Chocolate Pudding Pots (dairy-free)

If chocolate pudding is high on your list of favorite light and easy desserts, you’re going to fall head over heels for this treat!

In theory, pudding should be simple to make, right? I thought so, too. That is, until I started researching pudding recipes and found out that it’s not only a little tricky to make, but it also usually hinges on dairy and sugar as key elements. After multiple failed attempts, I began to wonder if dairy-free, refined sugar-free pudding could even be made at all.

I started thinking about naturally creamy ingredients and how I could transform them into chocolatey pudding. Avocados came to me right away and I felt like Oprah with my ah-ha moment. I threw some ingredients into the food processor, gave it a whirl and the rest is history.

Healthy, no-cook, dairy-free pudding was born.

The recipe made its way into my cookbook, The Pure Kitchen, and continues to be a mega hit whenever I make it for guests or at cooking classes. You just can’t go wrong with everyone’s favorite indulgence, chocolate, in a creamy and luxuriously smooth pudding. And the fact that it sneaks in some healthier ingredients makes it all that much sweeter.

What better way to celebrate summer than with a garden-inspired chocolate treat? For today’s recipe, I adapted the pudding from my book slightly and added some “chocolate dirt” on top for good measure.

I don’t think you’ll have any trouble getting little ones to gobble down a bowl of this pudding. What kid wouldn’t love to eat dirt?!

Serve the pudding in tiny flower pots garnished with sprigs of mint and POOF! Instant adorable dessert. Everyone gets their own, so you don’t even have to share (which I secretly love).

If you’re looking for more easy summer desserts, look no further! Here are some of my favorites:

• Berry Bliss Ice Cream
• Chocolate Banana Ice Cream Pops
• Blueberry Crumble Bars
• Soft Island Bliss Cookies
• Raspberry Brownie Bites

Tell me, what are some of your go-to treats for summer?

Chocolate Pudding Pots (Dairy-Free)
Makes 2 small or 4 large servings

For the “dirt”:
1/2 cup raw walnuts
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 pitted Medjool dates, roughly chopped

For the pudding:
1/2 cup (packed) pitted Medjool dates, covered with hot water and soaked for 20-30 minutes
2 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup
2 medium firm but ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and coarsely mashed
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of sea salt

For garnish:
Fresh mint sprigs

Make the “dirt”: In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, add the walnuts and process for about 20 seconds to form a meal. Add the cocoa powder and dates. Process to form a loose and crumbly mixture that looks like, well, dirt! Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Make the pudding: Drain the dates, reserving 1 tablespoon of the soaking liquid. Place the dates and reserved liquid in the now empty food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the maple syrup and process to form a rough paste, stopping several times to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the mashed avocados and process to combine. Add the cocoa powder and salt and process for 1-2 minutes until creamy and smooth, again stopping several times to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Divide the pudding between 4 small flower pots or bowls, or refrigerate the pudding in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Sprinkle the “dirt” over the top of the pudding pots or bowls. (You probably will not use all of it. Refrigerate the extra and sprinkle it over hot cereal, fruit bowls, or ice cream.) Garnish each serving with a sprig of mint. Serve.

Hallie Klecker is the author of The Pure Kitchen, a gluten- and dairy-free cookbook with over 100 healthful recipes. She also writes the recipe blog Daily Bites, where she shares her passion for cooking with whole, natural foods. Hallie is a certified Nutrition Educator and former personal chef.