Classic Vegan Chocolate Pudding | 5 Ingredients!

Make your own dairy-free and vegan Chocolate Pudding using only 5 simple ingredients and easy steps! The perfect creamy dessert for chocolate lovers.

Sure chocolate mousse is great, but is it weird that sometimes I just want a cup of chocolate…pudding?! Whether it was the stovetop box version or those little prepackaged cups, pudding was a staple treat in my childhood…and my cravings for it aren’t going to stop anytime soon 😉 

This Classic Vegan Chocolate Pudding is my plant-based take on one of my favorite childhood treats. It’s smooth, rich, creamy, and incredibly easy to make. You only need 5 simple ingredients, and the recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free, so everyone can enjoy!

INGREDIENTS 

“Traditional” store-bought pudding cups are made mostly with dairy milk, cornstarch, sugar, cocoa powder, and a few other preservatives/stabilizers. This plant-based version is made with only 5 simple ingredients, and uses only a few simple swaps to get the same smooth, rich chocolate pudding we all know and love.

Instead of using cornstarch, silken tofu and chocolate chips help to stabilize the pudding – and add a richer chocolate flavor! Nondairy milk adds creaminess and thins things out a touch, while both salt and vanilla extract (optional) enhance the flavor.

My not-so-secret ingredient to success here? Coffee!!! Adding the slightest touch of brewed coffee helps to deepen the pudding flavor and give it more of a rich, “dark” chocolate flavor. You only need 2 tablespoons of coffee for the entire recipe, so you actually can’t taste the coffee itself and it adds a very minimal amount of caffeine. That being said, if you are serving this recipe to little ones or are caffeine sensitive, you can also use decaf!

Just to reiterate: NO, you cannot taste the tofu or the coffee. Promise.

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CHOCOLATE PUDDING

This recipe takes just about the same amount of time as making pudding from a box mix – so I call that a win!

1. Melt the chocolate chips, using either the microwave or a double boiler
2. Blend the silken tofu, nondairy milk, coffee, vanilla, and salt together in a food processor or blender.
3. Add in the melty chocolate, then process until slightly thickened and velvety!

Please note that the chocolate pudding will look too runny at first – this is because the chocolate is still warm, and has not had time to fully set. All you have to do is pour the mixture into a bowl, pop it in the fridge, and wait around 30 minutes until the pudding has fully cooled.

The photo above shows what looks like small pieces of tofu in the pudding, but they’re actually just air bubbles! A food processor will create more air bubbles than a blender, but either way the texture still feels just as smooth when you eat it. Also, most of the air bubbles will pop in the first 24 hours, as the pudding leftovers settle in the fridge (they’ll last there for up to 1 week!).

This Vegan Chocolate Pudding is fuss-free, easy, and most importantly, delicious! It totally satisfies my nostalgic pudding cravings, and can be enjoyed by both kids and adults.

FLAVOR VARIATIONS FOR CHOCOLATE PUDDING

You can stick with the classic chocolate recipe if you’d like, but just in case you’d like to get a little more creative, here are a few ways to spice things up…

• Chocolate Raspberry: top with fresh raspberries; for an even fruitier variation, blend 1/4 cup of fresh raspberries in with the melted chocolate!
• Mocha Chip: to add a coffee flavor to the pudding, use 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of strong brewed coffee, and only 1 cup of non-dairy milk. Top with cacao nibs, chocolate covered espresso beans, or mini chocolate chips for some extra crunch!
• Chocolate Mint: add 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract in with the non-dairy milk, before adding the chocolate
• Chocolate Orange: add 1 teaspoon of orange zest in with the non-dairy milk, before adding the chocolate
• Peanut Butter: top with a drizzly spoonful of peanut butter, or add in up to 1/4 cup of peanut butter to the food processor along with the melted chocolate for an even richer treat!

Whatever you add or however you serve it, this classic Vegan Chocolate Pudding is so so good…I guarantee you’re gonna love it! If you make this recipe, I would love for you to leave a star-rating and review down below, and don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl if you share it on Facebook or Instagram! 

If you’re looking for more recipes that indulge your chocolate craving, you’ll also love this No-Bake Chocolate Tart, these One Bowl Chocolate Donuts, and these Fudgy Peanut Butter Brownies!

Classic Vegan Chocolate Pudding

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 5 reviews

Make your own dairy-free and vegan Chocolate Pudding using only 5 simple ingredients and easy steps! The perfect creamy dessert for chocolate lovers.

• Author: Caitlin Shoemaker

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 12 ounces (340 g) dairy-free chocolate chips
• 12 ounces (340 g) silken firm tofu*, cubed
• 1 1/4 cup (295 ml) non-dairy milk (I used oat milk)
• 2 tablespoons brewed coffee (regular or decaf)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Melt the Chocolate: using either the…
   1. Microwave – chop the chocolate roughly into small chunks and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 60 seconds, then use a clean and dry spatula to stir well; continue to microwave the chocolate in 20 second intervals, pausing to stir well. Once the chocolate is 80% melted, remove from the microwave and stir with the spatula until completely melted.
   2. Double-Boiler – fill a sauce pan with 1-2″ of water, then place a glass bowl over the top. Bring the water to a boil over high-heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Chop the chocolate roughly into small chunks and place in the glass bowl. Allow the heat from the bowl to melt the chocolate, using a clean and dry spatula to stir well. Continue warming the chocolate until it is 80% melted, then carefully remove the bowl from the pot. Stir with the spatula until completely melted.
2. Blend: add the tofu, non-dairy milk, coffee, vanilla, and salt to a food processor or high-speed blender. Blend for 30-45 seconds, until a smooth liquid forms. You may need to scrape the sides of the device with a rubber spatula halfway through.
3. Combine & Set: add the melted chocolate to the blended mixture, then process again for 45 to 60 seconds, until a smooth chocolate liquid forms. The pudding will appear very runny at this point; transfer it to a bowl and store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, to allow the chocolate to cool and the pudding to set completely.
4. Serve: Once set, transfer the pudding to small jars or serving containers and top or serve as desired; leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to one week.

Notes

• Chocolate Chips: you can swap the chocolate chips with equal parts chopped dairy-free chocolate. The final pudding consistency may be a little thinner, as chocolate chips are processed with a food-grade wax that helps to provide some stabilization
• Silken Tofu: the silken tofu I used for this recipe is shelf-stable and comes in a recycle-able tetrapack/lined paper box. Just like refrigerated tofu comes in different firmness levels, shelf-stable tofu does as well! I recommend getting the firm silken tofu for the best texture. Note: this is not the same as “firm” tofu you’d find in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. That tofu is slightly thicker and does not blend as smoothly.
• Coffee: this recipe uses the smallest amount of coffee – you cannot taste coffee in the final flavor, it only adds depth of flavor. If you are sensitive to caffeine, I recommend using decaf coffee instead. If you leave it out the pudding will not taste as great.