For all the times you need chocolate pudding in your life

The case for making chocolate pud an everyday food.

Self-saucing chocolate puddings Source: Petrina Tinslay

Norman Lindsay nailed it in 1918 with his book The Magic Pudding. A chocolate pudding that replenishes itself no matter how many times it gets eaten is a pudding worth fighting for.

Fact is, it's not just Albert (yes, the pudding has a name) who has magical powers. All chocolate puddings are magic.

When you're feeling low or stressed or hurried or pressed, chocolate pudding makes everything better. Our guts instinctively know to reward our brains with a huge rush of happiness whenever chocolate pudding is on the menu.

Pudding is everything we loved about childhood and everything we crave as adults.

Eating pud is like wrapping our insides in a cosy rug, cuddling with a loved one and watching the fire dance as the rain beats against the frosty windows. Pudding is everything we loved about childhood and everything we crave as adults.

The good news is, you won't need a pudding that replenishes itself when all of these versions are so easy to make. Whatever you're up to and however you're feeling, there's a chocolate pudding for that.

Pudding for breakfast

Surely the perfect way to start the day? Source: Ben Dearnley

Tsamporado is a Filipino's favourite way to start the day and we are here for that. Cocoa, vanilla and sugar are used to flavour rice, then dark chocolate is sprinkled on top and drizzled with condensed milk for extra sweetness. Sometimes tuyo, a type of dried fish, is mixed into the pudding to balance the sweetness. Definitely worth experimenting with that...

Pudding for morning tea

Rizogalo takes about five minutes to put together, then a slow cook on the stove does the rest. Source: Alan Benson

It's not only the Filipinos who turn rice into chocolate pudding magic, the Greeks have their own version in rizogalo. Rizogalo is traditionally flavoured with honey and cinnamon, but in this version, chocolate adds richness and depth. The combination of chocolate and cinnamon is like eating a reassuring hug.

Pudding to take away

Proof that happiness can be bottled... or at least jarred. Source: Alan Benson

Sometimes we need comfort on the go, which is where these little chocolate pudding jars come in very handy. This recipe proves just how magical chocolate pud can be. The puds are baked directly in the jars and boiling water transforms into a rich sauce to moisten the cakey pudding. Allow to cool, screw on a lid and out you go, with a soulful jar packed and ready to tuck into when needed.

Pudding for lunch

Wattleseed and chocolate are made for each other. Source: Derek Swalwell

Wattleseed is a rich source of protein, potassium, iron, calcium and zinc, which surely makes this wattleseed pudding a sensible choice for lunch. Thanks to this Indigenous ingredient, the pudding also has a delicious coffee-like aroma and a nutty, spicy flavour that is really satisfying.

Pudding for health kicks

Yes, that's a crushed Tim Tam garnishing an otherwise immensely nutritious dessert. Source: Lee Chan's World Food Tour

Just because you've vowed to steer clear of refined sugar, wheat and dairy (generally the essentials of most chocolate pudding recipes), doesn't mean you have to miss out. This chocolate avocado pudding is every bit as silky and indulgent as other puds. Don't let anyone tell you differently...

Pudding for the gluten free

Heidi Sze wrote this recipe when she was loved up on chocolate and love. Which is the same thing, really. Source: Heidi Sze

It would be a very sad thing indeed if a gluten intolerance meant you had to miss out on chocolate pudding. These darling flourless chocolate pots are just what you need. Every bit as luxe as regular pudding, only far easier on the tum.

Pudding for brownie lovers

They work ideally as individual desserts, served warm with double cream. Source: Donna Hay

When is a brownie not a brownie? When it's served warm and oozy with a ton of cream or ice cream, that's when. Morph your favourite brownie into fudgy chocolate puddings with Donna Hay's recipe. Raspberries add plenty of zing to cut through layers of dark chocolate and cocoa.

Pudding for a pick-me-up

This pud will warm and fire you up in equal measure. Source: Alan Benson

Adding coffee to chocolate brings out its flavour. Which makes this chocolate self-saucing pudding off-the-scale for indulgence. It's exquisitely dark and sumptuous, with more than a hint of bitterness from the generous dose of coffee added to the mix.

Pudding for the saucy

Five ingredients combine to a river of perfection. Source: Michele Curtis

You have to hand it to a pudding that makes its own sauce while the cake cooks. Many of the puds suggested here are 'self-saucing', but none do it quite as well as these molten chocolate puddings. A crisp outside gives way to a soft cake that oozes thick chocolate sauce to coat the lot.

Pudding to surrender the day

Chocolate nirvana here we come! It’s everything you need from a chocolate pud. Source: Petrina Tinslay

You know that lovely sigh we all release when it's the end of a long day and everyone is fed, everything is in its place and all is right with the world? This pudding is that sigh. Have a good night.