Easy Avocado Chocolate Pudding

Thick and creamy avocado chocolate pudding – an easy and indulgent, naturally sweetened twist on the classic, that comes together in minutes in a blender. You’d never guess the main ingredient was avocado! Vegan and gluten free.

Something you may not know about me: I grew up on the teeniest of tiny avocado ranches.

If you follow along on Instagram, I mentioned this briefly the other day. Not to brag, but I have a delicious connection to the tastiest, organic Hass avocados on the central California coast. It’s not their day job, but my parents tend about thirty avocado trees on their property, and sell a few bins of their fruit every year. So if you live down south, and happen to buy an organic avocado when they’re in season, it might be one of ours.

I grew up eating avocados practically with a spoon, and like many homegrown fruits and veggies, they really are the best. They’re often smaller, but have a richer flavor and perfect, buttery texture. Growing up, it was easy to take our seemingly endless, nearly year-round supply of tree-ripened avocados for granted. Especially now that I’m shelling out several dollars a piece for avocados at the store.

Nonetheless, avocados are still on the grocery list every week, along with our other pantry “essentials.” They add a finishing touch to all kinds of savory dishes, but don’t make their way into sweeter fare very often.

However, that’s changed with this super creamy avocado chocolate pudding. I just can’t get enough. Naturally sweetened and packed with healthy fats – but equally chocolate-y and indulgent, with a spot-on silky texture – this is the chocolate pudding of my dreams.

I kind of can’t believe the main ingredient is avocado.

Avocado chocolate pudding has been on my dessert “to-do” list for a while now. Do you keep a list of recipes you want to make? I have pages and pages worth of them, some hashed out, some mere scribbles of ingredient combinations that need to be developed.

This pudding is from the latter, and it stayed on that list for so long because it always seemed too good to be true – as in, too… granola to actually taste very good.

The number of bowls of pudding I (and perhaps more tellingly, my husband) have obsessively consumed in the last week of recipe testing should prove otherwise.

Why you’ll love this avocado chocolate pudding

While this avocado chocolate pudding is arguably more wholesome than traditional chocolate pudding – and does happen to be naturally vegan, gluten-free, and sweetened without refined sugars – it’s certainly no less delicious or indulgent.

Texturally, it’s indistinguishable. And while the flavor may be ever so slightly different – I’d argue it’s fresher, and somehow more complex – you’d be hard pressed to guess the main ingredient was avocado unless it was pointed out.

In this recipe, we use the natural creaminess of avocado to our advantage, the avocado flavor masked by earthy, sweet cocoa, and a swirl of fragrant vanilla bean. Amber maple syrup for sweetness. Creamy coconut milk to blend things together. A pinch of salt for balance.

Six simple ingredients to chocolate pudding bliss.

How to choose an avocado:

The avocados are queen here, so look for good ones! Buy American! That is, if you can’t just smuggle them home from California in your suitcase…

Look for medium-sized, dark-skinned Hass avocados with a slight pebbly texture free of dents or bruises. The avocados will darken as they ripen from green to almost black, but the color is less important than the texture. A ripe Hass avocado should yield slightly to gentle pressure. If it’s too soft, it’s probably overripe.

Another easy test is to check beneath the stem to revel the color underneath. Use your finger to pop off the nub. If you see green, the avocado is ripe or nearly so. If it’s dark brown, it’s likely too far gone.

When in doubt, buy unripe fruit, and let them ripen for a few days on your counter. Avocados ripen in the dark, so place in a closed pantry cabinet or paper bag to speed things along.

How to make the avocado chocolate pudding:

Place all the ingredients in a blender (a high-speed blender is best. Pricey, yes, but if you can swing it, very worth it). Blend until creamy. Add a splash or two of coconut milk, as needed. You may need to pause and stir a few times to keep things moving (it will start out very thick). It’s really that simple.

A note about the coconut milk:

I like to use canned coconut milk, for the creamiest, most lusciously smooth results, but you could use any dairy or non-dairy milk that you prefer. Use one with a relatively high fat content for the creamiest results. Think whole milk or cream, or cashew, hazelnut, or macadamia milks.

Hands down, Golden Star is my very favorite canned coconut milk, and I highly recommend using it here if you can find it (our Safeway stocks it!). It may not be organic, but the ingredients are pure: coconut and water. No gums or stabilizers or preservatives. Just pure, slightly sweet, super creamy coconut milk, as it should be. The texture and taste are perfect, and I keep a stash – just in case – of at least a half dozen cans for homemade curries, and popsicles, and now this avocado chocolate pudding!

And finally, make it your own:

My mind always goes to possible variations and I could see coffee or espresso working well here, as it’s such a lovely compliment to chocolate. Or a bit of orange zest if you’re a fan of citrus.

Other easy and delicious vegan dessert recipes you’ll love:

• Roasted strawberries and cream popsicles
• Vegan chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting
• Raspberry chocolate ganache tart
• Vegan chocolate olive oil cake
• Blackberry chocolate cupcakes

If you make this avocado chocolate pudding, be sure to tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #forkknifeswoon and leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it! ★★★★★ Star ratings are especially helpful because they help others find my recipes too. xo, Laura

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