Creamy keto chocolate pudding made with coconut milk. This delicious sugar-free pudding takes only 20 minutes to make and is totally dairy-free. A wonderful low carb dessert the whole family loves. Updated recipe!
I’ve updated this delicious keto coconut milk pudding so now it’s easier to make and completely dairy-free.
I’ve never really been much of a pudding person; it’s simply a dessert that’s never really been on my radar. I love mousses and cheesecakes and other creamy, rich desserts, but pudding just has never been my thing. I suppose it’s because I tend to associate it with the instant variety, the mostly tasteless goo that comes out of box and is the ubiquitous dessert of summer camps and school cafeterias everywhere. So I generally consider pudding beneath my notice as a dessert, too plebian, too mass-market, to be any good. You’ll have to forgive my snobbery, I simply didn’t grow up around good, homemade pudding. My prejudice is thus rooted in plain, old ignorance, as such prejudices usually are.
But my eyes have now been opened to the goodness that is homemade chocolate pudding. A few years ago, my husband expressed a craving for for some. I made some for him and the kids and had a taste, and I had to admit it was far superior to the boxed variety, but I didn’t find myself itching to go out of my way to make it again. And then I wondered if I could make a low carb version with xanthan gum in place of the traditional cornstarch, and went about experimenting on that. But I still didn’t go out of my way to make it again. Finally, a few weeks ago as I was working away on other things, it popped into my head to make keto pudding with coconut milk, for a dairy-free treat.
Now, I am quite certain that I am not the first person to make pudding with coconut milk. In fact, I am quite certain that I’ve come across many other recipes in my travels over the internet. But I decided not to look at any of these and to see if I could adapt my own recipe to suit the consistency of coconut milk. I’ve made this recipe several times now and I’ve learned a few things along the way.
How To Make Coconut Milk Pudding
- Use full fat coconut milk. For one thing, this is a keto diet and that fat is healthy stuff! And for another, the thicker version will help the pudding set properly.
- Use coconut milk that contains a bit of guar gum, which will also help your keto pudding set properly. I love the Native Forest brand because it’s organic and comes in BPA-free cans. It’s also the creamiest and doesn’t seem to clump up like other brands. They have a “simple” coconut milk which contains no gums and that’s wonderful stuff but you want the thicker “classic” version for this recipe.
- Bring your coconut milk to a full simmer. You don’t necessarily want it to boil but you want it to simmer strongly before moving to the next step.
- Properly temper your egg yolks. What does this mean? It’s the process of slowly adding hot liquid to the yolks as you whisk, to bring them up to temperature. This helps ensure that they don’t curdle when you add them back into the pan with the rest of the liquid.
- Use good cocoa powder. I used to have some chopped chocolate in this recipe but I found that just cocoa powder works best. Choose a good quality brand like Rodelle or Ghirardelli. I have not tried raw cacao powder in this recipe but I sense it may not work as well.
- Yes, the additional xanthan gum is still necessary to make it thicken up properly. I haven’t tried gluccomannan in this yet but it may work as well.
I was absolutely delighted with the results. This dairy-free pudding turned out to be rich and creamy and the flavor was phenomenal. I loved the slight coconut-y taste, and I decided to enhance it a bit with some flaked coconut. But even if you’re not a fan of coconut, it’s not a strong presence and you would really taste mostly chocolate in the pudding itself. This is a recipe I will definitely make again. It was a hit with kids and adults alike.
Other Delicious Coconut Milk Recipes
Dairy Free Chocolate Mousse (use sugar free chocolate chips)
Coconut Milk Hot Chocolate (use your favorite low carb sweetener)
Coconut Milk Coffee Creamer (use your favorite low carb sweetener)
Chia Coconut Pudding Pops (use your favorite low carb sweetener)
Want more amazing keto desserts? Check out my new Keto Desserts page. All recipes under 7g TOTAL carbs!
Creamy keto chocolate pudding made with coconut milk. This delicious sugar-free pudding takes only 20 minutes to make and is totally dairy-free. A wonderful low carb dessert the whole family loves.
- 1 13.5- oz full fat coconut milk
- 1/3 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp coconut oil OR 3 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
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In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the coconut milk and Swerve. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
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In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Slowly add 1/2 cup of the hot coconut milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking continuously.
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Slowly whisk the tempered egg yolks back into the saucepan of hot coconut milk. Reduce heat to medium low and sprinkle with xanthan gum, whisking continuously. Stir in cocoa powder and cook until mixture thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes.
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Remove from heat and stir in the coconut oil and vanilla extract until smooth. Divide between 6 dessert cups and refrigerate until set, 2 to 3 hours.
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Garnish with lightly sweetened coconut whipped cream, some berries, or some macadamia nuts.
Alison Lewis says
amazing looking
Baked by Rachel says
I love pudding!
naomi says
I love the the idea of using coconut milk! Awesome.
The_Mom_Chef says
Whenever I eat pudding I think of baby food so it doesn't strike me as being very 'wowish' either. I do like the idea of mixing things up by using coconut milk though. Imagine all the places it could take you. 🙂
healthyfoodie says
Wow, the consistency of this looks so luscious 🙂 Wonderful!
Jeanette says
That looks just divine Carolyn, way to go!
Jennifer says
Looks wonderful and creamy.
Comfort of Cooking says
This may look decadent and sinful, but the ingredients speak to the contrary! What a beautiful pudding!
Sandras Easy Cooking says
mmmm… I love anything creamy including pudding:)) and yours look amazing! I used few times coconut milk, and I love the flavor in desserts especially with chocolate. Great recipe! I hope you had wonderful Mother's day!!!
[email protected] Wash You Dry says
I am totally with you on the boxed pudding, not my thing. This does sound really good, with the coconut milk! I might have to give this a try!
JulieD says
oh goodness, I cannot believe this is low carb. It looks amazing, Carolyn!
cookingrookie says
What an amazing dessert Carolyn! I would never think about combining coconut milk and chocolate. Brilliant idea 🙂 Stumbled!
Emily @ Life on Food says
I am the same way with pudding. I always think of the box type and it does nothing for me. The coconut milk in this one makes me want to dip my finger in instantly.
@TheDecorGirl says
In the interst of trying to be healthy, I tried making chocolate pudding once with coconut milk, the carton variety, and it did not set up correctly. You have the answer – "you need the fat…". I did use the no fat variety. Thank you I am reinspired and will try your recipie! – Lisa
j3nn says
That looks perfect!! I love chocolate pudding.
Becky's Place says
I've seen so many recipes I've wanted to try around the internet. But I seem to be missing one key ingredient – xanthan gum. This looks so good that I just may need to finally get a hold of some very soon.
Kelly says
What a fabulous recipe, this looks absolutely delicious!! 🙂
Stephanie says
I am so crazy about coconut milk right now. This pudding looks so rich and perfect! So going to try this sometime!
Outlander Kitchen says
I`m not much of a pudding girl either (it`s a texture thing) — but yours looks so creamy and delicious! Love the non-dairy aspect too…Theresa
Brandon says
How delicious. I love chocolate pudding, especially with a blend of freshly made whipped cream. Who can so no to that? Thank you so much for giving me an idea for tomorrow's dessert!
Meghan says
Looks amazing Carolyn! Coconut milk is the best!
Piper says
How do I substitute powdered erythritol for granular? Also how much Stevia granulated for drops? Please forgive me; I'm new to all of this. I live in Belize where coconut milk, water, powder is used in tons of recipes & I love it! It was all new to me having come from the states. I already bought coconut powder in bulk to try in many lc recipes …… and using it in pudding is one I thought about for the yummy cream cheese & chocolate dessert that I love! The almond flour works perfect in the crust but wanted to find something to replace milk in pudding……imported cream is hard to find here & the fresh taste different & turns out different in recipes. Sigh…… But I will figure it all out eventually with fabulous blogs like yours around! Thank you for all your work!
NAS says
Do you really need erythritol? It’s toxic. Why isn’t the Stevia enough on it’s own? The erythritol won’t help with sweetening or setting up the pudding in any way.
Carolyn says
I heartily disagree. It’s not toxic…if it were, you would have problems eating fruit, since it’s in fruit. And yes, actually, it does help with sweetening.
I think you should check your info on erythritol.
food_dreamer says
Hi Piper,
For powdered erythritol, use the same amount as granulated. What kind of Stevia do you have? If it's the powdered kind, the really strong kind, just use 1/8 tsp. I don't always know how to sub other sweeteners because they all differ so much in sweetness!
Beverly says
It is best to go by weights rather than cup measurements as 1 cup of powdered SWERVE will weigh less than 1 cup of granular, which would mean less sweetening power, cup for cup. To substitute: just weigh the desired cup amount of granulated Swerve and use that weight of powdered.
marla says
Looks like a fabulous chocolate pudding recipe 🙂
Supriya says
what a nice picture recipe is well explained
Feast on the Cheap says
Oooh, looks so thick and rich. Love it!
Patti says
I made this today and it is really good! Not too sweet with a nice, dark chocolate flavor. Thanks for the recipe…I’ll be making this again!
Alison says
I really loved this recipe! I skipped the stevia and added 2 more Tbsp of Erythritol to compensate. It was thicker than my regular milk/sugar/cornstarch pudding but I preferred the change. I will make this often, thank you!
Darlene says
I just made this and it is excellent! It has just the perfect amount of sweetness. I don’t use erythritol so I substituted xylitol. This is a keeper recipe. I can’t wait for my family to try it after dinner.
Lisa says
Carolyn, you are brilliant! This pudding is absolutely delicious, I’ve been looking for a low carb pudding recipe for years! And it’s so easy! I made just a vanilla version the other night. This is perfect for a chocolate pie with an almond crust. Thanks so Much~Lisa
Carolyn says
I’d love to hear what you did for the vanilla version!
Beverly says
As would I! From there I could make Caramel/Butterscotch, just by subbing Brown Sugar Swerve for the regular Swerve and adding a splash of butterscotch or maple extract . However I am not sure how much xanthan gum to use to make up the difference that the chocolate provides for the thickening.
robbrooks says
Hello, I was wondering if I could sub out the stevia extract for something else? Is it for sweetness or for taste? Sorry… Thanks by the way. I am excited to try this!
Carolyn says
It’s for added sweetness. Try adding another few tbsp of erythritol or other sweetener.
CynthiaR says
What a lovely recipe! I discovered it only yesterday when hubby said “Is there pudding?” and I made this because I wanted chocolate something myself! He’s a Brit and loves his “puddings”, though he declared this “a lovely chocolate mousse”. Whatever it is, it was great. I used the coconut oil and fresh coconut, since we live in Malaysia and it’s easy to get. I added a little more sweetener than called for (to his taste), and use Frey 85% chocolate in place of what was called for since it’s what I had. Nice recipe!
Carolyn says
Sounds great! And being a Brit, his version of pudding is anything cake-like too, isn’t it?
Kay says
do you think this could work without the egg yolks?perhaps subbing some gelatin?
thanks so much!!
Carolyn says
You can certainly try but I haven’t made it that way before so I can’t really help with any guidance.
Pam says
I just tried this today. I found it a little bitter and not quite sweet enough. It was also rather thick – maybe I cooked it too long. Next time I’ll make it with less xanthan and a little more sweetener. I may also try reducing the cocoa powder a smidge. So thankful that you posted this recipe because I love chocolate pudding!
Jen says
I’d love to try this recipe, but I’d rather use regular sugar instead of the sugar substitutes. Can you give me any advice on how much sugar to use? Thanks.
Carolyn says
About 1/3 cup sugar…more if you tend to like it sweeter.
Patti says
Carolyn, this pudding looks so good! It’s got me thinking of Chocolate Cream Pie!! My hubby’s birthday is coming up and it’s a favorite of his. Have you ever used this recipe for chocolate pudding with the crust from your Coconut Cream Pie? If so, would I need to double the recipe for the chocolate pudding.
Carolyn says
I haven’t ever done it but hey, why not double the filling and if you have leftover pudding just put it into some cups to set?
Ana Simmonds says
Can i use agave nectar for sweetening?and if so how much please? I don’t like stevia..
Carolyn says
I suspect agave might add too much liquid, but if you want to try, I’d do about 1/4 cup.
KELLY says
Love chocolate & pudding, great recipe!, how about other pudding flavors like – butterscotch, caramel, toffee, etc. made with coconut milk, what about having a grass fed gelatin version. Love your recipes!.
Karen Mahoney says
My can of organic coconut milk lists guar gum as an ingredient. Do you think I need to adjust the xantham gum or not. Just wondering if it will be too thick with both.
Carolyn says
Most coconut milks have some sort of gum to help thicken them so I think it should be fine as is.
Linda says
The reason to mix the two sweeteners is that erythritol has a cooling minty aftertaste. Stevia has a bitter aftertaste. When you mix them in the right proportion, they cancel out each other’s aftertaste and your dish just tastes sweet.
Linda says
You shouldn’t need xanthan gum to make pudding as lang as you have the right proportion of egg yolks and full fat coconut milk or heavy cream. If you want to use nut milks, you have to use a mix of cream and nut milk, too, or it won’t thicken because you do need fat for the emulsion. But the pudding wil thicken right up, if you cook it until it gets to between 175º and 180º on an instant read thermometer. The folks at America’s Test Kitchen measured it. Since I started using my thermometer, I’ve never had a problem with my puddings not setting and I don’t use xanthan gum in them. I ise it in other dishes, but not puddings. I think they started using cornstarch in order to be able to leave out the egg yolks or to get it to set faster so you don’t have to stand there and stir it os long.
Carolyn says
Hi there. I honestly like my recipe just the way it is. But thanks.
Erica says
I’m not a gastronomical expert, but I believe real sugar also helps conventional pudding set. Of course, Carolyn’s recipe is deliciously devoid of sugar.
Carolyn says
Sugar certainly does have properties that low carb sweeteners lack. So we have to find ways to make up for that!
Linda says
Do we use the entire can of coconut milk including the water, or drain off the water and use only the thick part?
Carolyn says
Entire can. I promise I am very specific in my recipes. If I wanted you to just use the coconut cream, I would be sure to say so! 🙂
Barbara Schlatter says
Carolyn. How do you get your calcium ? I was just diagnosed with osteoporosis. I hope you do not mid my question.
Supplementation is not a good way to go apparently . I think in my case it was the amount of coffee I drank , which interferes with the absorption of calcium . I am in a panic since I have been advised to not even bend over in order to protect my back.
Your pudding was so delicious, I made it right away, lol.
Gjeanieg says
Carolyn, the link for the coconut milk coffee creamer (just above the recipe) points to a different recipe. I would love to see your pick for the coffee creamer! Can you fix the link? Thank you. 🙂
Brenda says
I do love pudding and your recipes are always good, so I can’t wait to try this one!
I do have a question…you used coconut milk, can it be made with coconut cream?
Carolyn says
I did not try it with coconut cream but I think it may end up too thick.
Mary says
Hi Carolyn the recipe sounds delicious. One question please why don”t you use the whole egg ?
Carolyn says
Because it changes the consistency.
Carol says
This recipe is awesome! I tried it yesterday and it’s the first time I’ve had chocolate pudding come out well (I’ve tried so many recipes). It had a mousse-like texture that I really loved. So many recipes include dairy (HWC or cream cheese), which causes issues for me. I can’t wait for more flavors, Carolyn! Well done!
Stephanie Deal says
Made this recipe yesterday and it was great. I used my sweet neighbors as guinea pigs and we all gave it 2 thumbs up. Truthfully, I like my desserts pretty sweet (darn sweet tooth), so I used a heaping 1/3 cup of Swerve and it was perfect. I topped it with whipped cream and raspberries and OH so pretty! Thanks for another super recipe — that was incredibly easy to whip up!!
Gail Blain says
Have LOVED this recipe for years! My daughter-in-law is new to keto and asked me to make a chocolate lasagna type dessert. I looked at several recipes but adapted to use THIS pudding recipe. BTW, not a fan of x-gum so I always use 4 yolks and add a chopped 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate bar at the end. Reminds me of my grandma’s chocolate pie!
Susan Fowler says
So glad I found this recipe. Making a Pie for my boyfriend.
Southern Thing like Sweet Tea 😂
Lorraine says
I just tried this recipe and it seemed to be going well until I put in the coconut oil at the end.
I couldn’t get it to mix in.
I don’t know why.
I was trying this recipe for my grandson who can’t have dairy except egg yolks, so no butter.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Carolyn says
What exactly was happening to it? You should add it and then whisk and it should incorporate quite easily. Is there a layer of coconut oil on top? Try just pouring that off and letting the pudding set as is.
Lorraine says
Yes Carolyn there was a layer of coconut on top that just wouldn’t mix in. Before I put the oil in the pudding was a great consistency and very tasty too. So I don’t know what went wrong but I am going to try again. Thank you for your reply.
I always go to your recipes first. You provide such good detailed instructions and I love every one I’ve tried! Thank you so much!
Carolyn says
Okay so if that ever happens again, it’s likely your chocolate seized. And the best way to make it re-combine is with a blender. I’ve done that a few times recently (not with this recipe, I’ve not had an issue with it). And it’s worked perfectly. I just dump the whole thing in my Blendtec but apparently it works with an immersion blender too.
Bridget Palmer says
Made this tonight. I could have done with a little less cocoa powder but all in all amazing! Love the consistency. Highly recommend if you’re wanting chocolate pudding. 😋
KELLY says
I JUST LOVE YOUR RECIPES!, TRYING TO DO A KETO DAIRY FREE & EGG FREE TYPE OF DIET
Colleen Marble says
This was great but a little too sweet for my taste. I will use less sweetener next time. I’ll also put the pudding through a sieve before chilling next time. Even though I tempered the eggs, there were still little eggy bits. Most pudding recipes call for using a sieve as the final step, and I almost did that with this recipe but since it wasn’t listed as a step I didn’t, and the texture just wasn’t as smooth as it could have been. I’m currently heating up a second batch, so just wanted to mention the two changes that I’ll be making.
Carolyn says
Your heat was a little too high if you got some curdling. If you can’t lower your heat more, try doing it double boiler style. The reason that I don’t strain is that it’s unnecessary if you have your heat low enough AND you lose some of the delicious pudding and these ingredients are too expensive to do that.
Taylor says
Hello, I made this pudding recipe and it was delicious! There were some small lumps that didn’t get dissolved. Any tips on what I may be doing wrong? Also could you sub heavy cream for the coconut milk if you don’t like the coconut taste?
Thanks!
Carolyn says
Well the question is… small lumps of what?
Dilek says
OMG! This is the best keto pudding ever! It has the perfect taste and consistency. I put less sweetener in it. All the desserts are too sweet for me. I like the fact that it tastes like dark chocolate pudding. Finally i found my perfect pudding! Thank you very much.
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it!!!
Monica says
I have made this several times and it always comes out perfect. I never had an immediate use for the egg whites so I beat them to stiff peaks and mixed in the pudding and now I have chocolate mousse. Thank you!
Anamika @ Supplement Crunch says
Amazing, Looks like a fabulous chocolate pudding recipe. i will try to make this recipe.
Kim says
Made this today using organic raw Cacao powder (very dark and somewhat bitter when compared to dutch processed cocoa powder). It was FANTASTIC! Quick and simple recipe that will be one of my new go-to sweets – thanks so much for sharing.
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it!
E Meyer says
This was delicious and worked perfectly as written. I used the egg whites to make meringue cookies with a few Lily’s chocolate chips and served alongside for a special Valentines Day treat.
Rachel says
Loved the flavor but the consistency was more like chocolate jello than pudding; I’m a keto newbie and this was my first use of xanthan gum so next time I’ll cut it back to 1/8 tsp. Delish!!
Carolyn says
Jello, really? That is a bit odd. Jello has bounce and when I’ve made this, it has no bounciness. Not sure what caused that but try reducing the xanthan gum as you mentioned.
Shelby says
Love your recipes!!!!! Do you happen to have a chocolate pudding recipe that uses almond milk?
Carolyn says
You could try this same method but I fear that almond milk is too thin, without enough fat, to thicken properly. I might add another egg yolk, just in case.