Chocolate pudding is a variation on chocolate custard, with starch used as thickener rather than eggs. There are versions of the dish using both egg and flour found in the early 1900s. The earliest print reference for chocolate pudding dates back to 1730 claiming British origin, but it wasn’t until General Foods (Jell-O) introduced chocolate pudding mix in 1934 that chocolate pudding went mainstream in the US.

I wanted to share a vegan version of chocolate pudding that swaps milk for alternative milk and the sweetener for pure maple syrup. It’s easy to make and, most importantly, a pretty delicious crowd favorite.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups alt milk of choice

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

• 1/3 cup maple syrup

• 1/2 cup milk of choice + 3 tbsp cornstarch

• 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

• Powdered sugar for garnish (Optional)

Instructions

• Healthy Chocolate Pudding Recipe: Heat the 2 cups of milk of choice in a saucepan with the salt, cocoa powder, and maple syrup. 

• Whisk the cornstarch and 1/2 cup alt milk in a small bowl until dissolved. 

• When the 2 cups of alt milk are warm, add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. 

• Once boiling, stir constantly for 2 minutes. Lower to a simmer for an additional minute, then turn off the heat. 

• Once the heat is off, stir in the vanilla. 

• Transfer the pudding to the refrigerator to thicken. It gets thicker the longer it sits and will be ready to consume after a few hours or overnight.