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Oat milk chocolate pudding is an easy recipe for a chocolatey treat. It’s rich, creamy, dairy-free, and made with simple ingredients.
Enjoy this delicious chocolate oat milk pudding as a treat for your kid’s packed lunches or for dessert. Top it with fresh berries or enjoy it with dairy-free whip topping. It only takes 6 ingredients and 10 minutes to whip up. Then let the oat milk pudding cool in the fridge for an easy treat.
For more recipes with oat milk try oat milk hot chocolate or oat milk chia pudding. For more chocolatey treats try chocolate-covered oatmeal cookie dough bites or 2 ingredient chocolate peanut butter fudge.
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Recipe features
- Dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free, gluten-free, oil-free, and egg-free!
- Uses simple ingredients for a rich chocolatey treat!
- Make the chocolate oat milk pudding in advance!
- Kid-friendly and great for the whole family!
Ingredient notes and substitutions
The chocolate pudding with oat milk recipe uses simple ingredients but please see the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and exact measurements.
Cane sugar - I use organic cane sugar, but granulated sugar should work. I have not tested with maple syrup, so I can’t say for sure it will work.
Unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch processed) - We used Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder instead of natural cocoa powder. After taste testing the oat milk chocolate pudding made with natural cocoa powder versus Dutch processed, it tasted too sweet and didn’t suit our preferences. But natural or Dutch-processed can be used. Use the one you prefer. If you ever want to do a taste test to figure out if you prefer natural cocoa powder or Dutch-processed, try making a cup of hot cocoa with each one.
Oat milk - Oat milk can be bought in a variety of degrees of creaminess. I used refrigerated oat milk, not the shelf-stable variation while testing oat milk chocolate pudding. At my local store, the shelf-stable oat milk is much thinner and less creamy. My local store also has extra creamy refrigerated oat milk, which I did not test with. Most non-dairy refrigerated milk should work fine. The recipe calls for unsweetened milk, if you use sweetened you can adjust the sugar in the recipe.
For more recipes using oat milk try oat milk hot chocolate or oat milk chia pudding.
Cornstarch - This is used to thicken the pudding. I did a test with arrowroot powder and it gave the oat milk pudding a slightly different texture.
Vanilla extract - This can be skipped but does add a nice vanilla flavor to pair with the chocolate.
Tips
- The pudding needs to start to boil, as soon as it does you start whisking constantly. There’s no need for a rapid boil, but enough for the cornstarch to thicken.
- Whisking constantly until it has thickened is key for preventing clumps.
- Make sure to get the corners and the bottom of the saucepan. I like to get a heat-proof silicone spatula to scrape the corners to remove any dry ingredients or clumps. Do this before it starts to boil.
- Don’t add the cornstarch to hot milk, otherwise it will clump.
- Once it reaches a boil it will thicken up more quickly. This can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the pot you use and the size of the burner.
- To prevent a skin from forming over the surface of the pudding, as it cools place a piece of plastic wrap touching the pudding surface. I don’t normally do this because I’m not bothered by it and I stir it back into the pudding.
How to make oat milk chocolate pudding
In a medium saucepan whisk the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt together.
Pour in the milk and use a whisk to stir and combine the dry ingredients. Turn the burner on to medium heat and whisk frequently.
Make sure to get into the corners, the sides, and the bottom of the saucepan for dry ingredients. Do this before it starts to boil. A heat-proof spatula works well for this. It could take around 3-5 minutes for it to come to a low boil.
When it starts to boil, whisk constantly for about 1 minute or until it has thickened. This could take anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Adjust the heat if needed to keep the pudding on a low boil. There’s no need for the pudding to rapidly boil, just until the bubbles start to form around the sides of the saucepan as it begins to boil.
Once the pudding has thickened, remove from heat, and whisk in the vanilla extract. Let it cool, then transfer portions into serving bowls and refrigerate to set for about 1 hour.
Variations
Enjoy the vegan chocolate pudding as is or try a variation.
- Try adding ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
- Stir in peanut butter while it’s still hot.
- Instead of vanilla extract, try almond or peppermint extract. Per the recipe try ½ teaspoon, don’t substitute the vanilla extract with almond or peppermint with a 1 to 1 substitution.
- For a more intense chocolatey flavor try adding chocolate chips.
Serving suggestions
Enjoy the chocolate pudding with oat milk as is or add toppings. Our favorite way is to add fresh berries once the pudding has chilled, but here are a few other suggestions.
- Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or cherries
- Top it with dairy-free whip topping
- Add sliced bananas
- Vegan marshmallows
- Chocolate chips can be added after the pudding has cooled in the fridge to keep them firm or melt them while the pudding is on a low boil
- Add oil-free granola for a little crunch
- Crumble dairy-free cookies on top
- Crushed candy canes
Storage
The vegan chocolate pudding can be stored in the refrigerator covered for about 3 days. Store all of the servings in one container and portion out as needed or separate the servings into individual portions. I wouldn’t recommend freezing it.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can. Keep in mind that some dairy-free milks are thinner than others. Soy, cashew, and almond milk should work fine. If you want to use coconut milk, I would use the refrigerated ones, not the full-fat canned coconut milk.
How long it takes for your pot to come to a boil will vary. It may take about 3-5 minutes, but different variables will impact the time; the type of pot you have, the size of your burner, and whether are you using gas or electric.
For the cornstarch to thicken it needs heat. You’ll have bubbles from whisking the milk with ingredients but the bubbles you need are from the milk starting to boil. That’s what will thicken the pudding. Once the pudding starts to boil, whisk constantly for about a minute. You may start to see bubbles around the edge of the inside of the pot when it starts to boil. You may need to whisk longer than a minute. It should be noticeably thicker. It will thicken further as it cools.
Related recipes
I hope you enjoy the recipe for chocolate oat milk pudding. If you did feel free to rate it and leave a comment.
Recipe
Oat Milk Chocolate Pudding
- Total Time: 11 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Oat milk chocolate pudding is an easy recipe for a chocolatey treat. It’s rich, creamy, dairy-free, and made with simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (100 grams) cane sugar
- ⅓ cup (30 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch-processed
- 3 ½ tablespoons (28 grams) cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- 2 ⅔ cup (630 ml) unsweetened oat milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan whisk the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch, and salt together. Pour in the milk and use a whisk to stir in the dry ingredients.
- Turn the burner on medium heat and whisk frequently to prevent burning ingredients on the bottom of the pot.
- Make sure to get into the corners, the sides, and the bottom of the saucepan for dry ingredients. Do this before it starts to boil. A heat-proof spatula works well for this. It could take around 3-5 minutes for it to come to a low boil.
- When it starts to boil, whisk constantly for about 1 minute or until it has thickened (you’ll probably see it starting to boil around the edges). Adjust the heat if needed to keep the pudding on a low boil. There’s no need for the pudding to boil rapidly, just until the bubbles start to form as it begins to boil.
- Once the pudding has thickened, it will coat the back of a spoon, and become goopy. Remove from heat, and whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Let it almost completely cool then transfer portions into serving bowls and refrigerate to set for about 1 hour.
Notes
How long it will take to come to a boil will vary.
It has to start to boil for the cornstarch to thicken but you don’t need a rapid boil to thicken.
Don’t add cornstarch to warm or hot liquid, only cold.
To prevent a skin from forming over the surface of the pudding, as it cools place a piece of plastic wrap touching the pudding surface. I don’t normally do this because I’m not bothered by it and I stir it back into the pudding.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Category: dessert
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: american
Jackie
The recipe turned out delicious! We add blueberries and coconut whip cream as toppings. We'll make again!
Allie
Sounds delicious, I'm glad you liked the recipe!