desserts.

• Create parfaits by layering the pudding with whipped cream, other pudding flavors, custards, etc. (try these Chocolate Raspberry Pudding Parfaits or Chocolate Chip Cookie Pudding Parfaits!). 
• Make a trifle by layering the pudding with cookies, brownie chunks, pound cake, and more.  
• Make a chocolate pudding pie by either buying or making a graham cracker crumb crust, pouring the pudding in the center, and topping with a generous amount of whipped cream and chocolate curls. 
• Use as a crepe filling. Make your favorite recipe for dessert crepes and fill them with the chocolate pudding and fresh fruit.
• Layer inside your favorite chocolate lasagna or icebox cake recipe. 

Flavor Variations to Try 

Over the years, I’ve experimented quite a bit with this dark chocolate pudding recipe and have successfully used it as a jumping of point for other flavor variations.  

• Orange chocolate pudding: Add ⅛ teaspoon orange extract. 
• Mint chocolate pudding: Add ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract. 
• Milk chocolate pudding: Replace the chocolate with an equal amount of milk chocolate. 
• Peanut butter chocolate pudding: Add 2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter. 
• Baileys chocolate pudding: Replace ½ cup of whole milk with Baileys Irish Cream. 

Recipe FAQs

Got questions about how to make this recipe? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.

Why are eggs added to homemade pudding? 

The whole egg and egg yolks make the pudding ridiculously thick and creamy. They cannot be substituted or omitted for that very reason. 

Why is my chocolate pudding runny? 

If your pudding is runny, it likely needs to cook for a little longer. If that doesn’t do the trick, try mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water or whole milk and then adding the slurry to the pudding. That should thicken it up nicely. 

Is it possible to overcook homemade pudding? 

Yes, you’ll know you’ve overcooked the chocolate pudding if it starts to split or curdle, or if it tastes scorched. 

To avoid overcooking the pudding, don’t increase the heat in an attempt to make the pudding cook faster. You should also stir the pudding constantly so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the saucepan and burns. 

Does homemade pudding thicken as it cools? 

Yes, the pudding will be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon when it’s taken off the heat and will continue thickening up as it cools. 

How can I remove lumps from my pudding? 

If you have lumps in your pudding, you may have overcooked it and / or scrambled the eggs. No problem! If it otherwise tastes fine to you, I suggest pressing the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. This is easiest to do before the pudding chills in the fridge, before it’s had time to thicken up fully.  

Can chocolate pudding be made with low-fat milk? 

Probably, but it would be much thinner in texture. You’d likely have to add more cornstarch to the mixture to compensate for the lower fat content of the milk. 

Can chocolate pudding be made with water? 

Honestly, I don’t want to ever find that out! Chocolate pudding made with water sounds like a joy-free dessert. 

Can chocolate pudding be made with non-dairy milk? 

Possibly, but I’ve only tested this recipe with whole milk so I can’t speak to whether non-dairy milk of any kind would work. 

Storage Instructions 

Keep scratch chocolate pudding in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Keep a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly on top of it to prevent a skin from forming. 

Do NOT freeze the pudding; the texture will change once frozen and be unpleasant once thawed. 

Try This Dark Chocolate Pudding at Home! 

Next time you’re looking for an easy chocolate pudding recipe, give this one a try!

Did you think it made the richest dark chocolate pudding? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought.

On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see a photo of your homemade chocolate pudding!

More Easy Homemade Pudding Recipes: 

Thick, creamy, and decadent, this White Chocolate Pudding recipe is made completely from scratch. Believe it or not, homemade pudding is so easy to make! 

This Pumpkin Pudding recipe is the perfect way to celebrate fall! It is easy to prepare, super creamy, and full of all your favorite fall spices. It only takes blending a few pantry ingredients together to make a spectacular autumn treat! 

This Salted Caramel Budino recipe is such an easy Italian dessert! It features a cookie crust that’s topped with vanilla pudding and then a layer of homemade caramel sauce.

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What is your favorite flavor to pair with chocolate?

This dark chocolate pudding recipe was originally part of a Holiday Recipe Exchange published on October 3, 2011. The giveaway is no longer active.  The original comments from the recipe exchange and giveaway contest remain in this post’s comment section.