Chocolate Peanut Butter Avocado Pudding (Vegan, Gluten Free)

I think we can all agree that the avocado is a fruit sent from the Gods. Did you know that avocados were a fruit? I was surprised to find out a lot of people think they are a vegetable. Any who- avocados are a great source of plant-based fat and provide so many nutritional benefits. They are also one of the most versatile fruits out there (next to bananas of course). They make desserts silky smooth, are the perfect topping to burrito bowls, and down right amazing in sushi.

I love this chocolate pudding/mousse recipe because it tastes so light and refreshing, yet also so decadent at the same time. The ingredients I use to make this I virtually always have on hand making it a no brainer. I bet you have a lot of these ingredients already too! (if you eat healthy that is). There are so many variations of this recipe that I have tried, but today I am giving you my favorite thus far.

This recipe is perfect for dipping fruit into, great for topping on oats, pancakes, or topping strawberries with. You could even freeze this pudding and make it into a more ice cream/ fudgsicle type dessert! I love that this recipe uses healthy, natural ingredients- none of which that you will find in store bought chocolate pudding. Put down those snack packs and try this! Trust me- you will love it! The ultimate test in my house to see if a recipe is good is to test in on my Dad and brothers. They both loved it (and can be tough critics) so if that doesn’t convince you then I’m not sure what will.

Ingredients:

1 large ripe avocado (make sure its soft!)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup peanut butter powder

1 tbsp Agave/maple syrup/ choice of sweetener

1 large, extra ripe banana (talking almost fully brown here)

1/2-3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (depending on desired thickness)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

You will need a high speed blender/ food processor for this. If I am making this for myself I usually just use my single serve blender for my ninja, but if I am making it for a larger group then I will use my food processor attachment for my Ninja. Seriously if you are looking for a nice blender/kitchen system that is cheaper than a Vitamix but is still high quality, then I highly suggest looking into buying a Ninja!

All you need to do is add the avocado flesh to the blender along with all of the other ingredients and blend on high until everything is well incorporated. I suggest starting with 1/2 cup of almond milk and then adding it by the tablespoon until you get your desired consistency. The same goes for sweetener. If you like things extra sweet then you may want to use more agave/ maple syrup/sweetener. I find that a super ripe banana makes it extra sweet, but you could nix the banana if you don’t care for banana-y taste to your desserts and sub in more agave/maple syrup. You could also forego the peanut butter powder if you don’t have any/ don’t care for peanut butter. There are so many options with this so feel free to experiment!

Have you ever used avocados in your baking?

What is your favorite way to eat avocados?

Let me know in the comments!