Chocolate Pudding with Cream

There's something about chocolate pudding that stops time in the kitchen. One rainy afternoon, I was standing at my stove whisking cocoa powder into warm milk, watching it transform from dusty brown to silky smooth, and my daughter wandered in drawn by the smell alone. By the time I'd finished chilling it, we were both sitting at the counter with spoons, and that first cool, velvety spoonful made her eyes go wide. It was just pudding, but it felt like magic.

I made this pudding for my sister's book club once, thinking it would be an easy finish to dinner. Everyone went quiet after that first bite, and someone asked for the recipe before dessert was even done. That's when I realized this quiet little pudding had more power than I'd given it credit for.

Ingredients

• Whole milk: Two cups is your base, the canvas everything else builds on—make sure it's actually cold when you start, it makes the whisking smoother.
• Granulated sugar: Half a cup sweetens without overwhelming the chocolate, but don't skip the whisking step or you'll get graininess.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder: This is where the flavor lives; cheap cocoa tastes thin and dusty, so spend a little here.
• Cornstarch: A quarter cup creates that luxurious thickness without any starchy taste if you cook it long enough.
• Salt: Just a pinch, but it's not optional—it deepens every chocolate note.
• Semisweet chocolate, chopped: Three ounces of real chocolate melted in at the end gives you silkiness that cocoa powder alone can't achieve.
• Pure vanilla extract: One teaspoon wakes everything up and makes the chocolate taste more like itself.
• Heavy whipping cream, cold: A full cup of the coldest cream you can find whips into clouds that balance the richness perfectly.
• Powdered sugar: Just two tablespoons keep the whipped cream from being too sweet, letting the chocolate stay the star.

Instructions

Mix your dry friends together:

In a medium saucepan, whisk the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt until there are no lumps hiding anywhere. This takes about a minute and saves you from gritty pudding later.

Pour in the milk slowly:

Whisk gradually so you're creating a smooth paste, then smoothing it out, not dumping milk into powder. You'll feel it go from thick to silky in your hands.

Cook and watch it thicken:

Over medium heat, whisk constantly for 8 to 10 minutes until it bubbles gently at the edges and coats the back of a spoon. This is the moment you know it's working.

Keep cooking just a bit longer:

Lower the heat and stir for another minute or two to fully cook out any cornstarch taste. You want it to feel alive in the pot, not chalky.

Add the chocolate and vanilla:

Remove from heat and fold in your chopped chocolate and vanilla, stirring until it's completely melted and shiny. This is when your kitchen smells absolutely incredible.

Get it into dishes and covered:

Pour into serving bowls and press plastic wrap right onto the surface so no skin forms. This step matters more than it sounds.

Chill with patience:

At least an hour in the fridge, but overnight is even better—the pudding sets up perfectly cold and tastes richer.

Whip that cream:

Beat cold cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Don't overbeat or you'll have butter.

Serve and celebrate:

Top each chilled pudding with a generous dollop of whipped cream and maybe close your eyes for the first bite.

Save

There's a moment when someone tastes this pudding for the first time and their whole face changes—that's become my favorite part of making it. It's simple enough to feel homey, but luxurious enough to feel like a gift to yourself.

Why This Pudding Works

The magic is in the combination of cocoa powder for depth and real chocolate for silkiness. Cocoa powder alone makes pudding taste a little thin and one-dimensional, but that melted chocolate at the end rounds everything out and gives you that melt-on-your-tongue feeling that makes people come back for another spoonful. The cornstarch does the heavy lifting for texture without ever tasting starchy if you cook it through.

Making It Your Own

This recipe is a wonderful blank canvas for your own flavor ideas. A tiny pinch of cinnamon adds warmth without announcing itself, and espresso powder deepens the chocolate in a way that's almost impossible to taste directly but makes people wonder why it's so good. Chocolate shavings or fresh raspberries on top turn it from dessert into something that looks like you spent hours, when really you just got creative at the last minute.

Storage and Variations

This pudding keeps beautifully in the fridge for up to three days, so you can make it ahead and just whip cream when you're ready to serve. For dairy-free versions, oat or almond milk works well, though you'll want to use coconut cream instead of whipping cream since it won't whip the same way. The pudding itself is flexible enough to handle different chocolate percentages too—use dark chocolate if you like it less sweet, or milk chocolate if you want something gentler.

• Chill everything before whipping cream, including the mixing bowl and beaters, for the fluffiest results.
• Leftover whipped cream stays good for a day if you cover it, but fresh is always better.
• If you accidentally overbeat the cream, you're closer to butter than you think, but honestly, homemade butter on pudding isn't the worst problem to have.

Save

This pudding is proof that the simplest things done with care are often the most memorable. Make it for someone you love, or just for yourself on a day when you need something good.

Recipe FAQs

→ How do I prevent a skin from forming on the pudding?

Press plastic wrap directly onto the pudding surface after cooking to prevent skin formation while chilling.

→ Can I make this dessert dairy-free?

Yes, substitute whole milk with plant-based milk and heavy cream with coconut cream for a dairy-free version.

→ What is the best way to achieve fluffy whipped cream?

Use cold heavy cream and whip at medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.

→ How can I add extra flavor to the pudding?

Incorporate a pinch of cinnamon or espresso powder into the mixture during cooking for added depth.

→ What tools are essential for preparing this dessert?

A medium saucepan, whisk, mixing bowls, electric mixer or hand whisk, serving dishes, and plastic wrap are needed.