This Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding is unbelievably smooth and creamy. It takes only 20 minutes to make and can be made dairy-free too. A wonderful keto-friendly treat for the whole family.
I was never really been much of a pudding person growing up. I’ve always loved keto chocolate mousse, keto cheesecake, and other creamy, rich desserts, but pudding wasn’t particularly high on my list.
That is, until I started making my own keto chocolate pudding at home. Boy did I change my tune quickly! It is so much better than the boxed varieties I remember from my childhood.
And I daresay it’s become one of my favorite desserts. I even used it as the filling for my keto chocolate cake!
Why you will love this recipe
If chocolate pudding evokes wonderful memories of childhood, but you no longer want to consume sugar, then this is the recipe for you. Done right, it’s an incredibly delicious treat that’s worthy of a spot at your dessert table.
Why make your own sugar free pudding at home?
- Smooth and creamy
- Deeper chocolate flavor
- Dairy free option
- No questionable ingredients
- Just as easy as making it from a box (seriously!)
- It has only 3.1g net carbs per serving
It beats out boxed mixes every time for flavor and consistency, and you have the advantage of knowing exactly what’s going into your dessert. And really is easy to make!
Reader Reviews
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“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.” – Carol
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“OMG you must make this! Seriously one of the best desserts ever, keto aside! Can’t keep it in the fridge for more than a day or 2 between my husband and I. It is perfect exactly as written (I do the dairy version).” – Nikki
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“Thank you for the wonderful recipes…this is one of our favorites!” – Mary
Ingredients needed
- Heavy cream (or coconut milk): Full fat dairy or coconut milk helps give this sugar-free pudding a rich, creamy consistency.
- Hemp or almond milk (or more coconut milk): Adding a little nut milk helps lighten it up a bit and make it less calorific. If you are making the dairy free option, just use more canned coconut milk.
- Sweetener: I like a mix of allulose and Swerve for this recipe. See the Expert Tips for more options.
- Eggs/egg yolks: You will need 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks for this recipe.
- Glucomannan: You do need a thickening agent to help the pudding set properly. I have used both xanthan gum and glucomannan, and I like glucomannan better.
- Cocoa powder: Choose a good quality cocoa powder like Rodelle or Ghirardelli. Do not use natural cacao as it won’t mix in well and the pudding may end up lumpy.
- Butter: This makes the pudding smoother and richer in flavor and texture, and it helps set properly. You can use coconut oil for dairy-free.
- Pantry Staples: Vanilla extract and salt.
Step-by-step directions
1. Heat the liquid: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the heavy cream and hemp milk. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and whisk in the sweetener.
2. Temper the eggs: In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and egg yolks together until smooth. Slowly add 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the eggs, whisking continuously.
3. Combine the mixtures: Slowly whisk the tempered eggs back into the saucepan of hot cream mixture.
4. Add the cocoa powder: Stir in the cocoa powder and return the mixture to medium low heat. Continue to whisk continuously until the mixture is smooth and begins to thicken, 3 to 5 minutes. Then sprinkle the surface with glucomannan and whisk vigorously to combine.
5. Add the butter: Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla extract, whisking until smooth. Divide between 6 dessert cups and refrigerate until set, 2 to 3 hours.
6. Serve: Garnish with lightly sweetened whipped cream and some berries or chocolate shavings.
Expert tips
Tempering the eggs is a critical step for making homemade pudding so don’t rush it or skip it. It helps keep the mixture from curdling and becoming lumpy.
Keep your eye on the prize! This is not a dessert you can walk away from, as it can thicken up without warning, so keep your eye on it.
The process for the dairy and the dairy-free versions are identical. For dairy-free, use full fat canned coconut milk for all 2 cups of the liquid.
Sweetener Options
This Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding works best with a bulk (granular) sweetener rather than a concentrated extract. I like to use a combination of Swerve and allulose, but you can do one or the other. Allulose does make the pudding take a lot longer to set so be aware of that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Curdling happens when you add eggs too quickly to hot liquids without bringing them up to temperature first. That’s why tempering is an important step. However, there is an easy fix for curdled pudding. Simply transfer all of it into a blender and blend until smooth.
You can make this pudding up to three days in advance. Keep covered in the refrigerator. I don’t recommend freezing pudding as it changes the texture.
This sugar free pudding recipe has 4.9g of carbs and 1.8g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.1g net carbs per serving.
More luscious chocolate dessert recipes
Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (295.74 ml) heavy whipping cream, (or full fat coconut milk)
- 3/4 cup (177.44 ml) almond/hemp/macadamia milk, (or more coconut milk)
- 3 tbsp Swerve Sweetener
- 3 tbsp allulose
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/4 tsp glucomannan, (or xanthan gum)
- 6 tbsp (30.43 g) cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp (42.61 g) butter, cut into 3 pieces
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the heavy cream and hemp milk. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and whisk in the sweetener.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and egg yolks together until smooth. Slowly add 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the eggs, whisking continuously.
- Slowly whisk the tempered eggs back into the saucepan of hot cream mixture.
- Stir in the cocoa powder and return the mixture to medium low heat. Continue to whisk continuously until the mixture is smooth and begins to thicken, 3 to 5 minutes. Then sprinkle the surface with glucomannan and whisk vigorously to combine.
- Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla extract, whisking until smooth. Divide between 6 dessert cups and refrigerate until set, 2 to 3 hours.
- Garnish with lightly sweetened whipped cream and some berries or chocolate shavings
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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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!
Sounds great! And being a Brit, his version of pudding is anything cake-like too, isn’t it?
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!
It’s for added sweetness. Try adding another few tbsp of erythritol or other sweetener.
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
I’d love to hear what you did for the vanilla version!
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.
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.
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!
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!
Oooh, looks so thick and rich. Love it!
what a nice picture recipe is well explained
Looks like a fabulous chocolate pudding recipe 🙂
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
Looks amazing Carolyn! Coconut milk is the best!
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!
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
I am so crazy about coconut milk right now. This pudding looks so rich and perfect! So going to try this sometime!
What a fabulous recipe, this looks absolutely delicious!! 🙂