Whether you have a hankering for pudding and find you don’t have cornstarch (aka cornflour) in the pantry or you simply don’t care for the texture of American-style pudding and are after an egg-thickened custard, this recipe is for you.
This chocolate pudding is rich, made with dark chocolate rather than cocoa powder, and thickened with egg yolks. The results are silky, dreamy and surprisingly refined for such a childhood favourite.
How to Make Chocolate Pudding Without Using Cornstarch
This recipe is pretty simple, but it’s a bit technical and there are a few potential pitfalls, so make sure you’re patient and read the recipe in its entirety before getting started (but you do that with every recipe already!).
To begin, go ahead and heat up your milk. Add some whole milk and a bit of salt to a small saucepan and set it over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, heat the milk until it’s very steamy but just below a boil. Remove it from the heat.
While the milk is heating up, add some egg yolks to a bowl along with a bit of sugar. Whisk vigorously until the yolks are pale and frothy, about 1 minute.
Once the milk has heated up, whisk the egg yolks constantly and slowly stream the milk into it. Going slowly and whisking constantly prevents curdling – this is a very similar step I use in my flan recipe.
Pour the custard back into the pot and return to the stove. Over medium-low heat, whisk constantly until it begins to heat up again and gets very steamy. You want it to thicken until it can coat the back of a spoon, but be careful not to let it get over 82°C/180°F to avoid the risk of it curdling.
Then, remove the custard from the heat and stir in some chopped dark chocolate along with a splash of vanilla extract. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted in the custard.
Then, pour the pudding through a fine mesh sieve set over a large bowl – if you did end up scrambling any eggs, this will ensure that they don’t make it into the finished product!
Finally, stir in some cold butter, one small piece at a time, into the pudding.
Now comes the hard part – you need to wait until the pudding is chilled and set completely before serving.
Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding (this prevents a skin from forming) and move it to the fridge for at least 4 hours, but you may need longer, until it’s completely set.
After that, you can go ahead and dig in and enjoy! Note that this pudding will have a bit more silky and looser texture than a standard cornstarch set pudding, but it’s still absolutely delicious.
Chocolate Pudding Without Cornstarch
Ingredients
- 500 ml (2 cups) whole milk
- ¼ tsp salt
- 5 egg yolks
- 75 g (⅓ cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 120 g (4 ¼ oz) dark chocolate 60-70% cocoa, chopped
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 25 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter fridge cold, cut into cubes
Instructions
- Add the milk and salt to a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, gently bring the heat up until the milk is steaming but just below a boil. Remove from the heat.
- While the milk is heating, add the egg yolks and sugar to a large heatproof bowl and whisk vigorously until pale and frothy, about 1 minute. Once the milk has heated, whisking constantly, slowly stream the milk mixture into the eggs to temper the eggs and prevent scrambling.
- Pour the milk and egg mixture back into the pot. Set over medium-low heat and, whisking constantly, gently heat the mixture until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon – be careful not to allow it to get above 82°C/180°F or risk curdling. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted. Stir in the vanilla.
- Set a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour the custard through the sieve. Stir or whisk in the cold butter, one piece at a time, until each piece is melted and incorporated before adding another piece. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the pudding (to prevent a skin from forming) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight, or until completely set (see note 1). Divide into dishes and serve.
Notes
- Because this pudding is thickened with egg yolks rather than cornstarch, the final texture will be slightly softer and silkier than a traditional cornstarch-thickened chocolate pudding.
This pudding can be made up to 3 days in advance and will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep it covered with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
This chocolate pudding is thickened completely with egg yolks and gives a perfect, sophisticated take on a classic dessert.
Are you after a great chocolate pudding? Have any questions about this recipe? Let me know in the comments!
