Chocolate Avocado Pudding (Paleo, Primal, AIP, Vegan)

As we head into the holiday weekend, I wanted to remind you of this dead simple, utterly spoon-licking-worthy, no-cook chocolate pudding.

You can’t mess it up.

And you can’t not eat it, either, you should know that in case you make a giant batch and you’re the only one home.

From the first time I posted it:

I’ll confess that I’ve posted this chocolate pudding recipe on my Instagram page and probably would have forgotten to post it here, but I picked up some groceries at Mississippi Market Co-op this afternoon and had such a cool thing happen to me there, I decided to pull it together for you.

As I walked out of the store, a couple driving out of the parking lot rolled down their car window and said, “We just bought 3 pounds of avocados because we love your chocolate avocado pudding so much! Thanks for the recipe!”

How awesome is that? Made. My. Day. And it was the perfect reminder to share it here for you all. (Also, I was very glad that I’d put a comb through my hair and wasn’t wearing my pajamas, which is entirely possible on a Sunday shopping situation.)

I LOVE this pudding. Borderline problematically love. It’s rich and creamy and tastes nothing like avocados – in fact, you would swear it’s been cooked with cream and eggs. Seriously! I make it all sorts of ways – with carob powder, with cocoa powder, I add collagen (but you don’t need to, which will keep it vegan), with maple syrup, with honey. The nice thing about carob is that it’s naturally sweet, so you can get away with less sweetener. I add a bit of instant coffee to the carob version, to add the lovely bitterness that cocoa possesses but that carob does not; but again, it’s not necessary (omit the coffee to keep it AIP).

And for those of you on the wait list for Project Vibrancy Meals meal plans, membership is now open!

I figured that after the holiday weekend, many of you are going to be ready for healthy meals and lots of meal-planning support – from me, and from our awesome private Facebook community. You don’t even need to think of it as a financial investment, because the meal plans pay for themselves in saved food costs, not to mention the cost of your own stress relief! It you’ve been waiting, now is definitely the time to jump in.

This week I did a batch cooking/meal planning demo to give you an overview of how this all works. Once you get the hang of batch cooking, you’ll be eating well every week and really seeing and feeling the difference. Healthy food works its magic with consistency and batch cooking is The Way to get consistent and organized. Working ahead is the key to meeting ANY goals, including food and health. (Check it out here on YouTube.)

If you head to the Minnesota State Fair, definitely check out the tacos at Manny’s Tortas in the Food Building. They’re gluten-free and delicious! I went to Hall & Oates on Wednesday night with my friends Molly Herrmann and Kim Kalina. We had a ridiculous amount of fun, mostly just running into friends and dancing to the fantastic show on a STELLAR Minnesota summer evening. To scope out all of the new foods at the Fair, check out this hysterical and impressive summary. I don’t know how they do it, but thank goodness they do.

Ok, keep celebrating, get ready to jump into healthy batch cooking (join here before membership closes!), and enjoy your chocolate-y weekend!

xoxo Stephanie

Chocolate Avocado Pudding (Paleo, AIP, Vegan)
Serves 2

1 medium ripe avocado
2-3 tablespoons carob powder (for AIP) or cocoa powder
2-3 tablespoons maple syrup (I start on the low end and add a bit more as needed; carob is naturally sweeter than cocoa powder, so consider that as well)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder (optional and skip for AIP; I only use it with carob, not cocoa)
3-4 tablespoons of coconut milk OR almond (or other nut milk) OR half-n-half (use coconut milk for AIP)
1 scoop (2 tablespoons) collagen peptides or hydrolysate (optional, skip for vegan)

Add avocado, carob (or cocoa), maple syrup, vanilla, and salt to the bowl of a blender. If using espresso powder, dissolve it in milk. Add milk to blender.

Blend until very smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust sweetness or add more milk if the pudding is too thick. Spoon into two bowls and eat them both. 😂😜🙊

Cover with plastic and refrigerate. Can be stored for up to 3 days.

Cleaning tip: avocado is super annoying to clean out of a blender! To make it easy, add hot water to the blender bowl and blend the water. Always be careful blending hot liquids – don’t overfill the blender, start on lowest speed, and hold the lid on.