Paleo No-Cook Chocolate Pudding (5 ingredients, vegan)


No processed food, refined sugar, thickeners, or dairy in this vegan and Paleo No-Cook Chocolate Pudding! It’s thick, creamy, and oh-so rich and chocolate-y, perfect for after school snacking, packing in a school lunchbox, or enjoying as a special and easy dairy-free dessert!
Oreos. Toaster Strudels. Easy Cheese with Ritz crackers. S’mores Pop Tarts.
These foods were the stuff of my childhood.
But the one with the most memories attached?
Jello chocolate pudding.
Making instant chocolate pudding out of that blue box was the beginning of many special memories in my childhood.
In fact, I can’t remember one a visit to my Memaw’s house that I didn’t eat Jello chocolate pudding straight out of her jade green Tupperware bowl — a bowl I still use to this day!
Memaw made her chocolate pies with Jello pudding mix. As an adult, I reversed engineered her recipe and made it low-carb. My version of her chocolate meringue pie is in my ebook Sweet Without Sugar.
At home, we couldn’t always afford Jello chocolate pudding cups… but when we could? My mom put them in my lunchbox, and I saved my pudding cup to eat at the end of lunch, meticulously licking every last bit of pudding off the foil lid.
Real Food Pudding Cups = Paleo No-Cook Chocolate Pudding
I want my kids to have those same warm-and-fuzzy food memories — but without the processed ingredients and sugar aspect of it.
My Paleo No-Cook Chocolate Pudding recipe is pretty special because it has a secret: it’s made from avocados!
Blended avocados provide nourishing fats and a silky-smooth, thick, and creamy texture in this no-cook chocolate pudding. What Jello accomplishes with thickeners, fillers, dairy, and sugar, I’ve accomplished with just 5 ingredients and no refined sugar!
That’s right — 5 ingredients. No powdered mixes, dairy, or thickeners necessary!
I don’t even bat an eye if my kids want to eat this dairy-free chocolate pudding for breakfast.
Paleo No-Cook Chocolate Pudding is perfect for packing in school lunches or for greeting your kids with a special after school treat. It makes quick work of dessert after dinner, too.
5 Ingredients for Paleo No-Cook Chocolate Pudding
To make this Paleo No-Cook Chocolate Pudding, you will need:
- 2 large, ripe avocados
- maple syrup
- fermented raw cacao powder <– Save 10% on my favorite cacao powder with my discount code NOURISHING.
- vanilla extract
- salt
Equipment needed:
Ingredient substitutions and recipe FAQs below!
Ingredient Substitutions & FAQs
When I make this vegan and paleo no-cook chocolate pudding, I follow the recipe as-is.
Can I make this no-cook chocolate pudding keto?
Although I haven’t tried it, you could use a keto-friendly maple-flavored liquid sweetener, such as Lakanto. I wouldn’t use a granulated keto sweetener as it would not produce the same smooth texture. Start with a tablespoon of Lakanto syrup and increase in small increments until you reach the sweetness you desire.
My kids don’t like avocados. What can else can I use?
Well, you’re in good company because my kids don’t like avocados either! This avocado chocolate pudding doesn’t taste one bit like avocados. The maple syrup, cacao powder, and vanilla really mask the avocado taste.
Do I have to use fermented raw cacao powder?
Technically, no. Any plain cacao or cocoa powder will work. However, don’t use Dutch-processed cocoa powder. I like fermented raw cacao powder because it’s the highest in antioxidants and lowest in phytic acid — a compound in cacao beans that prevents nutrient absorption — which is reduced by fermentation.
Also, don’t let that word “fermented” throw you off — there’s no fermented taste about this cacao powder! <– Save 10% on my favorite fermented raw cacao powder with my discount code NOURISHING.
Can I use honey instead of maple syrup?
Honey is so much sweeter than maple syrup! If you try honey, start with less and work your way up to your desired level of sweetness.
Personally, if I didn’t have maple syrup, I would use coconut syrup. The flavor is obviously different, but the sweetness level is comparable. Like maple syrup, coconut syrup isn’t as sweet as honey. Both maple syrup and coconut syrup are lower on the glycemic index than honey, too. Save 10% on my favorite coconut syrup with my coupon code NOURISHING.
How to Make Vegan & Paleo No-Cook Chocolate Pudding
First, cut open the avocados and remove the seed. Use a spoon to scoop the avocado from the peel.
Add the avocado, maple syrup, raw cacao powder, vanilla, and salt to your high-speed blender or food processor.
Next, process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender or food processor as needed.
Last, use the spatula to scrape all of the chocolate pudding out and into storage containers.
You can use jelly jars with lids — which are perfect for packing in a lunch box. Or, if not packing in lunches, use any glass storage container with an airtight lid.

Paleo No-Cook Chocolate Pudding (5 ingredients, vegan)
No processed food, refined sugar, thickeners, or dairy in this vegan and Paleo No-Cook Chocolate Pudding! It's thick, creamy, and oh-so rich and chocolate-y, perfect for after school snacking, packing in a school lunchbox, or enjoying as a special and easy dairy-free dessert!
Ingredients
- 2largeavocados
- 6tablespoonsmaple syrup
- 4tablespoonsfermented raw cacao powder
- 2teaspoonsvanilla extract
- 1/2teaspoonsalt
Instructions
Combine the ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor fitted with an S-blade.
Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
Transfer to small jars or bowls to serve. Enjoy!
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More Dairy-Free Chocolate Recipes You’ll Love…
- Keto Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Chocolate Swirl Frosting
- Coconut Flour Chocolate Cake with Avocado Chocolate Frosting
- Keto Double Chocolate Cookie Dough (egg-free, vegan)
- Keto Coconut Flour Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- 6-Ingredient Paleo & Keto Flourless Chocolate Torte
- Paleo Cauliflower Chocolate Pudding
- Keto Chocolate Coconut Donuts
Why not dutch processed cocao
Because I prefer the least processed, more nutrient-dense, fairly traded form: fermented raw cacao powder.
How many cups of chopped avocado equals two large? Sometimes I can only get small avocados.
If you can only get small, then use 3 avocados instead of 2 large ones. It’s about 1-1/2 to 2 cups.