Healthy Chocolate Snack

Need a chocolate fix? This chocolate snack tastes rich and chocolaty, but it’s just Greek yogurt, cocoa powder and maple syrup. And it’s made in 2 minutes!

Want a chocolate fix? Have we got one for you! This one I invented by chance, and it’s not really even a recipe! I stir it together when I get a chocolate craving in the evenings, and I don’t even measure. Here’s the great part: it tastes just like dark chocolate pudding! But it’s only Greek yogurt, dark cocoa powder, and maple syrup. So, you weirdly get the protein and probiotics of yogurt while getting your chocolate fix. Even better, you can make it in 2 minutes! My mom tried it recently and said, “You HAVE to share this!” If you’re a dark chocolate lover like we are, keep reading.

Let’s clear some things up. What’s a healthy chocolate snack?

First of all: what does the term healthy even mean? We used it to modify this “chocolate snack” because it’s healthier than most chocolate treats. But healthy is a hard word to define. If you really want something healthy, eat a salad! But if you need your chocolate fix, this chocolate pudding is indeed a healthier option than most. Here’s why:

It’s got lots of protein (8 grams). Here’s why I prefer this snack to eating a bar of chocolate or chocolate cake. It has lots of protein: 8 grams in a serving! Alex and I have been working out more and protein is helpful for building muscle and staying strong.
You can enjoy the probiotics of yogurt. The probiotics in yogurt are helpful for gut health. You don’t get that from a cupcake!
It’s only 175 calories. I like that this chocolate snack is a reasonable amount of calories! Alex and I don’t count or restrict calories. But I wanted to make sure my “healthy” chocolate snack wasn’t loading on 500 calories in the evenings.
It’s naturally sweet, but it does contain sugar! While maple syrup is not refined sugar, guess what? It still contains sugar! This chocolate snack is not sugar free.

Use Dutch processed / dark cocoa powder!

Here’s the most important thing about this chocolate snack recipe. YOU MUST USE DARK COCOA POWDER! Please tell us you read that? I’ll say it again in normal case now. That’s right, please use dark cocoa powder, also known as Dutch process cocoa powder or Dutched cocoa. The package may also say “100% cocoa”.

What is it? Dutch process cocoa powder is essentially like a dark chocolate version of cocoa powder. It’s been treated with an alkali to make it pH neutral, which gives it a darker color and milder flavor. The dark cocoa powder is what gives this snack its dark chocolate flavor. I’ve tried it with regular cocoa powder and it’s not nearly the same flavor: it almost tastes fruity. The dark cocoa is what combines with the maple syrup to taste like chocolate. Please heed this advice!

Dutch process vs regular cocoa powder — Here’s the color difference between Dutch process and regular cocoa powder.

Where to buy Dutch process or dark cocoa powder?

You should be able to find dark chocolate or Dutch process cocoa powder for this chocolate snack at your local grocery store, next to the regular cocoa powder. Here are the two brands I’ve used and liked:

Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder: This is the one that’s easiest to find at groceries, but here’s a link for it online. (I may have stocked up on 4 containers.)
Ghiradelli Dutch Process Cocoa Powder: This one is much more expensive, but we tried it when I ran out of Hershey’s once. WOW is the flavor rich and delicious! If you have the budget, use this one for the highest quality chocolate snack experience. (Ha!)

My chocolate snack obsession

This post is oddly personal, because I eat this a lot as my “secret” late night snack. So now the cat’s out of the bag! I was absolutely not going to share it here, on my professional recipe website. However: my mom was visiting and saw me whipping this up. We’re both dark chocolate fiends. She eats dark chocolate every single day. And when she tried this, she could not stop talking about it.

You have to share the recipe! she urged me. People are going to love this! So though it’s more of an idea than a recipe, and I never measure it, I unveil my secrets to getting your dark chocolate fix. In a healthy-ish manner. If you’re a dark chocolate lover, let us know if you try our healthy chocolate pudding and what you think. (If not, I’ll just be eating it between 9 and 10 pm watching Netflix.)

Wait, did you want real chocolate?

We’ve got that too. Here are a few favorite chocolate recipes that could count as a chocolate snack:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups These homemade peanut butter cups are truly perfect! They’ve got a glossy sheen and make a mouthwatering peanut butter filling.
Favorite Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Super rich and chocolaty, it’s filled with zucchini to make it moist and chocolate chips.
Easy Chocolate Banana Bread This easy chocolate banana bread recipe is moist and rich. Perfect for brunch, a snack, or even dessert! Add dark chocolate chips for an even richer experience.

This chocolate snack recipe is…

Vegetarian, gluten-free, naturally sweet and refined sugar free. While we make a lot of plant based recipes around here, we don’t recommend trying it with vegan yogurt (sorry!).