Name: Vegan Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 180 g (1 cup) light brown soft sugar; 45 g (½ cup) cocoa powder; 325 ml (1 + ⅓ cups) boiling water; 170 g (1 + ⅓ cups + 1 Tablespoon) plain (all-purpose) flour; 30 g (⅓ cup) cocoa powder; 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder ((optional)); 80 g (¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar; pinch salt; 160 ml (⅔ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy); 60 g (¼ cup) vegan butter (melted); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Vegan self-saucing chocolate pudding - This vegan version of the classic dessert is quick and easy to make.

It is baked in one dish and magically forms a moist chocolate sponge with a rich, gooey chocolate sauce underneath. This pudding is sure to be a real crowd pleaser!

Vegan self-saucing chocolate pudding in a baking dish topped with ice cream.

This vegan self-saucing chocolate pudding is a great year-round dessert, but it's especially good when the weather is cold.

It is a fantastic cozy, comforting treat, with soft, moist chocolate sponge cake, and a rich, glossy chocolate sauce.

It is so easy to make it is just as good for a last-minute weeknight treat as it is for impressing at a dinner party!

What Is Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding?:

A self-saucing pudding is a classic recipe that is popular especially in the UK and Australia.

It is made by sprinkling sugar and cocoa powder over the top of a sponge batter, then pouring boiling water on top.

As it bakes, the sponge rises to the top and the hot water and sugar form a silky chocolate sauce that sits under the cake.

It is a great one-dish dessert that is quick and simple to make

What Do I Need To Make Vegan Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding?:

This easy chocolate pudding is made using pantry staples so it can be made at any time, perfect as a last-minute dessert option! You will need:

Plain flour: Just plain (all-purpose) flour. I haven't tried making it gluten-free but I suspect that it would work with a plain gluten-free flour blend plus ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum if your blend does't already contain it.

Sugar: You ideally need to use light brown soft sugar in the sauce portion of this recipe to get the right texture and flavour. For the cake portion I use caster sugar but granulated or light brown soft are fine too.

Cocoa powder: Dutch process cocoa powder is best (that's just regular cocoa powder to those of you in the UK!), but natural cocoa powder or cacao will work if that is all you have.

Vegan butter: I use a melted block butter (Naturli vegan block and Flora plant butter are my favourites!). Tub will work if that is all you have, but don't use a low-fat variety.

Milk: Any kind of unsweetened non-dairy milk will work (except tinned coconut). I like soy milk best for baking.

Baking powder: Do not use baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) instead. They are not the same thing and work very differently.

Vanilla extract: Optional but I always like to add some.

Espresso powder: I like to add a bit of instant espresso powder to the batter to enhance the chocolate flavour, it doesn't make it taste like coffee, just deepens the flavour. You can happily leave it out.

Boiling water: It is important that the water you pour over the pudding is very hot so that the sugar and cocoa powder dissolve rapidly to create the sauce. You can use hot coffee instead of water if you prefer.

A slice of self-saucing chocolate pudding in a bowl with a scoop of ice cream.

How To Make Vegan Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Mix together the light brown soft sugar and the cocoa powder for the sauce, set aside.

step 1, the sugar and cocoa powder for the sauce.

To make the sponge batter, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and espresso powder. Stir in the caster sugar and a pinch of salt.

Whisk together the milk, melted butter and vanilla.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to form a smooth, thick batter.

Scrape the batter into a greased 20 x 24 cm baking dish and spread it level.

Sprinkle the sugar cocoa powder mixture evenly over the top.

Step 6, the batter topped with the sugar and cocoa powder.

Gently drizzle the boiling water over the back of a spoon over the top of the pudding. Do not stir it in.

Sstep 7, the pudding with the boiling water poured over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes until the cake is set and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake section only comes out clean.

Top Tips:

All of my recipes are developed using grams, and as with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

You will need an approximately 20 x 24 cm baking dish.

When pouring the boiling water over the pudding, make sure that you gently dribble it over the back of a spoon. This will ensure that it doesn't just mix with the batter mixture.

Because the sauce contains a fair bit of sugar, I don't add much to the sponge itself. If you prefer things on the sweeter side, then you can increase the amount of sugar in the cake to 100g.

DO NOT reduce the amount of sugar in the sauce. It is necessary for it to form the right texture.

Because this recipe uses a bit more water than usual for the sauce, the top of the cake probably won't be smooth and you may get some pockets of sauce sitting on top. I like it this way, but you can reduce the boiling water to 250ml (1 cup) if you prefer, although that means that it will have less sauce with a thicker texture.

This is not a pretty dessert, but it is delicious! It is best served in dollops with a spoon, rather than trying to cut it into neat slices.

I like it best served with ice cream, but pouring cream or custard are also great options. Fresh strawberries or raspberries on the side would also be delicious!

Can I Make It In Advance?:

This pudding really needs to be served freshly baked beause as it sits, the sponge will soak up the chocolate sauce.

If you don't get through it all in one sitting, the leftovers can be covered and refrigerated for 2-3 days. It can be reheated in the oven or microwave before serving. It's not as good as fresh, but still delicious.

More Classic Vegan Pudding Recipes:

Close up of the pudding with a spoonful removed.

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5 from 6 votes