On the hunt for a healthier version of a dessert classic I naturally I hit the inter-webs, and stumbled on this recipe from the Minimalist Baker, and decided to give it a go! I didn’t make too many changes, but I did cut down on the whipped cream recipe because I just knew we wouldn’t eat it all, or at least I thought. Holy crap the coconut whipped cream was good. I had to stop myself from eating it out of the bowl with a spoon. I don’t think I’ll be making another version of whipped cream again.
Who knew that a dessert could taste so good, and make you feel good too? I think we vastly underestimate the power of food to heal us. The best part about this pudding recipe is that because it‘s vegan there’s no saturated fats (those are the ones from butter and milk that you really do want to stay away from) and no refined sugar again i.e. bad news bears! So go ahead indulge guilt free 🙂
Feel free to get as fancy as you want with serving your pudding. You could opt for vintage champagne glasses if you have them, or you could use mason jars, and even layer your pudding with whipped cream, coconut, nuts or berries. Thank full creative reign 🙂 and use what ever you have on hand. If you’d layering nuts though just be sure to serve right away otherwise they will get soggy. Ready to get started?
1 1/2 ripe avocados
1 large ripe banana
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter + more for topping
- Add all ingredients except coconut whipped into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add more almond milk as necessary to thin/help blend. Add more cocoa powder for a richer chocolate flavor. Add more sweetener of choice to enhance sweetness. If your blender majorly sucks like mine feel free to bust out the whisk (when the blender is off of course) and encourage the blending. And be sure to start with liquid first.
- Divide between 6 small serving glasses, cover with plastic wrap (pressing the plastic wrap down on the pudding to prevent a skin from forming) and chill for a few hours, or overnight.
- Before serving, top with coconut whipped cream and drizzle with peanut butter.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge up to a few days, though best when fresh.
optional: 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or maple syrup
- Chill your coconut cream or coconut milk in the refrigerator overnight, being sure not to shake or tip the can to encourage separation of the cream and liquid.
- The next day, chill a large mixing bowl 10 minutes before whipping.
- Remove the coconut cream or milk from the fridge without tipping or shaking and remove the lid. Scrape out the top, thickened cream and leave the liquid behind (reserve for use in smoothies).
- Note: if your coconut milk didn’t harden, you probably just got a dud can without the right fat content. In that case, you can try to salvage it with a bit of tapioca flour – 1 to 4 Tbsp – during the whipping process. That has worked for me several times.
- Place hardened cream in your chilled mixing bowl. Beat for 30 seconds with a mixer until creamy. Then add vanilla (optional) and powdered sugar and mix until creamy and smooth – about 1 minute. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed.
- Use immediately or refrigerate – it will harden and set in the fridge the longer it’s chilled. Will keep for up to 1 – 2 weeks!
