Secret ingredient for decadent, dairy-free chocolate pudding

What if I told you I had a way of making the most decadent and rich chocolate pudding you’ve ever tasted, while being free of dairy, soy, and all animal products? You’d probably think I was crazy, right? Well news flash, I am crazy, but that is beside the point. Today, we’re talking pudding…healthier chocolate pudding to be exact. 

This pudding is the kind you can’t live without once you take your first bite. It will haunt your every dream until you’ve made it yourself. Friends and family members will beg you for the recipe and you’ll just let them squirm while you ask them to guess what’s in it. Sometimes it’s fun to be cruel.

 The secret to this pudding is probably an ingredient you’d never expect…avocado! When avocado is processed, it becomes thick, buttery and luxurious, making it the perfect background ingredient to hide in a dairy-free chocolate pudding. If dates are nature’s candy, then avocados are nature’s butter. Even more appealing is the nutritional profile of an avocado. According to World’s Healthiest Foods, avocados are high in fibre, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin B5 and B6, making this a chocolate pudding like no other.

Secret ingredient chocolate pudding

Yield: 2 and ¼ cups
Ingredients:
• 2 cups avocado flesh (about 4 small avocados), pitted and scooped out
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp smooth peanut butter (optional)
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted if clumpy

1. Place all ingredients into the food processor. Process until mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add more milk to achieve desired consistency. Store in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 3-4 days. 

Angela Liddon is the creator of Oh She Glows — an inspiring, healthy vegan recipe website — and one of Chatelaine's Women of the Year 2011. Angela’s passion for healthy vegan food is contagious and she’s eager to show others that vegan (and often gluten-free) food can blow your taste buds away.