Paleo Chocolate Pudding

This Paleo Chocolate Pudding recipe is made with coconut milk.  It is dairy free, grain free and gluten free. It has whole, unprocessed ingredients that you can feel good about serving to friends and family.

I love chocolate pudding… I think it’s a nostalgia thing. When I was a kid we got pudding at school for dessert sometimes, and I was crazy for it. I’m dating myself here, but does anyone remember how pudding used to come in those little cans with the sharp, pull-off aluminum lids? How many of you cut yourself licking those things? I know I did.

This pudding is so much better than the store bought stuff, and so much better for you! It is seriously good but be careful, while it is made with paleo-friendly ingredients, it’s still dessert! I like to pour single servings into 8 ramekins, and this way I’m less inclined to sit down with a huge bowl that I polish off without thinking. If you are serving this for company, you could top it with a bit of coconut whipped cream and some shaved dark chocolate to make it super fancy! Ali over at Gimme Some Oven has a great recipe for coconut whipped cream: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/coconut-whipped-cream-recipe/

I know I won’t stick to a lifestyle without occasional treats. I usually have a dessert every week, but not every day. If I limit myself to unprocessed, gluten free, or paleo treats which I make myself, I can control the ingredients and the sugar. I also find that limiting myself only eating desserts that I make, keeps me from impulsive decisions, like hitting the drive-through at Dunkin Doughnuts.

I almost wanted to call this recipe, “I Finally Got it Right Pudding!”. I had many failed, or at least not quite successful attempts before I finalized this recipe.

So that you don’t make the same mistakes I did, I’ve listed all of my screw-ups below. You’re welcome!

1.  I skipped tempering the eggs, and got little scrambled egg lumps in the pudding.
2.  I tried to thicken the pudding with tapioca flour, and it gave the pudding a really starchy taste.
3.  I added the arrowroot flour directly to the saucepan without making a separate slurry first, and I got little arrowroot lumps throughout the pudding.
4.  I added the arrowroot slurry before heating the mixture to a simmer instead of at the end, and it didn’t set up well. It turns out that heat decreases arrowroot’s thickening properties
5.  I walked away from my saucepan while it was heating and it burned on the bottom.

While homemade pudding is not hard to make, you do have to actually follow the instructions 😉

For instructions with cooking process photos, scroll down past the recipe.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Paleo Chocolate Pudding

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 cans full fat unsweetened coconut milk
• 3 tbs arrowroot flour
• ½ cup palm sugar
• 2 Tbs raw honey
• ¼ tsp fine grain sea salt
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 Tbs dark chocolate chips soy and dairy free, like Enjoy life
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• I recommend using organic ingredients when possible.

Instructions

• In a medium mixing bowl beat the two eggs.
• In a saucepan whisk the coconut milk, until all the fat solids are incorporated.
• Remove 1/3 cup of the whisked coconut milk to a small bowl, and whisk in the arrowroot flour, set the slurry aside.
• Add the palm sugar, raw honey, salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder, and dark chocolate chips to the saucepan. Whisk until fully incorporated, (the chocolate chips will melt into the mixture during the next step).
• Stirring constantly, heat mixture over a medium burner, until it just comes to a simmer, (between 3 and 4 minutes). Remove from heat.
• To temper the eggs, slowly pour 1 cup of the hot coconut milk/chocolate mixture into the beaten eggs, whisking constantly. Stir this back into the saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat and cook for 1 minute whisking constantly.
• Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Then add the arrowroot/coconut milk slurry to the saucepan and whisk well.
• Pour pudding into the serving container/containers, and then cover with plastic wrap, pressing wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a “pudding skin” from forming. Alternately, you could also cut out wax paper to press onto the pudding surface, and then cover the top of the container with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
• Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours and up to four days.

Instructions with cooking process photos:

In a medium mixing bowl beat the two eggs.

In a saucepan whisk the coconut milk, until all the fat solids are incorporated.  Remove 1/3 cup of the whisked coconut milk to a small bowl and add the arrowroot flour.

Whisk in the arrowroot flour, set the slurry aside.

Add the palm sugar, raw honey, salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder, and dark chocolate chips to the saucepan. Whisk until fully incorporated, (the chocolate chips will melt into the mixture during the next step).

Stirring constantly, heat mixture over a medium burner, until it just comes to a simmer, (between 3 and 4 minutes). Remove from heat.

To temper the eggs, slowly pour 1 cup of the hot coconut milk/chocolate mixture into the beaten eggs, whisking constantly.

Stir this back into the saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat and cook for 1 minute whisking constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Then add the arrowroot/coconut milk slurry to the saucepan and whisk well.

Pour pudding into the serving container/containers, and then cover with plastic wrap, pressing wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a “pudding skin” from forming. Alternately, you could also cut out wax paper to press onto the pudding surface, and then cover the top of the container with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours and up to four days.