This dreamy creamy Chocolate Rice Pudding is dairy-free and refined sugar-free! Loaded with chocolate flavor and silky smooth texture, it is the ultimate treat for rice pudding lovers!
My husband and I are both obsessed with rice pudding and chocolate, so it was a very natural progression to combine forces.
This simple chocolate rice pudding recipe couldn’t be any easier to prepare! It requires very little prep, time, or technique, yet it results in a rich and delicious dessert. Ideal for satisfying the sweet tooth!
It’s as though chocolate silk pie decided it wanted to be pudding and was magically granted the wish. It is over-the-top creamy with just the right level of sweetness and so much chocolate flavor, your taste buds will swoon.
While I personally eat desserts like this on a nearly daily basis, I also love the idea of saving it for a special occasion like Valentine’s Day or the holiday season. It really is that decadent! Plus, it’s ready in under 40 minutes.
If you’re looking for a classic rice pudding recipe (without chocolate), make my Instant Pot Rice Pudding!
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for chocolate rice pudding.
Chocolate Rice Pudding Ingredients:
Short Grain White Rice: Such as sushi rice or arborio rice. Short grain rice is typically extra starchy, which helps generate an extra soft and saucy pudding. Long-grain white rice won’t result in the same puffy texture, so I recommend sticking with short grain for the best results.
Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk: Taking the place of milk or cream, I love using full-fat canned coconut milk. It adds richness, silky smooth creamy texture, and makes the pudding taste so luxurious.
Oat Milk (or milk of choice): We need extra liquid for a saucy rice pudding, so I use another form of non-dairy milk that is lower in fat than coconut milk, such as oat milk or cashew milk. You can also go with light coconut milk here.
Pure Maple Syrup: The sweetener here. I like using pure maple syrup instead of regular sugar because it is less refined.
Cocoa Powder: The majority of the chocolate flavor is on behalf of unsweetened cocoa powder. I like using raw cacao powder, but any kind of cocoa powder works.
Chocolate Bar: Pick your favorite chocolate bar, chop it up, and add it in! I like using an 82% dark chocolate bar so that it contributes extra chocolate flavor without a lot of added sweetness, as the pudding is sweet enough as it is.
Cinnamon Stick (optional): Adding a cinnamon stick infuses the rice pudding with a subtle warm cinnamon flavor. You can leave it out or swap it out for ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla extract adds warm flavor to the chocolate pudding.
Sea Salt: A little salt enhances all of the flavors to maximize the deliciousness.
Recipe Customizations:
- If you can do dairy, you can replace the canned full-fat coconut milk with one 14-ounce can condensed milk (make sure it is not sweetened). At the end of cooking, use regular whole milk instead of oat milk to make the pudding saucier to your personal taste.
- Skip the chocolate bar for lower sugar and lower fat if you aren’t looking for an incredibly rich dessert.
- Be sure to use a dairy-free vegan chocolate bar or vegan chocolate chips to keep the recipe vegan if need be.
Now that we’ve covered the ingredient notes, let’s make it!
How to Make Chocolate Rice Pudding:
Soak the rice for 30 minutes (or several hours) before beginning this recipe. Drain the rice and give it a good rinse through a fine mesh sieve.
Transfer the water, full can of coconut milk, and the cocoa powder to a medium saucepan and heat over high heat. Whisk the ingredients together until well combined and all the lumps of cocoa powder have dissolved.
Add the rice and stir well. Cover the pot and bring it to a full boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low and continue cooking at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
Remove the rice pudding from the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate bar, vanilla extract, sea salt, and extra milk.
Stir well to combine. Cover the pot and allow the rice to sit for an additional 10 minutes.
From here, you can either serve the rice pudding warm, or serve it chilled. Rice pudding is customarily served cold, but I love it warm, too.
Storage Options:
- Refrigerator: Store leftover rice pudding in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: For longer storage, freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe container or in a zip lock bag for up to 2 months.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Any kind of non-dairy milk works. Do note that a milk that is lower in fat won’t yield the same rich tasting results, but it will still taste great.
Yes! I recommend replacing the full-fat coconut milk with light coconut milk for a lighter fat option. I don’t like going fat-free because we’re making a decadent dessert here and we want it to be silky and luxurious.
Yes! Follow the instructions above in the recipe customizations section to get the directions for regular milk.
Listen, my husband makes rice pudding with brown rice, so if he does you can too. I will say, I don’t love the texture of a brown rice pudding, but it certainly can be done.
If you go with brown rice, you will need to cook the rice longer, typically about 35 to 40 minutes.
The next time you’re craving something extra luscious, whip up this easy recipe! If you love homemade pudding recipes, also make my Chia Seed Pudding and my Coconut Tapioca Pudding!
Chocolate Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 cups short-grain white rice arborio, sushi rice, etc, soaked
- 2 ½ cups water
- 1 (15-oz) can full-fat coconut milk *
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cinnamon stick optional
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 (2.8-oz.) bar chocolate chopped (1/2 cup) **
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ½ to 1 cup milk of choice ***
Instructions
- Soak the rice for 30 minutes (or several hours) before beginning this recipe. Drain the rice and give it a good rinse through a fine mesh sieve.
- Transfer the water, full can of coconut milk, and the cocoa powder to a medium saucepan and heat over high heat. Whisk the ingredients together until well combined and all the lumps of cocoa powder have dissolved. Add the rice and stir well. Cover the pot and bring it to a full boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low and continue cooking at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
- Remove the rice pudding from the heat and stir in the chopped chocolate bar, vanilla extract, sea salt, and extra milk. Stir well to combine. Cover the pot and allow the rice to sit for an additional 10 minutes.
- From here, you can either serve the rice pudding warm, or serve it chilled. Rice pudding is customarily served cold, but I love it warm, too.
Dispense with all the superfluous bullshit to get to the recipe. One has to scroll, scroll, scroll though all kinds of superfluous nonsense to get to the recipe! Yikes!
To Jay,
All recipes everywhere now have superfluous stories, but that’s not what you should be reviewing. What about the recipe? Did you make it and try it. That’s what I want to hear about.
Same, girl 🙂 I appreciate your input.
That superfluous bullshit includes information you need to know in order for the recipe to turn out as great as possible. Also, there is a ‘Jump To Recipe’ Button at the very top of the page. Click it and all of the scrolling will be done for you.