A delicious low carb keto chocolate pudding recipe that the whole family will love. It’s much healthier than a box mix and whips up in no time.
I’ve been really craving chocolate lately. I usually go for a hunk of chocolate or a few chocolate chips. But, this time, I was craving something that I used to love in the past. The little snack sized pudding packs.
I don’t buy the sugar free pudding snacks any more because I haven’t found any that contain only natural ingredients. Most are made with Splenda or aspartame. And, the thickeners used are typically not low carb.
After looking over my recipes, I realized that I didn’t have a low carb recipe for regular creamy milk chocolate pudding.
As I searched my archives, I found a recipe for cauliflower chocolate pudding, tofu chocolate pudding, chocolate chia pudding, and avocado based chocolate pudding.
I was surprised I never posted a recipe made from a simple mix of low carb milk and cocoa.
So, this low carb creamy milk chocolate pudding recipe is long overdue. I have no idea why it took me so long to develop one that’s a closer to what I used to make with cornstarch and regular whole milk before I moved to the low carb way of eating.
This recipe is a true pudding and not a custard because it’s made without eggs.
It’s almost identical to the homemade chocolate pudding I used to make years ago except that I’ve replaced the cornstarch with xanthan gum, the regular milk with low carb milk and heavy cream, and the sugar has been replaced with low carb sweeteners.
I didn’t remember the amounts on my original recipe, so I adapted the Hershey’s cocoa found here.
Just like my original recipe, I cook the mixture just until a boil and let is boil for about a minute before removing from the heat. Then I add butter and vanilla extract. To prevent a skin from forming, I lay plastic wrap directly on the surface before chilling.
If you were making a pie, you could pour the mixture directly into the prepared pie crust and then chill. I wanted a creamy pudding, so I fluffed the chilled mixture up by whipping with an electric mixer. This is the secret to getting the creamy pudding rather than a thickened glob.
I suppose you could also use the whipped version of the pudding in a pie as well. I’m just not sure if it would be firm enough. It might need a little gelatin added. I’m going to have to experiment a little in using this low carb creamy milk chocolate pudding as a pie filling.
Of all the low carb chocolate pudding recipes I’ve made, this one is the closest to the high carb chocolate pudding I used to make. And, it’s better than the sugar free puddings made with artificial sweeteners.
My daughters are very picky and they both thought this pudding tasted great. In fact, I’m pretty sure I could sneak this one into my husband, but he’s have to think it was a regular high carb recipe. He thinks my low carb creations are “strange” because he doesn’t get it.
If I ate what my husband eats, I’d be at least 30 pounds heavier and feeling like crap. I’m not sure how he does it. He really doesn’t eat a lot, but what he does eat is horrible.
My husband lives off those little packaged cakes and 2 liter bottles of regular soda. I’m hopeful that one day I’ll convert him over. It’s surprising he doesn’t have diabetes.
I have a plan to use this pudding to make a low chocolate cream pie that my husband will love. I just can’t let him know it’s low carb.
Low Carb Keto Chocolate Pudding Recipe
Creamy Milk Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup low carb sweetener
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon stevia concentrated powder
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk I used So Delicious brand in carton
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- whipped cream optional
Instructions
- Whisk together the Swerve, cocoa, and stevia in medium saucepan.
- Gradually stir in coconut milk and heavy cream.
- Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture starts to boil. Boil and stir for another minute. Remove from heat.
- Sprinkle in xanthan gum, stirring to completely mix in.
- Stir in butter and vanilla extract until incorporated.
- Pour into 4-cup bowl or larger. Place plastic wrap directly on surface to prevent skin from forming.
- Chill in refrigerator for several hours until thickened.
- Once chilled, transfer to mixing bowl and whip with electric mixer to get smooth and creamy texture.
- Place into serving dishes to serve. Top with low carb whipped cream if desired.
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Notes
Erythritol not included in total carbohydrate count as it has no impact. Recipe can be doubled and used as a pie filling, but may require additional thickening.
Nutrition
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
About Lisa
Lisa has been creating low carb recipes for herself and sharing them with others since 2010. She loves to experiment in the kitchen and find new ways to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites! Her recipes have been featured on popular magazine sites including Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Women's Health, and Men's Health. Lisa lives in Southeastern Connecticut. Connect with her and Low Carb Yum at:
Vickie says
I’m new to experimenting with different sugar free sweetners. I made this chocolate pudding but didn’t have swerve. I substituted pyure and the texture was grainy. Does pyure not dissolve ??
Lisa MarcAurele says
Pyure is twice as sweet as Swerve so you’d need to only use half.
Dilek says
It turned out pretty good! I used the exact measurements except I didn’t have heavy cream on hand so i added mascarpone cheese. It probably would be better with heavy cream but it was still pretty good. This is the closest we can get to a normal pudding.
Lisa MarcAurele says
Yay! I’m happy the recipe worked out for you using mascarpone instead of cream.
DLH says
Made this last night. Huge disappointment. I read the comments and added more xanthan gum. It didn’t work. Wasted ingredients .all down the sink
Lisa MarcAurele says
It’s best to start with less xanthan and add more if needed to get the proper consistency. I typically use Now brand of xanthan gum and other brands may vary in how they thicken.
Casty says
Can I use stevia drops instead of powder? How much should I use? Thanks
Lisa says
You can you the liquid in place of the powder. From my experience, you’ll need about twice as much.
Rachel says
Allergic to cocnut milk, can i use whole milk
Lisa says
That should work as should any milk substitute.
R S says
Looking forward to trying this but need to understand macros first.
Can someone explain this Net Carb math to me please? 6g Carbs – 2.4g Fiber = 3.4 NET carbs. How do we get from here to the stated 2.8 Net carbs per serving?
If I took the 3.2g ‘Sugars’ from the total carbs, that would be 2.8g Net carbs… But what about the listed Fiber then?
Thanks!
Lisa says
The net carb note was based on an older less accurate calculation so that note has been updated to reflect the updated information.
R S says
Thanks for the reply and updating that Lisa. I’m sure it will help everyone.
On a related note, I entered this into MyFitnessPal(MFP) which I use to track recipes and macros and it resulted in very different numbers from what you have listed. The only substitution I made from your recipe was changing 1/4C Stevia powder to 8 drops of Better Stevia liquid.
This is the nutrition info I am shown:
FROM MFP FROM ME
1g net carbs per serving
Nutrition Facts: Creamy Milk Chocolate Pudding
Amount Per Serving (XX g)
Calories 110
Total Fat 11g
Saturated Fat 8g
Cholesterol 28mg
Sodium 26mg
Total Carbohydrates 3g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Sugars 0g
Protein 1g
Of course, I like these numbers even better… But I’m much more concerned about being accurate. How could our numbers be so different?
Thanks
Lisa says
MFP uses a different database many of which is user generated.
Emm says
Made this- it didn’t firm up. I did use it for a chocolate ‘shake’ base with soy and almond milk.
Lisa says
It’s the xanthan gum that firms it up so you could try adding a little more.
Cassie says
Can you use stevia glycerite instead of the concentrated powder? I just don’t want to spend the money on it if I can use a comparative product
Lisa says
You can, but the amount may differ slightly.
MaryAnn says
I just made this today, and was just anticipating trying it. Much to my dismay, I took one out of the fridge, and it never firmed up. I used cornstarch in place of xantham gum, since I didn’t have that. I read that you can substitute cornstarch for it though. I guess not in this recipe 🙁 I was so looking forward to this. Now I don’t now what to do with it. Any suggestions as to what else I may have done wrong?
Lisa says
Cornstarch is used differently than xanthan gum and it’s not a one-for-one sub. Typically, you need to bring the mixture to a boil after adding cornstarch. Not so with xanthan gum.
Carolyn says
You could pour into popsicle molds and freeze!!
Dian says
I made this recipe last night, with anticipation for this morning to try it…flavor was great no aftertaste. I followed the recipe to a tee. However, it did’t firm up like regular pudding, even after mixing it up. I used one tsp of Xanthum Gum, should I be increasing that amount. Suggestions?? it tasted great though.
Lisa says
Sounds like you just need more xanthan gum. It can be mixed in at any time if it didn’t gum up enough. I have noticed some variations with xanthan gum.
Georgia says
I just made this and inputted it into CarbManager and came up with 9g Net Carbs per serving. I used Unsweetened Canned Coconut Milk, and Swerve granulated, 1/4 & 1/3 cup. 5 serving size. Not sure why I’m not getting the lower net carb count like you got. Tasted the spoon and it taste great.
Lisa says
Are you inputting Swerve with net carbs or without? I always count net for erythritol since it has no impact.
Roberta R Smith says
How to make the low carb whipping cream.?.. I might have missed it though.
Lisa says
You just whip cream with a bit of sweetener until you have stiff peaks.
Joy Johnson says
I used more cocoa to get a little more chocolatey flavor.
Kim says
I really need to make this! No keto cookies are helping the sweet tooth.. I will have to wait for the stevia concentrated powder though.. First time I see this ingredient listed anywhere.. I have everything else..
Lisa says
You can use any sweetener if you’d like or add more Swerve or equivalent. 1/4 tsp stevia is about 1/4 cup Swerve.
Shaylee says
Would it be a super big deal if uouodnt have vanilla extract !?
Lisa says
The flavor won’t be as good in my opinion as vanilla extract is a flavor enhancer.
Laura says
Does have any hint of coconut in it? I’m not a huge fan of coconut.
Lisa says
I didn’t think so. You can use any milk. Almond milk should work too.
Elizabeth Korytkowski says
We made this last night and had it this morning with keto pancakes, strawberries and whipped cream. Wow, it was amazing!!!! Thank you so much for this great recipe. We are new to low carb and this was just what we needed to quell the sweet tooth.
Lisa says
I’ve eaten it for breakfast too! 😉
Noelle says
I wish I could post a picture (I sent one to my sister to drool over). This pudding is amazing. I topped it with a small dollop of whipped heavy cream (sweetened with erythritol, my sweetener of choice) and it tastes like a crustless french silk pie, omg… I have some “caramel” extract that I bought recently that tastes more like butterscotch and am so excited to make a butterscotch version next.
One thing I’d like to caution, though. Mileage must vary greatly on xanthan gum, because I literally had to make this about 5 times to get it right. I started with one teaspoon of xanthan gum and had to keep reducing it, because it was waaaayyy too firm. The perfect recipe for me is about 1/2 teaspoon of the xanthan gum that I have (Anthony’s brand).
Thank you sooooo much for sharing this with the world!!!
Lisa says
You’re welcome! I have noticed that the amount of xanthan gum can vary. I’ll keep that in mind. I use Now brand.
Janice says
I really would like to have a dry mix made ahead of time and then just make enough for one serving. Will it be okay if the xanthan gum is added into the dry ingredients or is it best to add after the whole thing is heated?
Lisa says
You can add xanthan to a dry mix.
Snoodles says
This looks fabulous, and I’m on my way to the kitchen for the ingredients! Did you fine tune this yet for a pie? My hubby would love it!
Lisa says
I’m thinking of adding psyllium or gelatin to thicken it further. First attempt was too soft.
Amy says
Can you tell me what the serving size is? I see the weight but is that 1/2 cup? I’m planning on making this in individual reusable cups for portion control.
Lisa says
It’s about a 3/4 cup serving.
Josie says
Can I use gelatin or something else in place of xantham gum?
Lisa says
I find it tough to get get smooth pudding with gelatin, but it’s worth a try. I’ve been using glucomannan in place of xanthan gum, but it can clump so you need to be careful.
Melissa says
Where do u buy the xanthum gum?
Lisa says
I find it with the gluten free baking supplies. Other times, I buy it off Amazon.
Kim says
I found it on Walmart.com-site to store-free p/up.. A box of small packets which I think will work for my needs..
Travus says
It’s says this recipe has 29.7 grams of fat, but That doesn’t make sense because the only fat is the really only the butter
Lisa says
I’ll double check. I’m hoping to find a more accurate recipe calculator.
Charlene says
I have enjoyed this recipe as a pudding a few times. Yesterday, I tried skipping the xanthan gum and freezing the mixture into ice pops, instead. Also delicious! Thanks for such a great, multi-purpose recipe!
Lisa says
Never thought to make them into ice pops. Sounds perfect for summer!
Gerri says
How many servings, please? Sorry if I missed that. Thanks.
Lisa says
I got 5 servings.
Jessica says
This looks delicious – can’t wait to make it! Can I substitute EZSweet (liquid sucralose) for the Better Stevia/Stevia powdered extract? I will buy some xanthan gum…..how does it help the pudding? Thickens it? Thank you!
Lisa says
You can use any sweetener you like in the pudding. I just like to mix them as I think it gives the best taste. You’ll need about 3/4-2/3 cup of sugar equivalent total in the recipe. The xanthan gum is the thickener. You can sub it with another low carb thickener like guar gum or possibly gluconoman. If using in a pie, you may want to whip in some dissolved gelatin so it holds firmer.
Kelly says
I love pudding!, I hopefully in the future you will have low carb/naturally sugar free butterscotch pudding recipe.
Lisa says
I have a butterscotch pudding at https://lowcarbyum.com/low-carb-butterscotch-pudding/ but may revise that recipe to be a little more like this one.
Mike says
Sorry can’t use Swerve it is not natural but chemically made..I don’t trust industry not to poison me. Will try to find another sweetener that in a mix might work.
Lisa says
You can try the dried green stevia powder instead. It’s the only unprocessed natural sweetener that I know of that won’t impact insulin (has a pretty “green” herbal taste though). The white stevia powder and liquid extracts are typically processed.
Darla says
I’m assuming it’s ok to sub almond for coconut milk (since you used the kind out of a carton), right?
Lisa says
Yes! I use them interchangeably! I just prefer the coconut over almond.
AMY H says
OMG–i literally cannot WAIT to go home tonight & make this pudding! ((i’ve also been craving chocolate pudding. actually made the chocolate chia seed pudding last night. but THIS recipe looks YUMMMMMMMMY!!)) THANKS SO MUCH!
Lisa says
I’m loving this recipe much more than the chia one. I hope you think it’s great too!
Si-Ron says
Why do you use two different sweeteners?
Lisa says
I find using multiple sweeteners give a better taste and allows you to use less. In fact, this may have been too sweet. You can probably reduce the Swerve to 1/4 cup.
Leah says
How would gluccamanon work in exchange for xanthan gum?
Lisa says
I haven’t used gluccamanon, but from what I’ve read, it’s a great replacement for xanthan gum when used as a thickener. It’s worth a try! I’d try one-for-one replacement and add more if needed.
Alicia says
Looks delicious!!! All things chocolate are my favorite. Keep working on getting hubby to eat healthier 😊
Lisa says
At least he likes bacon! 🙂
Sarah says
uhm,,, where’s the chocolate? It doesn’t appear in the ingredients list or instructions?
Lisa says
I totally skipped that line of the recipe when typing! Ooops! Fixed it! I used 1/4 cup and added with the sweeteners.
Sarah says
Thanks, because I totally need this in my face lol and will make it probably today!