Dairy Free Chocolate Pudding

Recently, I was chagrined to discover that I need to go on a dairy-free diet. This is somewhat disastrous, as this means I can no longer have any kinds of desserts with dairy products in them. However, with the help of the Interwebs, I've discovered there are plenty of tasty desserts I can make that do not feature dairy products. 

This is a very simple recipe for a from-scratch chocolate pudding that can be made using items you most likely have on hand (except maybe the milk). A variety of milks can be used in this recipe, including soy, almond and rice milks. It doesn't yield very much, but the recipe can easily be doubled. Give it a try and see how it compares to a traditional box mix pudding, or what you find in the prepackaged cups at the grocery store.

Dairy Free Chocolate Pudding

3 tbsp. cornstarch

2 tbsp. water
1½ cups soy milk (or almond/rice milks)
¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

Dissolve the cornstarch in the water, making sure the mixture is absolutely free of lumps and is completely smooth. The cornstarch mixture must be free of clumps before adding to the rest of the ingredients.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, stir together the soy milk, vanilla, sugar, the sifted cocoa powder and the cornstarch mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat. The pudding will continue to thicken as it cools. Allow to cool 5 minutes, then press a sheet of plastic wrap down on top of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator until completely cool.

Serves 2