Healthy Chocolate Cocoa Avocado Pudding

This healthy chocolate avocado cocoa pudding is thick, smooth and creamy and tastes rich and chocolatey without a hint of avocado taste and you wouldn't even know it was in there.  A perfect healthier alternative to store bought puddings and mousse desserts.

Recipe Highlights

• This avocado pudding recipe is light, fluffy, smooth, silky, creamy and totally satisfying
• Tastes like your traditional chocolate mousse but smoother, creamier and better
• Rich chocolate flavor with subtle coffee undertones
• Quick and easy to make in under 15 minutes
• No added sugars and its dairy free, so perfect for sensitive tummies
• Makes 2 generous servings, or 4 small servings
• Its full of chocolate flavor and you can't taste the avocado
• Its full of healthy fats and is higher in protein
• Great to make ahead and it will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days
• No baking or cooking required as this is a no bake dessert
• Easy to scale the recipe for special occasions and family dinners, making individual chocolate puddings
• Unlimited ways to customize and decorate with your favorite fruits, nuts and chocolate

Check out my Chocolate Avocado Truffles and my Rich Chocolate Avocado Cake for more indulgent sweet treats. Both with no added sugar!

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

• Avocados:  Make sure avocados are ripe and slightly soft when you squeeze the outside skin. Using unripe avocados to make a cocoa avocado pudding will leave you with a stringy unpleasant texture. 
• Coconut Milk:  Definitely opt for full fat coconut milk over lite or reduced fat as the more fat the more creamy the pudding. 
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder:  this provides rich chocolate flavor and helps to disguise the avocado taste.  Make sure to use unsweetened as there will be plenty of sweetness coming from the maple syrup
• Sugar Free Maple Syrup:  these days there are many varieties of sugar free maple syrup in the supermarket, or alternatively you could use regular maple syrup, or even a good quality honey.  If you prefer even lower calories, you could use the same amount of fine powdered sweetener that measures like sugar, for example, stevia or monkfruit.  However I've found that powdered sweeteners don't add enough flavor but that could overcome with additional flavorings.
• Sugar Free Chocolate Chips:  This pudding includes melted chocolate as well as the cocoa powder and its nice to scatter some chocolate chips on top to serve. 
• Nut Butter: Any type of nut butter is fine to use, except I would be careful with peanut butter as it will add a definitely peanut butter flavor to your pudding.  Cashew nut butter or almond butter tend to work better if you want a more subtle flavor.  I sometimes leave it out altogether and it still tastes rich and creamy.
• Coffee: Instant or espresso will work equally well.  only a little is needed to take the edge off the sweetness.  Alternatively you could leave this out.
• Sea Salt:  this balances out all the flavors of the pudding and really does make a difference.  Only a small amount is required but it has a big impact.  I recommend not skipping the sat if adding the nut butter and coffee.

How to Make Chocolate Pudding with Avocados

1. Avocados:  Slice avocados, remove seed, scoop out the flesh with a spoon and add to a food processor.

2. Add remaining ingredients:  Add coconut milk, cocoa powder, maple syrup and (if using) nut butter, coffee and sea salt.

3. Blitz:  blitz ingredients together using the highest setting on the food processor.  Pausing a couple of times to remove the lid and scrape down the mixture from the sides.  Keep blitzing until mixture is creamy and silky.  Make sure to taste test for sweetness and if you'd like it sweeter, add a little more maple syrup.

4. Fill cups:  using either a spoon or a piping bag, fill 2 cups or ramekins with chocolate avocado pudding. Or, for smaller helpings, split into 4 servings.  Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.  Serve with raspberries or blueberries, and cream fraiche (or whipped coconut cream for dairy free option)

Check out my healthy Sticky Date Pudding which is perfect for Christmas family gatherings. Or for something smaller yet equally delicious try this Chocolate Pudding in a Mug for your Christmas dessert. Or maybe these Molten Lava Cakes for two are more your speed.

Decoration Ideas

• Fruits:  Raspberries and blueberries are my favorites as they cut through the creaminess and richness.   However you could also use a mixture of berries, including blackberries and strawberries when in season.  You don't need many, just a few scattered on top.
• Nuts:  A sprinkling of crushed peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds or macadamias on top add great texture.  I love adding some whole nuts at the bottom of the glass, then some crushed ones on top, along with a few berries.
• Chocolate:  nothing beats chocolate on chocolate.  Add a little extra chocolate on top for the ultimate indulgence.  Chocolate chips, chocolate shards, or even shaved or grated chocolate flakes
• Coconut:  toasted coconut pieces on top along with a few berries is also delicious, adding texture and color.

Common Questions

Recipe Notes

• Sweetness: Make sure to taste the mixture to see if its sweet enough for your palate. Add a little more sugar free maple syrup and blitz again until it has the right level of sweetness for you
• Getting it into the cup/jar: If you don't have a piping bad to get the mixture neatly into the cups or jars, you cant just use 2 teaspoons to delicately spoon it in, or add the mixture to a plastic ziplock bag, squeezing the mixture into one corner, then snip the corner off to squeeze into the jar. If doing this, I recommend refrigeratinng the mixture first so its easier to work with.
• Presentation:  Why not create a layered effect with the puddings using nuts, berries and chocolate for a more sophisticated look.

• Make Ahead:  these are ideal to make the day before you need them so they can set in the fridge and be nice and cold for when guests arrive.
• Storage:  If making ahead, you can keep the pudding mixture in a bowl sealed with a lid and then make the pudding cups up when you need them.  Or, my favorite thing is to make the pudding into cups, using a layering effect ahead of time so I can easily pull them out and they are ready to eat.
• Jars/Cups:  you don't need to use all the same type of cup for this dessert.  You can use tea cups, coffee cups, a mix of small glasses, martini glasses, margarita glasses, and small mason jars which are perfect of making for a gathering like Christmas or Thanksgiving. You can also use ramekins if you have them.

This is a quick and easy no bake chocolate dessert that will be a crowd pleaser for sure.  With multiple ways to customize, you can create different toppers for each, or have guests choose their own topper.  Whilst this recipe can easily be for two people with two generous serves, or four smaller serves over a couple of days, it is just as easy to make it for six, eight, ten or more people.

You know how some creamy desserts can leave you feeling heavy and weighed down? This one isn't like that.  This one has no added sugar, its dairy free, higher in protein and fiber than many store bought puddings and is so light and airy it will leave you feeling full yet satisfied. 

I'm putting this one on the Christmas menu because avocado pudding has never tasted so good!