Incredible Chocolate Pudding {Dairy, Egg and Gluten Free}
A rich and creamy pudding recipe that is dairy, gluten, and egg free! Best chocolate pudding in the world. And definitely the best vegan chocolate pudding EVER!
I wasn’t going to share this recipe because it calls for a specific ingredient that most of you may not have on hand and I kind of pride myself on {mostly} using everyday, non-crazy ingredients. But here’s why I changed my mind and posted it:
a) it is completely amazing – the creamiest pudding in the universe or close to it
(*statistic not based on actual research).
b) for a decadent, rich chocolate pudding, the indulgence comes a little bit lightened up which is a lovely bonus.
c) if you haven’t tried dark chocolate almond milk, you must, you absolutely must.
d) it is dairy, egg and gluten-free and you know, I love giving shout out recipes to all of you who eat some kind of “free.”
To be clear, we don’t have food allergies in our home, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy some dark chocolate almond milk just like my dairy-free friends.
A cup of this creamy nectar is balm to my soul. And so much better (in taste and calories) than the other plastic jug chocolate milk varieties. I’m not kidding – this is a staple in my fridge.
After a few months of loving this plain and simple, I decided the obvious next step would be to make chocolate pudding.
Since I knew it would be dairy free, I decided to go for an egg-free version, too. I wish I could say it was because I love my egg-free friends just as much as my dairy-free friends, but really, it was because I was out of eggs.
Can we pretend it’s because I’m altruistic and selfless? Thanks.
The result ends up being one of the tastiest chocolate puddings ever. Even though it’s lightened up a bit, it’s thick and creamy and completely luxurious.
Try slicing a few bananas over the top. Oh, yum. You can see from the pictures that I also decided to toss a few chopped Toblerone pieces across the top too. Because…well…why not?
I’m sorry if this recipe and/or post causes a dark chocolate almond milk addiction on your part, too. We can enter therapy together.
One Year Ago: Mini Taco Cups
Two Years Ago: Rustic Crusty Bread {A Simple How-To}
Three Years Ago: BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing
Incredible Chocolate Pudding {Dairy and Egg Free}
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (71 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, Dutch-process or natural, unsweetened
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cups dark chocolate almond milk
- ⅓ cup (85 g) creamy peanut butter (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Sliced bananas for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder and cornstarch. Slowly pour in the almond milk and whisk to combine.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the pudding begins to bubble. Cook two minutes longer (while it boils and bubbles). The mixture will be thick but pourable and will set up more while it chills.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and whisk in the peanut butter and vanilla.
- Pour the pudding into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly to the surface to avoid a skin forming. Refrigerate until well-chilled, 3-4 hours.
- Serve with sliced bananas (optional). I also sometimes sprinkle chopped Toblerone bars on top, too. Just because I can…and it’s amazing.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
127 Comments on “Incredible Chocolate Pudding {Dairy, Egg and Gluten Free}”
Great recipe. I make this all the time as written. Just delicious when you want something chocolatey. Ty!
I made this today but did not add the peanut butter as I just wanted straight chocolate pudding. When it was done I noticed that the taste was a little flat to me so I reread the recipe and noticed there was no salt in this recipe. I added some salt to my still steaming pot of pudding thinking it would dissolve ok and it did. To me It made a big difference in the overall taste.
I made this today but did not add the peanut butter as I just wanted straight chocolate pudding. When it was done I noticed that the taste was a little flat to me so I reread the recipe and noticed there was no salt in this recipe. I added some salt to my still steaming pot of pudding thinking it would dissolve ok and it did. To me It made a big difference in the overall taste.
This is so good you wouldn’t know it’s dairy free!!! It’s creamy and the perfect chocolate vs peanut butter mixture. It would be a sad world to not have this as a dessert.
loved this recipe! wanted to share the changes I made in case it helps others. To make it nut free, gluten free, and dairy free: I upped the cornstarch to 3 tablespoons. Used chocolate oat milk in place of the almond milk. Skipped the peanut butter. Tastes amazing! Thanks for so many amazing and adaptable recipes Mel!!
I just found this recipe. Whoa! It is good AND easy!! Thank you for posting it.
Yum! This just moved up to the top of my list!
Mel! Thanks for posting the recipe eons ago. At the time you posted it, my middle child was allergic to dairy. So it was great! Now my oldest child was diagnosed with Celiac disease. One of his first thoughts was “What are we going to eat during conference now????” We have a tradition of donuts, cinnamon rolls, all things gluten. Well, I don’t know what we’re going to do about that, but at least we’ll have some delicious chocolate pudding in our bellies! And the rest can sort itself out later!
Now to scour your blog, because I know you have many other gluten-free recipes. <3
I’ve been meaning to try this for a while, and made it for the first time today. It is outstanding!!! Such a fun, quick, weeknight dessert, that is so much simpler to make than you would ever believe based on how delicious it is. I think dark chocolate almond milk just became a pantry staple for me 🙂
This is truly delicious! I found out that I can no longer have dairy… cue weeping and gnashing of teeth and severe cheese withdrawals . ALL of my recipes are full of cheese, butter, and cream… because yum. I have been lamenting, especially, the end of my beloved chocolate desserts, BUT Mel! You have saved me this recipe! I make a large batch once a week and it cures my chocolate craving. It is so so good! I tried it without peanut butter, but to me it’s 10-stars with the addition of peanut butter. Absolutely delicious, thank you so very much for this recipe!
This pudding is scrumptious! Made it for the Super Bowl Party and everyone loved it!
Would natural peanut butter work or does it have to be the conventional kind?
If the natural kind you use is on the creamy side, I think it will work.
Not sure why today was the first time I ever made this because I love chocolate pudding, but this will be a staple in my fridge going forward. I used monk fruit sweetener instead of sugar and unsweetened vanilla almond milk because that’s what I keep on hand. I upped the cocoa powder to 3 tablespoons to make up for the chocolate. Holy moly is it delicious!
I’m allergic to dairy and peanuts. My dairy allergy was just recently diagnosed. I’ve been missing so many desserts especially chocolate pudding and cookies. I read this recipe and got up off the couch and made it. I am almost in tears it’s so good. SO GOOD. I substituted almond butter. I ate it hot right after I poured it. Licked all the spoons and would haves licked the pan if it wasn’t still hot. Bless you. I will be making this a lot.
Have you or anyone made this sugar-free? I’m diabetic & usually buy store bought Jello Cook & Serve sugar-free, fat=free chocolate pudding.
I used tapioca starch cause that’s what I had in my cupboard, I like peanut butter but it was a bit overwhelming in this recipe , I’ll try the omitted version next . We like it warm ,mmmm good
This pudding is TO DIE FOR. I was recently diagnosed with IBS and the 2 biggest items that make me sick are gluten and lactose. I’ve been finding it so frustrating to find items that I used to enjoy but that are allergy friendly. My husband this year wanted a dirt pudding “cake” and I was determined to find a way to make what he wanted but that I could enjoy as well. This recipe is amazing. I’m not a huge fan of peanut butter so I just used extra cornstarch. I am also not a fan of any nut milks or soy milk so I used our favorite lactose free chocolate milk from Fairlife. This pudding turned out so great that my husband prefers it to store bought and he was so happy with his pudding “cake!” Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!!
I made this pudding tonight for dessert when we had a guest for supper, and everyone loved it!
Looks amazing! Have you tried with any other milk like coconut or cashew? Also would you be able to substitute almond butter or cashew butter instead of peanut butter? My child is allergic to peanut, eggs and dairy. Would love to make this if possible. Thanks Mel!
I haven’t tried it with other milk varieties – but I think it would work great (as well as the change in nut butter!)
This popped up yesterday, so you know I had to run out and get the stuff to make it. First of all…. I could drink that half gallon of chocolate milk in one sitting! Wow, is it ever good. Second of all, I am not a huge fan of pudding. Put it in a fancy parfait cup and layer it with candy and whipped cream and I will glance at it and say “meh. Pudding.” Last of all….you should direct people to put this in individual dishes, because I could seriously devour the whole bowl! That is an amazing recipe! I looked at the date thinking you just posted it today and I see it was from 2014!!!! I have lived 4 years without it?! I probably looked at the title and said “meh…pudding. vegan…you gotta be kidding me, Mel.” I stand corrected. This recipe might become a standard special occasion dessert from here on out. Rock star status…..with pudding. lol
I know, Beth, right??? This stuff is amazing! So happy you liked it!
i carry epi-pens. NO peanut butter for me. please help!!!!!
Renee, my son is severely allergic to peanuts as well. I am going to try this recipe with Sunbutter. It is made from sunflower seeds. It is very good, has the same texture and peanut butter and best of all, is not even processed on the same machinery as peanut butter. I used to have problems finding Sunbutter but most grocery stores around me carry it now. Trader Joes also carries it.
This was the perfect way to use up some of my almond milk! I only had the plain unsweetened kind, so I increased the cocoa to 3 tablespoons. Later, as I was stirring it, I thought it didn’t smell chocolatey enough, so I threw in about 1/3 bag of semisweet chocolate chips along with the peanut butter at the end. I also didn’t have cornstarch, so I used 3 tablespoons of flour instead, and it thickened beautifully (the peanut butter also helps with that). The pudding is delicious, and I will definitely be making it again. Thanks so much, Mel!
Hello!
Thanks for the recipe , its looks awesome!
I just have a question. Do you know if the corn starch can me replace for other ingredient? or, It is possible not to use it at all?
I would really appreciate if you could help me with that doubt.
Best of luck!
Thanks!
I’m not sure, Leonora – you might read through the comments to see if others have had good success subbing something for the cornstarch.
Tapioca starch can be substituted for corn starch.
I just made this for my egg and dairy allergy child, of course he will have to share with the rest of us. It’s in the fridge setting up. I am super excited about this, as I could use a Graham cracker crust and some coconut milk whipped cream, which is yummy, and make a pie that he could have! Thanks!
This tasted and looked great! Everything happened thickening-wise just as the recipe said. Thanks for sharing.
Note to others: I didn’t have chocolate almond milk and don’t like a lot of sugar in my stuff so I used my slightly sweetened (5g of sugar) organic plain almond milk and some dark chocolate cocoa powder and it worked great! It even looked the same color as the picture. Keep in mind, I don’t like my stuff as sweet as most do so if you are wanting to use plain almond milk instead of chocolate almond milk, add some more cocoa powder and sweetness.
Also, I used coconut sugar instead of regular sugar and that worked fine. 🙂
Thanks again for the terrific recipe! Love that it is a healthy and cool treat. 🙂
So yummy! I used soy butter in place of peanut butter, and it turned out amazing! I will definitely be making again.
I just made the pudding, using regular (not dark) chocolate milk and creamy almond butter in lieu of peanut butter. I only tasted it while warm, but it’s delicious!. My grandson is severely allergic to dairy and eggs, but not nuts, so this is perfect! He loves Keebler’s graham cracker pie crust, and the recipe makes almost enough to fill it. I was thinking it would be good topped with fresh raspberries or even cherry pie filling. I’m letting it cool while he’s in pre-school, but I predict it’s going to be a hit!
Great pudding. I’m going to try with coconut oil vs peanut butter. Curious if anyone has tried almond or other nut butters? Thanks.
I made this tonight with the help of my 5 year old daughter, who is allergic to dairy, egg, and almond. We substituted with chocolate soy milk and skipped the peanut butter because I was in a hurry and hate measuring out PB. It was very close in color and consistency, and even flavor, to the boxed Jello pudding I made for the rest of the kids. (I’ll skip that next time and just make a bigger batch of this!) We made dirt cups with the traditional gummy worm. I’ve never made pudding before, but this was amazingly good and SO easy! My little girl had her first experience with pudding, and I’m so bappy! Thank you for posting this!!
I just made this last night and loved it. However, it seemed to have a weird grainy texture to it. Might that be because of the peanut butter? Also, mine was fabulous but my husband was complaining about chunks in his. I finally got a big one at the end. I’d love to try making this again but hesitate to have it turn out bad again.
Hi Michelle – did you use natural peanut butter? That might contribute to the graininess – I usually use a traditional creamy PB for this recipe (like Jif). Also, the chunks are probably there if the pudding was cooked at too high of a heat. You might try lowering the heat on the stove and cooking it more slowly (and you can always strain the pudding after cooking through a fine mesh strainer after to get rid of any hard bits).
I just have regular almond milk, should I just add more cocoa powder to get the same chocolate taste? How much more should I add?
I’m not sure – I haven’t tried it with regular almond milk but I’m pretty sure others in the comment thread have done that so you might read through to see what their experience was. Good luck!
Mel…I made this pudding last night with great success! It was delicious and nice to be able to offer a dairy free/egg free/gluten free dessert.
I added whipped Coconut Cream on top and it was delicious.
Thank you for a great recipe. My grandson is severely allergic to dairy and eggs. I had just purchased a half gallon of chocolate almond milk, and wondered if it was possible to use it to make pudding. I followed your recipe without nut butter and used 2 1/2 Tbs. of cornstarch. At the end of the cooking time, I added a couple of tsps. of Earth Balance vegetable spread. I found it added a little bit of extra body and smoothness to the pudding. It turned out beautifully!
Thank you so much for this recipe! My daughter is gluten intolerant and had to have chocolate pudding with oreos for dinosaur day at school. I actually made this with chocolate hazelnut milk, since my husband has an almond allergy. It was fantastic! Now we are all eating this with bananas and gluten free “oreos”. You made my daughters day!
Is it possible to make this without using chocolate? This recipe looks heavenly…. But I just have to have to be allergic to chocolate….
I haven’t updated it to be chocolate free so I’m not sure of the substitutions/amounts but you could certainly experiment.
I’ve actually made this chocolate-free a few times (in addition to the many, many times as written). I used the original unsweetened almond milk (which has less than 1g sugar, compared to the 17g in the dark choc milk) and upped the peanut butter (I use the natural kind) to 1/2 cup. Obviously it has less sugar than the original recipe, but I found that without the “bite” of the dark chocolate flavor, the pudding is plenty sweet without upping the sugar (although you could, if you like). My littles and hubby loved it, as did the in-laws. PS. You can also put this in a crust to make pudding pie! (I like graham cracker for that.) 🙂
Holy cow! I tried this tonight and it is amazing! I wasn’t sure I wanted a peanut butter chocolate pudding, so I left out the peanut butter and used 3Tbs of cornstarch and it thickened beautifully (actually, I doubled the recipe). I usually shop at a small military commissary where they don’t carry the dark chocolate almond milk, so I went out of my way to find some for this recipe and boy, am I glad I did! I prefer stove-top pudding to boxed instant pudding and I liked not having to use egg yolks in this recipe. I also admit that I like the pudding skin that forms on the top, so I’ve let it chill in the fridge without a cover. Additionally, I’m allergic to all fruit (raw or cooked), so I’ll be leaving the bananas off the top (though they look fantastic). I’ll try the peanut butter version of this at some point, but count me as a permanent fan of the chocolate-only version of this! Thanks for posting!
Made this tonight for company and it was UNBELIEVABLE! First of all, it could not be easier to make. I really don’t think the box mix is any easier. And, the taste cannot be beaten. Super creamy, super chocolatey, super rich. I used almond butter in place of the peanut butter b/c we have a peanut allergy in the family and I really loved it. Recipe doubled nicely and serving it with banana slices is a perfect accompaniment. So delicious, Mel!
This looks delicious! I love the dark chocolate almond milk too — in fact, I’m currently drinking a smoothie I just whipped up with it, 1 cup chocolate almond milk, 1 banana, 2 Tbs Nutella and some ice! Try it, you must!!!!
Rebecca – that sounds amazing! Totally making it this afternoon!
I am glad you shared this with us & I am loving your allergy free recipe tab.I just got diagnosed with a dairy allergy last year and it has been a struggle to cook dairy free for me while still allowing my family to enjoy their old favorites. I can’t wait to try this! Indulgences like this help me to not feel deprived.
Wonderful! I made a second batch with Nutella and it is AMAZING!
I’ve tried this three ways now – with Kirkland Natural Peanut Butter, with Skippy Creamy, and with no peanut butter. The winner for me is Skippy. The natural peanut butter has a slight grit to it that affects “mouth feel” of the pudding. The no-peanut butter version is good, but the Skippy version is a game-changer. We’re having crepes for dessert tonight, and I’m offering both the skippy and no- peanut butter versions as fillings. Bon appetit!
Hi Mel- I made this just now. It is still hot but I tasted it from the spoon and it was delish!
-can’t wait till it cools. I found the milk on sale this am while shopping,, and it was in the back of my mind that I wanted to try this. It will be so nice to have a somewhat healthier dessert. I’m guilty of “The Famous Box” pudding, but I know it is just a witch’s brew of chemicals that aren’t that good for us and give it a commercial taste. My cooking just keeps on improving, Thanks to You!
Mel! I’ll be honest I didn’t read through all the comments on this, so someone may have already recommended this. BUT, you MUST try this dark chocolate almond milk heated up! It’s the creamiest most delicious hot chocolate ever! I buy this same brand and flavor, I love it! Can’t wait to try the pudding! 🙂
This turned out like .what a Reese’s chocolate pudding would be.
This was really good! I usually try and sub low fat milk in pudding recipes, and then they don’t thicken up well. This, however was so thick and creamy! My whole family loved it! We put some chopped up peanut butter cups on top to make it even a little more chocolate/peanutbuttery…yum! Thanks Mel!
Can you substitute brown sugar for white sugar in this recipe?
Jordana – It’s worth a try but I haven’t tried it so I don’t know how it would affect texture/outcome.
Thank you so much for introducing me to the world of chocolate almond milk! I’ve bought 2 cartons already with the intention of making this recipe, but both times ended up drinking it all before having the chance to make pudding; it’s just that good. Hopefully, third times the charm 🙂
You did this just for me, didn’t you? My mouth started watering the minute I saw the photo and saw no dairy. I did a little change and used honey instead of sugar and it turned out delish.
Thank you for looking out for us vegans and those with allergies.
Not gluten free….no allergies. This was to die for. I am so amazed at how tasty this is. Going to feed it to the hubby and then tell him what is in it. Well done Mel!
I used leftover pudding thinned out with a little more almond milk to make frozen pudding pops! I also added chia seeds and flax meal to boost nutrition and just blended it all together. Yummy!