How to Make Vegan Chocolate Pudding

Who knew dairy-free & low sugar could be so tasty

Vegan chocolate mousseChoosing Chia

Dairy-free Chocolate Mocha MoussePhoto by Kisoulou on Unsplash

I consider myself a foodie, but my children and I have some special dietary needs. I’m always in search of food that’s delicious, creamy, dairy-free, and low glycemic.

I played with a lot of different starch and tofu combinations and perfected a wonderful vanilla and lemon base that makes creamy, dairy-free desserts like banana puddings and lemon (berry) tarts. However, when I'm craving chocolate mousse this is my go-to recipe.

This recipe is a great option if you have a sweet tooth like me, but can’t have dairy or lots of sugar. I use to make it for my son on a weekly basis until he discovered that it was made with tofu. Seeing those gelatinous squares plop in the blender broke his 9-year-old heart.

I’ve tried several different recipes and this has the best flavor and creamy mouth feel — similar to a chocolate dairy-based dessert, but the dirt pudding recipe adds texture and playfulness.

If you add some crumbled cookies and gummy bears to the top and you have a cute garden or Halloween-themed treat.

Delicious and Decadent Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

1 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate chips (make sure they don't contain dairy)

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 package silken organic tofu, drained at room temperature

¼ cup Zulka Morena sugar (substitutions below)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp instant coffee - if you want mocha mousse, add another 1 tsp

A pinch of salt

Equipment Needed: Blender or food processor, microwave or pot, and a heatproof bowl

Directions

1. Put coconut oil and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Then, melt the chocolate. Here are 3 methods to safely, and properly melt chocolate from Delish.com
2. Let it cool to room temperature
3. Place the rest of the ingredients in the blender and blend until very smooth, add the melted chocolate and blend until well combined.

* If you want a whipped, traditional mousse-like texture, transfer the blended mixture back to the bowl with chocolate, and use a handheld mixer or an emersion blender with a whisk attachment for 1-2 minutes.

Chill in a covered bowl for 3 hours minimum - preferably overnight and serve plain, with coconut whipped cream.

Substitutions

1 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate (I used 70% dairy-free dark chocolate)

Sugar alternatives: 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup or agave nectar (add to taste)

Dirt Pudding Parfait

Starting from the bottom, layer crushed Trader Joes Joe Joe cookies, mousse, coconut whipped cream

Chocolate Pudding or Mousse Pie

Put the mixture in a chocolate pie crust and let it chill for 3 hours minimum - preferably overnight

Enjoy!

© T. Price 2022 All Rights Reserved - Originally published on Medium