My Gluten Free Self-Saucing Chocolate Pudding Recipe (dairy free option)

My gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding recipe is one that you’d never believe is gluten free – and dairy free if you make some very simple swaps!

I’ve never made a recipe quite like my gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding recipe, so I hope you really enjoy this one! It’s so incredibly easy to make and omg… it tastes soooo good! So this Christmas, definitely put this top of your gluten free dessert wish list and get #ChristmasCracked!

So let me tell you a little about my gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding recipe. Like what it actually is, first of all!

Ok, so imagine the softest chocolatey sponge pudding with a lovely crisp top and subtle nutty flavour throughout thanks to blitzed California Walnuts.

Then, when you dig to the bottom of the pudding, you find the most intense, chocolatey sauce you could ever imagine in every spoonful. Yep, the chocolate sauce just magically creates itself in the oven – hence the ‘self-saucing’ part!

Simply serve up with ice cream and a little salted caramel and you’ve got every gluten free person’s dream dessert. And it’s not even hard to make! I mean, look at that lovely chocolatey sauce in the pic below…

And let’s not forget the unsung hero of my gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding recipe… California Walnuts! Did you expect me to say that?!

Walnuts and the festive season go hand in hand, so I absolutely had to blitz them up and throw them into this recipe. If you like chocolate pudding anyway, then trust me, you’ll like this even more!

They really are such a versatile ingredient that can be used for so much more than just cracking! Incorporating walnuts into any dish (sweet or savoury) can add such a different taste, texture and crunch and trust me, they go so well against that decadent chocolate flavour.

Also, did you know that you should ideally keep California Walnuts in the fridge?! Yep, it’s true, no matter whether they’re in their shell or ready to eat. You learn something new every day!

If you wanna learn more about walnuts (like the health benefits, or just more recipe inspiration) then head over to California Walnuts’ website here.

Here’s all the ingredients you’ll need for your shopping list:

For the pudding

• 25g butter, melted (dairy free alternative if necessary)
• 125ml milk (I used lactose free whole milk but any milk works fine here, even dairy free)
• 1 large egg
• 95g gluten free self raising flour
• 1.5 tbsp cocoa powder (dairy free if necessary)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 65g walnuts, ground (just blitz them in a blender)
• 50g brown sugar

For the sauce

• 155ml boiling water
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 50g brown sugar

For serving

• Ice cream
• Caramel (shop bought or homemade)
• Chopped walnuts, toasted

Here’s some tips for creating the perfect gluten free self-saucing chocolate puddings…

Can I make this recipe gluten free?

It is gluten free!

(but nobody would ever know this recipe was when tasting it – trust me!)

Can I make your gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding recipe dairy free?

Of course you can – and this recipe is actually really simple to make dairy free.

All you’ve got to substitute is the butter for hard margarine (I use a block of Stork) and dairy free milk instead of regular milk.

Also, just double-check that your cocoa powder is dairy free – it usually is!

Then, serve up with dairy free ice cream/caramel. Easy!

Can I make your gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding vegan?

Yep! If you follow the instructions above to make this recipe dairy free, then all you’ve got left to contend with is the eggs.

Here’s a few ideas you can use as egg replacements, so each of these = 1 egg.

• 3 tablespoons of aquafaba – water from a can of chickpeas. Keep the chickpeas for a future dinner!
• Egg replacement powder – I’d recommend using Orgran as it’s gluten free.
• 1 tablespoon of chia/flax seeds mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and left for 10 minutes in the fridge.
• 3 tablespoons of applesauce.

I haven’t tested all of these egg alternatives so let me know how you get on in the comments below ??

Is your gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding recipe low FODMAP?

If you use lactose free milk, then yes! Butter is very low in lactose so it’s low FODMAP too.

A serving size of 30g of walnuts is considered to be low FODMAP by Monash University.

So that means a half serving size of this recipe is safe during the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet. Which is actually a massive amount, more than you could even eat at once, I’m sure!

Can I make your gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding in a food processor or standing mixer?

Of course you can – and it’ll save you on elbow grease!

You do actually need a food processor or powerful blender to blitz the walnuts into a breadcrumb-like consistency for this recipe.

When it comes to mixing up the ingredients, you can gladly do this in a food processor or standing mixer too

Just make sure you scrape down the sides every now and then so it’s all nicely combined.

Can I make your gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding without any kind of electric mixer at all?

Whilst you can mix up the ingredients with just a good ol’ fashioned wooden spoon, you will need a food processor or blender to blitz up the walnuts.

By whizzing them up to a consistency like breadcrumbs, they become an integral part of the cake’s structure! They do sort of disappear into the pudding as you bake it.

So no matter what you use, just make sure they’re ground up to be nice and fine. We don’t want any big chunks of walnuts in the actual chocolate pudding mixture, so an electric mixer is ideal.

If you are smashing the walnuts without the aid of a a food processor or blender, I’d imagine something like a pestle and mortar would be the best way.

Do I need any special equipment to bake your gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding?

Apart from a food processor or a blender as I’ve mentioned above, you’re good to go.

Do I need a cast iron skillet to bake your gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding?

Not especially, but it certainly makes a nice way to serve up this dish visually! I picked mine up for next to nothing in TK Maxx/Homesense.

The only helpful reason to have one, is that I can tell you that my skillet is 19.5cm in diameter and this recipe makes makes one chocolate pudding in that size skillet. Which is very helpful info!

So if you do have a skillet that size, you can be sure that the cooking time of this recipe will be completely spot on.

Of course, you can happily use any type of oven proof dish at all, but depending on the size of your dish, it can obviously affect the cooking time. So bear that in mind!

Can I make your gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding recipe without xanthan gum?

This recipe is one of the few which doesn’t contain xanthan gum as it doesn’t need it.

There’s often a little xanthan gum in gluten free self-raising flour anyway, so it’s not necessary to add it.

Do I need weighing scales to bake your gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding recipe?

In short… yes, yes and yes! And I wouldn’t advise attempting any my recipes without them. One of the worst things you can do in any baking recipe is alter the quantities by mistake or on purpose.

(unless you know what you’re doing of course)

Why? Well, you’re sort of just gambling with the recipe and praying that it turns out ok, don’t you think? And I’ve generally already done the hard work there for you, so you don’t have to do the guesswork with measurements!

A lot of work went into fine tuning ratios and quantities so I wouldn’t mess around with them unless you really know your stuff.

I’d recommending using digital cooking scales like these so you know you’re getting an accurate measurement.

Can I bake your gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding with less sugar?

I can definitely understand the need to reduce sugar in our foods, but this is one of the recipes where I wouldn’t advise it.

Of course, the sugar isn’t just for sweetness – it’s integral to the structure of the cake once baked. Plus, the sugar in the sauce will help it to reduce to a sauce, instead of just being a watery mess!

If you wanted to tone things down a bit sugar-wise, you could skip serving it up with caramel and ice cream on top. That’ll make quite a lot of difference!

Can I make this recipe using other gluten free flours like buckwheat flour or coconut flour?

There’s a big difference between ‘gluten free flour’ and a *singular* type gluten free flour. When I say ‘gluten free flour’, I mean a BLEND of gluten free flours, not just one singular flour.

Most gluten free flour you buy in the supermarket typically contains a blend of rice flour, potato flour, maize flour, tapioca flour AND buckwheat flour. That’s a lot of different flours!

In gluten free self-raising flour, there’s usually even a little baking powder and xanthan gum in it too.

So to replace it with just one specific type of flour… that’s not going to cut it at all. Definitely go for a gluten free flour blend.

How long can I keep your gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding for?

I’ve kept my it for about 3-5 days in an air-tight container with no problems. If you need to keep it any longer than that, I’d highly recommend freezing it (see advice below for doing that)

If you make this in a cast iron skillet, please don’t store it in the skillet! Your skillet should ideally never be left standing with moisture in it – let alone any food.

Just make sure that you always reheat your chocolate pudding before you enjoy it again. Depending on the portion size, a few minutes in the microwave at full power should do it.

When the pudding starts getting a little dry, it’s probably starting to get past its best.

Can I freeze your gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding?

Of course! I’ve frozen it for up to 2-3 months no problem in an air-tight container. I’d recommend cutting it into small servings so that you can simply defrost portions of it when you want, instead of having to defrost the whole thing.

Also as the chocolate sauce is naturally all at the bottom of the dish, make sure you don’t miss any when you scoop it into your container.

When you want to eat it, it should take around 3 hours to defrost at room temperature.

Again, make sure that you reheat your pudding before enjoy it again. Depending on the portion size, a few minutes in the microwave at full power should do it.

How can I tell when my gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding is done?

You’re looking for the top to be slightly browned at the edges, with a nicely cracked, crisp top. Then, it should be really gooey, with tons of glossy chocolate sauce at the bottom.

Remember that the bottom of the pudding is supposed to be like a lovely, gooey chocolate sauce, so don’t mistake that for being under-done.

Once the top is looking nice, like in the photos, it’s done!

Troubleshooting

I didn’t have much chocolate sauce at all at the bottom of my pudding! What went wrong?

Sounds like your pudding was over-baked.

This can happen for a few reasons. First of all, it was simply left in the oven for too long, meaning the gooey chocolate sauce has basically cooked into the cake – instead of being all nice and gooey at the bottom.

Secondly, your oven may have been too hot which will end in the same result as leaving it in too long.

Thirdly, if you split your mixture into an oven-proof dish that’s really wide, the mixture will be spread really thin. If that’s the case, it’ll bake really quickly and again, result in all of the sauce being cooked off.

Also, if you split your mixture into two skillets (like I did) or two baking dishes, make sure you pour an equal amount of sauce into both – otherwise one will have sauce and the other won’t!

Can I print your gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding recipe?

Of course! Just hit the print button located on the recipe below ?? (otherwise you might end up printing this entire post which would probably make your printer go into early retirement)

Thanks for reading all about my gluten free self-saucing chocolate pudding recipe! If you make it, I’d love to see how it turns out so don’t forget to take a snap of your creations and tag me on Instagram!

Any questions about the recipe? Please do let me know by following me on Instagram and leaving me a comment on a recent photo!

Thanks for reading,

Becky xxx

Oh and don’t forget to pin this for later!