Easy Vegan Pumpkin Chia Seed Pudding

posted in: Dessert, sugar cravings | 0

I am a big fan of pudding desserts. They can often be put together quickly and they don’t have any baked flour or dryness that can be hard to digest and tax the liver. Plus they have a very comforting, relaxing quality.

The addition of yellow sweet potato helps mellow the pumpkin flavor while also adding creaminess. After many attempts, I finally achieved the perfect balance of flavor and sweetness and texture. It is sister approved and I hope you enjoy it, too.

See how it says easy in the title? I used canned organic pumpkin. I was going for a recipe that would be simple to put together, without the mess of cutting, de-seeding and cooking a pumpkin from scratch. If you do choose to cook your own pumpkin I put some notes below the recipe. If you can find it, Winter Luxury is my very favorite variety of pumpkin for eating. If you live in the PNW, I have seen it in several natural food stores and farmers markets. It has a lighter orange color and a light netting on it.

This is actually my second pumpkin pudding recipe. The other one is over at littleveg: Winter Squash or Pumpkin Pudding. That one is a little more involved and requires cooking on the stove top. It is equally delicious and a bit creamier without the chia seeds.

Pumpkin Chia Seed Pudding

1 cup baked light sweet potato, about 1 cup mashed (not the orange ones, you want a mild flavor that won’t compete with the pumpkin) (see cooking instructions below)
1 can pureed organic pumpkin, about 15 oz
3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
3-4 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp brown rice syrup
pinch of sea salt
1/4 cup chia seeds

  1. Peel the baked sweet potato and mash into a 1 cup measure. Throw any extra into the pudding or use it for a snack.
  2. Place the sweet potato and all other ingredients except for the chia seeds into a blender or food processor. Puree until very smooth.
  3. Pour half into a medium size bowl and mix the chia seeds in quickly and thoroughly. This is to keep the chia seeds from clumping. Add the rest of the pumpkin mixture and mix very well again to help disperse the chia seeds evenly. Check for sweetness and add more sweetener if you would like.
  4. This is good the day you make it, but even better the next day because the flavors have time to meld.
  5. The pudding tastes very good with a spoon of coconut or cashew cream if you wish. Enjoy!

How I like to cook sweet potato:
Rinse sweet potato and wrap in parchment so it’s fairly sealed. Place in oven at 350º and bake for about 40 minutes or until soft.

I will often bake a few sweet potatoes at a time whenever my oven happens to be on baking something else.

Note:
This will probably work with fresh pumpkin as long as the pumpkin isn’t too wet. However, I haven’t tried it. You can leave it in a strainer to drain some moisture out or add a few more tablespoons of chia seeds or less plant milk to compensate for any extra liquid. If you try this please leave a note in the comments and let us know how it works.

You can add pumpkin pie spice bland or cinnamon if you wish. I made one version with some cinnamon, but I liked this pudding better without.

Pumpkin Chia Seed Pudding

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup baked light colored sweet potato not the orange ones, you want a mild flavor that won't compete with the pumpkin (see cooking instructions below)
  • 1 can pureed organic pumpkin about 15 oz
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk or other plant milk
  • 3-4 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp brown rice syrup
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds

Instructions
 

  • Peel the baked sweet potato and mash into a 1 cup measure. Throw any extra sweet potato into the pudding or use it for a snack.
  • Place the sweet potato and all other ingredients except for the chia seeds into a blender or food processor. Puree until very smooth.
  • Pour half into a medium size bowl and mix the chia seeds in quickly and thoroughly. This is to keep the chia seeds from clumping. Add the rest of the pumpkin mixture and mix very well again to help disperse the chia seeds evenly. Check for sweetness and add more sweetener if you would like.
  • Let sit for about 20 minutes to give the chia seeds time to soften and pudding to become thicker.

Notes

How I like to cook sweet potato:
Rinse sweet potato and wrap in parchment so it's fairly sealed. Place in oven at 350º and bake for about 40 minutes or until soft.
I will often bake a few sweet potatoes at a time whenever my oven happens to be on baking something else.
This is good the day you make it, but even better the next day because the flavors have time to meld.
The pudding tastes very good with a spoon of coconut or cashew cream if you wish.
This will probably work with fresh pumpkin as long as the pumpkin isn't too wet. However, I haven't tried it. You can leave it in a strainer to drain some moisture out or add a few more tablespoons of chia seeds or less plant milk to compensate for any extra liquid. If you try this please leave a note in the comments and let us know how it works.
You can add pumpkin pie spice bland or cinnamon if you wish. I made one version with some cinnamon, but I liked this pudding better without.