I’m not much of a chocolate guy. After a big restaurant meal, I'll usually pass over chocolate desserts in favor of something light and fruity. If after reading that, you're thinking I must be from another planet, rest assured, I'm human and I do get an occasional chocolate craving. Perhaps it’s my palette's way of protesting all the chocolate that I pass up, but when the urge hits, it's pushy and unrelenting like a sleazy telemarketer.
This chocolate pudding is one of the fastest ways to douse those fiery cravings (though you could get there even faster with my molten chocolate omelette) and comes together in about fifteen minutes. For those of you who are thinking that that's fifteen minutes too long, let me describe for you the reward for your pittance of patience. The moment the thick chocolate pudding hits your tongue, it liquefies into a silky pool of rich chocolate bliss. Dark, sweet, and luscious with a hint of contrasting bitterness, this chocolate pudding is like a mainline of uncut cacao that'll sedate even the fiercest of chocolate cravings. Unfortunately, like most good things in life, your bowl of puddin' won't last for long, so be warned: that this chocolate pudding is habit forming.
Connoisseurs may argue that a pot de crème is a superior way of delivering chocolate into your system, but I’d like to see someone pull off a 15 minute pot de creme. Also, while this decadent chocolate pudding is far from healthy, it's made mostly with milk, and is set with yolks and cornstarch instead of just yolks, so it's a little less unhealthy, right? At least that’s what I tell myself as I lift spoon after spoon of this addiction-inducing pudding to my mouth.
I made this using Valrhona Caraïbe (66%) chocolate and Scharffen Berger cocoa, but any high quality chocolate and cocoa will do. By using chocolate buttons, you'll save yourself some precious time because you don't need to chop them up first. Once made, this chocolate pudding will keep for up to a week in the fridge, and it makes great trifles with fresh raspberries or bananas. To dress it up a bit, try drizzling an equally quick raspberry coulis on top.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole milk
- 5 extra large egg yolks
- â…› teaspoon salt
- â…“ cup granulated sugar
- 30 grams cornstarch (~¼ cup)
- 15 grams unsweetened cocoa powder (~2 tablespoons)
- 140 grams dark chocolate (65+% cacao)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon cultured unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until it's steaming and there are small bubbles coming up around the edges, but do not let it boil.
- While the milk is heating, put the yolks, sugar and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk at medium high speed until the eggs are a shiny pale yellow color (about 2 minutes).
- Add the cornstarch and cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer running at low speed, slowly pour in the hot milk along the edge of the bowl being careful to avoid the whisk. A pouring shield will help.
- Wash the saucepan out and then strain the pudding mixture back into the pot through a fine mesh sieve.
- Put the pot back on the stove over medium heat and cook the chocolate pudding, stirring constantly with the spatula. Be sure to scrape up the bottom of the pan as the mixture thickens so it doesn't burn.
- Your pudding is done when it's very thick and has reached 170 degrees F. Don't worry if some lumps form, provided you strained the mixture in step 5, the lumps should go away in the next step.
- Turn off the heat and then add the chocolate a little bit at a time. Stir vigorously with the spatula to incorporate the melting chocolate and to break up any lumps.
- Once all the chocolate has been added and your pudding is smooth, stir in the butter, cream and vanilla until uniformly incorporated.
- The pudding can be served warm, or you can cover with plastic wrap pressed up against the pudding to chill.
Jin says
The best chocolate pudding ever! i like to add freeze dried raspberries or jaffa cakes (the orange makes the chocolate taste stand out so well!)
I wonder if by leaving out the cocoa powder and chocolate this can become a vanilla pudding recipe as well?
aztcqn says
This is decadent!!!! A little less unhealthy if using raw cream and butter. 🙂
Marc Matsumoto says
Hahaha, sometimes we need decadent, that's why I probably only make this once a year 😉
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Mary, glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Mary Lee Borislow says
I had egg yolks left from making angel food cake so decided to make this. It is a bit of busy work with all the stirring. Make sure to measure it all out and line it up before starting. Turned out great, really thick and creamy. Will definitely keep this recipe!!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Teululah, you can just type XXX grams to ounces in google and it will do the conversion for you.
Teululah Belle says
How do I convert the 140 grams of chocolate to the American measurement standard?
Marc Matsumoto says
I think I see where the confusion is now. Since yolks are a part of the egg, and I never said "whole" I assumed people would understand that "egg + cornstarch" was equivalent to saying "yolk + cornstarch" since it was being compared to yolks. I guess I assumed wrong. The point which seems to have gotten lost is that there are fewer egg yolks in this than would be required to make another type of custard using yolks alone since the cornstarch helps to thicken it.
Larry Clark says
Osvaldo is right. The intro to your recipe brags about using whole eggs as opposed to the yolks only of pot de creme, but your ingredient list calls for only YOLKS and not whole eggs.
Emma says
Ugh! I love everything about this recipe. Using the egg white as well as the yolk definitely saves the hassle of storing it in your fridge and trying to find a way to use it later.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Osvaldo, the contrast is between using just yolks vs eggs + cornstarch to thicken. Am I missing something?
Osvaldo says
I was referring to the contrast you draw between pot de creme and the pudding regarding the use of yolks versus whole eggs in the intro text.
Vi H. says
The pictures are gorgeous and the pudding looks absolutely divine!! Sometimes when I have a chocolate craving, I just munch straight from a premium chocolate bar which takes less than a minute.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi osvaldo, yolks are the yellow part of the egg. You just need to separate out the clear part and use it for something else. Hope that helps.
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Osvaldo says
This recipe calls for yolks; the introductory text and the recipe do not seem to quite
match.
ian peter says
looks delightful and pleasant
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Priscilla, it does tend to form a skin when cooled. To avoid this, you can try placing a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the pudding. This should prevent the skin from forming. You could also just pour it into your serving dishes while the pudding is still warm, and then refrigerate them until you're ready to serve.
Npriscilla Chan says
Hi Marc! I'm glad that I'm not the only one who always picks the fruity desserts at restaurants! =D I made it today for my friends who love chocolate and it tastes great! However the pudding sets very fast and by the time I pour it in individual glasses, it's not lustrous as yours. I had to use a spoon to smoothen the top surface to make it more even but still isn't that presentable. Any suggestion?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Stasia, that sounds delicious! Glad to hear the pudding helped:-) I bet it looked great too!
Stasia says
I just made this pudding for a pie and it was worth the extra effort! It is so rich, creamy, and divine. I used the leftover heavy cream and whipped it up with some powdered sugar and coconut extract. On an oreo crust I did a layer of half the pudding, a layer of the rest of the pudding folded with half the whipped cream, and a final layer of the rest of the whipped cream. It is delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
CARRIE says
Cheers Mate!! Going to give this one a go ASAP!!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Zee, there's no structural reason why it would not work. Personally I'm not a fan of Splenda among sugar substitutes, but since you're asking, I'm assuming you're already using it so that shouldn't be a problem.
Zee says
How do you think Splenda would work?
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
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ashthecat15 says
Wow I just made this pudding, and it's incredible!
Tipkendundot says
You can put plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding to keep the skin from forming. It happens when it gets in contact with the air.
Julia Al Arab says
It looks so mouthwatering!
Ernest says
How would Potato starch work here, 1:1 ratio with Corn starch?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Rachel, the term cornflour means different things in different countries so I'm not really sure. Cornstarch is a fine white powder that's made from the starch of corn. It is not dried and ground corn (usually more coarse and off white or yellow in color).
Rachel says
Hi Marc! Looks really good, I want to try this out! However, do help me out, is the 'cornstarch' in your recipe the same as 'cornflour'?
Katie says
This recipe looks amazing and I am hoping to use this in the rehabilitation community center I'm work at. Naturally, I have to make things in large quantities and I was wondering how it does when I double or triple the recipe. Also, how long does it keep? Thanks again for posting this and I can't wait to try it in my kitchen!
Tasha says
This pudding is deeelicious! I think it would be amazing in an oreo crust w/ whipped cream. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly. Just don't get worried while it's cooking- be patient, keep stirring and scraping and the lumpiness that happens smooths out into a silky, decadent dream. Thanks, Marc!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hahaha thanks! I'd definitely opt for the nap, so I get it:-)
Cheryl says
I love your blog. Seriously. I chose to read your recipes instead of napping, and that means a lot since my baby girl wakes up at least 5 times a night to nurse! Going to make the bean curry tonight!
Marc Matsumoto says
Nice catch, thanks!
Denise says
I think you say nay otherwise you' be a horse! Nice blog.
Heather says
OMG you were on Chopped and I missed it?! How'd you do???
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Julian, thanks for your note! I've loved cooking since I was around your age, so anything is possible:-) Good luck!
Julianisabeast says
hey Marc I'm 11 and I'm watching you on chopped and your food looks great they are yummy too. i eat them every day. I want to be like you when i grow up. and i went to the Japanese table tooÂ
Guillem Xanxo says
Amazing taste, now I can say I've discovered chocolate pudding. And it's so freaking easy to prepare! Just one question, is there some advice to avoid this "skin" that is made when you let it cool down? maybe like pastry cream with a film touching it...
Marc Matsumoto says
You may need to add a bit more milk if it gets too thick. Also I'd reheat it in a double boiler to prevent burning, if that's too much of a hassle, microwaving on low should work, just microwave a few times stirring between each time.
Lynnfrbs1 says
Hi Marc: if i make this the day before, can I heat the pudding to serve on Christmas Eve?
Marc Matsumoto says
I'm not sure what you mean by not replying to the comment, if you expand the thread I posted a response 11 months ago shortly after the original commenter asked the question. As for coconut milk and almond milk I don't see why it wouldn't work.Â
Marc Matsumoto says
Yep, the original commenter was saying I stated I never use cream, which is not what I wrote. You can certainly substitute milk for the small amount of cream in the recipe, but then I would just increase the initial amount of milk to 2 1/4 cups so you don't have to worry about adding it in at the end.Â
Cubsfans says
I wish he would have replied to your comment. Have you tried it with the substitutes? I have everything in my house except for the milk and cream (I do have coconut and almond milk).
IWC says
The basic pudding is made with whole milk. But your last instruction is "Finish with the cream, butter and vanilla and stir to combine. Serve the
pudding warm or let it cool off and refrigerate in an airtight
container." That's the 1/4 cup cream you list in the recipe. Can whole milk be substituted here, too? Or low fat cream?
Marc Matsumoto says
I'm not sure where you read that I never use cream, but if you're referring to the part where I say this is made with milk instead of cream I'm comparing it to Pot de Creme which is made entirely of cream.Â
Autum17895 says
You just said you never add cream. But then why is it mentioned in the ingredients?Â
Liji Nair says
hii....yr recipe sounds dilicious...how do one add the dark chocolate..do we have to melt the dark chocolate bars and then add it to the mixture?-Liji
DarciC says
Having two chocoholics in the house and admittedly being one myself this would be great to make for a quick fix. Â I can make sure I have all this on hand (most already is). Â Thanks!!!
Kiley says
made this tonight for a small dinner party & it was fabulous! Thank you so much!!!
Marc Matsumoto says
It's probably a little loose to fill a cake, you'll probably need to
add a bit more cornstarch to give it some body if you're using it to
fill a cake. But I think it would taste delicious in a cake!
Elboz51 says
can this pudding also be used for a cake filling
tomo says
you have a very nice chocolate pudding photos up there. looks delicious and tempting
David Tree says
I've made this twice in the past week and it is excellent!
Thomas Abraham says
I recently just started following you and I love your blog! The pictures are beautiful and you have a pleasant way of writing. I may just try this out, hope it turns out well!
Honeybeecooksjackfruit says
Gorgeous! Im craving some chocolate pudding myself..... but I can take chocolate in any form. 😀
Foivi Geller says
https://donkeyandthecarrot.blogspot.com/2011/02/seductive-recipes-for-valentines-day.html
Thomas Abraham says
If Pie is 2010, I say Pudding is 2011.
tastesofhome says
I am usually a fruit person when it comes to desserts too but this chocolate pudding sounds and looks decadently delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Nipponnin says
Always great photos! I just love looking at them.
This is not an ordinaly chocolate pudding.
I definitely will try this recipe. Thanks!
Maria says
I'm not a chocolate lover either, but I do love chocolate pudding! I had an urge to make the stuff last week when the kids were home from school but didn't get around to it. Perhaps I'll use your recipe and finally get to it this weekend.
lo says
Um, yeah. Pudding.
Like the silkiest hug ever. Am hoping my chocoholic husband doesn't glimpse this post, or I'm totally going to have to indulge in some pudding making myself 😉
rita says
chocolate IV? i'm all for it! especially, if it's dark chocolate - and, i agree. no hershey's or nestle's. that looks more like a ganache, and i'm not complaining, either.
Marc Matsumoto says
Absolutely, I use soy and rice milk all the time.
Sarah says
Do you think this would work with soymilk, coconut milk, or almond milk? My family doesn't like cow milk.
Lefty says
Chocolate IV. Yes, that sounds nice.
Man, despite the site name, your recipes are absolutely brilliant and the photos are stunning.
emii says
Thanks for sharing this!! Just made this & it's absolutely delicious! Can't wait for tonight when I'll be adding it to the crepes & macerated raspberries!
Medifast Coupons says
Creamy chocolate decadence doesn't even begin to describe this bowl of heaven! This is chocolate at its finest, really wonderful recipe.
onlinepastrychef says
I'm right with you, Marc. I tend to make pudding as a snack on a frighteningly regular basis. And if all one has is Hershey's or Nestle, I hope that they'd give this a shot anyway. After all, homemade w/Nestle or Hershey is better than anything out of a carton from the grocery! 🙂
Jun says
This is a big help to my constant chocolate craving.
Thekitchenwitchblog says
So I'm not the only human that doesn't constantly crave chocolate? Good to know. But when I do get the craving, watch out...and I'm thinking "lasts up to 1 week" is probably an exaggeration (especially if there are any chocoholics around).
Sharlene says
Chocolate pudding is one of my favorite ways to get my craving under control. I love the idea of using cornstarch as a thickener!
Peter G says
Mmmm...love what you have done here Marc! It looks so silky and gorgeous! Happy 2011!
Thomas Abraham says
Oh my, this does look gorgeous! Haven't made homemade pudding in a very long time and as soon as I can find that high quality chocolate, you can bet I'll be whipping up a batch or two of this.
Rachel(Short[dis]Order Cook) says
I do love homemade chocolate pudding. It's comfort food that can't be equalled in a box. Apologies to Bill Cosby.
megan @ whatmegansmaking says
Your description totally sold me. I'm so making this! Maybe for valentine's day, if I can hold off that long!
Thomas Abraham says
Good call on the good chocolate! I would always go gaga over my mom's cornstarch pudding made just with Hershey's cocoa - might have to try this adult version soon...
tami says
This....looks....AMAZING. I had wanted to make chocolate pudding for my NYE dinner and was too under the weather to do much but the basics. Such a stunning photo, too. Thank you for sharing 🙂
i love paris says
I used to look forward to my mothers choco pudding... it is such a special treat... never stopped to realize there is so many egg yolks. Nice contrast with the chocolate shavings...
Thomas Abraham says
The only pudding I've ever made is out of a box! 😉 Looks wonderful.
Thomas Abraham says
Oh, delicious! I tend to avoid chocolate desserts in restaurants...not because I don't like it, but they're often a bit disappointing - too sugary or rich or obviously bought in. Your pudding looks gorgeous - I'd probably just be eating it out of the pot!
the indolent cook says
I am much the same. I don't go for chocolate options very often but then at some point the urge hits and I will buy a block of chocolate and devour it! This pudding looks like a great alternative.
Thomas Abraham says
Hmm...I'm about to make chocolate pudding for dessert tonight and I saw this.... Yummy one recipe, thx for sharing ^_^