A perfect chocolate and caramel no-bake dessert doesn’t exist…. Nope, I won’t let you finish that sentence. That’s because I have got the most delicious no-bake chocolate and caramel pudding for all chocolate fanatics out there. It’s so smooth and silky you would want to eat it again and again. 

I’m an ardent fan of chocolate. That’s why I try to make as many chocolate recipes as I can. One of the chocolate desserts I adore is chocolate pudding. It’s creamy, smooth and so chocolatey. 

A pudding can either be baked or cold set. While many baked recipes would call for eggs, and the cold set ones would require gelatin. This means neither of the two can be enjoyed by vegetarians. Well, when you have me, you don’t have to look anywhere else. 

My chocolate and caramel pudding is a no-bake pudding without using gelatin. Yes, I have used agar agar as the setting agent, which sometimes works even better than gelatin. And there’s another great twist in the pudding; it’s not just a simple chocolate pudding, but a caramel-flavored chocolate pudding. I can’t wait to make one and dig into it. And you shouldn’t either!! 

Chocolate Caramel Pudding Recipe Video Tutorial

Why You’ll Love This Recipe? 

• Texture: Trust me when I say you wouldn’t have tasted any no-bake dessert like that. The texture is so smooth, creamy, and a great cross between pudding and jelly. It’s neither too firm as jelly nor too loose as a pudding. Sometimes, cold-set desserts can taste rubbery, but definitely not this one. 
• Flavor: For that intense chocolate flavor, natural cocoa powder and dark couverture chocolate are added to the recipe. The combination of the two really brings the best chocolate flavor. The addition of caramel sauce is all the more amazing. Chocolate and caramel really pair well, and together, they taste delicious. 
• Quick: No-bake desserts can sometimes require long freezing hours. But this recipe only calls for one hour of refrigeration. Within 2 hours, you will be able to prepare the batter and set it. So you don’t have to wait overnight to enjoy this one. 

Important Ingredients Used In The Recipe

• Heavy Cream: What’s a pudding without heavy cream? The silky and creamy texture comes from a high-fat cream in the pudding. I would recommend to use cream with 30-35% fat for best results.
• Milk: Full-fat milk has been used in the recipe. The extra creaminess in the milk helps to make the pudding more creamy. You can use toned or skimmed milk if you want. 
• Agar agar: Agar agar is a vegetarian substitute for gelatin, which is used for setting desserts. It is so strong that it can sometimes set the dessert at room temperature also. It comes in various forms, but we have to use the powder form in the recipe. 
• Dark Couverture Chocolate: Couverture chocolate provides the best chocolate flavor as it contains cocoa butter. I always prefer using it over compound chocolates. I have used 46.5% dark chocolate, which I find neither too dark nor too sweet. 
• Natural Cocoa Powder: Adding cocoa powder also brings a nice chocolate flavor to the pudding. It also helps thicken the pudding as it absorbs moisture and cooks to become thick. 
• Caramel Sauce: Homemade caramel sauce is the best option to use for the recipe. You can make the caramel sauce using the Caramel Frosting recipe. If you do not have time, then you can use a readymade sauce available in the market. 
• Sugar: I have used castor sugar in the recipe. Do not replace it with icing sugar, as the latter has cornflour added to it, which will affect the texture of the pudding. 
• Vanilla Essence: A splash of vanilla essence helps balance the flavors of chocolate and caramel in the pudding. 

How To Make No-bake Chocolate Caramel Pudding?

Method For Pudding

Preparation: Collect and weigh all ingredients required to make the pudding. Prepare a loaf tin of size 8×3.5 inches. 

Mix sugar and agar agar: In a small bowl, mix sugar and agar agar. Give it a good stir. 

Heat milk and Cream: Take milk and heavy cream in a heavy-bottom saucepan. Put this on heat and bring it to a boil. 

Add Remaining Ingredients: Add the rest of the ingredients, i.e., natural cocoa powder, sugar, and agar agar mixture, chopped dark chocolate, vanilla essence, and salt. Stir everything well and bring this to a boil. 

Transfer To Set: Once the mixture boils, transfer it to the loaf tin. Let it cool down at room temperature. 

Refrigerate: After cooling down the pudding, put it in the refrigerator to set for an hour. 

Method For Garnish

Spread chocolate on butter paper: Melt dark compound chocolate and spread it on butter paper using a palette knife. Let it semi-set at room temperature. 

Refrigerate: On the chocolate semi-sets, roll the butter paper and keep it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. After freezing, remove the sheet from the fridge and open the butter paper to release chocolate barks. 

Method for Assembly

Demould and Garnish: After freezing the pudding, carefully demould it from the load tin. Garnish it with chocolate barks and dust some natural cocoa powder on top. 

Chef’s Tips For The Recipe

Mix Well

The pudding must be very smooth and lump-free. This will happen only when you mix and combine all ingredients well using a whisk. 

Demould Carefully

Once the pudding is set, you must demould it carefully. First, heat the edges using a heat gun or hair dryer. Release the edges from all sides using a knife. 

How To Store No-bake chocolate caramel pudding 

You can store the pudding in an airtight box in the refrigerator and consume it within three days.

More Easy Recipes

I have many such no-bake dessert recipes on the blog. They are simply irresistible. 

Oreo Dirt Cake

No-Bake Chocolate Biscuit Cake

No-Bake Blueberry Cold-Set Cheesecake

Cookie And Cream Fudge

Frequently Asked Questions 

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