Chocolate and Vanilla Pudding Cups are a homemade treat equally loved by kids and grown ups thanks to real vanilla bean and rich dark chocolate!
Like peanut butter and jelly, gin and tonic, or steak and frites, some things just go better together. Chocolate and vanilla pudding cups make so much sense ~ why would you choose when you can nestle both into these cute little jars? And while they start out as two distinct layers, the delicious intermingling starts at the first spoonful. Fun for kids and pudding sophisticates alike.
so many of you are pudding lovers ❤️
- Old Fashioned Butterscotch Pudding is a fan favorite.
- Perfect Chocolate Pudding
- Homemade Coffee Pudding
- Instant Pot Rice Pudding
- Meyer Lemon Pudding (super easy recipe!)
chocolate and vanilla pudding ingredient notes
What might seem like a kids dessert takes a gourmet turn when you use vanilla bean paste, top quality bittersweet chocolate, and heavy cream to enrich the whole milk.
vanilla bean paste ~ it’s a thick, syrupy mixture that combines concentrated vanilla extract with real vanilla bean seeds, offering both the rich flavor of vanilla and the visual appeal of the tiny black specks in your vanilla pudding layer. It’s an easy and cheaper alternative to using whole vanilla beans. Vanilla bean paste came on the scene in the 1990s, and has been a game changer for vanilla lovers ever since.
chocolate ~ I use bittersweet chocolate for a nice depth of flavor and contrast between the two layers of this pudding. I think this helps offset the sweetness without being too bitter, but if you’re looking for an extra sweet treat or a kid-friendly version, you can certainly substitute semi-sweet chocolate. I prefer chopped bar chocolate to chocolate chips because I find it melts more easily into the pudding mixture.
heavy cream & milk ~ a mixture of heavy cream and milk makes your chocolate and vanilla pudding luxurious. You can make this pudding with all whole milk if you prefer, but just know that it will be less rich and creamy.
chocolate and vanilla pudding faqs
what can I use in place of the vanilla bean paste?
- You can definitely replace the vanilla bean paste with vanilla extract – use 1 tsp for this recipe. If you have a vanilla bean that you’d like to use (which would be amazing, too!), I would use the scraped out seeds of 1/2 vanilla pod for this recipe.
can I swirl the chocolate and vanilla in these pudding cups?
- Yes, I’d add each flavor to the cups in dollops, and then take a butter knife to gently swirl them together before chilling. Be sure to serve in glass cups so folks can see the swirls!
do I have to chill my chocolate and vanilla pudding before eating?
- No, I love warm pudding, it will just be a little looser in texture than chilled pudding. But many prefer the firmer texture of chilled pudding.
Chocolate and Vanilla Pudding Cups
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 cups whole milk, plus 1 Tbsp, divded.
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Prepare two mixing bowls ~ in one mixing bowl add the butter and vanilla bean paste. In the second mixing bowl, add the chopped chocolate and 1 Tbsp whole milk. If you have two fine mesh strainers, set one strainer over each bowl, if you have one, just set it over one of the bowls. Set both bowls aside.
- In a medium saucepan, add the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk briefly to combine.
- Add the egg yolks and a small splash of the whole millk, and whisk everything together well until it's very smooth. Slowly add the rest of the milk and heavy cream, whisking as you go to keep the mixture smooth.
- Set the milk mixture over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until it is thickened and just starting to bubble. I like to switch between using a whisk and a silicone spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan as it cooks and keep the mixture smooth. You'll want to remove it from the heat right after you see the first few real bubbles rise to the surface, it will be noticeably thick.
- Pour half the pudding mixture through your fine mesh strainer into the bowl with the vanilla bean paste and butter, and pour the other half through a strainer (you can use the same one) into the bowl with the chocolate and milk. (Don't worry about dividing the mixture exactly in half, but if you can, err on the side of adding slightly less to the bowl with the chocolate, since the chopped chocolate will add a bit more volume.)
- Mix both the vanilla and the chocolate puddings well to incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Make your pudding cups by pouring or spooning a little chocolate pudding and then a little vanilla pudding into each of your cups.
- Set in the fridge to chill for a few hours, up to overnight. (Note: you may also serve this pudding warm if you'd like. It's very good this way, but will be a little less thick.)
Could you please provide a link or tell us where to get your cute glass jars
You can find them here.