Give me a couple of soft, bruised, and rejected avocados, and I’ll teach you how to make them shine in a delectable dessert!
Avocados – the super ripe ones! – provide a silky base for this no-cook vegan chocolate pudding.
As long as you have a high-quality food processor to puree all of the ingredients together into a creamy, dreamy creation, even you – the mastermind behind the preparation – won’t remember there’s some green produce all mixed up in your sweet treat!
Because they are very mild in flavor, no one will notice this stealthy addition, especially when they’re blended together with more potent ingredients. You can keep this healthy item hidden from pickier eaters, without even getting caught!
And they also provide a rich and luscious texture to the base, so you won’t need any eggs or butter, ingredients that you would typically find in a traditional chocolate pudding.
Instead, we use healthier ingredients that don’t skimp on flavor to create this guilt-free indulgence.
Cocoa powder provides all of the bold chocolate flavor you’ll need in this dessert, while a splash of vanilla extract permeates the mix with a lovely, comforting aroma.
Creamy almond butter adds just the right touch of body, offering a boost in protein content and a subtly nutty flavor.
A little non-dairy milk keeps this recipe in the vegan lane, and assists in the blending process to maintain the pudding’s smooth texture.
Maple syrup is an absolute necessity to sweeten the mix, and it is a smart choice for a vegan sweetener that combines seamlessly with everything else.
With this perfect blend of thoughtfully procured ingredients, you’ll be a master at repurposing potential food that would potentially end up in the trash. There won’t be any more crying over mushy avocados.
The food waste ends here, because you know exactly what to make with them now!
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Vegan Avocado Chocolate Pudding
- Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups (4 1/2-cup servings) 1x
Description
Did you know that ripe avocados make a creamy base for dairy-free desserts? The proof is in this vegan avocado chocolate pudding.
Ingredients
- 2 medium-size ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted creamy almond butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a food processor fitted with a regular S-blade attachment.
- Blend at high speed until a completely smooth, puddling-like mixture forms, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the food processor and pulse briefly for 5 seconds.
- Scrape the mixture into an airtight container. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 1-2 hours. Serve cold.
- Prep Time: 10 mintues
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Food Processor
- Cuisine: Vegan
Keywords: vegan, chocolate, avocado, pudding, dairy-free
Cooking by the Numbers…
Step 1 – Prep
For the smoothest pudding texture, make sure your avocados are very soft and ripe! If you bought ones that are hard as rocks, read our tips on how to ripen avocados before making the recipe.
Are they ripe and ready? Let’s move forward!
Assemble your food processor with a regular S-blade attachment. You can also use a high-speed blender for this recipe.
Carefully pit and peel both fruit – yes, they’re botanically fruit! – using a sharp knife and sturdy cutting board.
Measure out the maple syrup, cocoa powder, non-dairy milk, creamy almond butter, vanilla extract, and salt.
If you are using an almond butter that has salt included, omit the 1/8 teaspoon of salt in the recipe.
Use your favorite style of cocoa powder – you can use traditional, Dutch-processed, or raw cacao powder.
Keep in mind that the Dutch-processed style will yield a slightly darker pudding, while raw cacao powder will be earthier and more bitter.
You can use whatever non-dairy milk you usually have at home – almond, oat, coconut, and soy are all acceptable choices. In order to control the sweetness level of the pudding, I recommend using an unsweetened variety.
You can also use canned coconut milk – as long as you are aware that it may cause the pudding to thicken slightly more once refrigerated than if you used another option.
Step 2 – Combine Ingredients and Blend
Place all of your ingredients into the food processor – there’s no particular order to worry about here.
Blend the ingredients at a high speed until a smooth mixture forms with a pudding-like consistency and an even, dark chocolate brown color.
All of the ingredients should be completely blended, with no large chunks remaining. This will take about one minute.
In order to incorporate any ingredients that did not mix properly, scrape down the sides and bottom of the food processor with a spatula and pulse the mixture briefly for about five seconds.
Step 3 – Chill
For the most ideal tasting experience, it’s best to chill the pudding before serving.
Scrape out all of the contents from the food processor into an airtight container with a lid. You can also use a bowl that is tightly wrapped with plastic wrap.
The pudding will develop a dried film on top if you don’t use an appropriate storage vessel.
Transfer the pudding to the fridge and allow it to chill for one to two hours. This will also help to slightly thicken its texture.
Step 4 – Serve
After chilling, divide the pudding among small serving bowls. Serve your dessert on its own, or try one of our ideas for garnishes described in the following section.
Serving Suggestions Galore!
While one of my most preferred ways to enjoy this pudding is sneaking down to the kitchen and eating it plain, spooned straight from the Tupperware at midnight when I should be sleeping, you certainly don’t have to condone this behavior.
Here is your opportunity to dress up this basic vegan recipe!
A medley of fresh fruit is a go-to garnish that will never go out of style. Use sliced bananas, juicy berries, or cubed crisp apples.
You can also top it with cacao nibs, granola, chunks of homemade baking chocolate, toasted coconut shreds, or chopped nuts.
When you’re feeling a bit “extra,” make an elaborately decorated dessert bowl, using multiple toppings arranged in an artful way on top of the pudding.
And don’t forget to take a pic before you dig in!
How will you top your pudding? Or do you prefer to have it plain? Leave a comment below with your own ideas and opinions. Can’t wait to chat with you!
What are your favorite recipes to use avocados in unexpected ways? We clearly love its versatility in desserts and sweet snacks, and we have more ideas to share with you now:
- No-Bake Vegan Chocolate Torte with Mousse
- A Light and Refreshing Icy Green Smoothie to Start Your Day
- Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Photos by Nikki Cervone, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on June 24, 2015 by Sarah Hagstrom. Last updated on August 3, 2023.
About Nikki Cervone
Nikki Cervone is an ACS Certified Cheese Professional and cheesemonger living in Pittsburgh. Nikki holds an AAS in baking/pastry from Westmoreland County Community College, a BA in Communications from Duquesne University, and an MLA in Gastronomy from Boston University. When she's not nibbling on her favorite cheeses or testing a batch of cupcakes, Nikki enjoys a healthy dose of yoga, wine, hiking, singing in the shower, and chocolate. Lots of chocolate.
Yay! Another vegan recipe and it’s CHOCOLATE! Avocado tastes really good with sweet things so mixing it with chocolate is totally fine with me. The pistachios would add a nice color and crunch too. Looking forward to more vegan recipes soon!
Vegan chcolate pudding? Not something I ever would have imagined! A family friend is of ours is vegan and we never know what to make that will be tasty and fit their dietary needs, especially when it comes to dessert. I never would have thought that pudding could be made with avocado, what a neat idea. I’m trying to imagine what it could possibly taste like but I have no idea, so I guess I’ll just have to give the recipe a try myself some day. 😉 Hope to see more unique recipes like this in the future!
I had the same reaction as you did when my friend mentioned this pudding idea. I couldn’t get the concept, at all. Now, here it is again, and I appreciate your explanation and the breakdown of nutrients and the roles each ingredient plays. The fact that no oil has to be added is very appealing. So, looking at the recipe gives me a better visual and I hope it is as you say; I won’t even know the avocado is in there. I can hopefully add this to my list of healthy treats.
I love it so much! I’m going to make it this weekend. Thanks!
I like that this contains avocados, which are one of my favorite snacks. I don’t keep these types of ingredients on hand usually, other than the avocados and maple syrup, but it might be worth it to invest in them so I can make this delicious and healthy snack. I’m not vegan, but my niece is, and this might be a good treat to make for her upcoming birthday.
This is the second raw food recipe nvolving chocolate and avocado I’ve come across today. I expect the avocado imparts a creamy flavour and texture to the dish. It’s just a crying shame I’m allergic to them.
I never would have thought to put avocados (of all things) in a dessert, honestly. I absolutely love making guacamole and putting it in my quesadillas, so avocados have a special place in my heart. I appreciate how you chose to make this recipe vegan; I’ve always loved similar recipes like vegan brownie in a mug. I’ll be sure to tell my vegan friends about this as well.
Another avocado wonder. I’m just saving more and more recipes every day, huh?
And this time is avocados with chocolate…oh my! Thanks for sharing, but this is a pretty high fat dessert, right? Natural fats, but it’s still fats, so watch your intake!
This is a clever way to use avocado. When it’s plain it has a way of picking up whatever it’s flavored with, so I can imagine this is absolutely delectable. Sounds like the perfect way to sate my chocoholic side!
This looks and sounds positively delicious. And yet… “This recipe is no different, as long as you have a good high speed blender that can whip up the avocado, no one will ever know the secret ingredient in this recipe.”
Well. Avocadoes are sort of expensive. And I love them, I really really do! But if I buy them – and I do, even when they’re expensive! – I will for sure not use them in a way where they become invisible/unrecognizable! Unimaginable! Maybe if I can get like, a box of ’em for a cheap price. Because those really look amazing.
(I wish that happened to me!)
What a cool way to use avocados. This recipe is great for people wanting to cut back on dairy but still like a nice chocolate treat.
Seeing this recipe has made me so happy! As someone with a severe milk allergy, having pudding is nearly impossible. I’ve tried to make it using just rice or coconut milk but it would never set correctly. I’d never have thought avocado could be the missing ingredient! I’m not sure how good my blender is but I’m going to try this out.
Now I could really make a good vegan dessert for my husband. I’m very positive that he will love this. Lucky for me that we have an avocado tree right in my own backyard. I guess it’s time for me to harvest some later 🙂
I have been making a recipe similar to this one forever & ever. I’ve always loved the idea of utilizing avocado in anything that contains any semblance of chocolate. There is something about that combination that never fails. Adding nutrients while at the same time creaming it up without unnecessary calories.
I’m totally going to show my food ignorance here, but I find it so incredible that one can make a sweet dish (chocolate, even!) with avocado! That is too cool. The texture is thick and enjoyable, and I think adding chocolate to it can only make it astounding. I would never have thought to put the listed ingredients together. Ever. But now I really can’t wait to try this.
I have it bookmarked and I might review it later! Thanks for the creative idea!
Oh, good God look at that. Yummy, I’ve heard about this one. Seeing it certainly makes it all the more alluring. Yes the vegan recipes like this one are surprising with what gets mixed together. This one really sounds like a good mix. I am going to be curious about the maple syrup. I use it quite often, but this recipe I might hold back a bit. I would like to taste it without first. Maybe a teaspoon of coconut oil because that has a sweet taste. If it needed it slowly add the maple syrup to add more sweetness. I try to keep the sweetness down in dishes. I don’t really need it. Although sometimes I can’t help it. 2/3 of a cup is a lot of sweetness. I’m sure it’s rich, but I like to go easy on this.
Definitely going to make this one.
Avocado chocolate pudding?!!!…this can’t get any more interesting, can it? 🙂 Page has been bookmarked and I’ve placed the recipe at the top most priority of things to be made in my kitchen…can’t wait to try out this amazing recipe 🙂
I have heard of this recipe before, but generally they’re a lot more simple and are just avocado, a bit of sugar and cocoa powder. I tried one of those before, and the avocado taste was really clear, and I didn’t really enjoy it much. This recipe seems to cover up the flavor a lot better. This looks like a super healthy super yummy recipe that I just have to try out!
I never thought of combining avocado with chocolate. Avocado really is so versatile!
While this looks great but I’m a bit hesitant to try because of the coconut milk. I’m not a big fan and I wonder if it would overpower the chocolate taste? Can anyone comment on that?
I would have never thought to put avocado with chocolate but this recipe has proven different. This is a must try for me. I bet it tastes really great.
I’ll be the first to admit that I raised my eyebrow at the thought of using avocado in a chocolate pudding recipe. Of course, that may be due to the fact that I’m not a huge fan of it in any form except as guacamole. Still…I should give this recipe a try, just to satisfy my curiosity and the fact that I have a weakness to all things chocolate.
I have been trying to make vegan, raw desserts and this one looks amazing. I love avocados in smoothies, so it will be great in a chocolate dessert too. I am a huge fan of raw honey (and blessed that I can buy it locally) and will replace the maple syrup with honey. Next dinner party with my vegan neighbour, this will be the dessert 🙂
Now, this is something that should, by rights, taste awful – but it’s lovely. I made this a couple of weeks ago for a vegan friend and they loved it!
I also thought about guacamole when I first read the title of this post, but using avocados for make things creamier. It’s actually a pretty good idea since the avocados itselves don’t really have a strong taste and they can be blended perfectly with other ingredients to make the taste go away, I really love chocolate and this idea seems great for winter, I will definitely give it a try, let’s see how it works! 🙂
I actually didn’t realise avocado can make your desserts creamier, I’m not really sure about the combination since I don’t like fruits mixed with chocolate but this is probably a different case. I think this pudding is perfect even if you’re not a vegan.
I’m personally a vegan, and my mother and I shared a dessert similar to this at a restaurant, and she absolutely loved it! She usually doesn’t enjoy the kind of foods that I eat, and she had misgivings about it because of some of the ingredients, but she didn’t even notice that the avocado was in the pudding! The other ingredients definitely mask its very flavor nicely. Even if you have some misgivings about this dessert, I would give it a whirl!
Interesting! I like the idea of using maple syrup as a sweetener. This isn’t something you typically find in a pudding, and I love it. I also like the idea of using almond butter as a thickener. I’m wondering if you could substitute both, though, if you used sweetened coconut cream instead of the coconut milk. Also, I’d never heard of vanilla powder until now. It seems like it would be expensive and hard to find. I usually use vanilla extract or syrup, but I’ll have to look into finding vanilla powder.