Contents » Recipe : Tips : Variations : Budget : Inspiration : Resources
Eating healthy food is so much easier when it tastes this good.
This black bean chocolate pudding is packed with nutrient-dense wholefoods, but no-one will care.
They’ll only care that it’s the best tasting chocolate pudding they’ve ever had!
So feel free to start sneaking the goodness of black beans into everyone’s day, wherever you go.
Of course, it’s healthy in other ways too:
The healthy coconut fats.
The raw cacao powder.
The medjool dates for natural sweetness.
It’s almost healthy enough to eat for breakfast…
And happily it’s also super easy to make.
Chuck everything in the blender, blend it up, throw it in the fridge overnight and you’re golden.
Sweet, chocolatey black bean pudding ripe for the eating.
Yum.
Black Bean Chocolate Pudding recipe
Make sure to read the tips below the recipe to get the most out of this amazing black bean chocolate pudding recipe.
Black Bean Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 tin black beans , drained (230g)
- 1 tin coconut milk (400g)
- 1/3 cup cacao powder (30g)
- 8 med medjool dates (150g)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder or 2 tsp vanilla extract
Method
- Drain and rinse black beans.
- Put all ingredients into blender jug.
- Blend on high speed until smooth.
- Spoon into serving dishes, cover and refrigerate overnight or until firm.
Preparation
- Before: -
- During: 5 mins
- After: 8 hours (to firm up)
- Need: Blender
Nutrition Information
Tips
- I used canned black beans because they’re faster and more convenient. But you could also buy dried black beans and cook them yourself if you want, which would make the recipe even more cost-effective. Just make sure to leave the salt out of the cooking process.
- If you’re going to buy tinned black beans, make sure the tins are BPA-free, so you don’t get any nasty plastic compounds in your beans from the tin lining.
- Make sure you rinse the black beans thoroughly with fresh water before using them, to remove any salt that might have been used in their preparation and any excess starch that might have soaked out into the water.
- I think the black beans work so well in desserts because they’re quite soft and have a mild flavour. I’ve never tried using a different kind of bean for this recipe, but let me know how it goes if you decide to give a different bean a try.
- I used canned coconut milk for this recipe because it’s quick and easy. Coconut milk in a UHT container is not suitable because it’s too thin to make this pudding work.
- You could definitely replace the coconut milk with the coconut water and coconut meat from a fresh coconut. That would make this dish even more nutritious and less processed. Just add enough water and flesh to make about 400g-worth (around 1.5 cups).
- Make sure that the coconut milk you use has sufficient fat left in it. If the fat content is too low, the pudding won’t turn out very firm.
- I love using raw cacao powder in my recipes because it has more of the nutrients left in it, so it’s better for you.
- If you don’t have cacao powder, you can use regular cocoa powder. Just make sure to use the unsweetened variety.
- I love using medjool dates to sweeten my dessert recipes because they’re as wholefood as you can get when it comes to sweeteners. Medjool dates are big, sticky, sweet dates that add a rich sweetness to this recipe, along with fibre and creaminess.
- If you’re using regular dates, you’ll need to soak them in water for a couple of hours first. Drain them, but keep the soak water to use in smoothies and other recipes, for an extra date-y taste.
- If you don’t want to use dates in this recipes, you could tried other dried fruit, like currants, raising, figs or prunes, although I haven’t tried doing this myself.
- You could also use other liquid natural sweeteners, like coconut nectar, agave nectar or maple syrup, but the pudding probably won’t set as well.
- The vanilla bean powder is just dried vanilla beans ground up into a powder. You can make your own or you can buy it from your local health food shop.
- If you don’t have access to any vanilla bean powder, you can scrape out a fresh vanilla bean into the mix, or add a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- My high-speed blender does a great job of turning the beans and dates into a super-smooth and creamy chocolate pudding. If you don’t have a high speed blender, just blend or process it for as long as you can, without the mix getting too hot, and you should be fine. You can also try refrigerating the ingredients for a few hours beforehand to give you maximum blending time before the pudding overheats.
Variations
- If you want to get creative with this black bean chocolate pudding, you could put it into popsicle moulds and make it into black bean chocolate ice pops. Trust me, they’re delicious!
- You could top this pudding with chopped nuts, fresh berries or even some natural coconut sprinkles.
- This chocolate pudding is also a fantastic accompaniment to other desserts, like my raw walnut & macadamia cake, my coconut vanilla ice cream or a big bowl of fruit salad.
Budget
Here’s roughly how much this black bean chocolate pudding cost me to make:
| Ingredient | Amount | Price | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black beans | 400g tin (230g drained) | $2.10 / tin | $2.10 |
| Coconut milk | 400g tin | $2.65 / tin | $2.65 |
| Cacao powder | 1/3 cup (30g) | $30 / kg | $0.90 |
| Medjool dates | 8 med (150g) | $32 / kg | $4.80 |
| Vanilla bean powder | 1 g (1/2 tsp) | $350 / kg | $0.35 |
| TOTAL | 810g | $13.32 / kg | $10.80 |
- All prices are in Australian dollars
- Your costs may vary quite a bit depending on whether you buy in small or large quantities, as conventional or organic, and the time of year.
Budget notes
- This recipe is actually pretty inexpensive overall, compared to some, because black beans and coconut milk are reasonably affordable staples, and they make up the bulk of this dish.
- Interestingly, the medjool dates contribute the greatest amount to the overall cost of this recipe. You could reduce this cost by finding cheaper dates, reducing the amount of sweetener in the recipe or by using an alternative, cheaper dried fruit or natural sweetener (e.g. raisins, currants or figs; or coconut nectar, agave nectar or maple syrup)
My inspiration
This black bean chocolate pudding recipe was inspired by the “Black Bean Fudgesicles” recipe from Kathy Hester’s Great Vegan Bean Book.
I adapted the recipe to use even more whole foods, and increased the cacao powder to make sure that the bean taste was completely hidden.
And then I discovered that if you leave the mix in the fridge overnight, it sets up nicely.
So far it’s been a huge hit with my chocolate-loving 7-year-old daughter, who does actually put it on her breakfast.
And who am I to argue with that?
Resources
Here’s a couple of different ways that you can cook black beans if you decide to start from scratch:
- How to Cook Black Beans @ Wake the Wolves
- Black Bean Cooking Tips @ The Spruce
Learn more about Medjool dates here:
And read about the difference between cacao and cocoa here:
- Cacao vs Cocoa: The Difference and Why It Matters @ Paleo Hacks
Check out Kathy’s book for yourself
I think beans are a great addition to any vegan diet, even a mostly raw one, so if you’d like to discover some awesome ways to add beans to your day, I highly recommend Kathy’s book.
Get The Great Vegan Bean Book at Amazon.
And have a rich and creamy day!
18 comments
Lorri
I am neither vegan nor sugar free but have made your pudding twice because I like it! I am trying to up the iron in my life so used dark chocolate cocoa and added dates to taste. I cooked my own black beans with orange peels. The pudding definitely needs to chill before eating.
Lorri
Update – still love this recipe. I realized that the fresh medjool dates with pits are much plumper and tastier than the pitted ones I had been buying. They were perfect by the weight suggested in the recipe.
Nikki Stokes, Eating Vibrantly
Hi Lori,
There’s nothing quite like a fresh medjool date! I’m so glad you found a way to make this recipe even better for you.
Nikki Stokes, Eating Vibrantly
Hi Lorri,
I’m really glad to hear that you’re enjoying my pudding, and that’s it’s also helping you improve your health.
I love the idea of cooking your beans with orange peel. Orange with chocolate is one of my favourite combinations.
Enjoy!
Michelle
Thank you for this yummy recipe. I had a chocolate craving yesterday and just happened to have all the ingredients on hand. It literally took me less than 10 minutes to make during my lunch hour and it was a delicious treat after dinner…and then more before bed. :)
Nikki
Hi Michelle,
What a happy conclusion to a chocolate craving. So glad it hit the spot!
Robyn
Awesome easy dessert
Nikki
Hi Robyn,
Thanks! Easy and delicious…
Katherine Clark
Allergic to coconut can you use something else? This sounded really good.
Nikki
Hi Katherine,
Any non-dairy milk should work OK with this pudding, but you’ll need to make sure that you either make it yourself, and make a super-creamy batch (e.g. make almond milk, but halve the water content), or add some additional firm-setting oil to the blender to help the pudding set, like shea butter or even a vegan margarine, if you’re happy to use one.
You might be able to use a more liquid oil, such as almond, avocado or sunflower, but I’m not sure whether the pudding will set up as well, as I’ve never tried it.
The point is that you need both the creaminess of the milk, and the fat content, to get the pudding texture and firmness right.
Let me know how you go!
Roberta Cook
Hi Nikki – have just had a serving of your freakingly amazing pudding for an afternoon snack. SO good! Don’t think the other three serves will last until hubbie gets home tomorrow afternoon. :) I used a tin of coconut cream because today I was too lazy to make coconut milk. The texture is light and its not sickly sweet. Definitely more-ish. You get a GREAT BIG tick for this recipe. Now, have to decide which recipe to make next …
Nikki
Hi Roberta,
So glad you loved this one too! ♥ ♥ ♥
Roberta
Hi Nikki – have just soaked a couple of batches of Black Beans to make some more. Will let you know how they go.
Had my second serve of pudding Saturday evening to console myself after coming off my push bike and spearing into the concrete walking/biking path. Have a fracture running across the very top of my arm. Could have been a lot worse. Just so angry that I won’t be able to peddle or hoop for a few weeks, but it won’t stop me indulging in your fabulous food so that’s a blessing. :)
Nikki
Ouch! That sounds like a nasty spill. Hope you heal up quickly.
At least you can enjoy your food while you recuperate :) Love to hear how it goes.
Patsey Goodfield
The black bean chocolate pudding sounds great but does it make you gassy?
Nikki
Hi Patsey,
I don’t find that it makes me especially gassy, and I think that’s because I generally eat a high-fibre diet.
The main reason that beans give some people gas is that the bacteria in their gut aren’t used to having so much fibre, and they go crazy gobbling up all the newly arrived fibre in the beans, which creates gas.
If you already have a reasonably high-fibre diet, then you should be OK.
You can also reduce the gas by eating less at a time, eating more slowly, drinking extra water and making sure your gut is not irritated before you eat dishes with beans.
lynn
Medical fact: People who experience gastrointestinal distress which cause them to either have painful gas, bloating, or other symptoms is due to a lack of an enzyme that is not present in the body. NO probiotic will resolve.
Beans, peas, and lentils have high amounts of raffinose in them, which is a very complex carbohydrate. People like me do not make much raffinase, the enzyme required to break down raffinose.
I am not here to plug a sale for a company, but if you google enzymes you can take by mouth (such as lactaid which contains lactase, for lactose intolerance), you may want to give that a try (find raffinase!)!
Yes, I have an education in such things.
Nikki
Thanks for the tip, Lynn!