This gluten-free, vegan, and paleo chocolate pudding was possibly the most satisfying thing ever! I love a simple chocolate avocado pudding once in a while too, but it never quite tastes like the real deal to me. This gelatin-free, starch-free, and dairy-free pudding is the best I've had since I stopped eating the store-bought stuff (which I find typically has waaaay too much sugar, corn, and soy for my liking these days). Besides, there's something very satisfying in having a freshly-made warm and gooey silky chocolate pudding, isn't there? ;)
As for the "secret ingredient" -- you tell me, what did you expect least: to find sweet potato or apple butter in your chocolate pudding? I couldn't tell you which of these two makes this pudding more special, but it wouldn't be the same without them!
Oh, forgot to mention that it works really well as a spread or sauce too, especially once chilled a bit. It's delicious on toast and even as frosting!
Print"Secret Ingredient" Gluten-Free, Vegan Chocolate Pudding
This gluten-free, vegan, and paleo chocolate pudding was possibly the most satisfying thing ever! It's the best since I stopped eating store-bought varieties.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups
- Category: Pudding
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
- ¾ cup raw cashews, pre-soaked and strained*
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup unsweetened apple butter (I used my DIY apple butter recipe, but store-bought would work fine too)
- ¼ cup sweet potato puree
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a high speed blender (I used my Vitamix for this) and blend until the mixture is completely smooth and silky. Pause and scrape down sides as needed in the process as needed until the mixture is well-blended.
- Enjoy warm or at room temp. Or chill in the fridge for a more mousse-like consistency. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Notes
*To pre-soak nuts: place in a glass bowl, cover with water, and leave to soak for 4 hours (or overnight in the fridge). Then strain and discard the water. For a quick pre-soak, cover with boiled water and soak for 15 mins, then strain and discard water. (Note: this technique doesn’t preserve the nutrition of the recipe as well as the traditional soaking technique above). Additional Note: the purpose of soaking the nuts is to re-hydrate them and plump them up for blending into a smooth, cheesecake-like consistency. Proper soaking techniques also maximize nutrition and digestibility. If you’re interested in learning more about nut soaking and other dessert prep tips and tricks, I delve into these subjects in detail in my book Unconventional Treats.
I definitely recommend having some while it's warm and spooning the rest into individual serving size jars or bowls and storing in the fridge.
P.S. If you want to know how to use this pudding as an amazing frosting, check out this Gluten-Free Vegan Sweet Potato Cake with Chocolate Pudding Frosting recipe!
angela says
....so, do you cook this or is it warm because of the boiling water over the cashews? do you drain the water off the cashews or pour all that into the blender? and if so, how much water? i'm not clear on the instructions for this pudding.
Audrey says
Hi Angela,
Sorry the instructions weren't clear about the nut soaking. Nut soaking and straining is a standard procedure you'll find in lots of vegan / dairy-free desserts. This is a really old recipe on the blog and on the newer ones I've been including instructions for soaking since I realized many people are unfamiliar with the process. I've been updating the older recipes as well as I have time, but didn't get to this one just yet...
I just updated the instructions up top though, so see the recipe notes for that. Hope that makes things clearer. Enjoy! :)
Jen says
Speaking of substitutions, what would you recommend in place of coconut oil?
Audrey says
I suppose it depends on why you are trying to omit it? :)
- You can get by excluding it altogether. The consistency will be a little less creamy / smooth, but if you're having it fresh it's not a big deal. Without the oil it won't set as firmly if you are trying to use it like frosting on a chilled cake too. But if you're just in for pudding, neither of those things should be an issue.
- You can use a bit of coconut butter (whole processed coconut; also called manna) if you're not averse to coconut specifically.
- You can use some melted cacao butter for a strong chocolate flavor in place of the oil.
- You can use a bit of cashew butter just to add a bit more creaminess / smoothness.
- You can use non-dairy butter of your choice.
Hope one of these options works for you!
Sharon says
Could coconut, macadamia nuts or almonds be used instead of cashews? Not just in this recipe but in many of your other recipes using cashews? I can't eat cashews. Thank you.
Audrey says
Hello Sharon,
That's too bad about the cashews -- they are certainly an easy ingredient to work with and I use them a fair bit. But not to worry, I pretty much always have recommendations for substitutions. For this recipe, I would go for coconut butter/manna as my first choice to substitute for the cashews. Blanched almonds would work great too, but you'll need to add a bit more sweetener because cashews have a natural sweetness to them that I find is lacking when I substitute almonds in. So I usually add 1-2 extra tbsp sweetener to taste and a hint more vanilla. Macadamia will work as well, but they have a very pronounced flavor so I find that they're not as easy to use as a straight substitute unless I try the recipe out. You can definitely try them but just adjust the sweetness and flavor a bit to your liking.
It's hard to give a blanket substitution recommendation for all my other cashew recipes. If any particular ones ever catch your eye just leave a comment and I'd be happy to make suggestions. I usually try recipes in various ways prior to publishing the results, so I tend to have lots of substitution ideas up my sleeve... In general though, for the "cheesecakes" and raw cakes, go with blanched almonds and up the sweetness a touch. For the sauces and drizzles I like to use coconut butter/manna best as a substitute. But again, if you ever have questions or are looking for ideas, ask away :)
Kristen @ The Endless Meal says
This looks so rich and delicious. Yum!
Audrey says
Aw, thank you Kristen. It's an oldie recipe but I love it <3
Jess says
Do you think I could leave out the apple butter?
Audrey says
Hi Jess, yes, totally -- I would just up the sweet potato puree instead and you may need to adjust the sweetness a little when done. Enjoy it!