The Secret To Making Your Own Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

Did you know you could actually make your own gluten free mix-n-serve no-cook instant chocolate pudding mix??! Well believe it because it’s really true! But there’s a simple trick to it… Don’t worry, it’s easy!

I don't like convenience foods but what about recipes calling for a box of instant pudding mix? There's a trick to making it yourself! #TexasHomesteader

(Note: Some links in this post will take you to other related articles for further information. But links preceded with * are affiliate links. If you click and buy something I could receive a tiny commission.)

Can You Make Your Own Instant Pudding Mix?

I always make Homemade Pudding from scratch these days. But what about times when you need a gluten-free dry pudding mix for a recipe?

Or what if you don’t want to heat up the kitchen to make dessert? Wouldn’t it be great if you could make your own mix-n-serve dry chocolate pudding mix? You know, like the stuff you buy in the store?

I’m telling you that YOU CAN. And it’s easier than you thought! But there’s a secret ingredient, y’all…

What Makes Instant Pudding Mix ‘Instant’?

You can’t just blend the cocoa & sugar together and get a thickened pudding. But how do you make your pudding mix-n-serve instant?

*Clear Jel Instant Corn Starch! (The instant one, y’all. Not the type that must be cooked.) It’s amazing stuff! It doesn’t rely on heat to thicken, it’s the secret ingredient in mix-n-serve instant pudding.

I make my own chocolate instant pudding mix, it's easy! #TexasHomesteader

Where to Find ClearJel Modified Corn Starch

ClearJel is just a modified corn starch. But the USDA has documented that it’s safer for use in canning than traditional corn starch.

But you can buy instant ClearJel too and it doesn’t even require heat to thicken.

I discovered it’s impossible to find in the stores around here. But I was finally able to find *Clear Jel on Amazon.

So I ordered both the regular (for canning) as well as the instant no-cook formulas.  

Instant Cornstarch Needs No Cooking

The beauty of the *Instant ClearJel formula is that it doesn’t require heat to thicken.

That’s PERFECT for making this no-cook pudding mix!

As a confirmed Chocoholic I usually make chocolate-flavored pudding mix. But I’m guessing you could make vanilla as well by leaving out the cocoa. 

Instant No-Cook Chocolate Pudding Mix Recipe

Here’s how I make my simple instant no-cook chocolate pudding mix:

Instant no-cook instant pudding mix ingredients in glass jars - ClearJel cornstarch, dry milk, cocoa, sugar #TexasHomesteader

      • 3/4 cup dry fat-free powdered milk

      • 1/2 cup sugar

      • 1/2 cup instant no-cook ClearJel corn starch

      • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

Then using a whisk I mix it all up thoroughly. I store the mix in a labeled, lidded jar in my pantry. 

Using Homemade Instant Pudding Mix For Dessert

When it’s just too hot to heat up the kitchen for dessert but RancherMan’s in the mood for something sweet, I can whip up homemade pudding in minutes using this instant pudding mix.

Each serving requires about ¼ cup of instant pudding mix, so multiply the instructions below based on the number of servings desired.

      • 1 Part Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix (about 1/4 cup per serving)

      • 1 Part Milk

        (stir until completely blended, then add)

      • 1 Part Cold Coffee (or another part milk)

      • Tiny splash of vanilla extract

So for each serving of pudding I mix up ¼ cup homemade pudding mix, ¼ cup milk, ¼ cup cold coffee (or replace with more milk) and a splash of vanilla extract.  

Homemade instant pudding mix makes pudding in only about 2 minutes by adding milk. #TexasHomesteader

I add everything together & stir until the pudding thickens – usually 2 minutes or less.

The milk is already chilled so the pudding is ready to serve!

Why Use Coffee In Chocolate Pudding?

I’ve had some readers ask: “Why the coffee“? Well, when I’m making anything chocolate I always add at least a little coffee to the wet ingredients of the recipe.

Coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor mucho.

But if you’re not a coffee drinker, can you still make this instant pudding mix? Of course! 

How Much Pudding Mix Equals A Box Of Instant Pudding?

I love having my own homemade no-cook instant pudding mix. And it only uses simple ingredients I recognize.

And a small 1/2 cup of this homemade mix replaces a typical 4 oz box of purchased instant pudding mix. No need to buy it!

And there ya go – homemade instant no-cook pudding mix!  Wow, really, does it get easier than that??  The recipe is below – enjoy!

Did you make this Instant Chocolate Pudding? Please rate the recipe in your comment below!

A simple dry instant chocolate pudding mix. #TexasHomesteader
5 from 2 votes
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Chocolate Instant No-Cook Dry Pudding Mix

There's no need to buy those little boxes of chocolate no-cook pudding mix. You can easily make your own convenient mix in minutes. Perfect for a nice cool dessert on a hot summer day. Just mix 1 part homemade pudding mix with 2 parts milk. #TexasHomesteader

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword chocolate, instant pudding, no-cook, pudding mix
Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings 16 servings
Author www.TexasHomesteader.com

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup dry milk powder
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup Instant No-Cook Clear Jel corn starch
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl & stir the until they are completely combined. Store in a cool dry place in a tightly-sealed container.
  2. To use the dry mix in baking, 1/2 cup of the mixture will replace a 4-oz. pkg of instant pudding mix.

Recipe Notes

NOTE: To use this baking pudding mix recipe as an instant pudding dessert, add 1 part pudding mix to 2 parts cold milk (can substitute 1 part milk with cold coffee if desired) Beat vigorously with a whisk until all lumps are removed and pudding is thickened, about 2 minutes.

Since it's a very basic pudding mix I like to add a couple of drops of vanilla extract for a pop of extra flavor.

This makes a very thick pudding so add a small amount of milk (or cold coffee) if a thinner consistency is desired. (Pudding thickens more upon chilling.)

~TxH~

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Tagged in Our favorite posts about homemade pudding. #TexasHomesteader  Our favorite dessert recipes and posts. #TexasHomesteader     

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* A word about our Affiliate Link – We are currently enrolled as an Amazon Affiliate. Occasionally I will insert an affiliate link into one of my posts if I think it may be of interest to you, in this case Clear Jel corn modified corn starch. 

I purchased the Clear Jel myself and receive nothing from the manufacturer but it was difficult for me to locate –  I use it a lot & thought you might too. 

When you buy something through the affiliate link it’s a great way to support this blog without anything coming out of your pocket so please click often! (you can read the legalese here…)

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16 thoughts on “The Secret To Making Your Own Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix

  1. SherryT

    5 stars
    I have no idea how long ago recipe was published, but, in Dec2023 when you google “instant pudding recipe” (prefaced by “DIY, “homemade”…anything that should indicate one wishes to make an INSTANT pudding mix rather than a COOKED pudding mix), the first thing you read in the instructions is “in a small pan over medium heat”…sigh.

    Anyway, I could find only a couple that are ACTUALLY instant…this one (yours) is my go to, so THANK YOU not only for the recipe itself, but also that the recipe is true to its title.

    I’ll hush now, 🙂

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      Well then I’m glad you find this recipe, Sherry. I find having this instant pudding mix in the pantry helps when I have a quick need for dessert (RancherMan’s got a sweet tooth!) It’s a pretty basic pudding recipe so I like to add a splash of vanilla extract and also a splash of coffee which I add to almost all my chocolate recipes because I feel it intensifies the chocolate flavor. Enjoy! ~TxH~

      Reply
  2. Sharon

    Hi,
    I’d love to try this as a ‘white chocolate’ instructing mix. What would you suggest I use to replace the cocoa with to make it white chocolat3?

    Reply
    1. Texas Homesteader Post author

      I always go for chocolate cocoa powder, so I can’t offer any experience on that. But I see there’s ‘white chocolate powder’ available on amazon. Perhaps substitute that? If you give it a go we’d love to know how you like it! ~TxH~

      Reply
  3. Thelma Briggs

    5 stars
    I love having my own homemade instant chocolate pudding mix for convenience. When it’s hot you hate to turn on the stove. No need with instant pudding! I found trying to use my stand mixer and whisk attachment made the pudding too fluffy if it’s turned up too high. So I use a stick blender to make the pudding smooth without making it too light & fluffy. Works great!

    Reply
  4. Texas Homesteader

    I estimate a single serving to be 1/4 cup for each part. (Multiply for the number of servings you want.) So for a single serving you’ll use one part mix (1/4 cup) plus 1 part milk (1/4 cup) plus one part cold coffee (1/4 cup – or substitute coffee with another part of milk instead if you don’t want dark chocolate flavor). Enjoy! ~TxH~

    Reply
    1. Norma

      Thanks for ur reply I forgot about the coffee but thought that was what u meant

      Reply
  5. Norma

    How much is a part of milk? Is it the same 1/4 cup as the pudding mix?Thanks

    Reply
  6. Keri

    Thanks for sharing how to make homemade pudding mix!! This recipe sounds great!!

    Reply
  7. Leigh

    This is great! There are so many pudding-based things that I like to make for summer, so this recipe is wonderful! Pinned and happy-danced over!
    Blessings, Leigh

    Reply
  8. Bonnie V

    I love this idea. I use pudding mix to doctor my boxed cake mix, but I’d like to get away from using boxed mixed altogether. I’ll have to do some experimenting, incorporating these ingredients into cake ingredients and see how it turns out. 🙂

    Reply
  9. Melissa French, The More With Less Mom

    This is neat, I’ve cooked “real” pudding but I haven’t tried diy-ing the mix. Sometimes it’s just too hot to turn on that stove. Thanks for posting. Hello from Homemade Mondays.

    Reply
  10. Kathi

    I never thought of making my own pudding mix, what a great idea. I love making things that I used to “have to” buy. Thank you for posting at the HomeAcre Hop; hope we’ll see you again this Thursday.

    Reply
  11. Jennifer

    I will try this recipe this week! My youngest daughter loves chocolate pudding…but I truly cringe when I look at the package. I don’t think using dutch process (lower acide) cocoa powder will negatively effect the recipe, so will be using my favorite cocoa powder in place of the Hershey’s.

    Reply
  12. Leah

    It is amazing how many things you can make at home instead of buy at the store. I would have never thought to try this. Thanks for the recipe and I pinned it for later. Thanks for sharing at the Friday Follow Along.

    Reply

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