Yeah… I can already hear you say: “Whoa, hold the phone! Aren’t you supposed to be observing Lent, you? What’s the deal with the decadent chocolate pudding?”
Well, believe it or not, that chocolate pudding, as decadent as it may look (and as decadent as it may be) is actually Lent friendly.
It doesn’t contain any added sugar. Well, save for the one that’s in the whey protein, that is… but since the protein that I use is entirely natural and is sweetened with Stevia, I decided that it was ok to use during Lent.
Hey, my Lent, my rules! 
Up until the very last minute, I wasn’t sure whether I would allow any added sugar or not. I finally decided that Stevia sweetened protein powder and honey were the only two forms of sugar that I would be using for the entire duration of Lent, which now means the next 43 days. (Oh yeah, I keep track, trust me!)
Would you believe me if I told you that I created this pudding very unintentionally?
The fact is, I’m wanting to come up with another version of my home made “Nutella“, one that would be lighter, smoother, fluffier, creamier, yummier… well, closer to the real thing, you know!
AND, I also wanted to experiment with caramelizing bananas. Now, that didn’t go exactly as planned, but still worked out very well for the purpose that I had in mind.
But seeing as how I still had to go through a full jar of Pumpkin Nut Butter, I decided to be good and postpone the project. However, since I’d already started working on it, I had to think of some way to use the ingredients that I’d already put together…
To tell you the truth, I’m kind of happy that things turned out that way, because I am telling you, that pudding turned out absolutely AMAZING! Even better than the real thing!
Be warned, though. This is NOT a low cal recipe. Just take a look at the list of ingredients, and I guess you can very well see that it’s quite heavy in the calorie department. For that reason, I chose to precede that luscious pudding with nothing more than a whole bunch of fresh veggies.
And that, my friends, has been lunch for me all week.
Hey, you have to admit that the thought of enjoying this gorgeous dessert is a great incentive to getting those veggies in your tummy!
At least it was for me!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 bananas (not too ripe)
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 cup 0% fat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup pasteurized egg whites
- ½ cup dark cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp all natural peanut butter
- 3 scoops (100g) vanilla flavored whey protein powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Greek yogurt
- Cacao nibs
- Fresh mint leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
- Set your oven to broil.
- Peel the bananas, cut them in half lengthwise and lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Put them in the oven on broil and cook until they start to "caramelize" and get a nice golden color, about 5-6 minutes. Flip them over and continue cooking until this side also gets a nice golden color. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Add all the ingredients to your food processor and process until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Transfer to individual ramequins. Cover with plastic film and allow to rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Garnish with a dollop of yogurt, a pinch of cacao nibs and a mint leaf, if desired.
Creamy enough for you?
Wow this looks superb…another super duper winner I bet. You are too much
Awwww! Thank you so much! I think it is, a great winner that one. Could be great base to so many great desserts too. I get the feeling that I will be using it often!
enteresan
That does look great! Im heading to the market now, hope I can find a good avocado to make it today..yum!
this looks so good, definitely trying that!
This looks great! Super creamy and rich, yum.
For me, honey is sugar, I love using (dried) fruit instead of sweeteners.
I totally hear you Jessy… for me, honey is sugar too, because, well, honey IS sugar. That’s why I said that the stevia that’s included in my vanilla flavored whey protein and honey would be THE ONLY 2 FORMS OF SUGAR that I would allow myself to have during Lent. I wanted to completely cut out any and all types of sugar, save for that which is naturally present in fruits, but I found that it might prove to be a little difficult at times. Especially when it comes to using whey protein! Hey, at least they aren’t refined sugar. Now THAT would be a huge NO NO!
I think protein powders are a good way to sweeten things up!
Oh my goodness. I was just thinking yesterday that I would try to make pudding today. Then I stumbled across this recipe. And OH MY GOODNESS, I have all of these ingredients on hand already.
This is so perfect. Thanks for posting.
Hehe! Good thing I took the time to rewrite that post after all! I had completely written it, but then when I went to insert my pictures later, I opened the draft only to be greeted by a completely BLANK page… only the title had been saved. NICE! I wasn’t going to rewrite it until today, but for some reason, I felt compelled to rewrite it right then and there. Must have been ‘cuz you needed that recipe!
Hope you like it, Crys! If you don’t mind, let me know how it turns out for you; I always appreciate getting feedback on my recipes! 
Sure, this may not be one of those 60-calorie diet ‘pudding’ cups, but I would so much rather have this. It’s made with real, wholesome ingredients and just looks simply divine!
I bet flattening out some of those teff cookies into crust form and filling with this pudding would make an awesome little pie, haha.
Right on, Val! At least, this one does your body good! (and your tastes buds too!)
And great, now you got me wanting to make pie! I have made a pie using a similar chocolate pudding in the past but this one right here is even better. And the other pie had grains in it. Hehe, maybe it’s time I started working on a grain free, gluten free, no sugar added chocolate banana pie!
Erm… I think it’s time for me to run to the kitchen right about now!
I really want to make this but I can’t eat raw bananas. :’(
I’ve tried ignoring this allergy the last few weeks but it didn’t work out so well. This looks so beautiful. I want this pudding so badly.
But Erin… the bananas are cooked! Well, somewhat! Doesn’t that mean you can try this? Oh, come on! I was so looking forward to your trying it. Oh no!
Darn… guess I’ll have to come up with a bananaless version so that you can try it!
And seriously? Allergic to raw bananas? Why only raw? And how do you know? Well, how did you find out?
I’m all curious about food allergies, all of a sudden…
Haha, no. Those don’t count as cooked!
I found out I was allergic to them when I was small and had a weird reaction to them every time I ate them. I have the same thing with banana bread (that’s what I call baked!), but it’s not as bad. As for “real proof,” I went to the doctor and they did strange tests on me to see what I was allergic to. I guess they just tested the most common foods and outdoor allergens (it was 5 pages full of stuff so it was a lot) and they rated it from 0 (not allergic) to 6 (most allergic). It was hilarious. Almost everything was a 5 or 6 and the only 0s were Alaskan king crab (not crab, but Alaskan!) and Maine lobster, neither of which I eat. Dairy, chicken, wheat, and basically everything outside were all 6s. I wish I still had that paper because it did nothing but provide kicks and giggles for my friends and I. I mean, seriously. I’m allergic to everything? I don’t believe it. Obviously I didn’t want to live on crab and lobster so I eat stuff I’m allergic to. At least I don’t have any allergies that will land me in the hospital.
I’m just a genetic weakling. It stinks.
I’ll try this at some point. Maybe the bananas won’t bother me like raw ones do! I’ll wait a while though since I’ve made several bananas things I shouldn’t have recently.
LOL! That’s just unbelievable! You really should have held on to those test results! Funny thing is so many people are allergic to seafood, turns out it would be one of the only things you are not allergic to. You definitely are one of a kind, Miss Erin!
I think I will go in for allergy tests soon. Just curious. You know, sometimes we’re allergic to things and don’t even suspect it. Not too pleased at the idea of doing the actual tests, though. I guess that’s why I keep putting it off…
And hey, don’t make yourself sick just to try one of my recipes, you know! I would never ask such a thing from you!
I don’t remember the tests being bad so you don’t have to worry about it. I know there are different tests out there but I doubt any of them are painful. And maybe you’ll find out something interesting!
I’ll try this recipe at some point! Really.
Oh and I’m curious to get tested again too. Just to see. I was 16 when I had the test, but nothing has changed (my reactions to certain foods, or getting worse with other foods) but I’m still curious.
Oh yum!
I made a pudding using avocado, cocoa powder and banana once, but this seems much better with all the additional greek yogurt and such!
Really have to try this soon.
Looking at that creamy pudding, you can’t even guess the ingredients in this one!! Absolutely luscious!!
No added sugar and it can look so good! Oh gosh..
They are not only creamy, but also very smooth. Love it!
How long does this last in the fridge do you think?
I’m making this for just me so I’d either half the ingredients or hope it’d last long!
I was alone eating mine too, and I made 5 ramequins. I had one per day but kept it in the fridge for a total of 6 days. It was just as good on the last day as it was on the first. So I can safely say that you can keep this in the fridge for up to a week.
love this one!!
This looks so very good! I might be able to modify this to fit my low carb needs by omitting the banana and maybe adding a pinch of stevia! Can’t wait to try it! Soooo chocolately looking! Mmmm!
You’re still doing the low carb thing Mellissa? Wow! You’re good! *bows in admiration*
I can do grains free, but low carb? Now THAT would be really tough! Mind you, reducing grain intake also reduces carb intake, but not quite as dramatically as what you are doing…
Not too sure about omitting the banana in this one, they were, after all, the foundation that this pudding was built on, and they do confer that creamy but firm texture to the concoction. If you do try it, let me know how it turned out, please!
What an interesting recipe. I’ve made chocolate puddings with avocado and dates. I love the idea of roasting the bananas and getting that carmelized flavor. Just one thing, stevia isn’t actually a sugar at all. Stevia is an herb that contains steviol glycosides, they produce a sweet flavor but have little to no effect on glycemic response. Technically, stevia is not a sugar, since it is not metabolized as a sugar. The fructose in bananas is a sugar and can be a problem for people trying to cut down on sugar.
Wow, thank you so much for that information Neesha! I truly appreciate. And I really need to get my hands on Stevia. I can’t believe I still don’t have that in my pantry…
Yum
This pudding looks awesome! I made a chocolate pudding just with avocado, but yours looks awesome. You’re right, it may not be low calorie, but your body will be a lot happier for eating this rather than something low calorie and totally processed.
So, so true Heidi. Not to mention the fact that this version here tastes so much better!
And the texture… it just can’T be beat!
the pudding looks amazing! I really love the idea of broiling bananas
. Recently I’ve been broiling a lot of veggies: peppers, asparagus, even onions for the soup. They caramelize really well, and it’s much less hustle and oil than sauteing. I’ll try bananas next 
, when I make this pudding!
Wow, thanks for the tip! I like the idea of broiling veggies, especially onions! I really have to try that!
Glad you like that pudding and let me know how it turns out if you do end up trying it. Hey, good to hear from you, by the way… it had been a while! Happy to see you! 
This recipe looks amazing! I want to try it, but I have a new diabetes type 1 diagnosis and am leary to try recipes without nutrition facts. Do we have any ball park as far as carbs go? Thanks!
Sadly Tamina, I don’t. Sorry about that. You could always crunch in the numbers on myfitnesspal.com or get a ballpark using caloriecount.com? Hope that helps you some…
Hey Sonia! Thanks for the calorie count website idea. I did that and just in case you ever get asked again in the future this is what I came up with. 4 servings = 31.3 g
6 servings = 20.8 g
If I make smaller servings, then this recipe is only a 1 1/2 carb choice! Not bad! I’m going to give it a try. Thanks!
I didn’t bother broiling the bananas first but this was delicious! Mine turned out nice and airy, almost mousse-like. Awesome recipe
Fantastic! Thanks for the feedback, Bee. I truly appreciate your taking the time to leave this, and I’m real happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Is there something that I can use to substitute the avocado? I want to make this tonight as a treat for my family…. My hubby started a new job today so I am preparing a dinner to celebrate? I was thinking applesauce? Help!
Oof! unfortunately, the avocado sort of really makes the dish, Katie… That’s what gives it its smooth and creamy and rich texture. The only thing that I could think of as a suitable substitution would be coconut cream left uncovered in the fridge for a couple of hours. If you have some of that available, it would be great!
If not, I guess your best bet would be to completely leave the avocado out. Or MAYBE add a frozen banana? I get the feeling that I’m not helping much… sorry about that! Please do let me know if you managed to come up with something and how your dessert turned out.
Oh, and huge congrats to your hubby! A new job is always real scary and exciting at the same time!