The Best Vegan Chocolate Pudding out there gets a wonderful Mexican Chocolate twist with spicy cayenne and cinnamon and a surprise ingredient, sweet potatoes!
VEGAN MEXICAN CHOCOLATE SWEET POTATO PUDDING
Oh my goodness, when I say that this recipe was a labor of love, that would be the understatement of the year. I found like I won the lottery once I finally finished this. I have never created a dessert using stevia before. But I nailed this Vegan Mexican Chocolate Sweet Potato Pudding. Don’t worry, there is a sub if you don’t use stevia.
This recipe featuring stevia came about because Nunaturals sent me some Pure Liquid Alcohol-free NuStevia. A little goes a very long way. But combining it with coconut sugar proved to be a delicious combo.
I always loved chocolate pudding growing up, so this definitely fit in with the nostalgic theme. But I gave it a more adult version. This dairy-free and oil-free Mexican chocolate pudding contains coconut milk, sweet potatoes, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and stevia.
I know there is no shortage of sweet potato puddings around, but this version is a bit richer in chocolate flavor, has a wonderful spicy kick and relies on more milk for a truly creamy consistency.
I ultimately decided to do a sweet potato pudding. I love my Dark Chocolate Chipotle Sweet Potato Fudge so much, that I was licking the batter before it all firmed up. Ever since then I’ve been wanting to create a pudding like it.
Enter this 8 ingredient dreamy, creamy vegan Mexican Chocolate Sweet Potato Pudding. I do not like overly thick, stiff puddings and this one is silky smooth and the perfect texture.
Getting the right taste without that nasty aftertaste that stevia can leave was definitely a task for this first time stevia user (in a recipe).
If you aren’t a fan of stevia and prefer to use a healthy natural sweetener, then I’m pretty sure this date paste would be a great swap here for the maple syrup. Since it is a pudding, it’s not as crucial as to how it would affect the texture, like it would with baking.
Other Vegan Chocolate Sweet Potato Desserts:
- Vegan Rocky Road Pudding
- Vegan Chocolate Sweet Potato Tart
- Vegan Dark Chocolate Chipotle Sweet Potato Fudge
Vegan Mexican Chocolate Sweet Potato Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups packed cooked mashed orange sweet potatoes, I used 2 smaller ones to get enough
- 1/2 cup non-dairy milk (cashew, soy or "lite" coconut will all work, creamy is best)
- 5 tablespoons (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons (32g) coconut sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (to taste to desired spice level)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Pure Liquid Alcohol-Free NuStevia (OR use 2-3 more teaspoons of sugar instead of stevia)
NOTE
- As the title states, it is a Mexican Chocolate Pudding, so the flavor is very spiced, just like Mexican Chocolate, so expect that. If you want a plain chocolate flavor, then omit the cinnamon and cayenne.
Instructions
- Bake your sweet potatoes on parchment paper on a pan, not directly on the oven rack, at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. Depending on the size, the time will vary. You want them squishy soft. I recommend baking these over microwaving because they will have a sweeter flavor and more moisture this way.
- Let your sweet potatoes cool and peel the skins. Mash completely with a fork and then measure 1 1/2 cups packed and leveled off. Add to a food processor. Process until smooth.
- Add the remaining ingredients and process for a couple of minutes until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides well and process once more. Taste and adjust if needed. I found this to be perfectly chocolatey and smooth and just the right sweetness so that the chocolate flavor comes through.
- Chill in a container for a couple of hours or more before eating. You could eat it immediately if you like, but it firms up a bit more and tastes better cold, like regular pudding does.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition per serving: 305 calories | 2.6g fat | 6.1g protein | 71.2g carbs |7.9g fiber | 29g sugar | 517mg sodium
Oh my goodness!! The texture of this pudding looks SPOT ON!!! Sweet potatoes work such magic in desserts!!! One of my first recipes was an oli free chocolate cake using sweet potato!! They just work so well with chocolate 🙂 I am seriously dying over that TEXTURE over here!!
I’ve never tried baking with stevia – yet! I was always worried it would leave an aftertaste but you’ve convinced me with this recipe. I love how you’ve used it with coconut sugar (my fave!) here 🙂 Saving this recipe to try later as well!
Thank you so much Ceara! The texture is truly silky and dreamy. I don’t like the sweet potato puddings that are mostly potato because I wanted a smooth one that rivals a traditional chocolate pudding. It’s incredible. Stevia DOES leave an aftertaste which is why I don’t like it. It works best when combined with other sweeteners, otherwise it’s just way too strong. Unbearable, lol. I only used a 1/4 tsp liquid stevia in this and a little goes a long way, but combined with the coconut sugar, I couldn’t taste it, thank God! Haha!
What do you think about using chopped dates instead of either sweetener? I’ve always used only dates to sweeten my chocolate avocado chia mousse and it’s perfectly sweet. This seems like it would be even better and require less dates since the set potatos incorporate their own sweetness.
Sure, I think that would be fine!
Hi, going to make this tonight, but can I steam or boil the sweet potatoes instead of heating up the oven?
Thank you,
Yes, I think that should be fine. It will make them much more moist and water-logged, so scale back on the milk. Start out with just a 1/4 cup and add more to desired consistency. Let me know how it turns out!
looks great Brandi! I love sweet potato puddings!!!
Thank you so much Andie!!
Two of my favorite things! Chocolate and sweet potatoes! YES!
I love stevia and it’s the only added sweetener I ever use. NuNaturals and SweetLeaf are my go to “safe” brands. Once you figure out the amounts are you bake and cook more and more with it, it becomes second nature!
Thanks so much Rebecca! It is extremely strong and insanely sweet and I tried it on it’s own but I had a constant lingering taste in my mouth that reminds me of artificial sweeteners, so it’s not my cup of tea, but combining with real natural sweeteners I couldn’t taste it. I finally found something I liked in this pudding!
pudding! YUM and the rasberry on top = perfection! … I can’t believe there is sweet potato in here though I would have NEVER guessed that! sounds de-lish!
Thanks so much Michele!! So sweet of you to say that! It is undetectable, which was my goal. I don’t like my desserts to be obvious they have hidden veggies in them. This turned out delicious!
Chocolate pudding was a HUGE part of my childhood! Mom used to make it on the stove – you know – old school w/ eggs, etc. Then as a teen I was into the Jell-O stuff. Wow..have I come a long way :-)! Anyway, awesome choice for a “family favorite” dessert! And so healthy!
Thank you Annie! Yes, I use to love the jello ones too, haha! This healthy dessert needed to be on here too, there is enough indulgent ones. Although brownies were my first choice to do this, as I mentioned, it didn’t work out, so pudding it is!
THIS LOOKS WONDERFUL!!! Pinning and sharing!
Thank you so much Kaila, I really appreciate that!!
Do you deliver, Brandi? I could eat the whole bowl! It looks so delicious and flavorful. The add of sweet potatoes are just wonderful, I bet it adds a little bit of more texture to the dessert, while the coconut milk adds more creaminess. I don’t do regular sugar so the use of coconut sugar is pretty amazing to me. Your pictures are beautiful as always!
You are the sweetest Florian! I always look forward to your comments, they make my day!
Oh look, another delicious looking SWEET TATER RECIPE to add to my list. I’m not typically a stevia fan, but if and when I do use it I’m a NuNaturals fan.
Oh me neither, haha! And this didn’t make me one either, but good to know I got a little bit more experience under my belt!
Great job girl! This looks just like the Jello pudding in a box but it’s a million times better for you! Truth be told I am a super thick and dense pudding lover, I actually use to use less milk with the instant Jello kind just to get it a little denser, LOL. But I guess technically we’d be talking about something not called pudding since pudding is what you have going on here! And Mexican chocolate is my absolute FAVE! Love it!
Thank you so much my friend! Yes, SO much better for you! I used to love that stuff too though, LOL! I can totally see liking the dense pudding the old traditional way, but for this being sweet potato as the main ingredient, I don’t think that works well because I didn’t want it to TASTE like sweet potato, but chocolate pudding, which it does! My daughter didn’t know there was sweet potato in there. Making it extra creamy is the trick! But regular chocolate pudding with just milk and chocolate I’d be totally fine with it being on the thicker side 🙂
Well it still looks delicious! No, you definitely don’t want it tasting like sweet potato, unless you eat it with rice 😉
Brandi, your stuff always brings a smile to my face – mainly because I want to dive face-first into anything you make. This looks easy and delicious – yum!
Aww thank you so much Margaux! You are so kind!
Wow that sounds divine!! Two of my favorite things–spicy chocolate, and sweet potato! I’m sure I would be all over this 🙂
Thank you so much June! Isn’t spicy chocolate the best?! My hubby thinks I’m crazy for liking it!
Oh My God! This chocolate pudding looks so creamy and delish! Wonderful share! 🙂
Thank you, it was super creamy!!
I saw this recipe on my instagram feed today, and can’t wait to get home and make this!! Fantastic idea to use sweet potatoes!
Wonderful Lydia! Let me know what you think!
This looks so yummy and I must say, your staging is incredible every single time!!! As evidenced by people always commenting they want to dive into or lick the screen 🙂 Keep up the great work, so happy I found you!!
Awww you are so sweet Dianne, your comment made my day! Thank you so very much!!
This is so creative, Brandi, I love it! Thank you for going through so much experimentation with Stevia for all of us!! 😉
Thanks so much Sarah! You are welcome, it’s not likely to happen again though, LOL!
Wow Brandi!! I had no idea you could transform sweet potatoes into such an incredible and silky chocolate dessert! That’s such an amazing idea!! These look incredible, and I love a bit of spice with my chocolate so the cayenne addition sounds delicious! I love that you used stevia in this too – I always find it works really well when you pair it with another sweetener as it allows you to use less of the original sweetener, but still make a sweet dessert! I’ve never tried it with coconut sugar before – that’s such a great idea! I’m definitely going to have to try this! 🙂
You the sweetest Harriet, thank you so much for your kind words! Sweet potato pudding has been around tons for sure, I didn’t invent it, lol. But this is my own way of enjoying it, so my own twist. I have found too many others to be so dense, you might as well just eat the potato, haha! Yes, the stevia is just awful on it’s own…I could taste only stevia and an aftertaste and that is not good. Since I didn’t need much with the sweet potato, this ended up being the perfect solution!
I totally find myself licking the bowl of batter when making various chocolate things and wondering “Why didn’t I just make pudding?” haha Pudding is one of my favorite chocolate desserts, and I totally respect you for making it work with the stevia! I tried making a recipe with stevia once and it was the worst tasting thing I’ve ever made 😀 lol Yeah that little bottle is still sitting in my cabinet almost full. It is a whole different side of baking! And I just need to know when you plan on changing your name to The Vegan Sweet Potato + Chocolate + Spices 8? 😉
Haha! Licking the bowl is one of my favorite parts of making desserts (and my daughter’s!). Hahaha I’m so glad somebody understands because I totally agree with you, it is downright fake tasting and leaves a taste on your tongue that doesn’t go away. Using a sweet potato and some coconut sugar allowed me to only need to use a small amount of stevia and it worked out well. I’m like you though if I’m honest, I won’t probably be using stevia again. I had SO much trouble and was not enjoying it and I like to enjoy creating in the kitchen. The taste is just overpowering to me.
Lol! That name would totally fit me right?! But I do love my blog name, so it’s not going to happen 😉
Oh my goodness, this was just heavenly!!!! I used almond milk and didn’t have any coconut sugar- but it was still divine!! I especially love that it is something I can make in my dorm room… woohoo!
Yay Ali! I’m so happy to hear that you loved this so much! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving me feedback!
Hmmm.. this looks totally awesome. I’m impressed you were able to pull it off with stevia. I think I only have 1 recipe on my blog using it because I could just never not taste it. I found the liquid drops to work best as well btw, that powder stuff is cursed! 😛 Now back to this pudding — it almost looks like caramel! ♥
Haha I agree Audrey! That powdered stuff is purely disgusting! It tastes so fake and I agree, it’s just impossible not to taste, so creating this type of dessert masked it! I’ll be happy to go back to my maple syrup and coconut sugar now, haha and leave the stevia to the stevia experts!
I love your creativity with sweet potatoes! This chocolate pudding looks amazing and consistency looks perfect! I love the spicy addition and that you included cinnamon. <3 Yumm!
Thank you so much Bianca, you are so sweet! I sure do love my sweet potatoes, haha!
Sweet potato has got to be the most magical food in the world, and it always makes incredible desserts! I think this might be the best looking chocolate pudding I have ever seen in my life, so smooth and creamy! I cannot wait to try this!
Awww you are so sweet Rachel, thank you so much for that compliment! Let me know if you try it!
This yummy food cant be vegan!!!!!!!Drooling.
Haha, but it IS!
This pudding looks absolutely delicious! I love the combination of chocolate and spices. I had the pleasure of reviewing Dreena Burton’s Plant Powered Families and as part of my ‘homework’ made her Chocolate Sweet Potato cake and frosting. I was sceptical about the addition of sweet potato but it was amazing and the sweetness and texture was just great. Because of this I know how well it can work with chocolate and now I can’t wait to try this pudding. Pinned for making sometime soon!
Hi Mel! Thank you so much, let me know if you try it! Yes, I put sweet potatoes in LOTS of things like muffins, fudge and even ice cream, haha!
This looks amazing! Have a I said that yet? 🙂 Next time I have sweet potatoes in the house, I’m making this!
Thank you so much Jenn! You definitely need to try it!
I think I have everything in my pantry to make this right now. Looks so yummy!
This looks gorgeous! I’d love to try it very soon! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Woah, there is even cayenne pepper in it! Actually I begin to see a pattern, you really seem to like chocolate 😀
This deffo sounds delicious. My “childhood desserts” were definitely more classic 😉
Hahahaha, yes I like chocolate!
Love the idea of an eggless pudding…interesting that this is not cooked..
Must try this out soon ?
I had to make sure that I had read that correctly. Sweet potato in a pudding? What a clever idea. I must try this recipe.
It’s really creamy and delicious and so much healthier and lower fat than traditional, but just as rich! Thank you!
Oh my goodness! This looks absolutely heavenly. And it’s made from sweet potatoes : O
Yes!! 🙂 Hope you try it!
This is absolutely hands down the best vegan pudding! Anyone thinking about making it, just do it.
Wow, thank you so much for the amazing feedback! I’m ecstatic you loved it so much, thank you so much for letting me know!
I made this pudding over the weekend but tried it only today (lunch dessert at work ?). While I did not grow up eating pudding and the texture is not that usual to me I liked it. The only drawback was baking the potatoes as it took so long and then the pain of peeling them. Next time I’ll try steaming as that would be much faster. I saw a comment on using less liquid this way. Will definitely try. Oh and I used carob powder instead of cocoa powder and it worked out great. Just put less sugar (as I don’t enjoy the desserts that are too sweet and carob powder already has some sweetness to it). In any case besides baking the potato it was super easy and fast. Different texture and taste than chia seed pudding (which is also wonderful) but I bet this one has much less fat and a bonus of a veggie ? Once again, thanks Brandi.
Thank you so much Milda! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Yes, I love the texture too, it’s so incredibly creamy! I know, it’s annoying waiting on the potato to bake, but I love the flavor best that way as it brings out it’s sweetness best, so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the feedback! 🙂
I RARELY leave comments on recipes but this was SO good and I was so impressed by this pudding I just have to comment. I omitted the cinnamon and cayenne and used organic cane sugar instead of NuStevia and coconut sugar and the results surprised me! I like this WAY better than milk pudding and I am usually picky when it comes to vegan desserts! Thank you so much for sharing and you can count on me using this recipe as my go-to from now on!
Oh Wow, so happy to hear that Erika! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback! I do it just like you did as well when I make it usually, since my daughter loves the plain chocolate flavor more, I leave out the cinnamon and cayenne as well and I only used the stevia for this one time when I developed the recipe and just use sugar as well in it’s place. I’m not a fan of stevia.
So glad you loved it!
great pudding recipe! I left out the cayenne as well for the kids and they gobbled it up 🙂 I had roasted a few sweet potatoes for breakfast so this was a nice “leftovers” treat!
So wonderful to hear Stephanie, thank you so much for the feedback!!
This looks amazing. Going to create for a family affair tomorrow. My daughter is excited to broaden her vegan diet.
Wonderful, Magda! Please let me know what you think!
I am looking for a Mexican-themed dessert to go with a vegan chile to celebrate Twelfth Night this week (January 5th). This looks amazing so going to try it out today and, if all goes well, will make it for 20 people on Thursday. Thank you.
This was AMAZING! I left out the cayenne, and used maple syrup instead of the coconut sugar, I am so thankful for this recipe. Next time I’m going to double it and use it as a base of a french silk pie, no one would ever know it’s dairy free!
Thank you 🙂
Awesome Lisa! So happy to hear you loved it!! 🙂
I made this pudding tonight and it was divine! I left out the stevia and used a little more sugar. I can’t wait to make this for my nephews and see if they can even tell it’s not made with milk!
Yay! That is wonderful, so happy to hear you loved it! Stay tuned for another special pudding recipe tomorrow!! 😉
I made this pudding last night and it is amazing! I just finished eating a bowl topped with fresh strawberries. Yum! I’m going to try to Chipotle Sweet Potato Fudge next! The magic of sweet potatoes!
So glad you loved this Becky, your photo on IG was just gorgeous! Thanks for the wonderful review!
I’m following Dr. Gregor’s work, so no sugar or stevia. Instead, I used four pitted dates. I started by blending the dates with almond milk, in this case, and added everything to that. This turned out fabulous! Love it. I didn’t have raspberries on hand, but have topped it with blueberries and walnuts and it was divine. The cayenne is brilliant. Such a great treat with no downside! The second time I made it I was almost a half cup short on the mashed sweet potato and rounded the deal up with dark red kidney beans. I couldn’t tell the difference. Still turned out great, only this time with protein. Thanks for a lovely recipe!
Awesome Victoria! So very happy to hear you enjoyed this pudding so much. Thank you so much for the lovely review!
Very good but too much cinnamon. I find it takes it too far from what you would expect from a chocolate pudding. Its not the taste I expected but ours definitely a good dessert. I replaced all sugars with maple sirup. And cayenne with sriracha. Neat result. Thanks. I’ll be trying all your other sweet potato desserts.
Hi Val, glad you enjoyed it. As the title states, this is a Mexican Chocolate pudding, not plain chocolate, so it’s supposed to have a strong spice flavor…it tastes just like Mexican Chocolate. If you prefer plain, just omit the spices.
I’m fairly new to veganism, I have tried some of your other recipes and love them. Your chocolate chip cookie recipe was a big hit this Christmas. Gifted some to my husband’s non-vegan family and they loved it.
I wanted to know what this means … “Bake your sweet potatoes on parchment paper on a pan, not directly on the oven rack”.
Do I place an upside cookie sheet on the oven rack and then the pan with the sweet potatoes on top of it?
Hi Maggie, so glad to hear that! Thank you so much. Sorry for the confusion on the directions, that just means to put the potato on a parchment paper lined pan, rather than put the potato (by itself) directly onto the rack. It needs to be on a pan. Sometimes people try to bake a potato directly on the rack (with no pan) and than can make it overheat and explode or ooze out and make a mess. I’ll reword my directions.
Oh I see. Thank you response. I get it now. My 4yo has been asking for chocolate pudding for several weeks. Going to give this a try 🙂
I made this chocolate pudding tonight! It was amazing and delicious! So smooth and creamy! I never would have thought chocolate pudding could be so healthy!
Thank you for the time you spend creating these delicious recipes! My family loves so many of your recipes and now we have one more to love!
I made it with the extra coconut sugar, not the Stevia. I’m not a fan of the Stevia aftertaste. I omitted the cayenne, but next time I’ll try it that way.
It was a great soft food after my long dentist appt. today!
I’m so very happy to hear that Jeanette! I love that it was such a hit. Thank you so much for your kind words!!
Oh man. So good. I’ve never been a fan of vegetables in desserts, but can make an exception for this. I followed the recipe exactly (I love Saigon cinnamon!) and it turned out perfectly. I made it a second time and added a few spoonfuls of almond butter when processing and it turned out like frosting. It stores well for a few days in the fridge and does not lose any of its great flavor or consistency.
So very glad to hear how much you loved this Laura! Thank you so much for the amazing review!
I just made this (without cayenne, cinnamon and stevia) and it is insanely delicious and easy! I can’t wait to serve this dessert to my family tonight. Thank you Brandi. 😊
I just made this (without cayenne, cinnamon and stevia) and it is insanely delicious and easy! I can’t wait to serve this dessert to my family tonight. Thank you Brandi. 😊
Woohoo, so glad to hear it Nikole, thank you!
Made it last night. Yum! So easy and so good. Thanks so much for all your recipes!
Awesome!