BEST Sugar-Free Keto Chocolate Pudding

A creamy and delicious low carb Keto chocolate pudding recipe that everyone in the family will love, including your kids. It takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and a few hours to chill, it’s going to be a new low carb dessert at your family table.

There is something so nostalgic about chocolate pudding. As a kid, I used to always ask my mom to buy the snack-sized pudding packs, my favorite was Swiss Miss in the refrigerated section. As I got older it still brought back memories every time I had chocolate pudding. 

Have you ever made homemade pudding?? If you thought the store-bought stuff was good then let me tell you homemade is even better. And what’s just as good as homemade pudding? That’s right…homemade keto chocolate pudding! 

I know I’ve said this probably 100 times by now but just because you are on a Keto diet or even if you are diabetic, you can still enjoy so many of your favorite foods. 

This sugar-free chocolate pudding is a prime example of that. With only a handful of ingredients, all of which are low carb, you can now enjoy creamy rich chocolate pudding without it spiking your blood sugar or leaving you feeling guilty after indulging in a bowl of it. 

Another great thing about this recipe is that it’s totally kid-approved! I made this homemade keto pudding recipe a few weeks ago for my nephew who was visiting and he ate about 3 bowls of it! Oh and he’s definitely more on the picky side when it comes to food, so I was super happy when he kept asking me if there was more pudding left. 

If you weren’t craving some pudding before, then I have a feeling that you will be after you read this article.

What is Chocolate Pudding?

Chocolate pudding is an old classic dessert that you probably would find in your grandma’s book of recipes. Chocolate pudding is simply a combo of milk, cream, cocoa and sugar thickened by briefly cooking it on the stove or in the oven. 

Unbaked puddings will sometimes have egg yolks or cornstarch added to them to thicken it.

What is the Difference Between Chocolate Pudding and Chocolate Mousse?

I wasn’t really sure the difference was between chocolate pudding and chocolate mousse until I did a little bit of research and this is what I found. While both are smooth, creamy, and overall just delicious, it’s the texture that will be giving the biggest difference. 

Pudding: Pudding is made by cooking the milk or cream and sugar and then adding some kind of thickener to the mixture. Puddings can also be thickened with rice, tapioca, or even chia seeds. 

Mousse: Mousse is made by folding in beaten egg whites or whipped cream to a cold milk and sugar base. Mousse is not cooked like pudding is, but instead whipped and the mixture is fluffy and lighter in texture.

How Bad is Chocolate Pudding for You?

Just because chocolate pudding is a decadent chocolaty dessert, doesn’t mean that it has to be bad for you. When made with healthier ingredients, homemade sugar-free chocolate pudding can be a nice light and healthy treat for yourself.

How Many Calories are in Sugar-Free Pudding?

I feel like we always focus on just the carbs in all of our recipes, which don’t get me wrong we will talk about that too. But for now, let’s talk about just the calorie content. I like my desserts but I’m perfectly happy with a small amount at a time. 

For ½ cup of keto chocolate pudding, it’s only 140 calories. In comparison to store-bought chocolate pudding, it’s about the same, give or take 10 calories or so. For 1 pack of store-bought pudding, it’s about 150 calories. 

Just because the calorie count is about the same doesn’t mean that our homemade sugar-free pudding isn’t healthier than what you will find at the store. Ours doesn’t contain any added preservatives or unhealthy fillers. It’s a much better option!

How Many Carbs are in Keto Chocolate Pudding?

Now that we know how many calories are in this keto chocolate pudding recipe, let’s move on to the carbs. For one serving of our sugar-free chocolate pudding, it has only 2.5 NET CARBS! 

Let’s compare that to a serving of Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding…it has 25 NET CARBS. What a crazy difference right? Especially when the taste is exactly the same!

What Puddings Can I Have on a Keto Diet?

There are several different flavors of pudding that you can make for yourself on a keto diet. A few low carb pudding ideas are:

• Chocolate Pudding 
• Vanilla Pudding
• Pecan Pie Pudding 
• Chia Pudding 
• Chocolate Avocado Pudding 
• Banana Pudding

What Ingredients are in Sugar-Free Chocolate Pudding?

• Heavy Cream – 1 cup of heavy cream.
• Almond Milk – 1 cup of almond milk, make sure to use unsweetened almond milk. 
• Cocoa – I used an organic dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder. You can use whatever brand you like, but make sure it’s unsweetened.  
• Sweetener – I went with my favorite…powdered Swerve. You definitely need a low carb powdered sweetener, don’t use a granulated. It will be way too grainy. 
• Xanthan Gum – This ingredient is small but mighty. You only need a very small amount, and it will thicken up your keto chocolate pudding. 
• Vanilla – I pretty much add vanilla to almost all my desserts. The key to adding vanilla or any other extract is that you have to be sure to remove it from the heat, then add in the extract.

Best Sweetener for Sugar-Free Pudding

Ok, so this is pretty simple. You want to use a powdered sweetener, NOT granulated. My sweetener of choice is Swerve Powdered Sweetener. I find it tastes just like powdered, and of course, the texture is right. 

Granulated low carb sweeteners will leave you with a gritty pudding, and let’s face it, no one wants that.

Best Chocolate

My favorite brand of cocoa powder is Rodelle Organic Dutch Processed Baking Cocoa Powder. It’s unsweetened and definitely is a very rich chocolate powder. You don’t need a lot of it to get a truly rich chocolate flavor.

I recommend using powder over melting chocolate bars, the consistency just won’t be the same. But you can definitely shave some low carb chocolate bars on top of the pudding after it’s been chilled.

Is there Flour in Chocolate Pudding?

In regular non-keto puddings, you will find that people use cornstarch as a thickener. Occasionally I have seen recipes out there that have flour in it, but that’s not as common. 

Our keto chocolate pudding recipe doesn’t have any type of flour or cornstarch, but we do use a small amount of xanthan gum. That is used as a thickener in pudding, soups, sauces, etc…

Can You Make Chocolate Pudding without Cornstarch?

Yes, you definitely can make your homemade keto chocolate pudding without cornstarch. Xanthan gum is a fantastic substitution to cornstarch in this recipe. 

The xanthan gum quantity is not equivalent to the same amount of cornstarch, you need far less xanthan gum. We only used 1 tsp for the whole recipe.

Milk/Cream Options

You have some options when it comes to your milk or cream. I tried a few different varieties when coming up with this recipe in the beginning. 

The best option that I liked was a combination of both heavy cream and almond milk. The reason I made it with half almond milk instead of using just heavy cream was I wanted to keep the calories down. 

That being said you can use the following: 

• Heavy Cream
• Coconut Milk – Unsweetened Full Fat
• Almond Milk 
• Or use a combo of 2 different kinds

How to Make Keto Chocolate Pudding from Scratch

It’s so easy to make homemade keto chocolate pudding, don’t ever feel intimidated. Follow these super-simple steps: 

In a medium saucepan add the heavy cream, almond milk, powdered swerve, and cocoa powder.

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Turn the stove on low heat and start whisking. You want to keep whisking so the chocolate doesn’t burn.

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As you continue to whisk, the pudding will start to thicken. Add in the xanthan gum slowly and keep on whisking. You don’t want the pudding to boil, so make sure that it stays on low heat.

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Once the pudding has started to thicken, take the saucepan off the stove.

Stir in the vanilla and whisk until it’s mixed in.

Transfer to a small bowl.

Cover the pudding with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap onto the pudding directly. This is key, it will prevent the pudding from getting “pudding skin” on it.

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Place in the fridge for 2-4 hours. The longer the better, to make sure that low carb pudding really sets.

How to Tell When It’s Done?

It’s hard at times describing how to tell someone when a recipe is done because as those of you who love to cook, know that sometimes it’s just by looking at it. This keto chocolate pudding is one of those cases. 

As you are whisking the pudding, it will start to thicken a bit, but it won’t be complete pudding consistency. The easiest way to tell when your homemade chocolate pudding should be removed from the stove is the pudding should coat the back of a spoon. 

Everyone has different stoves, but it should take about 10 minutes to reach this consistency, but keep in mind it may vary a bit based on your stove.

Wrapping It

An essential step in making homemade low carb pudding is wrapping it. To do it, take a piece of plastic wrap and press it on the surface of the pudding. You don’t want any air to get it, otherwise, you will get a skin on the pudding.

Chilling It

You want to make sure that the pudding is fully set before digging in. I recommend refrigerating for at least 2 hours, but honestly, about 4 hours is best.  

If it has been in the fridge for the recommended period of time, but you are not sure if it’s ready, all you need to do is stick a spoon in the bowl and take a little scoop out. Taste it…if it’s too runny then put it back in, but after 4 hours it really should be chilled enough and ready to eat.

Best Tips for Sugar-Free Chocolate Pudding

Follow my tips here below to get the best low carb chocolate pudding: 

• You can use 2 cups of heavy cream instead of 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of almond milk, but it will change the nutrition facts and will add more calories. 
• Use a powdered sweetener, NOT a granulated one. Using granulated sweeteners will leave you with a grainy pudding. 
• Be sure to cook the pudding on low heat and DO NOT LET IT BOIL.
• Constantly whisk the pudding while it cooks, so it doesn’t burn. 
• 1 tsp of xanthan gum is the perfect amount in order to thicken the pudding. 
• To avoid getting “pudding skin” gently press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. 
• Chill for at least 2-4 hours.
• Up the powdered swerve to ⅔ cup if you like things a bit sweeter.

My Pudding Has a Skin On It

If you have ever made homemade pudding then you all know about the “skin” that it has on it. And let’s be honest, it really doesn’t taste bad at all, but it just doesn’t look appealing.

The reason you get this thin layer of skin on top of your pudding is that when the water evaporates the proteins and sweeteners shrink and get concentrated. 

While it tastes just fine, we can still avoid it. All you need to do is simply keep the plastic wrap tightly covering the pudding at all times, except when serving it. The key though is to make sure the plastic wrap directly touches the surface of your low carb pudding. Gently press the plastic down onto the top of the pudding until it touches.

How Do You Thicken Up Keto Pudding?

Ok so I’ve made this recipe several times and it took me about 3-4 times to get the consistency correct. I tried taking a small amount of cream and mixing it with gelatin, then adding it to the pudding. I wasn’t a huge fan of how that came out. 

So then I moved on and tried Xanthan Gum. Now, this is the right kind of thickener! But it took one or two tries to get the amount just right. If you put in too much, you won’t get pudding but you will end up with more of a solid “gummy” texture, trust me it isn’t good. 

The right amount of xanthan gum I found worked perfectly is 1 tsp…that’s it!

Avoiding Lumpy Pudding

WHISK….WHISK…WHISK….

That right there is how you will avoid lumpy pudding and you will get a nice smooth consistency. Don’t use a spoon, use an actual whisk.

Why Is My Chocolate Pudding Grainy?

If you end up with grainy pudding it’s most likely because of the sweetener you used. Don’t use a granulated sweetener, it doesn’t dissolve right and can be grainy tasting. Instead, use a POWDERED SWEETENER. It will dissolve properly and give you the right consistency.

Not Sweet Enough

If you are like my mom you may need to add more sweetener to your low carb chocolate pudding. She doesn’t love the richness of chocolate the way I do, so when I make it for her I need up my sweetener amount. 

Instead of using ½ cup of powdered swerve, I usually up it to ⅔ cup. It helps cut the richness of the chocolate and gives you a bit more sweetness.

Different Variations

What can you do with your homemade sugar-free chocolate pudding? Or how can you change it up a bit? 

• Put the low carb pudding in an almond flour pie crust or coconut flour pie crust and now you have a delicious keto chocolate cream pie.
• Add avocado – don’t knock it until you try it. I know it sounds odd, but chocolate avocado pudding is quite delicious. (And that’s coming from a person who doesn’t like avocado at all.) 
• For richer chocolate pudding add more cocoa powder. 
• For less chocolatey flavor…add a little bit less cocoa powder.

Other Diets This Recipe is Good For

• Gluten-Free: Not all store-bought puddings are gluten-free, so you have to be extra careful. But with this homemade low carb pudding, it’s 100% gluten-free. 
• Egg-Free: A lot of homemade puddings have egg yolks in them, but our sugar-free chocolate pudding does not. It’s a great egg-free recipe. 
• Nut-Free: This recipe contains almond milk, so it’s NOT nut-free. But you can replace the almond milk with unsweetened full-fat coconut milk. 

Can I Make Sugar-Free Pudding Dairy-Free?

Are you dairy-free? Not a problem…

Replace the heavy cream with unsweetened full-fat coconut milk. You technically could use all almond milk, but the fat from the coconut milk will help make the pudding thicker.

What to Serve with Keto Pudding?

This sugar-free chocolate pudding is honestly delicious just the way it is. But that being said, here are a few things you can serve with it: 

• Top with homemade sugar-free whipped cream…trust me it’s worth it. 
• Fruit – Strawberries and raspberries go so well with chocolate pudding. 
• Nuts – Chopped pecans, walnuts, pistachios, almonds, and peanuts can be added on top. 
• Sprinkle with chocolate shavings
• Dust with cocoa powder. 
• Add unsweetened shredded coconut on top.

Make-Ahead and Storing Keto Chocolate Pudding

Making homemade keto chocolate pudding ahead of time is a great idea. Seeing that it takes about 2-4 hours to chill and set, you need to prepare it in advance. I recommend making it either in the morning or afternoon on the day you plan on serving it. 

Store your low carb pudding in the fridge, covered tightly with plastic wrap. It will last 3-4 days unless you have your nephew here as I did…in that case, it won’t even last 24 hours.

Can You Freeze Pudding?

Yes, you can freeze your keto chocolate pudding. Freeze the leftovers in an airtight container. It will last about a month in the freezer.

Low Carb Chocolate Dessert Recipes

If you’re in the mood for some other Keto-friendly Desserts, check out our:

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Fat Bombs
• Sugar-Free Chocolate Fudge
• Creamy Keto Hot Chocolate
• The BEST Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Sugar-Free Peppermint Patties

All of them are Keto-friendly and low carb, and will have your friends raving!

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