December 31, 2020
(last updated December 5, 2024) 
Silken tofu chocolate pudding is an easy-to-make vegan dessert that tastes rich and indulgent, but uses nutritious, protein-packed silken tofu as a base.
Let’s wrap up the year with something sweet, yes?
There’s a lot of pressure to relinquish sweets at this time of year. Online recipe content switches suddenly from holiday treats to wholesome, sensible fare for a new year.
I can understand the impulse to get back to basics in January. After lots of holiday cooking, simplicity feels good. But sweet and simple aren’t mutually exclusive. This silken tofu chocolate pudding proves that.
This is a rich, creamy, very chocolate-y dessert that’s easy to make. Silken tofu is a nutritious, protein-rich base, which gets blended with both melted dark chocolate and cocoa powder.
The pudding takes only minutes to prepare, and it’s delightful to eat. It’s an easy indulgence—the best kind!
Why silken tofu is the perfect base for dairy-free chocolate pudding
There are many ways to create a vegan chocolate pudding. I’ve used avocado (the famous chocomole), pumpkin, and cashew as a base.
I’ve also seen recipes that call for whipped aquafaba as a chocolate pudding base. They’re made similarly to traditional chocolate mousse.
But silken tofu chocolate pudding is my personal favorite for a lot of reasons.
First, ease. Yes, you’ll need to melt your chocolate (either in a double boiler or in the microwave). But there’s no stand mixer required. No need to use cornstarch or another thickener. No custard to create.
Making the silken tofu chocolate pudding is as simple as blending silken tofu with melted chocolate, cocoa powder, a sweetener of choice, and a pinch of sea salt. It sets in the fridge overnight, and then it’s a perfect texture for eating.
Silken tofu does more than enable easy preparation. It’s also a nutritious base for this dessert, rich in all of the nutrients that soy beans offer. This includes plenty of plant-protein, healthful fatty acids, and anti-inflammatory soy phytoestrogens.
There may be other ways to create a dairy-free chocolate pudding or mousse, but I can’t think of a creamy base that offers as much nutrient-density as this one!
Silken tofu chocolate pudding ingredients
It’s not every day that I make a dessert I love with only five ingredients. But that’s how silken tofu chocolate pudding works. Here’s what you’ll need.
Silken tofu
I remember the days when silken tofu was easiest to find in 12-ounce, shelf-stable cardboard packages.
You can still find those online. When I go to the grocery store, however, I usually see silken/soft tofu in 16-ounce containers. These need to be stored in the fridge.
Since the 16-ounce containers are more readily available in grocery stores, I’ve developed this recipe to call for 16 ounces / 455g of silken tofu.
If you happen to have the 12-ounce packages at home, you can use one and a quarter packages. Save the leftover tofu for smoothies, soup, or another use. You can also scale down the chocolate and other ingredients 25% to accommodate only 12 ounces of tofu.
A quick note about texture: 12-ounce packages of shelf-stable silken tofu can be found in an extra firm texture, which will create an especially rich, thick chocolate pudding. If they’re not labeled as “extra firm,” then you can assume that they have the same consistency as all silken tofu.
Dark chocolate
Any vegan dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate should work in the recipe. You can use chips, chunks, disks, or a chopped up dark chocolate bar.
I like something in the semi-sweet range for this recipe. Bittersweet chocolate is too bitter for me. But you can use the percentage and level of sweetness that you like. When I use a bar to make the pudding, I usually use this one.
Cocoa (or cacao) powder
I tend to prefer the flavor of cocoa powder over cacao. Once again, though, you can use the powder you have at home. I use this cocoa powder for some of my baking, hot cocoa, this pudding, and chocolate mousse pie.
Maple syrup (or agave)
I like to use liquid sweetener—maple syrup or agave—in the recipe. However, I’ve tested it with both coconut sugar and cane sugar, and they also work well.
Salt
You won’t need more than a pinch of kosher salt or sea salt for the pudding itself. But if you like chocolate and sea salt together, you can definitely top each ramekin of pudding with some flaky salt, too!
How to make silken tofu chocolate pudding
There’s not much to the preparation process of this silken tofu chocolate pudding. Blend, chill, eat.
The chilling step is very important! The pudding will taste delicious right after blending, but it won’t have the rich, mousse-like texture that’s so enjoyable.
Here’s what you’ll do to create this simple, yet decadent dessert.
Step 1: Melt your chocolate
You can melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in your microwave.
There’s plenty online about how to melt dark chocolate in a double boiler (and how to create a double boiler, too).
Personally, I much prefer to melt chocolate in my microwave!
Do this by placing the chocolate into a non-reactive bowl (I use a Pyrex mixing bowl). Het the chocolate for 30 seconds in the microwave, then give it a stir. It’s fine if the chocolate is not yet very melted.
Continue microwaving the chocolate in 15-second intervals, stirring after each one, until the chocolate looks totally smooth and very shiny.
Don’t microwave for longer intervals, as the chocolate may burn and lose its silky, melted texture. As tempting as it may be when you’re in a rush, it’s essentially to not overheat the chocolate!
Step 2: Blend
The next step is easy! Transfer your melted chocolate and all other ingredients, including the silken tofu, to a blender. Blend till the mixture is entirely smooth.
Step 3: Chill
After blending, you’ll pour the pudding into containers and give it some time to chill.
You can do this in one larger storage container, or you can pour it into individual containers. I usually use ramekins or 4-ounce mason jars to portion it out. You ought to get 6 servings or so.
The pudding needs a minimum of four hours to chill.
The Vegan Week
Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.
Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.
Meal prep & storage
The pudding will keep for up to five days in the fridge. It’s also freezer friendly! You can freeze a large or single-serving portions of the pudding for up to six weeks.
More chocolate goodness…
It’s always a good time for a little bit of chocolate!
If you’d like a few more ideas, here are some of my favorite chocolate treats:
- Cashew espresso truffles
- Vegan chocolate beet cake
- Chewy vegan double chocolate chip cookies
- Raw, vegan brownie bites
- Vegan chocolate snack cake
- Tahini skillet brownie
- Easy no-bake vegan chocolate mousse pie
- Glazed vegan chocolate bundt cake
Silken Tofu Chocolate Pudding (No Cook)
Author –Yields: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 16 ounces silken tofu
- 1 cup (5 oz/150 g) chopped dark or semi-sweet vegan chocolate
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or agave syrup (substitute coconut sugar or cane sugar)
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler or by heating it for 30 seconds in the microwave, stirring, and continuing to heat for 15 seconds at a time until the chocolate is melted. Don't microwave for longer intervals, as the chocolate may burn and lose its silky, melted texture.
- Add the melted chocolate and all other ingredients to a high speed blender. Blend till completely smooth. Pour the mixture into 4 or 6 ramekins. Refrigerate overnight to set the pudding. Enjoy!
Video
I’m having mixed feelings today, just the way I did on Christmas. I feel grateful to have made it through the year, but there’s a lot of sadness associated with what didn’t happen and wasn’t possible. Some of the things that I had hoped for at this time last year.
But in addition to being a reminder of the fragility and preciousness of life, 2020 had its sweet moments.
The sweetest of them were very sweet indeed: life coming back to NYC this summer. My first few reunions with friends I hadn’t seen in a long time. Many outdoor walks, some chilly, some rainy, some absolutely glorious. A lot of special time sitting in the park with my mom.
These small moments were even sweeter because of the circumstances. As I savor this dessert today, I’ll honor them, and the sweetness of life. It’s always there, even in the toughest moments.
Enjoy the silken tofu chocolate pudding. Can’t wait to hear what you think. And a great big hug to you on this New Year’s Eve.
xo
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Categories: Recipes,
Desserts
Method: Blender
Ingredients: Tofu
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, No Oil, Vegan
Recipe Features: 30 Minute or Less, Quick & Easy
Method: Blender
Ingredients: Tofu
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, No Oil, Vegan
Recipe Features: 30 Minute or Less, Quick & Easy
Leave a Comment
I gave it 5 stars bc as a Diabetic, this dessert recipe is easy to make, uses only a few ingredients & is beyond delicious. So yummy, nutritious & great for the entire Family no matter how conscientous (or not) they are abt good health. It’s definitely a game-changer. Thank You So Much!
This was yummy! I did add a teaspoon of Vanilla to it.
I’m glad that you enjoyed it!
The texture is spot-on. I added 1T of peanut butter to add to the richness and texture, and it has a mouthfeel of mousse, instead of pudding. I can’t speak to whether that’s because I added the pb, but I love the result. This is indeed really rich as other reviewers say. I found it wasn’t sweet enough with 1/4C maple, even though I really don’t like sweet things, and opt for less sweet every time.
Before adding the melted, hot chocolate to the blender, I tempered some of the blender mix into the chocolate. Start with 1T of the tofu mix stirred into the chocolate. Then add more, maybe 1/4 C, stirring well. Then the chocolate can be added into the blender with all of the tofu. Didn’t have any hardening of the chocolate this way. Great recipe.
These are great notes, Gail! Glad that you like the texture of the pudding so much.
My goodness! You taught an old cook new tricks!
Can’t believe Tofu can be so delicious!
Thank you for sharing recipe – it’s delightful! Like a fudgy brownie mousse!
Easy to make in blender – brought everything to room temp blended very well with the warm melted chocolate – used Theo chocolate yum!
This dessert is a keeper!
Thank you!
Delighted that you enjoy the pudding so much! Thanks for giving it a try.
Hi!
What tips do you have a for freezing? I might not be able to eating until a week after I make it- can I freeze the whole container and that in the fridge when I’m ready to eat?
Hi Angela! You can freeze in small portions if you don’t wish to defrost all at once, or you can freeze the whole thing soon after making it and then defrost a large amount when you’re ready to eat. Whatever works for your schedule.
Great flavor & texture! This was my first tofu pudding recipe. Does the tofu need to be pressed first?
Hi Melody, so glad you like it! No, the tofu for this recipe doesn’t need to be pressed first.
So good and so easy. Having read reviews about the chocolate hardening a bit when it hit the cold tofu, I blended the tofu, maple syrup, and cocoa powder first, and the added the melted chocolate. It might have helped since I didn’t have any issues. I also added some amaretto per another reviewer’s comment. This may be a weekly Sunday afternoon treat to make because I have a serious sweet tooth and getting in a complete protein at the same time makes this a win all the way around.
So glad that you enjoyed it, Lori, and that it blended up seamlessly for you! Amaretto sounds like such a great addition to the pudding.
This was amazing! I’d seen people use silken tofu to make mousses and puddings but didn’t know where to start. So glad I found this recipe! I used Truvia instead of agave or maple syrup and it set up just fine. Makes it feel a bit better for me calorie wise with the chocolate chips (Ghiradelli semi sweet, amazing!) The chocolate did seize in my blender like the other commenter said, but I just blender it a while then scraped the sides down the best I could to reincorporate. It ended up working just fine even if it was slightly tedious. I am currently on a high protein vegetarian diet and this is absolutely going into my regular repertoire, and I’m looking forward to modifying the flavors too! Thank you!
So glad that you enjoyed it!
The flavor is delicious! I haven’t tried it after it has set yet, but just after blending it’s very tasty! However I can’t be the only person whose melted chocolate, upon hitting WET tofu, seized up and coated the sides of my Ninja Blender. It seems like not a great use of the chocolate considering half of it is still hardened to the sides.I’m wondering if adding a little coconut oil or something might be a smart idea?
Wow! I’ve been making chocolate tofu pudding for decades: sometimes with chocolate, sometimes with cocoa poweder + maple syrup, but it never occurred to me to do BOTH. Well silly, silly me. I tried your recipe (sans salt and with 3 Tbs maple to fit my palate) and holy moley! I’ve always thought chocolate tofu pudding was a perfectly fine desert, but this is genuinely delicious and dinner party-worthy. Thanks for bringing this new deliciousness into my life 🙂
I’m delighted that you like it, Elizabeth! Totally agree that it’s far more elegant than one would expect 🙂
As a lazy cook, I love the ease of making this. Sometimes I make it as above, other times with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a tablespoon of chopped raisin and almonds. It also works with a splash of amaretto.
What are the macronutrients + kcals of this recipe please.
Hi Ashley! I don’t offer the nutrition facts for my recipes, but you can certainly enter the ingredients into a program like MyFitnessPal or LoseIt! to get the specifics. I hope that you enjoy the recipe 🙂
That’s disappointing to hear as knowing the macros and kcals first will determine whether the recipe fits into my meal plan. Thank you for responding. Your meals looks delish xx
Babe, respectfully-it took me less than 3 minutes to do this on my own with MyFitnessPal to get total calories and macros.
There are SO many calorie/macro calculators out there-this seems like a silly thing to expect recipe creators to accommodate for you, especially if the blog you’re expecting that from has never purported to be a weight loss or fitness blog.
Hey Mary,
Thank for you for comment. Adding all the ingredients in each and every time would also apply to all the other things I eat every day, time wise, that won’t take 3 minutes. Considering this page has a bazillion paragraphs and photos, adding in this info isn’t a big ask, especially considering it’s a site about food. Macro info are literally on every single packet of food your purchase. Not everyone seeking this info will onto fitness or on a weight loss plan btw.
Do you have nutrition information, especially if using 70% choc (non vegan)?
Eating this as I type! Third time making this and it’s become our favorite dessert recipe. My husband asks me every time, “Tell me this wasn’t made with tofu.” Yup. Sure was hun. Smooth and full of protein. I make it just like the recipe but look forward to adding/adjusting a few ingredients as other readers have done. Thanks for sharing!
Ha—sure was, indeed 🙂 I love the pudding, too, Melissa. Glad you’re a fan!
I added 1/4 cup of smooth peanut butter into the chunks when I melted them. Delicious…
Oh, yum!
Just prepared it with both honey and maple syrup as sweeteners – excellent!
I have been making a similar recipe for a while. I like to add either cinnamon for a Mexican Chocolate or Garam Masala for a Chocolate Chai. It’s addictive!
Yum!
Made this with some home made tofu that failed to fully coagulate. Worked out fine! Thx!
Oh, that’s great! Glad it allowed you to use up that tofu 🙂
High in fat, but delicious! And so easy. Serving for company tomorrow.
Glad that you enjoy it!
…A million stars for this recipe Gena! Tasted fabulous and so easy to make! how might I change the flavor to say…strawberry? I’m thinking some strawberry preserves and fresh berries? Have you ever made a fruited mousse like this?
So glad to hear that you enjoyed it, Gael! And I’ve definitely thought about a vanilla, butterscotch, or fruited version, but without the melted chocolate I’d need to fiddle with the texture. I’ll keep everyone posted if I have some success 🙂
You would never guess that there’s tofu hiding in this recipe! The texture and flavor are on point. I had some after refrigerating for about 4 hours and more after it refrigerated overnight. It definitely sets up more over night, but I still liked it after only cooling for 4 hours. I enjoyed mine with fresh raspberries and blackberries.
I’m eating this right now for dessert. Delicious chocolate flavor with a mousse texture (refrigerated for 6 hours). This recipe is pure magic.
Hooray! I’m so glad to hear that 🙂