Today I am excited to have the opportunity to share with you an almost too-good-to be true dessert. A New Year’s resolution of mine was too reduce the amount of sugar I consumed, even natural and to limit myself to honey sweetened treats. I loved following Kimi’s sugar cleanse challenge and reading her post on the benefits of raw honey. As a tribute, I thought I would share a sweet treat that I have been perfecting for a little while now… raw chocolate pudding.
Growing up, I loved making instant pudding, then scooping it into those pre-made graham cracker crusts. You know the ones I’m talking about? What was great about that dessert was how quick and easy it was. The word “instant” really summed it all up. And when a craving hit, there was no waiting… at least for me.
My family tossed out those instant pudding mixes year ago, seeing as there was nothing good about them aside from their convenience. But then, oh how delighted I was to discover the world of raw food, especially raw desserts. I felt as if I had died and gone to heaven as I devoured the deliciousness of these healthy alternatives. Finding some of the components to create a raw dessert can be a challenge, not to mention some of the ingredients can set you back (financially) quite a bit. After learning that the secret to the amazing raw pudding I was eating on an almost regular basis was coconut meat I was put off of making my own. That was until I learned that avocados can be used as a base for raw pudding. Opening a coconut: a bit intimidating. Opening an avocado: simple and easy.
Now we enjoy almost “instant pudding” (within 30 minutes from start to finish) and we don’t have to sacrifice taste or our health. Created with fresh foods that are relatively easy to find in any local supermarket, full of healthy fats, sweetened naturally with ripe banana and raw honey and packed with antioxidants from the raw cocoa powder. This pudding will nourish your body and excite your taste buds.
Raw Chocolate Pudding
2 avocados, peeled and scoope
1 ripe banana, peeled
1/4 cup raw honey
3 tablespoons coconut oil in liquid form or filtered water
1/3 cup raw cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Combine ingredients in a high speed blender and puree until everything is combined. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes just to chill it. Enjoy as an after dinner treat or a mid day pick me up.
For anyone trying to avoid caffeine, feel free to substitute the cocoa powder with carob powder. To add that chocolaty taste, use a little bit of cocoa extract.
Perfect for anyone who is trying to limit their consumption of sweets or avoid processed sugars. GAPS friendly too!
Confession: sometimes I eat this for breakfast. Shh… don’t tell my kids 😉
Kristin Jukes blogs at The Seasonal Family about the changes of life as a family from season to season. After the birth of her and her husband’s first child in 2008, she began to slowly change their families diet to one high in whole foods. With various food allergies, many of the recipes are wheat free, egg free, peanut free and refined sugar free. Now, a mommy of two little ones, her site content continues to expand to homesteading and homeschooling while striving to be a Godly wife and mother.
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These are the same ingredients I use for our chocolate pudding – and we LOVE it. The addition of a couple heaping tablespoons of nut butter is very satisfying also. We use frozen bananas if we want it cool instead of putting it in the fridge to chill. Very yummy recipe (we occasionally eat it for a meal too!)
P.S. I buy avocados when they are on sale at Aldi’s and whip then all up at once in my processor. Then, I freeze them in the quantities we normally use for raw pudding, raw ice cream, and guacamole. They’re always handy, freeze well (don’t lose color), and you don’t have to wait for that “perfectly ripe” moment.
wow, I never knew that avocados froze well. Thanks for the tip! I will definitely be doing that 🙂
What can I use in lieu of banana….we hate eachother.
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You could try removing them from the recipe and adding a little more honey. I decided to use bananas since they add extra natural sweetness. I tried applesauce but it was not as thick as the bananas and made it more like liquid pudding, hah. Or try using a chia seed gel to add the thickness with a little more honey. That could work!
You could use dates. They are also a natural sweeter and they taste great!
what’s the calorie content?
Shawn, I am sorry to say that I have no idea! I don’t really keep track of calories…
This looks similar to a recipe I posted in one of the pennywise carnivals things here. The recipe I had used agave instead of honey though. I’m not sure it had bananas either–I’ll have to try it that way.
Karen, I’d love to see your recipe! Do you have a link? I really enjoy trying others recipes. 😀
Does this taste like dark chocolate?
It does have a a very rich taste, much like dark chocolate. A little bit is all you need!
What is raw cocoa powder and where do I find it?
Raw cocoa powder is not roasted, leaving behind the healthy antioxidants that are naturally found in the cocoa bean. You may also see it written as cacao, it is the same thing. Many health food stores carry it. If you cannot find it, regular cocoa powder will work just as well.
I ordered my raw cocoa powder on Amazon….
Would coconut manna work instead of the avacado? Or maybe to replace 1 avocado? I made this once and I tasted the grassiness. We aren’t avocado fans normally. But coconut we love! I think sneaking in a healthy avocado this way would be awesome if I could use half the amount.
I’ve never worked with coconut manna but it seems not to be as solid as avocado. Perhaps coconut meat could work. If you try it out, let me know how it goes! I’m interested now to check out coconut manna. I’ve heard it is great to make raw truffles.
If the avocado tastes a little “grassy” or not-quite-ripe I add a little splash of lemon juice to mine – seems to take care of it.
I thought it would be worth mentioning, that while raw cocoa does contain more antioxidants, it also contains very high amounts of phytic acid and probably other anti-nutrients/enzyme inhibitors. Plus, while regular cocoa powder has no affect on my digestive system, I’ve noticed that raw cocoa can bother me. For that reason, I don’t generally spend the extra cash on raw cocoa powder. As Kristin mentioned in a comment above, I am sure that this recipe would be delicious with regular cocoa. 🙂
thanks Kimi, that is a good point for those who are trying to reduce or are weary of phytic acid in their diet!
This sounds SO good! Thanks for sharing. I may make this tonight.
I made this tonight, using regular cocoa. It tastes amazing! Someone asked if tastes like dark chocolate, yes it does. I gave my husband a bite, without showing him the recipe, and he tasted chocolate banana. This pudding is very rich and creamy!
So glad you enjoyed it Kenda!!!
It looks delish but would put me in a sugar coma.
I can’t eat anything with caffeine. Have you tried using this recipe as a base for a different pudding flavor?
Are you a fan of carob? It looks like cocoa but it doesn’t have the caffeine. The taste is different from cocoa and you might have to play around with the quantities, but it is a caffeine free option!
Been meaning to try a recipe like this for a long time! Will be grabbing some avocadoes at the store pronto…
I made avocado based chocolate pudding once, and it was horrible. The taste of avocado would not be covered. I wonder why my experience was so bad, but I see variations of this same recipe over & over, so it must work well for some people!
I’ve never tried this particular recipe, but I wonder if the avocado taste could be masked by using an extra, ripe banana?
Sounds great! And ironic since I just made a raw version of chocolate pudding too! Similar recipe but sweetened with dates.
2 avocados
1 banana
1/2 dates – pitted, soaked in water for few hours and drained
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Blend in food processor. Serve chilled and with berries! My 4 year old loves it!
Nice option of no-added sugars —just the natural fruits.
Oops, that should have said 1/2 cup of dates. 🙂
I figured the calories on Myfitnesspal. With coconut oil here is the breakdown:
4 servings
Calories 307, Carbs 31 grams, Fat, 21 grams, Protein 3 grams
This looks outrageously good.
I thought carob, cocoa powder, chocolate were not allowed on GAPS? I haven’t enjoyed them in so long! I would love to try this recipe if it’s GAPS compliant. Thanks
Katie,
I don’t think that carob is allowed, cocoa powder is allowed back in, when someone is ready for it and if they handle it well. 🙂
Kimi is right, I’ve been doing a course on the GAPS diet and in small quantities I’ll have cocoa powder/cocoa nibs. I’m doing the full GAPS diet right now, you might want to hold off till stages 5 or 6, but if your body responds well to it (some never do) then go for a tiny portion 🙂
I recently made this and couldn’t believe how good it was! My oldest hates banana and unfortunately could still detect it so I may try omitting it next time and see if that changes his mind or the texture too much.
Someone who tried this recipe swapped the banana out and replaced it with raw cream and then whipped everything together. If you are not dairy free, you could try replacing it with cream instead and see how that works.
I’m curious if this would turn out as an ice cream substitute if you (a) made it with frozen chunks of fruit or (b) froze it after blending?
Someone else commented on how they made it with a frozen banana and it was ready to eat immediately, but I’m not sure it would be similar to ice cream. Have you tried freezing it since you wrote the comment? Let me know how it goes!
Avocados are on sale this week at Sprouts and I will be giving this recipe a try! Being on GAPS, my family needs a treat and this sounds great!
I needed more calories this evening (breastfeeding my newborn!) and had all the ingredients on hand for this. I substituted 4 Tbl organic peanut butter for the coconut oil (for roughly same calorie count. Thanks Jennifer!) because I was craving pb, and it is absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to see if my littles like it.
Can you taste the avocado? I loathe avocados, but the rest of the recipe looks amazing. Please tell me you can’t taste the avo taste!
I don’t taste it, the banana flavour comes through stronger than the avocado taste. Most people cannot even tell the avocado is in it.
I made this last night and I loved it. My kids thought it was pretty good, but I think it was a little rich for them. No one in my family could tell that there were any avocados in it but the bananas were definitely evident. I used frozen bananas like someone else suggested and it was ready right away. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for posting!
That was awesome! Great taste and not bad for you – how much better can you get?!
Been making faux chocolate mousse for a year now. I never combine banana and avocado (the banana comes through too much for my liking). I just use avocado, agave, cocoa powder, a pinch of salt, coconut or almond milk and process in the Vitamix. Adjust to your own taste. Many additional flavors can be added, peanut butter, fruits, coconut. Yum!
That sounds delicious Jen! We are peanut free, but I should try almond butter one of these days. mmm
There’s a chocolate almond butter by Maranatha that might just add something to this too.
I found this blog post by “accident” while doing a search for GAPS-friendly foods. I have gluten intolerance, and I’m following the GAPS diet..I found this recipe for a homemade version of Nutella which is GAPS-friendly…or at least, I think it is 🙂 🙂 I was trying to find out whether organic, cocoa powder would b something I could use? Thanks for this recipe, too 🙂 Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 🙂
I’ve been freezing this in popsicle molds for fudgecicles. Yum!
This tastes like the real thing, and the best part is that it’s healthy! Thanks for the great recipe. I will definitely make it again.
I made this today, but I didn’t really like it. I think it’s the banana that makes it taste funny. Next time I think I’ll substitute something else in. But hey, my 2 year old loves it 🙂
I’ve so far been experimenting with raw foods and I’ve tried a few recipes with success. I tried this recipe today and since I’m not a fan of avocado, i thought this might bridge the gap…..and it worked! This may be the only way I’ll eat avocado but it was great. I will say the banana taste does come through. But if you use a banana that just became ripe (appearance of brown spots) then it has the ideal amount of sweetness. I will try using regular cocoa powder next time from reading previous comments.
Hi.
I am experimenting. Does tofu count as aRaw Food?
I combined tofu, raw cacao, molasses (I don’t have honey inthe house just now),cinnamon, nutmeg,banana,and a jolt of vanilla extract in my blender.
It makes a decent pudding.
Better yet, last month I combined ripe papaya and cacao.it was incredibly good, and I was surprised how creamy it tasted.
Tofu is not raw. In addition, uncultured soy foods like tofu, soymilk, soy oil are high in phytates with abundant anti-nutrients, and can prevent absorption of nutrients from your meal. If you feel you need soy, tempeh, miso, naturally fermented soy sauce, and natto are better, since they are cultured/fermented, which makes them more digestible and deactivates the phytates to a degree.
I’m going to try this tomorrow. A week ago, I started having raw chocolate with thawed frozen bananas (to make them mushy) and a bit of coconut in the mornings. Partially frozen is good – I even added in some raw almond butter a couple of times. I don’t “do” coffee or tea anymore and I have noticed a nice boost of energy, mood and mental clarity with the raw chocolate – different from sugar filled dark chocolate bars. No digestive issues. I have seen many raw chocolate recipes call for agave nectar or syrup. Agave nectar/syrup is made from the root of the vegetable and is basically a sub for high-fructose corn syrup. Honey or dates are better options for those wanting to stay with unprocessed foods.
Is there anything I can sub for the banana? My youngest has several food sensitivities and banana is one that she is off the charts with. We are egg, gluten, dairy free
Thanks
Yummmmmmmmmmmm! I was super skeptical about this recipe but it turned out really, really yummy!