Chocolate Pudding Pops

Introduction & Inspiration

I’m an absolute enthusiast for desserts that are not only incredibly delicious but also pack a secret healthy punch, and these Chocolate Pudding Pops immediately blew me away with their star ingredient: avocado! This ingenious recipe blends ripe avocados with melted chocolate chips, rich cacao powder, sweet maple syrup, nutty almond butter, vanilla almond milk, and a hint of sea salt to create an ultra-creamy, decadent chocolate pudding base. Poured into molds and frozen, they transform into amazing, guilt-free (well, almost!) pudding pops, with an option to enjoy the mixture as a chilled pudding too!

My inspiration for diving into this recipe came from a love for creamy chocolate treats and the fascinating way avocados can create incredibly luscious textures in desserts without any dairy. The idea of a naturally vegan, refined sugar-free (thanks to maple syrup!) pudding pop that still tasted rich and chocolatey was incredibly appealing. The optional chocolate and nut coating sounded like the perfect finishing touch.

My goal is to guide you step-by-step through making these wonderfully simple and satisfying vegan chocolate pudding pops. We’ll cover how easily the base comes together in a blender and how to achieve that perfect fudgy, frozen texture. They’re perfect for a healthyish dessert, a fun snack for kids, or anytime you need a cool chocolate fix.

Let’s get ready to blend up some surprisingly healthy chocolate magic!

Nostalgic Appeal / Comfort Food Connection

While using avocado in a sweet pudding pop might feel like a modern, healthy twist, these Chocolate Pudding Pops still tap into several layers of comforting nostalgia. Pudding pops themselves are a beloved childhood treat for many, evoking memories of hot summer days, ice cream trucks, and simple, frozen delights. The rich, creamy texture of chocolate pudding is also a quintessential comfort food.

This recipe cleverly marries that nostalgic pudding pop experience with more wholesome, plant-based ingredients. The deep chocolate flavor from cocoa and melted chocolate chips is instantly recognizable and satisfying, reminiscent of classic fudgesicles or chocolate ice cream.

The act of making frozen treats at home, even simple ones like these, is a fun and rewarding kitchen ritual. It connects us to the simple pleasures of creating something cool and delicious to enjoy.

Making and enjoying these Chocolate Avocado Pudding Pops feels like indulging in a familiar childhood favorite, reinvented with a surprisingly healthy and incredibly creamy twist.

Homemade Focus (Simple Blending, Wholesome Ingredients)

This Chocolate Pudding Pops recipe is a fantastic example of creating a delicious, decadent-tasting frozen dessert from scratch using simple blending techniques and focusing on wholesome, plant-based ingredients. The “homemade” aspect shines through in the creation of the unique avocado-based pudding and the ability to customize with homemade toppings.

I love recipes that showcase the versatility of natural ingredients. Here, ripe avocados are the secret to the incredible creaminess, replacing traditional dairy or eggs. Blending them with melted vegan chocolate chips, cacao powder for deep chocolate flavor, pure maple syrup for natural sweetness, almond butter for richness and nutty notes, vanilla almond milk for liquid, and a pinch of sea salt creates a smooth, luxurious pudding base in minutes.

Making these at home allows you to control the quality of your ingredients – choosing ripe avocados, good quality vegan chocolate, pure maple syrup, and your favorite almond milk. The optional homemade “magic shell” topping, made by melting chocolate chips with a touch of coconut oil, adds another layer of homemade fun and indulgence.

From selecting ripe avocados to blending the smooth pudding and freezing the pops, this recipe emphasizes an easy, from-scratch approach to a healthier frozen treat.

Flavor Goal

The primary flavor goal of these Chocolate Pudding Pops is an intensely rich, deep chocolate flavor with an exceptionally creamy, smooth, and fudgy texture, subtly enhanced by nutty almond butter and sweet maple syrup, with a hint of vanilla and salt to balance the sweetness. The avocado itself should be virtually undetectable in flavor, primarily contributing to the incredible creaminess and healthy fats.

The combination of melted chocolate chips and cacao powder provides a multi-layered, robust chocolate experience.

Ripe avocados create the surprisingly luscious, dairy-free creamy base. Almond butter adds another layer of richness and a subtle nutty complexity.

Pure maple syrup offers a natural, nuanced sweetness that complements the chocolate and peanut butter. Vanilla almond milk provides liquid for blending and a hint of vanilla. Sea salt sharpens all the flavors.

When frozen, the mixture should achieve a dense, fudgy, yet still scoopable (or bite-able) texture. The optional chocolate-coconut oil shell and crushed nuts add a delightful snap and crunch.

Ingredient Insights

Let’s explore the key components of these vegan pudding pops:

• Ripe avocados: The secret to creaminess and healthy fats! Choose avocados that are soft and yield to gentle pressure, with no brown spots when cut. Their mild flavor is easily masked by the chocolate.
• Chocolate chips, melted: Provide rich chocolate flavor and help with the fudgy texture. Ensure they are vegan/dairy-free if that’s your goal. The asterisk likely points to this.
• Cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder): Adds deep, intense chocolate flavor and color. Sifting can prevent lumps.
• Pure maple syrup: The primary natural sweetener. Grade A Dark Robust or Grade B (Very Dark Strong Taste) offer more flavor.
• Almond butter: Adds richness, nutty flavor, and contributes to the creamy texture. Other nut or seed butters could substitute.
• Vanilla extract: Enhances the chocolate and sweet flavors.
• Almond Breeze Almondmilk Vanilla (or other plant-based vanilla milk): Provides liquid for blending and a subtle vanilla note. Unsweetened would also work if you prefer to control all sweetness with maple syrup.
• Sea salt: A tiny pinch balances sweetness and intensifies chocolate flavor.

Optional Topping:

• Chocolate chips + Coconut oil: Melted together to create a quick “magic shell” style coating that hardens on the cold pops.
• Crushed nuts (almonds or pistachios suggested): For texture and nutty flavor.

Using ripe avocados and good quality chocolate/cacao are key for the best taste and texture.

Essential Equipment

This no-bake recipe primarily requires a good blender and pop molds:

• A High-Speed Blender: Crucial for pulverizing the avocados and other ingredients into an ultra-smooth and creamy pudding base without any avocado chunks.
• Ice Pop Molds: Standard popsicle molds. The number of pops will depend on the size of your molds (recipe makes about 2-3 cups of pudding mixture).
• Small microwave-safe bowl or double boiler: For melting the chocolate chips (for the pudding base and for the optional topping).
• Rubber spatula: Useful for scraping down the sides of the blender and for filling molds.
• Measuring cups and spoons.
• Parchment paper (optional): If making the pudding version and chilling in a dish, or for placing pops on if drizzling with chocolate.

A powerful blender is key for achieving the smoothest, creamiest pudding base.

List of Ingredients with Measurements

Here’s the complete list of ingredients, with precise measurements:

• 2 medium ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and flesh scooped out
• ¼ cup chocolate chips (vegan/dairy-free), melted and slightly cooled
• 3 tablespoons cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons almond butter (creamy, unsweetened recommended)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups Almond Breeze Almondmilk Vanilla (or other unsweetened/vanilla plant-based milk)
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Optional Topping:

• ½ cup chocolate chips (vegan/dairy-free)
• ½ teaspoon coconut oil
• Crushed nuts such as almonds or pistachios

These quantities make a good batch of pudding or several pudding pops.

Ensure avocados are perfectly ripe. Melt chocolate chips gently.

Step-by-Step Instructions (Easy Blender Pudding Pops!)

Let’s create these delicious and surprisingly healthy chocolate treats:

1. Prepare Pudding Base in Blender:

• Scoop the flesh from the 2 medium ripe avocados into the container of a high-speed blender.
• Add the ¼ cup of melted (and slightly cooled) chocolate chips, 3 tablespoons cacao powder, 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, 3 tablespoons almond butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 2 cups of vanilla almond milk, and ¼ teaspoon sea salt to the blender with the avocado.

2. Blend Until Smooth:

• Secure the blender lid tightly.
• Blend the mixture, starting on a low speed and gradually increasing to high, until it is completely smooth, creamy, and all ingredients are fully incorporated. This may take 1-2 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula as needed to ensure no chunks remain. The mixture should resemble a thick, luscious chocolate pudding.

3. Fill Ice Pop Molds (for Pudding Pops):

• Carefully pour the blended chocolate pudding mixture into your ice pop molds, leaving a little space at the top if they expand slightly upon freezing.
• Insert popsicle sticks if your molds require them.
• Place the filled molds in the freezer. Freeze overnight, or for at least 9 hours, until the pudding pops are completely solid.

4. Unmold Pudding Pops:

• To easily remove the frozen pudding pops from the molds, let them sit at room temperature for just a few minutes (2-5 minutes usually works). Alternatively, you can briefly run the outside of the molds under warm (not hot) water for a few seconds.
• Once slightly loosened, gently pull the pops out of the molds.

5. Optional Topping (Apply to Frozen Pops):

• If adding the chocolate shell topping: In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the ½ cup of chocolate chips and ½ teaspoon of coconut oil.
• Microwave in 20-30 second intervals, stirring well between each, until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. The coconut oil helps it melt smoothly and create a thinner coating that hardens quickly.
• Drizzle the melted chocolate mixture over the frozen pudding pops.
• Immediately sprinkle with crushed nuts (almonds or pistachios suggested) before the chocolate drizzle sets.
• You can place them back on a parchment-lined tray in the freezer for a few minutes for the shell to harden completely.

Alternative: Serve as Pudding:

• If you prefer to enjoy this as pudding, after blending the mixture in Step 2, simply scoop it into a serving bowl or individual bowls.
• Cover with plastic wrap (press it onto the surface to prevent a skin) and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or until firm and well-chilled. Serve with optional toppings if desired.

So versatile – pops or pudding!

Troubleshooting

Avocado-based puddings and frozen treats can have unique quirks:

• Problem: Pudding base is not smooth / has avocado chunks.
  • Solution: Your blender may not be powerful enough, or it wasn’t blended long enough. Ensure avocados were very ripe and soft. Scrape down the sides of the blender frequently. A high-speed blender is ideal for an ultra-smooth texture.
• Problem: Pudding pops are icy rather than creamy/fudgy.
  • Solution: Ensure you used ripe avocados and full-fat (or creamy) almond milk. The fat from avocado, almond butter, and chocolate chips helps with creaminess. Over-blending air into it before freezing (if not using a high-speed blender that creates smoothness quickly) can sometimes contribute to iciness. Ensure it wasn’t frozen for an excessively long time at a very low freezer temp without being in an airtight container.
• Problem: Pudding pops are difficult to remove from molds.
  • Solution: Let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes, or briefly run the outside of the molds under warm water as suggested. Don’t force them, or the stick might pull out.
• Problem: Avocado flavor is noticeable.
  • Solution: Use very ripe avocados, as their flavor is milder. Ensure enough strong chocolate flavor from both melted chocolate chips and cacao powder, plus vanilla and maple, to mask the avocado. Some people are more sensitive to avocado taste than others.
• Problem: Chocolate shell topping is too thick or seizes.
  • Solution: Ensure chocolate is melted gently with the coconut oil. Don’t overheat. If it seizes, it’s hard to recover. Coconut oil should help it stay fluid for drizzling.

A high-speed blender is your best friend for an ultra-smooth avocado pudding base.

Tips and Variations

Let’s customize these healthy-ish chocolate treats:

• Tip: Use very ripe avocados for the creamiest texture and mildest avocado flavor.
• Variation: Substitute other nut or seed butters for the almond butter, such as peanut butter (for a classic chocolate-PB combo), cashew butter, or even tahini for a more complex flavor (though tahini is stronger than almond butter).
• Tip: For a richer chocolate flavor, use dark chocolate chips (ensure vegan if needed) and a high-quality dark cacao powder.
• Variation: Add other flavor extracts like ½ teaspoon of almond extract or a pinch of espresso powder to the blender to enhance the chocolate.
• Tip: If serving as pudding, a dollop of coconut whipped cream on top is delicious.
• Variation: Fold in some mini vegan chocolate chips or chopped nuts into the pudding mixture after blending for added texture if serving as pudding (they might be hard in frozen pops unless very small).
• Variation: Add spices like a pinch of cinnamon or a tiny dash of cayenne pepper to the pudding mixture for a Mexican chocolate vibe.

A fantastic base for many healthy chocolate dessert experiments!

Serving and Pairing Suggestions

These Chocolate Pudding Pops (or pudding) are a delightful and satisfying treat.

Serving (Pops): Serve frozen, optionally coated with chocolate and nuts. Perfect for a warm day. Serving (Pudding): Serve chilled in bowls or glasses, garnished as desired.

Occasions & Pairing:

• Healthyish Dessert/Snack: A great way to satisfy a chocolate craving with some added nutrients from avocado and almond butter.
• Kids’ Treat: Kids often love pudding pops, and they might not even guess the secret healthy ingredient!
• Vegan/Dairy-Free Option: Perfect for those with dietary restrictions.
• With Berries: A few fresh raspberries or strawberries on the side with the pudding version would be a lovely contrast.

Their rich, creamy texture makes them feel incredibly indulgent.

Nutritional Information

This vegan dessert features healthy fats from avocado and almond butter, and natural sweetener from maple syrup. Nutritional info is approximate (per pop, assuming recipe makes 6-8 pops, or per serving of pudding, before optional shell/nuts):

• Calories: 180-280
• Fat: 12-20+ grams (mostly healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats)
• Saturated Fat: 4-8+ grams (from coconut oil if used in shell, and natural in avocado/chocolate)
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 50-100+ mg
• Total Carbs.: 20-30+ grams
• Dietary Fiber: 4-7 grams (Good source from avocado, cacao, flax if it were here, but it’s not)
• Sugars: 12-20+ grams (mostly from maple syrup and chocolate chips)
• Protein: 3-5 grams

Provides healthy fats, some fiber, and is naturally dairy-free and egg-free. Sugar content comes from maple syrup and chocolate.

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Recipe Summary and Q&A

Let’s conclude with a summary and common questions:

Recipe Summary:

Chocolate Pudding Pops (Vegan & Avocado-Based) are made by blending ripe avocados, melted vegan chocolate chips, cacao powder, pure maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract, vanilla almond milk, and sea salt in a high-speed blender until completely smooth and creamy. The mixture is then poured into ice pop molds and frozen overnight (or at least 9 hours) until solid. Optional toppings include a homemade chocolate “magic shell” and crushed nuts. Alternatively, the mixture can be chilled in bowls to serve as a rich chocolate pudding.

Q&A:

Q: Can I make these without a high-speed blender? A: A high-speed blender is strongly recommended to get the avocado completely smooth and achieve an undetectable, creamy texture. A standard blender might leave tiny flecks of avocado or require more liquid, potentially making the pops icier.

Q: How long do these pudding pops last in the freezer? A: Stored properly in an airtight container or individually wrapped, they should last for up to 1-2 months in the freezer, though they are best enjoyed within a few weeks for optimal texture.

Q: Can I use a different sweetener instead of maple syrup? A: Yes, you could try agave nectar or date syrup (which would add more color and a distinct flavor). Adjust the amount to your desired sweetness. Using a liquid sweetener is important for the texture.

Q: Will these taste strongly of avocado? A: If you use very ripe avocados and enough strong chocolate flavor from both melted chocolate and cacao powder, the avocado flavor should be very mild or completely masked, primarily contributing to the incredible creaminess.

Q: What kind of chocolate chips are best for melting and for the pudding? A: For a vegan recipe, ensure you use dairy-free chocolate chips. Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (55-70% cacao) work well for both melting into the pudding and for the optional shell topping.