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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I just finished making this chocolate pudding and will be serving it to my family for dessert tonight, topped with slightly sweetened heavy whipped cream. Yum!
Thick, rich, chocolatey…everything about this pudding is simply scrumptious!!! Thank you so much for sharing!
okay… i made, i ate. or we ate.. but alas no picture taken soooooooo poor us, we have to make another batch!!
I made this yesterday & it was wonderful! I have missed pudding. so good.
WOW! Earlier, I was just thinking “I should make some pudding—and LO AND BEHOLD I get an email from you about (what else but) PUDDING! This recipe is amazing. So simple to make, and much easier than the old-fashioned methods from back in the day (and healthier, too!) I used canned coconut milk as that is surprisingly cheaper than heavy cream these days. It turned out wonderful! So rich and creamy, and you cannot tell it’s sugar free. Thank you, this will definitely be my go-to recipe for chocolate pudding in the future!
wow 🙂
Where do we find glucomanann
It’s linked to Amazon right in my recipe. 🙂
This is my absolutely favorite pudding! Easy to make and easy to gobble up!
This is one of the best for satisfying “what’s in the fridge?” craving that hits about midday!! I pour it into 125ml/4oz mason jars to stack in fridge. I also keep a jar of keto cookie pieces in there that I use for sprinkles if I feeling a need for some crunch.
Excellent!
omg this is the best tasting pudding ever ….I’ve lost 110 pounds with keto and carnivore and kept it off for 3 years!
OMG Delish! Made for my 48 th Anniversary today! So creamy!
Could the xanthan gum be mixed into the dry swerve and then mixed into the pudding mixture all together? I always have trouble blending the xanthan gum in without getting lumps.
Do you have an immersion blender/stick blender? I find that it works great when I’m trying to mix in xanthan gum without getting lumps.
Just made this dessert tonight. Best chocolate pudding I’ve ever made. Not overly sweet… just right. On par with chocolate mousse I had once in a French restaurant. Thank you for the recipe!
So glad you like it!
Love this pudding recipe! One question though. Can I turn this into vanilla pudding by simply omitting the cocoa powder and adding vanilla bean or do I need to add anything else?
I don’t have access to Allulose, since it hasn’t yet been made available for sale in Canada. Would Splenda/BochaSweet be a good equivalent?
I have 4 6oz dessert cups. Would you please tell me what size yours are, so I can adjust the recipe, if needed? Thanks!!
Each serving is about 1/2 cup, which is 4 oz.
Thank you!!