How to Make Chocolate Pudding from Scratch with No Corn Starch

Many things can usher back memories of my childhood, chocolate pudding is near the top of the list.  It’s smooth, creamy, a little bit sweet, and delicious.  Chocolate pudding made from scratch brings a whole other level of delight and nutrition. This recipe not only includes nutrient dense whole milk but also 2 nutrition powerhouse egg yolks. So, let’s talk about how to make chocolate pudding from scratch with no corn starch.

Chocolate pudding from scratch is a sweet treat without having an excessive amount of sugar. Plus it can really help curb or cure the chocolate craving so many of us can’t seem to avoid.  This decadent taste combined with its wholesome ingredients make this chocolate pudding from scratch recipe a wholesome option for those with poor appetite.

Thanks to the milk used (whole raw milk please!), it also packs a big dose of bone building calcium along with some healthy fats.  Yes, I said healthy fats.  The fat in milk contains a large number (more than 400) of fatty acids have been identified in milk fat.  According to Today’s Dietitian , the Magazine for Nutrition Professionals, “the fatty acids in milk are approximately 62% saturated, 30% monounsaturated, 4% polyunsaturated, and 4% other types such as naturally occurring trans fatty acids, which include conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).”

How to make Chocolate Pudding from Scratch with No Corn Starch

Gather all of your ingredients, a medium glass bowl and a small to medium saucepan.

In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks for about 60 seconds until they become lighter yellow and a bit frothy. 

Then whisk in the flour and about ¼ Cup of the milk.  Once it’s smooth and well incorporated, set it aside.

To a small saucepan, add remaining milk, sugar, cocoa, and salt. Bring to a scald over medium-high heat. Scalding is when the liquid reaches about 180-190° F.  It should not reach a boil but you will see tiny bubbles starting to form around the sides of the pan.

Remove saucepan from heat and while whisking constantly, dribble hot cocoa mix into the egg and flour mixture very slowly.  We are tempering to avoid scrambling the eggs.

Once incorporated, pour it back into the saucepan and return to medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until pudding comes to a full boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer and continue whisking a few minutes more until the pudding is thickened.

Remove pudding from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

Pour into a glass bowl and press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding so a skin doesn’t form. (actually pressing the plastic wrap against the pudding isn’t necessary but many people find the skin unappetizing). If you have an alternative to plastic wrap, let me know!

Refrigerate until chilled; about 1-2 hours.  Serve and enjoy!

This chocolate pudding from scratch recipe with no corn starch may take longer to prepare but I would argue it is hand over hand better than the box mix you can buy at the store.  Let’s compare ingredients…

store bought boxed chocolate pudding

• Sugar
• Modified Cornstarch
• Cocoa Processed with Alkali
• Sodium Phosphate
• Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate
• Natural and Artificial Flavor
• Salt
• Artificial Color
• Mono- and Diglycerides
• Red 40
• Yellow 5
• Blue 1

home made chocolate pudding from scratch

• 2 Large Egg Yolks
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 Cups Whole Milk, divided
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Undoubtedly that second list looks a whole lot more appealing to me.  I’ll gladly serve that one to my family instead of the one with artificial dyes, preservatives, and GMO ingredients.  Oh yeah, did I mention that the ingredients I use are organic?  If not organic, it is as clean and pure as I can find.  Drop me a line if you have a go-to for organic cocoa powder.

As I mentioned, the chocolate pudding from scratch recipe will take a bit longer to prepare but to me, the tradeoff is worth it.  The process should only take you about 20 minutes (plus fridge time) rather than the 5 minutes for the box mix.

The chocolate pudding from scratch recipe I adapted from The Pioneer Woman actually called for corn starch but I substituted all-purpose flour because I have never seen an organic or non-GMO corn starch but I can easily get my hands on organic non-GMO all-purpose flour, especially once I finally get around to using my grain mill!

Speaking of ‘using my own’, I also plan to start making my own vanilla extract in the very near future so if that is of interest to you, be sure you’re subscribed so you get notified when that post goes live.  It seems pretty easy to do and could save tons of money.

If by some strange phenomenon you find yourself with extra chocolate pudding on hand that you can’t eat by the heaping spoonful before it sours, you could try some of these other ideas for how to use up all of that chocolate pudding you made from scratch.

How to make this from scratch chocolate pudding even better

Do you see that last ingredient in the list? Vanilla extract is ubiquitous when it comes to baking. So, why wouldn’t you want that staple pantry item to be the best it can be? Now it can! Make your own homemade pure vanilla extract with little effort and some wait time. It really is very easy and I show you how in another post HERE.

more ideas to use chocolate pudding

• Pudding pops
• Cake Filling
• Layered Dessert with wafer cookies and bananas
• Dip fresh fruit into it
• Make dirt dessert (with Oreo cookie crumbles and gummy worms!)
• My college friends say dipping animal crackers in it is an awesome snack

If none of that sounds quite like what you’re looking for, you can take a cue from my husband and his brother when they both lived at home.  Being brothers, they fought and got physical quite a lot.  Furniture got broken and bodily harm was sometimes done.  Other times, they got themselves into sticky situations…like the time they decided to throw chocolate pudding at each other and it ended up on the ceiling! 

I haven’t asked how they got that cleaned up before their mother discovered it but I can almost see both of their faces change the instant they saw it up there!  Now I have two sons of my own nearly as far apart in age as these two are.  Some of these same shenanigans may be in store for my home.  Here’s hoping a sister between them will help?

Ever consider brownies in a jar?

My friend Dee over at She Mams With Oils, recently wrote a great post for Easy Chocolate Brownies in a Jar. Check it out! They sound delightful! Would you consider mixing up dry ingredients in jars and vacuum sealing them for future use or to give as gifts? I sure would! Anyway, not only does Dee provide the recipe and instructions, she also offers some free printables over on her site. I think you’re gonna like her.

Working on getting back to basics in your home? Learn more about swapping our your plastic kitchen utensils for wooden kitchen utensils here: Reasons to use wooden spoons and other kitchen utensils

Now that you have a creamy and delicious dessert, serve it up at the table during family mealtime. Click through to learn why family mealtime at the table is so important.

As simple as it sounds, getting back to basics can be hard. I guide you through some of that overwhelm here: Overcoming Overwhelm When Simplifying Your Lifestyle

links in this post

Today’s Dietitian, The Magazine for Nutrition Professionals – https://www.todaysdietitian.com/news/exclusive0912.shtml

The Pioneer Woman – https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a85701/how-to-make-chocolate-pudding/

My Homemade Pure Vanilla Extract Recipe – https://throughthekitchen.com/vanilla

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Yield: 4 Servings

Chocolate Pudding from Scratch with no Corn Starch

Print

Rich and creamy, this chocolate pudding from scratch with no corn starch is not only decadent but also wholesome.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 Cups whole milk, divided
• ½ Cup Sugar
• ¼ Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Gather all of your ingredients, a medium glass bowl and a small to medium saucepan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks for about 60 seconds until they become lighter yellow and a bit frothy.
3. Then whisk in the flour and about ¼ Cup of the milk.  Once it’s smooth and well incorporated, set it aside.
4. To a small saucepan, add remaining milk, sugar, cocoa, and salt. Bring to a scald over medium-high heat. Scalding is when the liquid reaches about 180-190° F.  It should not reach a boil but you will see tiny bubbles starting to form around the sides of the pan.
5. Remove saucepan from heat and while continuing to whisk constantly, dribble hot cocoa mix into the egg and flour mixture
   very slowly.  We are tempering to avoid scrambling the eggs.
6. Once it’s all incorporated, pour it all back into the saucepan and return to medium-high heat, whisking constantly,
   until the pudding comes to a full boil.
7. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue whisking a few minutes more until the pudding is thickened.
8. Remove pudding from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
9. Pour into a glass bowl and press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding so a skin doesn’t form. (actually pressing the plastic wrap against the pudding isn’t necessary but many people find the skin unappetizing) If you have an alternative to plastic wrap, let me know!
10. Refrigerate until chilled; about 1-2 hours.  Serve and enjoy!
    
    

Notes

This recipe is easily doubled.