Two-Minute Microwave Chocolate Pudding in a Jar

Sneak Preview: Make this easy microwave chocolate pudding in just two minutes! I love storing it in jars, but pretty bowls work, too. Check out fun variations like pudding parfaits with yogurt or microwave vanilla pudding!

Microwave Chocolate Pudding in a Jar ready for eating.Pin

Microwaves are a miracle in my book! They’re perfect for making silky-smooth sauces, gravy, puddings, or pie fillings—especially when you need smaller amounts.

No double boilers, tempering eggs, or endless stirring. Just mix chocolate milk, egg yolk, and cornstarch, microwave for two minutes until thick, then whisk in butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Done!

Have Fun Playing with This Microwave Recipe

  1. Two minutes to cook + an hour to chill
  2. Many variations suggested
  3. No unusual ingredients

Recipe Inspiration

I’ve been making pudding in the microwave ever since I did microwave cooking schools for appliance stores back in the 80’s. You can see similar recipes as part of my popular recipes for Mini Fruit Tarts, Banana Pudding, and this Microwave Chocolate Cream Pie. However, I got the idea to make individual servings from a Cook’s Country recipe published in October 2020.

Ingredients and Substitutions

All of the ingredients needed for this recipe include vanilla extract, salt, corn starch, chocolate sandwich cookies, eggs, chocolate chips, butter, and chocolate milk.Pin
  • CHOCOLATE MILK:
    • First choice: Fairlife for taste and more protein
    • Substitute: Milk + 1 tbsp cocoa + 1 tbsp sugar
  • CORNSTARCH:
    • Produces a silkier texture than flour
  • EGG YOLK:
  • SALT:
    • Table salt, sea salt, or Kosher
  • BUTTER:
    • Salted or unsalted
    • Firms pudding, adds smoothness and flavor
  • CHOCOLATE CHIPS:
    • semi-sweet or your favorite
  • VANILLA EXTRACT:
    • Vanilla or almond extract for added flavor
  • COOKIE CRUMBS:
    • Crumbs are optional but fun.
    • Oreos, shortbread, cake crumbs, or leftover cookies.
      • 📌Kitchen Tip📌 Chop leftover cookies and store in a sealed bag for easy use on yogurt, ice cream, or chocolate pudding parfaits. Crumbs are far less tempting than a single cookie sitting in the pantry!
  • WHIPPED CREAM:
    • Redi-Whip, Cool Whip, real whipped cream, or skip it and save the calories

Variations

I. How To Make a Yogurt Parfait with Chocolate Pudding

Since I always have homemade Greek yogurt on hand, combining it with pudding is one of my favorite treats, especially topped with leftover cookie crumbs. With just my husband and me , we appreciate small treats that don’t hang around all week!

filling each jar with crumbs and Greek yogurtPin
Start with sprinkling a few cookie crumbs into the bottom of an 8-ounce Mason jar. Cover it with Greek yogurt.
jars filled with crumb, yogurt and chocolate pudding.Pin
Add a small layer of chocolate pudding. Top with whipped cream, if desired, then sprinkle with a few more cookie crumbs.

II. How To Make Microwave Vanilla Pudding

Microwave Vanilla Pudding with Golden Oreos used for the crumbs.Pin
I used Golden Oreos for the crumbs with this scrumptious microwave vanilla pudding in a jar.

Ingredients

  • Milk: Use ¾ cup of white milk instead of chocolate milk.
  • Sugar: Add 1-2 tablespoons of granulated sugar.
  • Cornstarch: Increase to 1 tablespoon total.
  • Chocolate Chips: Omit from the recipe.

More Variations

  • Butterscotch Pudding: Add browned butter and ¼ cup butterscotch chips to vanilla pudding after cooking.
  • Chocolate Mint Pudding: Swap chocolate chips for chocolate peppermint candies in chocolate pudding.
  • Peanut Butter Pudding: Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter chips to vanilla or chocolate pudding after cooking.

Can I make this pudding on the stove?

Possibly, but it’s easier to use a stovetop-specific recipe. It will take longer and require more stirring.


How To Make Two-Minute Microwave Chocolate Pudding

Adding milk, egg yolk, cornstarch and salt to a microwave safe bowl.Pin
Add the milk, egg yolk, cornstarch, and salt to a microwave-safe bowl no smaller than 4 cups or one quart. (The pudding will overflow a smaller bowl–trust me, you don’t want that mess.)
using an immersion blender to blend ingredients.Pin
Use your blending tool of choice. I like an immersion blender. Other choices include a food processor, a personal blender, or a whisk.

Ensure the mixture is smooth before microwaving to avoid lumps, which will solidify when cooked. While a whisk may leave small lumps, an immersion blender yields better results in my experience.

📌Kitchen Secret📌 If your finished pudding has lumps, you can always push it through a cheap strainer.

Whisking pudding while microwaving.Pin
Microwave uncovered on HIGH for two minutes. Whisk well when you remove it from the oven.
What the pudding should look like as it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.Pin
The pudding should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If your oven is old or small, you may need to cook a little longer.
Adding butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla extract to cooked pudding.Pin
Immediately add the butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla extract. Whisk well.
What the pudding should look like when before chilling.Pin
Cover the thick pudding with plastic wrap. I press it down against the pudding to keep it from forming a skin while chilling. It usually takes about an hour to cool.

How To Assemble this Recipe in a Jar

Filling cups with chocolate cookie crumbs.Pin
Place a spoonful of crumbs into a small dish or jar. These are 4-oz. Mason jars.
filling jars with chocolate pudding on top of the crumbs.Pin
Scoop a fourth of the pudding into each bowl or jar on top of the crumbs.
Topping off the pudding with whipping cream and more cookie crumbs.Pin
Cover with whipped cream topping and more cookie crumbs when you are ready to serve.

Parting thoughts: Have you ever done any real cooking in a microwave? If not, I hope you’ll give this recipe a chance. Since it’s small, feel free to double or triple it if you need more than two people can eat in a couple of days.

Recipe Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.

Yield: 4 small servings (1/4 cup)

2-Minute Microwave Chocolate Pudding in a Jar

Make this two-minute chocolate pudding in the microwave with chocolate milk. Directions are also included for making a Chocolate Pudding and Yogurt Parfait with this recipe. (See the recipe notes for making chocolate pudding without chocolate milk and also, microwave vanilla pudding.)
5 from 4 votes
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Video

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 2 minutes
Chill before eating: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 7 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • ¾ cup (170 g) chocolate milk (I like Fairlife and calculated the nutrition numbers with that brand.)
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • pinch table or sea salt
  • teaspoon butter
  • ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 crumbled Oreo cookies

Instructions

Microwave Chocolate Pudding

  • Use an immersion blender, a mini blender, a food processor, or a whisk to combine ¾ cup (170 g) chocolate milk, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 large egg yolk, and a pinch table or sea salt. Pour into a microwave-safe Pyrex glass bowl or measuring cup no smaller than 1 qt. size to prevent boilovers.
  • Microwave on HIGH for two minutes or however long it takes for the milk mixture to become thick enough to heavily coat the back of a spoon. Whisk well.
  • Remove from the microwave and add 1½ teaspoon butter, ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (broken into pieces), and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk well. Cover and refrigerate for an hour. (I like to cover the cooked pudding with a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper sprayed with vegetable oil and push it up against the top surface of the topping to prevent skin from forming.)

Assembling Chocolate Pudding in a Jar

  • Place a spoonful of 4 crumbled Oreo cookies in the bottom of a 4-ounce Mason jar or a small bowl. Spoon a layer of chilled chocolate pudding into the jar. Cover with whipped cream and/or more cookie crumbs. Cover and refrigerate. Serve cold. If not serving in the next couple of hours, wait to add the whipped cream until immediately before serving.

Assembling a Yogurt and Pudding Parfait in a Jar

  • Place a spoonful of cookie crumbs into the bottom of a small jar or ball. (I like the individual serving Mason jars that hold about 8 ounces.) Spoon ¼ cup of unflavored Greek yogurt on top of the crumbs. Then, add about ¼ cup of chilled chocolate pudding over the top of the Greek yogurt.
  • Garnish with whipped cream and more cookie crumbs, if desired. Cover and refrigerate. Serve cold.

Notes

*The nutritional information is based on Fairlife chocolate milk and is only for the pudding. The numbers do not include whipped cream or cookie crumbs.
 
Microwave Chocolate Pudding with White Milk
To 3/4 cup of white milk, add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder (I prefer the Dutch-processed cocoa powder.) and 1-2 tablespoons of granulated white sugar, depending on your sweet tooth.
Directions for Microwave Vanilla Pudding
    1. Use ¾ cup of white milk instead of chocolate.
    2. Add 1-2 tablespoons of granulated sugar.
    3. Increase to 1 tablespoon total.
    4. Omit the chocolate chips.
Storage: Some people freeze pudding and say it’s good. For best results, eat it partially frozen, like a pudding pop, before the texture changes as it thaws. Even better, make a small batch like this recipe and enjoy it fresh within three days for the best texture and flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 46mg | Potassium: 149mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 220IU | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 1mg

All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com

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5 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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2 Comments

  1. I cannot consume cornstarch. Replacement??

    1. I’ve used flour. Same amount. I haven’t experimented with arrowroot, but it’s worth a try.