Simple Chocolate Protein Pudding

Chocolate protein pudding is the perfect afternoon snack or healthy dessert!

This low carb high protein dessert is ready in about 2 minutes and is gluten free, dairy free, vegan and so easy to make! Only 4 ingredients! 

bowl filled with chocolate protein pudding with cacao nibs surrounding the bowl
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Why this is the best protein powder dessert

  • This creamy rich protein dessert is the perfect solution for your sweet tooth!
  • The chocolate is rich and decadent but also extremely satisfying from the protein and healthy fats!
  • This is the perfect low carb snack or meal!
  • The best part is that it only has a few ingredients
  • You can easily make the pudding in 2 minutes with just a spoon and a bowl, no fancy equipment needed! 
Spoonful of the chocolate protein pudding after refrigeration Strawberries in background

How to make chocolate protein pudding

Step 1: Start by adding the protein powder and cacao powder to a bowl with cold dairy free milk

Step 2: Stir stir stir until all the clumps are mostly removed and the pudding is thick and glossy!

Step 3: Once the pudding has most of the lumps removed, stir in your choice of nut or seed butter. Eat immediately or store in the fridge for later

Steps to making chocolate protein pudding

What kind of protein powder should you use to make this thick chocolate pudding recipe?

This recipe is written to use a vegan protein powder.

Vegan protein powders act almost like flour and absorb a ton of liquid. This works well in this recipe because it helps create a thick and creamy chocolate pudding.

However, you can make this without vegan protein powder, you will just have to adjust the ingredients a bit (see below).  

I use Nuzest Pea Protein, its got great ingredients and is easy to digest. I also use and highly recommend this almond protein powder that is paleo friendly. and sweetened with coconut sugars.

Can you use a whey protein powder?

If you are using a whey or collagen protein powder, start with 1/3 cup of dairy free milk and continue to increase it until you get the consistency you want.

Also note that the added nut butter or seed butter will help thicken the pudding and add some richness to the pudding! 

Chocolate protein pudding in a bowl with spoon. Pudding has been stirred

Best dessert toppings to try

Substitutions

If you don’t have protein powder

If you do not have any protein powder, you could also use 1/2 cup of greek yogurt and add cacao powder and your favorite sweetener (stevia, maple syrup, coconut sugar). 

You can use either coconut butter, almond butter, sunbutter or even tahini in this recipe.

TIP: very cold milk will help thicken the consistency of the pudding since it will harden the nut/seed butter.

How to make Vanilla Protein Pudding

To make this vanilla, simply use a vanilla protein powder and reduce the liquid to 1/2 cup of dairy free milk. 

Spoonful of the chocolate protein pudding over the bowl of pudding

If you love this high protein dessert recipe you should try

★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Overhead shot of a bowl of chocolate protein pudding with a wooden handled spoon in the bowl. Strawberries in the background

Simple Chocolate Protein Pudding

Chocolate protein pudding is the perfect afternoon snack or healthy dessert! This low carb high protein pudding is ready in about 2 minutes and is gluten free, dairy free, vegan and so easy to make! Only 4 ingredients! 
4.72 from 7 votes
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Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dairy free protein pudding, protein pudding recipe, vegan protein pudding
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1

Guided Recipe Video

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine the protein powder, cacao powder and milk in a bowl. Stir well until most of the lumps are fully removed. Start with 3/4 cup of dairy free milk and add a little at a time so it doesn’t get too runny.
  • Once the lumps are gone, add the creamy almond butter or melted coconut butter and stir well until you have a pudding consistency.
  • Refrigerate up to 8 hours or serve immediately.

Notes

Note whey or collagen based protein, start at slightly less than 1/2 cup of milk and add more as needed
When the nut butter is added to cold liquid, it will help thicken the texture. This pudding will continue to thicken in the fridge. 
You may need to set this up in the fridge for 30 minutes for the best texture
 
 

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
239
Fat
 
13
g
Carbohydrates
 
17
g
Fiber
 
10
g
Sugar
 
2
g
Protein
 
21
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
DID YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE?Let others know by rating and leaving a comment below!

Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in January 2017, but was update in February 2021 with updated content.

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22 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I didn’t have any cocoa powder or dairy free milk or fancy nut butter. All I had was vegan protein powder, chocolate collagen peptides, and skippy natural PB. Used water to thin out a serving of of protein powder and a serving of collagen powder, then added the PB. It was a super satisfying treat that kept me from going to the convenience store. Not low calorie but extremely high in protein.

  2. 5 stars
    I made this this afternoon and even though my protein has a smidge of chalk texture to it, I let it chill in the fridge for maybe an hour-ish and immediately made more! I did add a little bit of maple syrup because I have a huge sweet tooth. I’m also very tempted to put in my ice cream maker and see how it does in there. Have you thought to try it? So glad I found this recipe while I try to count macros!!

    1. So glad you loved it and now have a really simple, yummy high protein snack you enjoy. I have not tried it in the ice cream maker. I think it would turn out best using a high fat milk like coconut milk if you do decide to make it into ice cream – something like almond milk or regular milk would probably get very icy and have a lot of crystals in the end product. You could make some nice cream – blend up a frozen banana with the protein and milk to make a cold treat! Hope that helps!

  3. 5 stars
    Made this as I have been wanting something sweet and it was so satisfying, I used whey with organic nut butter and yummmm…

    1. Hey Mick! The peanut butter/nut butter helps add a creamy texture to the pudding. If you add PB2 you may need more milk/liquid as it absorbs liquid. The end product may not be as creamy with just PB2.

    1. Amy I have not tried freezing it. Because of the dairy free milk, it might get a bit icy and not have the best texture. I would use canned coconut milk (which is much higher in fat) if you want to freeze this. Hope that helps!

  4. 5 stars
    Very good recipe! I used special dark cocoa powder from Hershey’s, Muscle Milk chocolate protein powder, 1/2 cup of milk and chunky almond butter. I will definitely make it again!

    1. Typically protein powder has it’s own sweetness. But you are correct this is not overly sweet. If you want to sweeten it more, you could add maple syrup after mixing, but I’ve never had an issue with the sweetness. It’s very satisfying!

  5. 4 stars
    I somehow forgot to have my protein shake today so made this for dessert! I used vegan pea protein and left out the almond butter as I didn’t have any fat macros left. It tasted fine straight away but much better after being chilled for 20 minutes. Thanks!

  6. I love how light and fluffy this mousse is and the flavor is absolutely perfect! So delicious, Samantha!

    1. How long do you think this would store in the fridge for? Maybe 3-4 days? Thinking of prepping a few servings at a time :)

      1. Hey Jennifer! Great question – these will certainly last a few days in the fridge but there is not a lot of research on how the protein powder breaks down over time. That may be something you want to look into. I always make this fresh because of this.

  7. I love chocolate pudding. In college, I went through a butterscotch phase with coconut and chocolate chips – PURE SUGAR! Hah. I am such a huge fan of VegaOne! Trying this out soon!

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