Vegan Chocolate Pudding
Vegan, paleo, gluten-free
I have a deep affection for junk food. My sister and I used to rejoice when my mom would give in and buy us those pudding cups. You know, the ones in the dairy section with a name that sounds like hello? We would fight endlessly about who would get the last one or which flavor was better (I like chocolate and vanilla, my sister liked plain chocolate).
Of course, like with many of the things that I enjoyed as a kid, I came to learn about what exactly was in those pudding cups. I have never really looked at them the same since. My love for pudding has not stopped though.
This pudding recipe was a 5am experiment. I have always been most productive before 10am. I was shocked by how good it turned out that I ended up making it 5 more times. It is ridiculously easy to make and oh so easy to eat.
Coconut Milk
Traditionally pudding is made with whole milk (or cream if you are feeling super indulgent). Coconut milk is the perfect replacement for whole milk because it is full of natural fat, but also natural sugars. That also means you cannot use light coconut milk. It is full fat or nothing. Or use coconut cream.
Maple Syrup
I have talked about my obsession with maple syrup. It is the perfect sweetener for this pudding. I was gifted some seriously decadent maple syrups from Runamok, including a cocoa bean infused syrup. It was the perfect sweetener for this. One, you get an added element of cocoa flavor to boost the depth of chocolate flavor. Two, you get rich, amber sweetness that is inherent in maple syrup.
When it comes to maple syrup, I always get a robust, dark amber maple syrup. It can get pricey, but it is a more intense sweetness so you need less of it.
Arrowroot Starch
Most pudding recipe will either call for making a custard with egg yolks; some call for cornstarch instead of eggs yolks. I am not a big fan of corn starch (ever since my nutritionist told me that corn can be irritating for folks like me with Crohn’s) so I wanted to use an easier to digest replacement. Arrowroot starch acts exactly the same as corn starch, thickening sauces and, in this case, puddings.
I always use Bob’s Red Mill arrowroot starch (bought online or at my local Whole Foods). If you cannot find arrowroot starch, you can certainly use corn starch (I have not tested it with it, but it would be the same amount) or tapioca starch.
OK. Now, let’s get into the recipes and into some chocolatey goodness.
RECIPE
35g (1/4 cup) paleo dark chocolate
107g (1/3 cup) maple syrup
400g (1 can) full fat coconut milk
35g (1/4 cup) dutch-process cocoa powder
35g (1/4 cup) arrowroot starch
10g (1 tsp) instant espresso powder (optional, but delicious)
1/2 tsp salt
4g (1/2 tsp) refined, organic coconut oil
In a small saucepan, combine the coconut milk, maple syrup, and dark chocolate. Set over medium heat. Get ready to stand over the stove because you will need to whisk constantly. Coconut milk can burn fast, so it’d good to keep it moving.
Once the dark chocolate is melted, remove from the heat and add the sifted cocoa powder, arrowroot, espresso powder and salt. Return to the heat and whisk the dry ingredients into the coconut milk mixture. Keep whisking over the heat until the mixture starts to thicken slightly; it will take about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the coconut oil, whisking to combine. Once the coconut oil is mixed in, pour the pudding into a heatproof jar (like a mason jar), cover, and chill in the fridge.
And now you have pudding ready to eat! This make about 4 small servings or 2 generous ones. Top with berries, maybe crumble some crispy chocolate cookies on top.
It is delicious any way you want to eat it. You can even freeze it in popsicle molds!
If you want to be a little extra, I highly recommend making this easy-peasy mango “caramel” to drizzle on top.
61g (1/3 cup) coconut sugar
72g (1/3 cup) mango nectar (I bought it from a local cafe, but you could use any nectar you can find)
86g (1/3 cup) tahini
A big pinch salt
1/2 tsp refined coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
Add all the ingredients except the coconut oil and vanilla to a heavy-bottomed saucepan (I use a Le Creuset) over medium-high heat. Stir constantly for 4 minutes until the the mixture is smooth and just starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract and coconut oil.
Whisk to combine and return to the heat, whisking constantly, for another 2 minutes. Pour into a mason jar to cool slightly. Cover it and keep it in the fridge, ready to reheat and drizzle over anything.