by Texas Homesteader ~
Did you know you could actually make your own 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!
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Easy Homemade Desserts
I always make Homemade Pudding from scratch these days. But what about times when you need a dry pudding mix for a recipe?
Well I’ve been on this road to voluntary simplicity for a few years now. So for fun I always challenge myself to make those things homemade that I used to just assume had to be purchased commercially at the grocery store.
Last week I showed you the secret to making homemade fat-free ice cream using only frozen bananas, fat-free milk, vanilla extract and no-cook pudding mix.
I had everything I needed to make it except the instant pudding mix. But I didn’t want to buy a box of no-cook pudding mix, oh no!
I wanted to make it myself. It’s so easy, but there’s a secret ingredient, y’all…
*Clear Jel Instant Corn Starch! (The instant one, y’all. Not the type that must be cooked.) It’s amazing stuff!
Where to Find ClearJel Corn Starch
Last year I went on a search for Clear Jel for a Homemade Apple Pie Filling recipe that I was pressure-canning.
ClearJel is just a modified corn starch. But the USDA has documented that it’s safer for use in canning than traditional corn starch.
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
Here’s how I make my simple instant no-cook chocolate pudding mix:
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3/4 cup dry fat-free powdered milk
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1/2 cup sugar
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1/2 cup of the instant Clear Jel corn starch
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1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa
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Then using a whisk I mix it all up thoroughly. I store the homemade chocolate pudding mix in alabeled, lidded jar in my pantry.
Using Instant Mix For Pudding Dessert
When I want to use my instant pudding mix to make an actual chocolate pudding dessert, here’s what I do…
I make instant pudding dessert like this:
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1 Part Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix (about 1/4 cup per serving)
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1 Part Milk
(stir until completely blended, then add)
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1 Part Cold Coffee (or another part milk)
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Tiny splash of vanilla extract
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I start with the instant pudding mix and the milk and start stirring before adding any more liquid. That’s because the thicker consistency helps to break up any tiny clumps of my dry mix.
Then I add the 1 part of cold coffee and a tiny splash of vanilla extract, stirring until the pudding thickens – usually 2 minutes or less.
The milk is already chilled so the pudding is ready to serve in just 2 minutes!
Why Use Coffee In Chocolate Pudding?
Now 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.
I have a small container in my freezer that holds leftover coffee that I’ve frozen. If I hadn’t planned ahead but am making something chocolate and need coffee, I can thaw it out and use it.
But What If I Don’t Drink Coffee?
Well RancherMan & I are avid coffee drinkers. So we aaaaaalways have coffee available.
But if you’re not a coffee drinker, can you still make this instant pudding mix? Of course!
Just substitute the 1 part coffee with another part of milk instead. Done & DONE!
Easy Substitute For A Box Of Instant Pudding Mix
I love having my own homemade no-cook 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 pudding? Please rate the recipe in your comment below!
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
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
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Combine all ingredients in a bowl & stir the until they are completely combined. Store in a cool dry place in a tightly-sealed container.
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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~
Other Easy Desserts
- Depression-Era CRAZY CAKE – No Butter, Eggs or Milk
- Homemade Peach Cobbler
- Easy Instant Pot Cheesecake
- Apple Crumble QUICK With Pie Filling
- Chunky Apple Cinnamon Muffins Or Bread Loaf
- Fast Dessert: Spiced Rum Fried Apples
- Pumpkin Bread (with Cake-Mix Shortcut)
- Healthier Banana Bread Recipe
- Rich, Chocolaty Homemade Brownies
- Healthier Sweet Potato Chocolate Brownies
- Homemade Chocolate Pudding Recipe
- Banana Pudding – A Hug From The South
- Cherry-Pie Tortilla Rolls
- Cantaloupe Bread w/Pecan Praline Glaze
- Easy Blueberry Muffins
- Strawberry Shortcake Dessert
- Fresh Pear Cake
- Easy Homemade Peach Ice Cream
- Healthier ‘Ice Cream’ Using Bananas & Fruit
- Easy Cookies-n-Cream Ice Cream Cake
- Cake-Mix Cookies – Only 3 Ingredients!
- 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
- Double Chocolate Banana Chunk Cookies
- Triple Chocolate Truffles
- No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie
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Dessert Toppings
- No-Cook Chocolate Frosting
- Stir-n-Pour Drizzle Chocolate
- Quick Homemade Whipped Cream
- Easy Honey Glaze
- Homemade Whipped Cream (Sweetened With Honey)
- Cherry Pie Filling From Frozen Cherries
- Peach Pie Filling From Canned Peaches
See All Recipe Posts
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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 hard for me to locate – I use it a lot & thought you might too. If you click on any of my affiliate links and buy something (almost anything, not just what was linked) I get a small referral percentage from Amazon. But here’s the really important part – the price you pay for your items is UNCHANGED. How much extra do you pay for your ordered items? Nothing. Zilch. Nada. It costs nothing extra!
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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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?
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~
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!
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~
Thanks for ur reply I forgot about the coffee but thought that was what u meant
How much is a part of milk? Is it the same 1/4 cup as the pudding mix?Thanks
Thanks for sharing how to make homemade pudding mix!! This recipe sounds great!!
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
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. 🙂
I will have to look for the clear jel stuff. Sounds interesting.
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.
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.
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.
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.