Homemade Chocolate Pudding: 5 Simple Ingredients

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This Homemade Chocolate Pudding recipe from scratch is an easy and frugal treat! It’s so delicious and rich you can enjoy it for a snack or as dessert; you’ll never want to buy those plastic pudding cups again!

This Homemade Chocolate Pudding recipe from scratch is an easy and frugal treat! It's so delicious and rich you can enjoy it for a snack or as dessert; you'll never want to buy those plastic pudding cups again!

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

Sometimes, it’s the simple things in life that are so good. What do you think about when you think of chocolate pudding? If you think about those little plastic cups you stick in a lunchbox then throw that image away!

The best chocolate pudding recipe doesn’t need to be an expensive one. This one does not use expensive ingredients like eggs or butter. Instead, it uses kitchen staples like milk and chocolate chips.

This old-fashioned chocolate pudding is so good that I could eat it instead of ice cream. Seriously, it’s rich and chocolaty and just yummy! You have to give it a try!

Chocolate Chips

Ingredients in Homemade Chocolate Pudding from Scratch

  • Sugar. We need a little bit of sweetness here. It’s a dessert after all!
  • Flour. OR Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. This is to thicken your pudding. Some recipes use cornstarch but I prefer flour.
  • Milk. I use whole milk in this recipe. You could use cream for the ultimate richness. Use coconut cream for a dairy-free pudding.
  • Chocolate chips. You can use more or less depending on the richness you want to achieve. I use milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips the most often. You could experiment with different kinds too! I don’t recommend bittersweet chocolate or unsweetened cocoa powder.
  • Vanilla Extract. This gives it just a little extra flavor. I use Homemade Vanilla Extract.
  • Salt. Optional: only a pinch of salt would be needed to up the flavor. It can be left out.

Step By Step Instructions for Making Chocolate Pudding

In a saucepan, before you turn on the stove, whisk together the sugar, milk, and flour.

Heat over medium heat until the mixture boils, stirring constantly. Continue to boil and stir until the mixture starts to thicken.

Remove your saucepan from heat and add the chocolate chips and the vanilla. Stir until the texture is smooth and creamy. You can add in more or less chocolate chips depending on how strong you want the chocolate flavor to be.

Serve warm or place it in a bowl and refrigerate and chill for at least an hour and serve cool.

Tip: For a real treat, top this with some fresh whipped cream!

Thanks for sharing this recipe. It was super easy to make and the family loved it.

Jeana, Little House Living reader
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Homemade Chocolate Pudding

How to make a simple chocolate pudding from scratch with only 5 ingredients.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Homemade Chocolate Pudding
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 214 kcal
Creator Merissa

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups milk or coconut cream for dairy free
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips a little less if you want it less rich
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. In a saucepan, before you turn on the stove, whisk together the sugar, milk, and flour.
  2. Heat over medium heat until the mixture boils, stirring constantly. Continue to boil until the mixture starts to thicken.
  3. Remove your saucepan from heat and add in the chocolate chips and the vanilla.
  4. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cool.
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Chocolate Pudding
Amount Per Serving
Calories 214 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Trans Fat 0.04g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 18mg6%
Sodium 62mg3%
Potassium 189mg5%
Carbohydrates 27g9%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 23g26%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 248IU5%
Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
Calcium 177mg18%
Iron 0.5mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Storing Leftover Homemade Pudding

You can store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container or cover your bowl with plastic wrap. Pudding does not freeze well.

Make Your Own Pudding Cups

I know, I know, I said to forget the plastic pudding cups, and I still want you to forget those, but there is something convenient about them. You can easily make your own with this homemade pudding recipe so that you can still have your favorite snack in a grab-and-go container.

To make them at home, simply scoop your pudding into a small jelly jar and store it in the fridge. Make some with this Homemade Vanilla Pudding Recipe, or alternate the two to make layered pudding cups!

Tip: More ideas on How to Save On The Cost of Convenience.

These are perfect for individual snacks or desserts, adding into lunchboxes, and as portion control so you don’t eat it all at once. 🙂

Making Banana Cream Pie

More Old Fashioned Desserts

Find even more Recipes From Scratch on Little House Living.

Have you ever made pudding from scratch?

Me and Kady

Merissa Alink

Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple and frugal life on Little House Living since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.

This Homemade Chocolate Pudding Recipe was originally published on Little House Living in April 2011. It has been updated as of November 2023.

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23 Comments

  1. I think this is great! My husband has an egg allergy. Do you have any suggestions for making banana pudding? A way to make a plain vanilla pudding at least and I could just add bananas to with the cookies? Thanks!

    1. 5 stars
      You can get a “banana cream pie” pudding mix – crush those ‘Nilla wafers and love life!!! A little Lite Cool Whip… #heaven…!!!

      1. Oh I love that skin that is on top of refridgerated stove-cooked pudding. As kids our mom would pour a little bit of milk on top of the cold pudding before we ate it. Delicious!

  2. Chocolate pudding this way could become my new favorite ‘ice cream’ also! And I have lots of chocolate chips right now. Gotta be tons better than the boxed stuff! Thanks!!!

  3. 5 stars
    This recipe was so easy to make and I am glad that it calls for just a few basic ingredients I normally have on hand. My family really enjoyed it as our Valentine’s Day dessert. I used semi sweet chocolate chips and had a handful of fresh raspberries that I added on top right before serving. Super delicious!

  4. 5 stars
    And… dear girl, if you have an “ice cream attachment” for your KitchenAid stand mixer, this just became THE. MOST. DECADENT. DESSERT. EVER!!! Just sayin’…

    My daughter is SO STOKED that I shared this with her!!! We did use a sugar substitute, but still… YUM!!! ~Chrissie