Recipe and photos contributed by Dillon Indira of Oh Holy Basil

If you haven’t tried avocado pudding you are missing out! I love avocado in all formats (except cooked), but I have to admit that when I heard about avocado-based desserts I wasn’t particularly eager to try them. To me, avocado is a savoury food and best consumed with little change brought to it. This humble ingredient does not need much of anything to be a treat. But then again I like my food simple and uncomplicated. And, I like whole food ingredients to be able shine in and of themselves.

Being someone who does not consume dairy and avoids soy, I was pretty much missing out on pudding, except for the infrequent foray into coconut milk tapioca pudding. While we do eat our fair share of cooked foods, I do  always err on the side of raw foods when I can, so when my kids asked for pudding (more than a few times) I decided to try an avocado pudding recipe. To my delight, and especially my children’s, chocolate avocado pudding is super delicious and super nutritious. On top of that, it’s super easy to make. Super all around!

Raw Mint Chocolate Pudding | Serves 4

*I’ve included links for some items which may not be in your pantry, such as raw cacao and pink salts, these are included in this recipe because they are optimally healthy, however I have also noted some substitutions that you could make at the end of the recipe with more common pantry ingredients.

• 2 cups avocado, tightly packed
• 3/4 cup cacao powder, preferably raw (I like this one)
• 3/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• a heaping 1/4 teaspoon pink salt (I like this one)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled (I like this one)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• Optional garnishes: berries, mint leaves, cacao nibs

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Blend for about a minute or until very smooth, scraping the bowl down half way through. Divide among glasses or ramekins and chill until ready to eat. Garnish and serve, or chill for later.

This pudding can be made a day in advance.

Thank you, Dillon, for this deliciously healthy recipe!

Danielle’s Notes: Variations and Substitutions

Variations:

Avocado pudding is easily adaptable to ingredients you have on hand and has many options for flavour variations,  depending on how you garnish, flavour or spice it. In my experience there is no pure science to avocado pudding, so play around and see what you like. For example, my kids love swapping the fresh mint leaves for organic grated orange rind and one drop of Wild Orange essential oil. If you don’t have fresh mint on hand you can use one drop of Peppermint essential oil.

Simple substitutions:

While himalayan salt is included in the recipe for its health benefits, you could use other salts you may have on hand, such as table salt or fleur de sel.

You can substitute conventional cocoa powder in place of raw cacao powder. Similarly, you can substitute honey or agave syrup in place of maple syrup.

I most often use vanilla bean powder in place of liquid vanilla extract, as I prefer the vanilla taste from the bean. For this recipe just a tiny sprinkle of powder is sufficient, probably 1/16 of a teaspoon.

If you don’t have coconut oil on hand, I recommend omitting oil altogether. Coconut oil is much healthier than other oils and has the benefit of hardening at room temperature, which helps to “gel” the pudding, although it is not necessary to make the pudding hold.

My only warning would be to minimize any liquid added, as this will thin the pudding. Always use powdered spices, extracts or essential oils (edible ones only!) to flavour so the liquid input is minimal.

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Readers: Make sure to visit and bookmark Dillon’s site, Oh Holy Basil, to see all the delicious family approved recipes on offer. You can also keep up to date by following on Instagram @ohholybasil

About Dillon:

Dillon is the mother of two young ones. She has a passion for health, food, Ayurveda and macrobiotics, which she intelligently combines into delicious, wholesome, plant-based recipes shared on her blog Oh Holy Basil. Dillon trained in integrative nutrition and gourmet cooking and has worked in esteemed New York City kitchens.

If you would like to contribute a plant-based recipe to this blog please email me: hippieindisguise1@gmail.com.

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