Fool-Proof, People-Pleasing Plant-Based Chocolate Pudding

As with all of my favorite recipes, this recipe is flexible and delicious every time. Want it sweet? Add more sweetener. Want it peanut buttery? Add peanut butter. Want it free of nuts and seeds? Don't add any. In the mood for intense, dark chocolate? Dump in cocoa. Want a lighter flavor and lower stimulants? Add less chocolate. You're the boss.





















Put all ingredients in a high-powered blender (such as a Vitamix) and blend until smooth. You may need to stop and scrape the sides a couple of times.

Ingredients:

2 pounds tofu (whatever kind you buy, I use firm)
1/2 - 2/3 cup cocoa powder, amount depends on how chocolatey you want your pudding
heaping 1/3 cup chia seeds
1 large cup of plant-based milk alternative (I use almond milk.)
1/2 cup to 1 cup of maple syrup (I like to use 55% of 1 cup because I want a less sweet pudding). If you don't use maple syrup, use a different sweetner and add a bit more plant milk.
2 tsp vanilla
Optional: scant 1/4 cup peanut butter or nut butter of choice (I use a soup spoon to scoop in a spoonful.) Double this ingredient if you want the pudding actually taste the peanut butter. A spoonful gives the pudding a nice, creamy mouth feel. If you want a lower fat pudding, leave the nut butter out.
For spicy chocolate pudding add:
2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper powder
Sprinkle with cayenne and raw pumpkin seeds
I like to make both a sweet and a spicy batch at the same time. Then I tell my family which one is which because not everyone likes spices.

Enjoy!

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