We eat a lot of pudding in our house, and I mean a lot. Sometimes it’s chia based, other times avocado based but this might just be our favorite version yet. This dark chocolate sweet potato pudding is much more complex than your regular pudding. The dates act as a natural sweetener and add notes of caramel, and the toasted coconut butter gives it depth and a touch of spice.
Roasting the sweet potatoes allows the sugars to caramelize, but if you are short on time, you could boil or microwave them. I try to make a point of tossing a few extra sweet potatoes to the oven whenever I’m roasting vegetables and then store them in the fridge until I’m ready for pudding. Since I made this initially I’ve also made a version where I eliminated the almond butter and I think I may prefer it that way. The size of your sweet potatoes can affect how thick or thin it is. If the pudding is too thick after blending just add a tablespoon of additional almond milk at a time until you get the texture you prefer.
Here is a video to show you how simple it is to make!
My son has been on a pretty strict diet now for the last three months. No processed foods, no gluten, and no dairy. Since he works out three times a day, it has been a challenge giving him enough food to eat and sweets have really been a challenge. You can only eat so much chicken and quinoa in a day. This is just decadent enough to keep him on track and away from his beloved Oreos. I love it because it’s a bit lighter and easier on my waistline than the coconut and avocado versions he loves.
This is just decadent enough to keep him on track and away from his beloved Oreos. I love it because it’s a bit lighter and easier on my waistline than the coconut and avocado versions we usually make.
He’s lost 15 pounds and 4% body fat and hasn’t been too tempted to break his healthy eating commitment. I just wish I had done this with him. I’ve been eating my feelings lately and have done nothing but depress myself more. Starting this week, I’ve been trying to eat along with him and follow the same guidelines. It really just takes a bit more planning and preparation, but I love to eat vegetables, salads and fresh fruit. I’m just a bit lazy about preparing them all. I’ve been experimenting with easier ways to prep ahead, and in the coming weeks, I’ll share some of my successes with you all.
If you make any of this dark chocolate sweet potato pudding, be sure to tag #scalingback on Instagram – I love seeing what you create in your kitchen! You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Snapchat (username: scalingback)
- 1 pound sweet potatoes (about 2 small or one large)
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 5 Medjool dates, pitted
- ⅓ cup almond milk
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoonstoasted coconut butter
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- To serve:
- toasted coconut
- cocoa nibs
- fresh fruit
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pierce the sweet potato all over with a fork to let steam escape. Place the sweet potato onto the baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes until the sweet potato is very tender and the outside should be slightly caramelized from the sugars released during cooking.
- Peel the sweet potato and add to the bowl of a food processor or high-speed blender. Add the cocoa powder, dates, almond milk, maple syrup, coconut butter, almond butter, vanilla, and salt. Process the mixture until smooth and creamy adding a bit more almond milk a tablespoon at a time if necessary to thin the mixture. Chill until cold, the pudding will firm up slightly as it cools.
- Top with toasted coconut, cocoa nibs or fresh fruit as desired.
This looks delicious. Think I could sub regular butter for the toasted coconut butter? Figure I might lose the coconut flavor but it’s one step too many for me in an otherwise amazing sounding recope!
Hi Jen,
To be honest, I think you can omit the coconut butter altogether. It adds a bit of complexity to the flavor but I don’t think the extra fat is that critical to the final taste and texture. You might want to increase the amount of almond butter by a tablespoon instead. Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try. I hope you enjoy it!