When it comes to sweet treats, no-bake desserts are always a winner in my kitchen. This No-Bake Chocolate Biscuit Pudding is one of my all-time favourite recipes—minimal effort, simple pantry ingredients, and irressistably yummy. It’s the perfect make-ahead dessert that’s always a crowd-pleaser and kids friendly too.
I recently discovered that a similar version of this dessert is hugely popular in Sri Lanka, where it’s made with layers of chocolate and Marie biscuits. Here in Australia, it closely resembles the classic Hedgehog Slice.
If you love easy, no-bake recipes like this, don’t miss my Pineapple Delight and Biscoff Banoffee trifle —both just as quick and indulgent!
Ingredients for No Bake Chocolate Biscuit Pudding
One of the best things about this no-bake dessert is how simple and accessible the ingredients are—most are already in your pantry!
- Biscuits – I use digestive biscuits, but any plain variety works well, such as Marie/Maria biscuits. In Australia, Arnott’s Granita biscuits are a great alternative.
- Chocolate Pudding Layer – Made with milk, vanilla custard powder, sugar, and cocoa powder, this creates a rich, smooth chocolate base.
- Cream – Use thickened cream or whipping cream to finish the dessert with a creamy, luscious layer.
How to make Chocolate biscuit Pudding
Making this layered pudding is as easy as it gets. I start by cooking up a smooth chocolate custard on the stove, letting it cool just enough so it doesn’t soak the biscuits too quickly. While that cools, I whip some cream to soft peaks for the topping.
The fun part is the assembly—dipping the biscuits in a mix of milk, cocoa, and a hint of coffee before layering them up with the warm custard in a deep dish. Once the layers are done, I spread the cream on top, give it a quick dust of cocoa, and let it chill in the fridge for a few hours to set perfectly.
Watch how to make No Bake Chocolate Biscuit Pudding
Variations For Biscuit Pudding
- This no-bake chocolate biscuit pudding is incredibly versatile—here are a few delicious ways to customise it:
- Use Melted Chocolate for a Richer Custard – Swap cocoa powder with melted milk or dark chocolate to create an even more indulgent custard layer.
- Shortcut Option – Use store-bought chocolate custard to save time without compromising on taste.
- Toppings – Instead of cocoa powder, top the pudding with chocolate shavings, chopped hazelnuts, or any crushed nuts of your choice for extra texture and flavour.
No-Bake Chocolate Biscuit Pudding FAQs
- No custard powder? You can just use cornflour (cornstarch) and a dash of vanilla essence instead. It still gives you that same creamy finish.
- Is it the same as Hedgehog Slice? Not quite. While they use similar ingredients, Hedgehog Slice is a dense, crushed-biscuit slice, whereas this pudding is all about those distinct layers of custard and cream.
- Individual servings: You can definitely layer these into glasses or small cups. It looks great for dinner parties and saves you the hassle of slicing it later.
- Avoiding soggy biscuits: The trick is a very quick dip—about 1–2 seconds. You want them just moistened, not soaking wet, so they hold their shape.
- Flavoring the dip: I usually add a teaspoon of coffee to the milk, but a splash of hazelnut essence is another great way to change up the flavor.
Other Desserts to Try
If you try this No Bake Chocolate Biscuit Pudding, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below and let me know.
No Bake Chocolate Biscuit Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 pack Digestive Biscuits See Notes
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 1 tsp Coffee Powder
- 1 tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 500 ml Thickened Cream
- 2 tbsp Caster Sugar
- Extra Cocoa Powder for Dusting
Chocolate Pudding/Custard
- 2 cups Milk
- 2.5 tbsp Custard Powder See Notes
- 3 tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 2 tbsp Sugar
Instructions
Chocolate Pudding
- In a sauce pan add milk, custard powder, cocoa powder and sugar. Whisk until everything is dissolved.
- Put it on medium heat and continue to stir until it starts to thicken up. Once it starts bubbling remove it from heat and set aside covering it with a lid so the skin doesn't form.
- In a bowl add cream and icing sugar. Using electric beater beat it until cream has doubled in volume and soft peaks are formed.
- In a small bowl add milk, coffee powder and cocoa powder. Mix well. Dip biscuit in the mixture and layer them in a dish/tray around 3 inches deep.
- After a layer of biscuits pour some warm custard over and spread it. Repeat again with biscuit layer followed by custard. You can make atleast 3-4 layers depending on the depth of your dish.
- Finish off with custard layer being the last. Spread cream on the top and dust cocoa powder.
- Refrigerate it for minimum 3-4 hours. Serve it chilled.
Notes
- Any type of plain biscuits are suitable for this dessert. Maria or Garnita biscuits also work great.
- Instead of cocoa powder, top the pudding with chocolate shavings, chopped hazelnuts, or any crushed nuts of your choice for extra texture and flavour.
- Custard powder can also be swapped with corn flour
- You can also make individual cups or glasses for serving.
This is such an easy recipe. I was looking for a quick dessert with minimum cooking and less ingridients. This dessert ticks all the boxes, so delicious.
Hi Has, Im glad you like the recipe. This recipe definitely ticks all the boxes !
Easy to make and very yummy xxx
Thanks Klara
No bake desserts are my favourite. This biscuit pudding was so easy to make. It feels like you are eating a cake. Its perfect to make for large crowd.
Thats right, no bake desserts are my favourite too !! And this dessert is definitely a crowd pleaser.
I was looking for a quick dessert with no baking required and I came across this. My guest were so impressed and complimented on how nice it is.. It seems like you have put a lot of effort in when you have not 😉 will definitely be making it again
I agree Sandra, it actually a delicious dessert without making too much of an effort.