5-Minute Vegan Chocolate Pudding (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

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:

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!

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