The simplest vegan chocolate pudding you’ll ever make (it’s also gluten-free and dairy-free!). All you need is 5 minutes of hands-on time, a handful of ingredients, and a blender for this creamy cashew chocolate pudding. How much easier does making a dessert as decadent as this get?
Jump to:
- Chocolate Cravings
- Why This Recipe Works:
- Secret Ingredient: Cashews
- Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Recipe Notes/Substitutions:
- How to Make this Vegan Chocolate Pudding (Step by Step):
- Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:
- Recipe FAQs:
- Other Cashew Recipes You’ll Love
- Dessert Recipes to Indulge In:
- 5-Minute Vegan Chocolate Pudding (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
Chocolate Cravings
Once in while, I get hit by a sudden strong chocolate craving – but not just any type of chocolate.
Sometimes I make these fudgy gluten-free brownies (our absolute favorite!), or bake this delicious chocolate coconut cake, or even make my own raisin and seed chocolate.
Other times though, I like to eat chocolate in the form of rich, decadent, and thick pudding.
What I don’t like so much is spending time cooking and simmering at the stove, especially when I want the chocolate pudding RIGHT NOW.
Why This Recipe Works:
- Simple Ingredients: The ingredients needed for this delicious vegan cashew chocolate pudding are easily accessible at the grocery store (and you might already have most of them in your pantry)!
- Super Easy to Make: With the help of a high-speed blender or a food processor, you can literally whip up this decadent dessert in just 5 minutes of hands-on time!
- Incredible Texture and Taste: A special ingredient gives this easy vegan chocolate pudding an impossibly creamy and velvety texture, and the rich chocolate flavor is perfect for those with a sweet tooth or to calm your chocolate cravings.
- Totally Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free and Vegan: Traditional chocolate pudding usually includes whole milk and butter, but this chocolate pudding recipe is 100% gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan, which means that even those with Celiac disease or gluten or lactose intolerances can enjoy this dessert without worries.
Secret Ingredient: Cashews
As I mentioned before, Juan developed a dairy intolerance in early 2020, so we’ve been trying to keep things in the kitchen not just gluten-free, but also dairy-free, which may at times be quite challenging (in terms of tastes and textures).
Thankfully, this homemade chocolate pudding recipe is deliciously creamy and rich, thanks to one of my favorite ingredients – cashews!
Over the years, I’ve found it incredibly handy to always have a bag of cashew nuts stashed away in my pantry.
- To Make Cashew Milk: When a recipe calls for non-dairy milk, I use cashews to make a super easy 5-minute cashew milk.
- To Make Cashew Flour: When I’m in need of a low-carb white gluten-free flour and don’t want to spend money on blanched almond flour, I make this 5-minute cashew flour that’s been such a lifesaver.
- To Add Creaminess: In this recipe for vegan pudding recipe, soaked cashews provide a creamy base in place of whole milk. If you don’t have time to do a full soak cashews, you can do a quick soak instead (simply soak raw cashews in hot water for 15 minutes before draining and using).
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Here’s a visual overview of the ingredients required for this vegan chocolate pudding recipe.
(For exact measurements and quantities, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)
Recipe Notes/Substitutions:
- Raw Cashews: Make sure you use unsalted raw cashews or your chocolate pudding is going to taste salty! Also, be sure to soak the raw cashews in filtered water for at least 2 hours so they are softer to blend and the pudding will be creamier.
- Vanilla Extract: I like adding a bit of vanilla extract for extra flavor. It is not absolutely necessary, but highly recommended.
- Coconut oil: I prefer using refined coconut oil as it has a neutral taste (as opposed to extra virgin coconut oil which has a stronger coconut flavor and smell). Alternatively, you may also use melted vegan butter if you prefer. Note that as the dairy-free chocolate pudding chills in the refrigerator, it will thicken slightly because of the coconut oil in the mixture. If you don’t have a preference, you can eat the pudding straight after blending – it tastes just as good!
- Maple syrup: If you prefer another sweetener, you can substitute the maple syrup with agave nectar, or liquid stevia (make sure to check substitution quantities according to brand). If you are diabetic or insulin-resistant, I highly recommend using monkfruit sweetener (a zero glycemic index sweetener).
- Water: I use filtered water but you may also use a dairy-free milk instead (such as almond milk, cashew milk, rice milk, soy milk or coconut milk). Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant or vegan, feel free to use normal milk instead.
- Cacao Powder: I used raw unsweetened cacao powder without any artificial sweetener. Alternatively, if you only have unsweetened cocoa powder, feel free to use that instead.
How to Make this Vegan Chocolate Pudding (Step by Step):
1. Combine Ingredients in Blender:
Combine the soaked cashews, vanilla extract, coconut oil, maple syrup, filtered water, and cacao powder in a high-speed blender or a food processor.
2. Blend Well
Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed.
(Tip: If mixture is too thick, add 1 extra tablespoon of water at a time, and blending to get the pudding until it reaches your desired consistency. Once the pudding has reached the consistency of your choice, you can stop blending.)
3. Chill to Thicken
Now that we’ve got the dairy-free chocolate pudding blended, I recommend chilling it for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator so it thickens slightly.
As the coconut oil in the recipe chills, it solidifies as the temperature drops, and the pudding takes on a thicker consistency. However, this is not absolutely necessary.
If you are impatient and don’t care about the pudding thickening, you can also eat this cashew pudding straightaway at room temperature.
4. Garnish and Serve
Divide this cashew chocolate pudding into glasses and garnish with toasted coconut chips and enjoy!
Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:
- Quick Soak: If you don’t have time to wait for the cashews to soak for 2 hours, you can soak the raw cashews for 15 minutes in hot water to soften them quickly.
- Sprinkle with Coconut Chips: I recommend adding a sprinkle of toasted coconut chips on top of this homemade pudding, because I love the contrast in both color and texture. A bit of crunchy, golden brown coconut chips certainly makes this creamy, rich dairy-free chocolate pudding stand out more, in my opinion.
- Other Toppings: If you prefer not to use toasted coconut chips, other alternative toppings for this rich pudding would be dairy-free chocolate chips, chocolate shavings, coconut cream or even a drizzle of melted chocolate.
- Swap Out the Cacao Powder for Coffee Powder: If you prefer a coffee-flavored pudding, simply substitute the cacao powder with unsweetened coffee powder in equal amounts.
- Make Chocolate Pudding Pie: Use this delicious vegan chocolate pudding as the filling for a pie – and use my favorite gluten-free pie crust as the base!
Recipe FAQs:
To store, place the dairy-free chocolate pudding in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Alternatively, you can pre-serve this delicious chocolate pudding in pudding cups and cover the cups with plastic wrap before placing in the fridge.
Other Cashew Recipes You’ll Love
- Grain-Free Coconut Cashew Bread
- Grain-Free Cashew Bread
- Cashew Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Easy 5-Minute Homemade Cashew Flour
- Homemade Cashew Milk (Vegan)
Dessert Recipes to Indulge In:
P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!
Print5-Minute Vegan Chocolate Pudding (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
The simplest vegan chocolate pudding you’ll ever make (it’s also gluten-free and dairy-free!). All you need is 5 minutes of hands-on time, a handful of ingredients, and a blender for this cashew chocolate pudding. How much easier does making a dessert as decadent as this get?
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 3/4 cup filtered water, or more as needed
- 3 tablespoons raw unsweetened cacao powder
- Toasted coconut chips, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients Together: Combine the soaked cashews, vanilla extract, coconut oil, maple syrup, filtered water, and cacao powder in a high-speed blender or food processor.
- Blend Well: Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. (If mixture is too thick, add 1 extra tablespoon of water at a time, and blending to get the pudding until it reaches your desired consistency).
- Chill to Thicken: Chill the vegan chocolate pudding in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to thicken.
- Garnish and Serve: Divide pudding into glasses and garnish with toasted coconut chips and enjoy!
Notes
Raw Cashews: Make sure you use unsalted raw cashews or your chocolate pudding is going to taste salty! Also, be sure to soak the raw cashews in filtered water for at least 2 hours so they are softer to blend and the pudding will be creamier.
Vanilla Extract: I like adding a bit of vanilla extract for extra flavor. It is not absolutely necessary, but highly recommended.
Coconut oil: I prefer using refined coconut oil as it has a neutral taste (as opposed to extra virgin coconut oil which has a stronger coconut flavor and smell). Note that as the vegan chocolate pudding chills in the refrigerator, it will thicken slightly because of the coconut oil in the mixture. If you don’t have a preference, you can eat the pudding straight after blending – it tastes just as good!
Maple syrup: If you prefer another sweetener, you can substitute the maple syrup with agave nectar, or liquid stevia (make sure to check substitution quantities according to brand). If you are diabetic or insulin-resistant, I highly recommend using monkfruit sweetener (a zero glycemic index sweetener).
Water: I use filtered water but you may also use non-dairy milks (such as almond milk, cashew milk, rice milk, or coconut milk). Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant or vegan, feel free to use normal milk instead.
Cacao Powder: I used raw unsweetened cacao powder without any artificial sweetener. Alternatively, if you only have cocoa powder, feel free to use that instead.
Storing: To store, place the vegan cashew pudding in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Alternatively, you may pre-serve the pudding in pudding cups and cover them with plastic wrap before storing in the fridge.
Inspired by: Detoxinista
This recipe was initially published in May 2020, but has since been republished to include clearer instructions, recipe notes and ingredient substitutions.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: vegan chocolate pudding
My fiance LOVED this recipe. He’s more of a vanilla fan. Would it work to just take the cacao powder out to make it a vanilla mousse?
★★★★★
Hi Emily! So happy to hear that your fiancé loved this pudding! I haven’t tried it without cacao, but I don’t see why it shouldn’t work! Maybe since you won’t be adding the cacao powder, start off with 1/4 cup of water first, and then add more as required to get the consistency you like! And you can maybe increase the amount of vanilla extract if he really likes the taste of vanilla. Hope this works!
Good morning Felicia,
This super decadent chocolate pudding is so yummy to eat it on its own.
Your suggestion to use this pudding as filling for chocolate pie or tart-topping is also a great way to enjoy it with a cup of our favourite beverage of tea or coffee!
Thank you again and God bless!
Mum
★★★★★
Hi mummy! Yes, this chocolate pudding is amazing!! Super easy and really simple to make. 🙂
I added an extra tablespoon of Maple Syrup for added sweetness and this was delicious!!
★★★★★
Hi Julie! So happy to hear that you enjoyed this chocolate pudding!
Hope to see you around the blog again sometime soon!
How long do you soak the cashews for?
Hi Britney! You can either soak the cashews overnight in room temperature water, or soak them in very hot water for at least 15 minutes. Enjoy the chocolate pudding!
This looks so good! I can’t wait to give it a try!
Hi Thera! Thanks for dropping by 🙂 Would love for you to tell me what you think if you do try it 🙂 Also loved your spaghetti squash post! I miss spaghetti squash – I used to buy it when we lived in the US but here in Argentina it isn’t available unfortunately!
It looks delicious and I love how fuss-free it is! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks babe!! It’s super easy to make, so in case your get chocolate cravings one day, keep this in mind 😉 So glad we Skyped yesterday!!
This is a super easy and fuss free recipe that I would recommend to everyone who loves chocolate.
Well done Felicia!
With lots of love and blessings from SG
Mum
★★★★★
Hi mummy! This pudding is AMAZING. Super rich and decadent. Love you too!!!