Recipe: Yummy Sugar-Free Chocolate Pudding

This is one of those things you’re just going to have to trust me on.

It’s going to seem weird at first. But. When you want to eat some sugar-free chocolate pudding that tastes just like the kind you ate from a plastic cup as a kid, or something akin to a Wendy’s chocolate frosty, but you also want to get in some vitamins, or do it dairy-free, or meet your heart-health goals, this is the way to go.

The ingredients are going to make you skeptical. But when you taste it. Holy cow. It’s amazing. You can’t even tell it’s made with vegetables.

I swear on the grave of Dave Thomas.

In my old lady blender that I’d had for a decade or more and probably only paid $30 for, this process required more coconut milk than what the recipe below calls for. In my new Ninja blender, it works perfectly. In fact, I asked for the Ninja for my birthday, specifically for this one recipe. And I have no regrets.

However, I respect your need to keep that old lady blender until it dies on you. That is how I typically operate as well. So, if this is your life, just add a wee bit more coconut milk, but not too much. Be careful with this because if you want it to be the consistency of pudding, or a chocolate frosty, it’s gotta be THICK.

Let’s look at the heart health benefits of these ingredients:

Sweet Potatoes

Benefits: Fiber for healthy digestion, Magnesium to reduce stress and anxiety, Anti-inflammatory, Vitamins A, C, and E, Potassium

Cauliflower

Benefits: Vitamins C, K and B6, Folate, which makes red and white blood cells in your bone marrow and helps convert carbohydrates into energy, Fiber for healthy digestion, Choline to maintain the integrity of cell membranes and help produce neurotransmitters for a healthy nervous system

Avocados

Benefits: Vitamins K and C, Potassium, which can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease 

Cacao Powder/Cocoa Powder

There is a difference between cacao and cocoa, other than just spelling and pronunciation. While both come from cacao beans, cocoa is processed with a high heat, which relieves it of some of its nutritional profile, while cacao is made from fermented beans that have not been roasted.

So the bottom line is, while both offer some health benefits, cacao offers more. And the taste is the same, so why not use the more nutrient dense product? In fact, the cacao powder we use comes from Thrive Market, and is made with adaptogenic mushroom powder as well. Adaptogens may help balance your body’s stress response. I’ve used this in various recipes, including hot chocolate, and the kids love it. Trust me when I say you can’t tell the difference.

Benefits: Fiber for healthy digestion, Antioxidants, Flavonoids, which help lower blood pressure, improve blood flow to the brain and heart, and aid in preventing blood clots, Potassium

Whole Milk Greek Yogurt

I prefer whole milk yogurt, which replaces sour cream nicely. Fat free yogurt is made from skim milk, which is made by removing the cream from the milk in a separator. But the problem with that is, the cream is what has all the enzymes and fat-soluble vitamins (and flavor!). The skim milk is then fortified with vitamins to replace the naturally-occurring vitamins that were just processed out. Again, just like the cacoa/cocoa argument, both have health benefits, but the one has been processed less naturally has more. And the TASTE! Whole milk just tastes better. And has been shown to satiate us for longer periods of time.

Benefits: Protein, Probiotics for gut health, Calcium

Maple syrup

REAL maple syrup, tapped from a tree and controlled by the Canadian mob. I am NOT talking about the pancake syrup we all used in the 90’s.

Benefits: Calcium, Potassium, Iron, Zinc, Manganese

Coconut milk/cream

Benefits: Calcium, Iron, Medium-Chain Triglycerides, which are a source of energy and may fight bacterial growth, help protect your heart, and aid in managing diabetes

Toppings

Unlike pudding cups or a frosty, I’ve tried this recipe with numerous toppings. Some of my favorites are: pumpkin seeds, peanuts, almonds, shaved coconut and pistachios. This is where you go with your gut. What sounds good to you?

I challenge you to be adventurous here. Make this sweet potato/cauliflower/avocado pudding. And then serve it to your kids.

Trust me when I say they are going to LOVE it!

Fails

One thing we did NOT love is this dish frozen. We tried putting some of this pudding into a popsicle mold, thinking we could also have a healthy version of pudding pops. I envisioned us on the back porch, after swimming, getting in our daily veg in the form of a chocolate pudding pop – another favorite of mine from childhood.

However, for some reason, in frozen form, you could taste the vegetables. That is NOT something you want when you are pretending to eat a pudding pop.

Also – while I’ve tried this with frozen avocado, it’s better with fresh avocado. I don’t know why. Certainly the frozen kind is more convenient. So try it and see what you think. But I’ll be making it with fresh.