Creamy chocolate is one of my favorite desserts. My chocolate pudding and chocolate banana ice cream recipes may have already given that away though. Right now though, this chocolate pots de crème recipe is my favorite, gooey chocolate obsession.
Chocolate Pots de Crème
In case you haven’t brushed up on high school French in a while, chocolate pots de crème is French for chocolate pots of cream. Or as we say in our house, get in my belly. They have a decadent, creamy texture that’s richer and a little thinner than pudding or mousse. Traditionally they’re made with baking chocolate, but here we’re using cocoa powder.
Pots de Crème with Cocoa Powder
I almost never have chocolate baking bars in my house, I do however have a steady supply of cocoa powder on hand. I use it frequently in recipes like these chocolate peanut butter candies (like Reese’s), and chocolate pudding with a hidden healthy ingredient. Cocoa powder is versatile and still yields a rich chocolate pots de crème recipe.
Dairy Free Pots de Crème
While we’re at it, let’s get rid of the dairy here too. Our family has been (mostly) dairy free for a while now. My oldest has less anxiety and focus problems without it, and my husband’s inflammation is happier too. Coconut milk is my go to in ice cream and the secret to creamy dairy free pots de crème.
I combine it with some almond milk because I don’t feel like using another half can to reach the amount needed in the recipe. Cashew, coconut, oat, or any other alternate milk will work if you don’t want to use almond though.
Keto Pots de Crème
Dairy cream is keto approved, but sadly my stomach doesn’t approve. Thankfully coconut milk is also keto friendly. All of the ingredients in this chocolate pots de crème recipe are inherently keto friendly, except for the coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is natural and a better option than processed white sugar, but it is high on the carbs.
Erythritol is a low carb sugar alcohol and can be subbed for the coconut sugar if preferred. I’m not a fan of the cooling aftertaste of erythritol, but many don’t mind it.
Water Bath
Yes, we’re giving our chocolate pots de creme a bath. Unlike a relaxing soak in the tub though, this simply means the custard is cooked in a pan of water. It’s an extra step and may sound complicated, but I promise it’s easy and yields much better results.
I tried this without the water bath at first to save myself a few seconds, but the pots de crème didn’t cook as evenly. The next time around I cooked those suckers in water. Moral of the story here.. use a water bath for smooth, creamy pots de crème.
Some people use the sous vide method which achieves the same effect. But I don’t have a sous vide pot and I don’t plan to add one to my limited cupboard space.
Pots de Crème in the Instant Pot
I love my Instant Pot and use it almost daily because it saves me so much time. Last night I made wild rice in it in less than 15 minutes, and soup takes less than 10 minutes. For this recipe though I decided against the Instant Pot for a few reasons.
Pots de crème in the instant pot require cooking them on a rack, two if you want more than three small servings. Umm, yes, I definitely want more pots de crème thank you. And by the time the pressure cooker gets up to pressure, cooks and does a natural release, it takes about the same amount of time as the oven.
So A: I don’t have enough racks and B: It doesn’t really save time. If however, you prefer to not use the oven (maybe on a hot summer’s day?), then feel free to use your Instant pot. Here’s how:
- Place a rack/trivet in the Instant pot. Pour the pots de crème mixture into 4 oz lidded mason jars and tighten the lids. Ramekins or custard cups can be used instead.
- Add enough water to reach halfway up the cups.
- Cook on high for 6 minutes, natural pressure release for 15 minutes, then do a quick release.
Chocolate Pots de Creme Recipe - Paleo, dairy-free
Ingredients
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- 1 cup almond milk (or any other alternative milk from a carton, cashew, coconut, etc.)
- 1 cup coconut sugar (or erythritol for keto)
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 6 egg yolks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325
- Over medium low heat whisk together all of the ingredients except the egg yolks.
- Put the egg yolks into a large heat safe bowl and whisk.
- After the chocolate mixture is creamy and smooth, slowly pour half of it into the eggs while whisking briskly.
- Slowly pour the egg mixture back into the other half of the chocolate on the stove while whisking briskly.
- Place six ramekins in a glass baking dish.
- Turn the heat off and pour the custard into the ramekins.
- Place the glass baking dish in the oven, then pour some water into it. Be careful not to get any water in the ramekins though! You want the water to come about 2/3 of the way up the sides of the small cups.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. They should still jiggle a little in the middle when they're done.
- Remove the ramekins onto a baking tray to cool. Enjoy warm!
Notes
It's important to temper the eggs here! It may seem easier to add the egg yolks directly to the chocolate mixture, but the high heat curdles the eggs. Instead of creamy thick chocolate, you'll have chocolate flavored scrambled eggs.