Healthy Raw Chocolate Pudding
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There is something so comforting about chocolate pudding.
Whether it brings back memories of childhood, or more recent memories of eating super fancy chocolate “pot de creme” at a classic SF restaurant, chocolate in pudding/mousse form is one of those desserts I can’t say no to.
It’s creamy, luscious, decadent and rich.
You really can’t go wrong.
The husband likes chocolate pudding – and has a bit of nostalgia around Jello Pudding Cups. So when a friend of ours brought “raw chocolate pudding” to poker night and the husband found it “interesting, but too avocado-y” – I was curious to see if I could make a more chocolatey version of it at home.
So yes, this recipe does have avocado in it.
I know what you’re thinking: avocado and chocolate don’t go together. But with the addition of a few other ingredients and the use of a blender, the avocado becomes the base for a super thick and creamy pudding that tastes great.
Oh and thanks to the avocado (instead of cream) – this recipe is vegan (if you use agave as the sweetener and not honey) and gluten free. And thanks to the food processor/blender, it takes less than 10 minutes to make!
Three notes for this recipe:
- You must serve this super, super chilled – otherwise you will get a hint of avocado when you taste it
- You can adjust the amount of banana, honey/maple syrup and cocoa powder depending on how chocolatey and sweet you like it. Taste it after the first batch and add more if needed. (If you don’t like banana, you can substitute 2-3 Medjool Dates instead.)
- This recipe was inspired by one from All Recipes and FitSugar. But I found the All Recipes one a bit too avocado-y/banana-y, and the Fit Sugar one is super high in calories and sugar. So here is my modified version which can actually be called a healthy, delicious dessert!
Healthy Raw Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 avocados – peeled pitted, and cut into chunks
- 1/2-1 ripe banana peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup raw cocoa powder or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup or agave nectar more to taste if needed. Note: if you use honey, the recipe won’t be vegan
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp almond butter optional
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth! Serve chilled.
A pinch of Ancho chili powder really elevates the taste. Sounds weird, but oh so good.
I do use the really dark, bumpy avocados-Haas variety? I find the thin skinned ones didn’t work quite as well.
I use coconut cream from the top of the can of coconut milk instead of the cup of almond milk.
The banana really took any hint of avocado away.
Makes a fab chocolate pie also. )
I took to a luncheon, served people who are on the typical SAD diet, and they loved it.
Great idea to add chili powder to this recipe! That reminds me of a Mexican Hot Chocolate recipe — chilis and chocolate go great together. I’ve used both types of avocados in this recipe and both have worked for me. I bet the coconut cream makes it super super creamy! It might increase the calories per serving though. Never thought to use it as a chocolate pie – I bet it would taste great! So glad you liked this recipe Lisa!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It was amazing, A perfect way to use up my extra milk from when I nursed my daughter, and a yummy healthy pudding for her to eat as well. It was amazing and easy and eating it straight from the blender I would never have known there were even avocados in it! So yummy!
Oh great!! I’m so glad you liked this recipe Sarah, love the idea of making it into baby food too! 🙂