Words like decadent, indulgent, and chocolate come to mind when tasting this dairy free pudding. With fruity and fudge-like notes, you’d never guess that you’re eating an avocado carob mousse with no chocolate.
Now, I’ve been known to share a few odd puddings around here (there was the famous bodybuilding peanut butter tofu pudding, ahem)…but this one? This one is loved by EVERYONE.
What I love about this recipe is that it looks every bit as good as it tastes and is a great way to use those ripe avocados because it only takes 5 minutes in a blender. It’s even got all the perks:
- naturally sweetened with maple syrup
- all the frees: dairy free, gluten free, soy free
- diet friendly: Paleo, AIP, & Vegan
What is Carob?
Carob is a sweet and healthy alternative to chocolate. Carob powder resembles cocoa powder, is caffeine free and comes from the pods of a Mediterranean evergreen tree. While I’m absolutely crazy for the flavor of carob, it’s definitely unique and may not be for everyone (though I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like it).
So how can a mousse be creamy, rich and dairy free? The secret ingredient is avocado.
Using avocado in dessert may sound bizarre, but it blends right in behind the dominant flavors of maple syrup, vanilla, and carob. You’ll definitely appreciate the mousse-like texture and rich flavor that you get from avocado. Best of all — there’s no cooking required!
How to Make No-Cook Pudding In the Blender
This is one of the easiest dessert recipes because it’s made entirely in the blender or immersion blender. It comes out thick and creamy and sets beautifully after a short refrigeration. Watch how to make and serve this pudding in this short demonstration video:
Serving the Dessert
I almost always pipe this dessert like frosting for a gourmet and mess-free presentation. Fresh berries, toasted coconut or chopped nuts add contrast to the creamy texture. I like these parfait glasses for serving and this piping bag with large star tip.
Storage and Make Ahead Tips
This pudding stores well but only for 2 days. You can refrigerate it in the piping bag using a rubber band on the end to close it or covered in the parfait glasses using plastic cling wrap. You definitely want to keep the berries and coconut off the pudding until the last possible moment for the freshest, best texture.
Pro Tip: Only wash those berries (especially raspberries) right before enjoying. Water can make berries soggy – blueberries being the exception.
Random and totally awesome side-note: Save the avocado seeds and skins for your bath. Avocado will leave your hair shiny and your skin soft and smooth for days!
More Dairy Free Desserts You Might Enjoy
- Keto Chocolate Pots de Creme
- Tapioca Pearl Pudding (try it with coconut milk)
- Perfect Vegan Pumpkin Pie with gluten free crust
Creamy Carob Mousse
Ingredients
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1/4 cup carob powder cocoa works too
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or coconut nectar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 tbsp refined coconut oil
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut toasted, for garnish
- berries or nuts for garnish
Instructions
- Cut avocados in half and remove seeds. Use the peel as a handle to squeeze the avocado into a blender, food processor, or bowl (if using an immersion blender).
- Add carob, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and oil and blend on high until extremely creamy. You may need to use a spatula to scrape the sides. Once the pudding is lump free and uniform in color, transfer to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days. It will firm up a bit because of the coconut oil.
- To serve, pipe or spoon into parfait glasses and top with toasted coconut or nuts and fresh berries. Best served cold.
Video
Notes
How to Toast Coconut:
You can buy shredded, unsweetened coconut and toast it yourself in a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir and watch closely to prevent burning. Within 2-3 minutes, the coconut will turn golden in color and release a nutty aroma. Remove promptly from the heat and store at room temperature for up to 1 week in a bag.Sugar Free? No Problem.
If you are ditching sugar in your life, you can still enjoy this pudding. I love using whole dates (pits removed) as a sugar substitute. You can start with 8. Taste and adjust the sweetness from there. Nutrition Info: I’ve calculated the nutrition information using the Under Armour App and have included the toasted coconut but not the optional berries or nuts garnish. Recipe Adapted from The Natural Gourmet Institute, my friend and mentor: Chef Hideyo Yamada.Nutrition
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This was the first dessert I tried after starting AIP. I used half the maple syrup cuz that’s all I had thinking I could add honey if needed. I didn’t. This is so good! Even my husband liked it! He didn’t believe it was on my diet :). Making it again tonight. Thank you so much!
That’s awesome Jennifer. My husband (who is also doing aip) lights up whenever I make this for him, too. It’s soooooo rich and satisfying. I’ve never met a person who didn’t love it:)
What is AIP?
AIP stands for autoimmune paleo. This recipe is compliant because it doesn’t contain beans (cocoa) or processed sugar. It’s also dairy free.
This was delicious, but your nutrition facts are very misleading. For six servings, there are 200 calories. 9.9g fat, 24g carbs, 1g protein.
Hi Jennifer,
Glad you liked the recipe! I recalculated the nutrition using the UnderArmour app on my phone. The entire recipe (excluding optional fruit/nut toppings) comes to 1628 calories, protein 7g, carbs 128g, fiber 14g, sugar 112 g, and fat 95g. Feel free to divide these figures based on how you portion it out. Thanks for the catch. Not sure what happened with my recipe nutrition calculator. Hopefully this info is helpful to folks:)
Will this work without the oil?
Hi Lindsay,
Since coconut oil has a tendency to harden when refrigerated, it helps to thicken the consistency of the pudding. You can leave it out, but it may have a slightly softer texture.
How many servings does this recipe provide?
6 servings in small parfait glasses.
I only got 3 small ramekins, just plenty for 3 people….I did not have carob powder, so made a double boiler effect by putting a bowl over a pot with an inch of water….added the oil, then the carob chips in place of powder….added the vanilla….and kept stirring until melted and smooth….then poured it all into the blender and voila!…..It was so delish!….Finally, a dessert my daughter who is allergic to all legumes, all tree nuts…..she has something she can eat and enjoy on special occasions………..thank you so much for the post <3