6-ingredient Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding (Healthier!)
on Apr 30, 2022, Updated Apr 22, 2026
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This self saucing chocolate pudding is a smug chocolate dessert that has it all! It’s quick and easy to make with only 6 ingredients, it’s super chocolaty and gooey, pretty low in sugar, and contains no eggs.
You could say this is a ‘magic’ pudding since it makes its own sauce! And there’s even a microwave mug cake version for one!
The best chocolate self saucing pudding
This chocolate self saucing pudding recipe was a while in the making because I wanted to get it just right. I wanted to keep it an egg free pudding recipe like my popular lemon self saucing pudding (Yay, no egg beating necessary!). I also wanted it to be a little healthier – with a lower amount of sugar – but for it to still taste very rich and chocolaty with plenty of the fudgy chocolate sauce. Most of all, I wanted it to be very easy to make with just a few ingredients. And it is!
All you do is make a simple cake batter, then sprinkle sugar and cocoa over the top. Finally, you pour boiling water over. The chocolate batter bakes into a chocolate cake. At the same time, the water you poured over combines with the sugar and cocoa to make a gooey sauce. The cake rises to the top, leaving the delicious custardy sauce bubbling underneath!
This isn’t necessarily the prettiest dessert you’ve ever seen. But it’s probably one of the easiest and most delicious you’ve ever tasted.
📌Recipe snapshot
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Key ingredients: self-raising flour (or all-purpose + baking powder), sugar, cocoa, milk, butter, boiling water
- Why you’ll love this: ‘magic’ dessert where the oven does the work, just 6 simple ingredients you already have, rich and chocolaty, low sugar & egg free, bonus microwave version for one
About the ingredients
You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.
- Self-raising flour: Make sure you use self-raising flour and not self-rising flour. If you don’t have any self-raising flour, it’s easy to make it from all-purpose flour (just add 1½ tsp baking powder + ¼ tsp salt).
- Cocoa powder: You’ll need quite a lot – around ⅔ cup – since you’ll use it both for the cake and the sauce. Dutch process is ideal for the richest, smoothest result, but natural cocoa works, too.
- Sugar: You’ll use regular white sugar for the cake part, and either white or brown for the sauce – and not as much as you would think! I prefer brown for a richer, warmer flavor, but white is fine, too.
- Warm milk: For the cake-y pudding part. I recommend whole milk for maximum richness.
- Butter, melted into the milk. Either salted or unsalted will work.
- Boiling water (is that even an ingredient?): to pour over the top and form the basis of the delicious gooey sauce
How to make a self saucing chocolate pudding in 5 easy steps
Make the batter:
Step 1: Mix together the flour, cocoa and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Warm the milk and butter together. Stir into the dry ingredients.
Assemble the pudding and bake:
Step 3: Pour batter into an ovenproof dish (a souffle dish is perfect).
Step 4: Mix together more cocoa and sugar. Sprinkle over the batter.
Step 5: Pour boiling water over the top and bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes in the oven, your chocolate pudding will be oozy and bubbling on the top.
Helen’s Top Tips
- What size dish? Ideal is about a 1.5 quart (liter) capacity baking or pudding dish. However, I use a 10 inch by 8 inch oval baking dish just because that’s what I have. Just use one that has a medium depth – not too shallow so that the pudding bubbles over the sides, but not too deep either.
- Serve immediately after the pudding is baked. If you leave it standing for too long, the sauce will begin to thicken and soak into the cake. Make sure everyone gets plenty of the delicious custard-y sauce!
- For a mug cake version of this for one, see the notes section in the recipe card below!
How to serve it
Just in case you’re unsure how to eat it (well, you never know!). Serve a portion out into everyone’s dish in big messy spoonfuls. Make sure everyone has a good amount of the gooey chocolate custard sauce.
A chocolate self saucing pudding isn’t supposed to be a ‘pretty’ dessert. It’s supposed to be gooey and fudgy and comforting.
Don’t forget to add a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on the top! However, if you’d really like to keep things on the healthier side, try this 5-minute chocolate banana ice cream (nice cream) instead.
Whipped cream would work, too!
Recipe FAQs
Well… kind of. You can make the batter and pour it into the dish. Then mix together the cocoa and sugar and put it aside. Put the milk and butter in a small jug or bowl ready to heat and put that aside too.
When you’re ready for your dessert, just sprinkle over the cocoa/sugar mixture, pour over some boiling water and bake!
Well, you can. But it won’t really taste the same as when it’s just baked as some of the sauce will have soaked into the cake, especially if it’s been in the fridge.
But what it does taste like is delicious gooey, fudgy brownies. Or chocolate mud cake. It’s worth trying to save some leftovers (hard, I know) just so that you can experience what I’m describing!
Try my similar 5-ingredient magic lemon pudding as well. Some hate it, most love it! This is what one reader, Leah, said: ‘The kids thought this was the best thing they ever had in their lives!’.
More crowd pleasing easy desserts
You can never have too many easy desserts up your sleeve. Here are a few of my favorites:
- This 6-ingredient gooey Swedish chocolate cake is eternally popular and for good reason! Make it once and it’ll become one of your go-to easy desserts. This Italian chocolate cake is similar but perhaps slightly classier.
- I love making this easy Italian apple cake. Another crowd pleaser.
- Find out how easy it is to make your own Wagamama style ginger and white chocolate cheesecake.
- Another wild card option is this 30-minute healthy chocolate cake. Yes, healthy. See if your guests can believe it’s a healthy cake!
- Got blueberries? You won’t believe how creamy, delicious, and impossibly easy this blueberry clafoutis is!
6-ingredient Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding (Healthier!)
Ingredients
for the cake batter
- ¾ cup self-raising flour, (OR plain flour + 1.5 teaspoons baking powder / DON'T USE self rising flour that's commonly found in the US!)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup milk, warmed
- 3 tablespoons butter , (melted and mixed in with the warm milk – I usually do this in the microwave)
for the sauce
- ⅓ cup sugar, (white or brown sugar works)
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1½ cups boiling water
to serve (optional)
- vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375F/190C (regular oven) or 340F/170C (fan oven) and grease a 1.5 litre baking dish with butter.
- Mix together the flour, sugar and cocoa in a medium bowl.¾ cup self-raising flour, ⅓ cup sugar, ¼ cup cocoa powder
- Pour the milk / butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.½ cup milk, 3 tablespoons butter
- Empty the batter into the baking dish and smooth the top.
- Mix the sugar and cocoa for the sauce together, then sprinkle it evenly over the top of the cake batter.⅓ cup sugar, ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- Carefully pour the boiling water over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cake has risen to the top and the sauce is oozing and bubbling underneath and around the cake.1½ cups boiling water
- Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (if you like).vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
oh my goodness I just made the mug cake because I was desperate for a treat and it was incredible! so soft and rich but not overly sweet. The only mug cake I’ve ever made that was actually delicious and as good as a full dessert! thank you
What a compliment, Elle! I’m so pleased you liked it so much, and thank you for the feedback 🙂
Hi, I assume this is unsalted butter?
Hi, imI assume this is unsalted butter?
I usually use unsalted but salted would work too. Enjoy!
Just the best Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding recipe I have come across. The texture is gorgeous with gooey yet not overly sweet chocolate. I never have been able to worry about what to do with leftovers because there simply are never of these! Do not buy store bought when this type of creation is possible so easily! PS make sure you also check out Helen’s Easy Magic Lemon Pudding (5 ingredients, no eggs) – another absolute winner of a desert!
Awww thank you for the glowing review, Sandy! This is one of my older recipes but I remember feeling a bit smug when I came up with the lower sugar no egg version. I’m so pleased you’re enjoying it! Happy New Year!
I never write recipe reviews, but this was just too good !!!!
I often look at the reviews on several recipes for the same food to determine which one to make. I just had to leave a review,
THIS RECIPE IS AMAZING – don’t hesitate to make this chocolate pudding. It’s incredible and delicious with cooked or fresh berries. It is lower in sugar than many other recipes but tastes even better.
I halved the amount of cocoa and sugar in the sauce component, it was still rich, and chocolatey and tasted just as amazing
Thanks for the recipe, super easy and quick
What a compliment, Sue (in fact several!) – thank you so much! Interesting to hear that you halved the cocoa and sugar and it still turned out well, too. That is very helpful to know. 🙂
We loved this recipe
SO happy to hear this, Natalie, and thank you so much for letting me know!
I had a similar recipe to which I had reduced the sugar and increased the lemon juice and zest. To my surprise, this recipe had exactly the exact same proportions as those I made to my original US sugar bomb recipe. What a joy to discover someone with the same healthier inclinations. We really ought to meet for coffee/tea and dessert!
I love to reduce the sugar whenever I can! So happy you approve! 😉
Omg !!! Yes !! Yes to the less sugar and no eggs. My toddler has an egg allergy and we’ve started introducing homemade sweets here and there so this was a hit 🤌🏽 .
Thank you so much, I also love lemon so I’ll be making your lemon pudding next 🤤
Hi Ari! I’m so pleased that you found something yummy for your toddler! I was amazed how delicious this still was with less sugar and no eggs. Definitely do try the lemon one. That’s the original and still gets rave reviews 🙂
Thanks for a lower sugar version ….last recipe I used had 3 cups total that is a half a cup per 6 servings …think that is a little too much so this is perfect !!! Thanks and will be trying the lemon version soon …I love lemon !!!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you appreciate it! whenever I can reduce the amount of sugar without it affecting the delicious factor I do so. I have plenty of other lower sugar treats on the blog so do have a browse! 🙂
Omg yum ! Valentine’s Day meal sorted – not sweet peeps but when finished a chocolate chaser wasn’t going to fix it – we just went into lockdown and I just ran out of eggs thus the google self saucing pud no eggs and well … I found this exquisite treat . Added grated chocolate to the pudding vase and left over tawny port to the sauce using brown sugar and morello cherries with ice cream . I have not a worry in the world 🥰
Hello Louise! Thank you so much for the feedback. Your version sounds incredible with the morello cherries! So happy you enjoyed this! 🙂 Happy Valentine’s Day!
I ran out of eggs yesterday and was craving some gooey, chocolatey dessert…. this is absolutely perfect! have it in the oven right now and cant wait to dig in 😀
Oooh, thank you so much for the review, Elyce! I’m so glad this solved your problem of not having any eggs. I wouldn’t have believed you could make something as delicious as this without eggs before I tried it. I hope it tasted as good as it looked 😉
Good emergency dessert from cupboard staples, thank you! I did overcook it slightly the first time but have learned my lesson. Still very tasty and went well with a good dollop of creme fraiche. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Very happy you enjoyed it and even persevered to make it perfectly in your own oven. Thank you so much for trying the recipe and leaving your feedback – I appreciate it so much! 🙂
I grew up on this. I havent found a recipe for it until now.. This is the best chocolate dessert out there. Really.
I can’t wait to make this.
Hello Wren! Aw so happy for you, and really hope it lives up to expectations. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like it, so fingers crossed! 🙂
Hi I’m in the uk & would like to understand how many oz’s are in a cup please
Thank you. Julie
Hi Julie! There’s a little button you can click to change all the measurements to grams. Is grams OK for you? You’ll see it in blue just under where it says ‘ingredients’ in the recipe. Hope you enjoy it!