7 Creamy, Dreamy Puddings for Valentine's Day

Chocolate-Tahini Pudding

"Thick and creamy and chocolatey. Yum! Made as written, no need to reduce the tahini, can barely taste it," Allrecipes Allstar Buckwheat Queen says. Spread curls or shreds on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown, about four minutes. All out of coconut? Garnish with roasted peanuts instead.

Vanilla Bean Pudding from Scratch

"I've made this about eight times now," home cook Sandra says. "I've done different flavors and had great success. Used brown sugar instead of white for a butterscotchy flavor, added lemon extract and zest for lemon pudding, and added chocolate chips for chocolate pudding. Tonight I made chocolate and put it in a baked pie crust and topped with whipped cream. Three adults and two kids finished it off in one sitting." The recipe calls for vanilla extract, but you can substitute the same amount of vanilla bean paste to get those subtle vanilla flecks in the pudding.

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Kheer (Indian Rice Pudding)

"This is a very flavorful Indian rice pudding," home cook PATRICK7 says. "It's the best rice pudding I've ever had, and very easy to make!" Looking for rose water? The fragrant rose-petal infusion often can be found in small bottles near the almond extract and baking spices, and at Middle Eastern grocery stores.

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Chia Seed Pudding

"This is my go-to breakfast," home cook CHEZ ARCTICA says. "The texture is so much like a tapioca pudding it makes me feel like a kid eating dessert!" To make it dairy-free, just substitute vanilla-flavored soy, almond, or coconut milk yogurt for the regular yogurt.

Sea Salt Caramel Budino

It sounds fancy, but budino simply means "pudding" in Italian. This one is layered with shortbread crumbs and caramel, so if you dig deep, you get a sweet surprise in every bite. If you like, reserve about 2 tablespoons of the crushed cookies to sprinkle on top.

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Chocolate-Mocha Pots de Crème (Cream Pots)

"This dessert made me look like a total star at a party I hosted. I made and chilled it the night before," home cook Esmee Williams says. Pro tip: Buy the thickest milk chocolate bar you can find (we used Hershey's) and shave curls from its edges with a vegetable peeler.

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Chocolate Puddino Recipe

"Perfect for Valentine's Day, this rich and delicious chocolate pudding is made with a classic Italian method that they call budino," recipe creator Chef John says. "The pudding has a glorious texture — firm enough to stay on the spoon and hold its shape, but at the same time, soft, smooth, and silky. It's a perfect balance between intense chocolate flavor, with just the right amount of sweetness, topped with a soft whipped cream topping that elevates it to a whole new level of amazingness!"

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• See our entire collection of Valentine's Day Recipes here.