I have a thing for chocolate. My guess is that if you’re reading this, then you do too. I also have a thing for pudding—all kinds: chewy tapioca, thick and creamy egg-based custard, silky milk-based pudding, and, more recently on the scene, plant-based pudding. This last one is becoming a bit of an obsession. A little research indicates I’m not alone in my fixation: In cookbooks and blogs I found hundreds of variations of dairy-free and vegan chocolate puddings that use a variety of dairy substitutes, from tofu to avocado. I happily gave many of these a try and sampled them out to the sweetest chocoholics in my life: my son and husband. Turns out, when there’s chocolate, no one misses the dairy. Rich cacao powder, bittersweet chocolate, creamy almond milk, and granulated tapioca come together to create a luxurious pudding. Layered with freshly whipped coconut milk, this chocolate-lovers parfait is a decadent treat to share with friends, or enjoy on your own.

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
— Charles M. Schulz