Raw Chocolate Hemp Pudding recipe - Eating Vibrantly (2024)

29 Mar 2014 • Updated 9 Aug 2020

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This raw chocolate hemp pudding was another of those wonderful accidents.

Who knew a mistake could turn out to be so delicious?

I was making a double batch of my raw hot chocolate, using hemp seeds instead of cashews, and I accidentally doubled everything except for the water.

Doh! And wow!

See, I do make mistakes. And fortunately they sometimes REALLY work out.

What I discovered was really thick hot chocolate actually tastes a lot like chocolate mousse.

So I played with the balance of water until it came out to the perfect consistency.

And surprisingly, the dates give it a lightness that I never would have expected.

Not in a million years.

My very scientific guess is that the date fibres give the pudding structure that helps it to trap air and give it this amazing fluffy texture.

And the hemp seeds?

Oh, they make this raw chocolate pudding work in so many ways.

Firstly, they give it the richness and creaminess you expect from chocolate mousse, without the need for dairy products, or nuts.

And not an avocado in sight.

So good.

Secondly, they give it the perfect balance of healthy fats.

Did you know that hemp seeds have the ideal ratio of Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids?

And when you use whole hemp seeds, you’re getting them as nature intended.

Thirdly, they make this raw chocolate hemp pudding nut-free!

And as a bonus, each serve gives you almost 20g of protein. Yes, protein.

And not just any protein, but high-quality protein that contains all of the essential amino acids.

Can you tell I’m a big fan of hemp seeds?

Yessum, that’s me.

Anyway, back to raw chocolate hemp pudding.

Mmmmmmmm.

So simple, so quick and SO delicious.

You have to try this.

You will thank me, I promise.

Tips

• Medjool dates are big, sticky, sweet dates that add a rich sweetness to this recipe. 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 the recipe, for an extra date-y taste.
• The mix of water and ice is to keep the pudding cool enough while you blend it completely. Without the ice, it’s likely to overheat. If you don’t want to use ice, just refrigerate all of your ingredients beforehand for several hours.
• If you don’t have hemp seeds handy, you can substitute with raw cashews. Of course, it won’t be nut-free, but it will still be rich and creamy and delicious.
• Cacao powder is basically raw cocoa powder, so if you don’t have raw cacao powder, you can use unsweetened cocoa powder instead.
• Vanilla bean powder is just fresh vanilla beans air-dried and ground into a powder using a spice blender or coffee grinder. You can make your own or you can buy it from your local health food shop. If you can’t get your hands on any of this, you can just scrape out 1/4 of a fresh vanilla bean into the mix, or add 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence.
• You will probably need to use your tamper with your blender (if you have one) to get this to blend fully. Otherwise, just stop regularly and mix it around thoroughly to make sure that everything is being blended properly. If you’re struggling, just add a bit of extra water until it gets easier.
• This raw chocolate hemp pudding is not low-fat. Not by a long shot. But frankly it’s so good for you in so many other ways, how important is that, really?
• This raw chocolate pudding is also very, very rich. Amazingly good, but rich. You may even struggle to finish a serve. Or you may scoff the lot in one sitting, like I have been known to do.
• Eating it with fresh berries, especially blueberries, helps to balance out the richness beautifully. It also goes really well with fresh banana.
• You can serve this chocolate pudding warm, straight from the blender, or put it in the fridge for several hours, where it will cool down and thicken up just a little.
• You should be able to store this in the fridge for at least four days (if it lasts that long), and maybe even for a week or more.

My inspiration

As I mentioned above, this amazing recipe emerged out of a mishap with my raw hot chocolate recipe.

And my raw hot chocolate was a last-minute idea that came from needing to use up some soaked cashews.

A very happy accident indeed.

Isn’t it wonderful how one unexpected moment leads to another, and then you find yourself eating the most amazing raw chocolate hemp pudding on earth?

Sigh. Ain’t life grand?

And have an incredibly chocolate-y day!