Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Tofu Pudding

I’m crazy for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups and recently, seeing a box of firm tofu, I made a pudding version that is easy, healthy and delicious. It may seem too good to be true but it is true.  Don’t fear the tofu. Here, water-packed firm tofu does the work of adding creamy body to this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Tofu pudding, but you’ll never know it is there.

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Using Tofu in Vegan Desserts

When I left the traditional pastry world nearly 30 years ago (yikes!) to create a modern vegan pastry kitchen, I shunned tofu. It seemed to be in every dessert, from baked goods to creams and frostings. Cakes made with tofu were heavy, and puddings and icings tasted beany and bitter to me. I set out to explore other ingredients and techniques and keep the tofu for sandwiches. (I actually love tofu- grilled, baked, scrambled and more.)

Over time, with better tofu available in various forms and an understanding of vegan pastry technique, I rethought this useful ingredient. I welcomed it back into my now fully loaded vegan pastry kitchen. Used correctly, tofu is versatile, neutral in flavor, plus it is a good source of protein. Do use organic tofu to avoid GMO soy and chemicals, and get to learn its various forms.

This recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Pudding uses water-packed firm tofu to get a good thick, creamy pudding without needing bar chocolate. Cocoa powder is unsweetened and lower in fat than chocolate, and here, bloomed in pure maple syrup, it adds a deep chocolate flavor. You’ll see sugar on my mise en place try but I didn’t need to add any.

How to Bloom Cocoa Powder

One of the keys to getting desserts to taste deeply chocolate is to bloom the cocoa in liquid. I did so simply here by pouring the maple syrup over the cocoa powder while I prepped the tofu. It also meant using one prep dish instead of two.

Today’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Tofu Pudding is a super easy blender-made dessert.  And of course, it is vegan.

• High protein
• Sweetened only with maple syrup
• No added fats
• One mixture, several desserts
  • chocolate pudding, chocolate peanut butter pudding, sauce
• Tastes great
• It can be frozen to make no-churn ice cream balls.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Tofu Pudding for kids & adults – Loads of Variations

By dividing the 1 ½ cups of the pudding, I made Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cup Sundae (a lot easier than painting the inside of molds to make peanut butter cup candies), Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Toast, and with the addition of a few tablespoons of plant milk (I used soy) a Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Sauce. Finally, I put a few tablespoons into the freezer as a test and was rewarded with Ice Cream balls.

Just Chocolate Pudding

Taste the pudding before the peanut butter is added. You will have made Chocolate Pudding. Add in some spices, for example, cinnamon or ancho chili to vary the flavor.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Sundae

• Melt some chocolate. Cover each serving with enough chocolate to cover the top.   Refrigerate until the chocolate hardens.
• Chop some peanuts and mix with a little bit of maple syrup.  Spoon some onto the Puddings.
• Slice a banana, add a few slices to the Pudding.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Toast

• Spread your toast thickly with Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Pudding.
• Sprinkle with flaked sea salt
• Add some sliced bananas.
  Sounds like brekkie to me.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sauce

Mix in a tablespoon of milk at a time until you get the consistency you like.
Try the sauce at room temperature or even slightly warm over pancakes, waffles, or French toast.

Allergic or Not a Fan of Peanut Butter?

Use Hazelnut butter or Tahini instead of peanut butter.

Ready to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Pudding?

Get the full ingredients and instructions in the printable recipe card found below.

1. Place prepared tofu in the bowl of a food processor and process until no large chunks remain.
2. Add the cocoa – maple syrup  (the bloomed cocoa), the salt and the vanilla and chocolate extracts. If you don’t have chocolate extract, use more vanilla.
3. Process until smooth and creamy. Stop here if you prefer a chocolate pudding.
4. Add the peanut butter and process until smooth. Taste and add more maple syrup if desired.
5. Garnish and serve.

Not a fan of tofu?

Try our Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Pudding made with Avocado.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Tofu Pudding

Yields 4 1/2 cup servings

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons/ 1.5 ounces dutched cocoa powder
• ½ cup pure maple syrup grade A dark, more for a sweeter pudding
• ½ 14 t o 16 oz box (about 8 ounces) organic firm tofu I like to blanch it in boiling water, and pat dry
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 3 ounces heaping ¼ cup peanut butter-sugar-free
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ½ tsp chocolate extract optional
• 2-4 tablespoons soy milk or another plant milk to adjust consistency or to make a sauce
• Melted chocolate
• Chopped peanuts
• Banana

Instructions

1. Measure the cocoa powder into a medium bowl and pour the maple syrup over. There is no need to stir. This is called blooming the cocoa and results in a deeper chocolate flavor.

2. Set aside.Dip the tofu into boiling water. Let it sit in the water for 2-3 minutes, remove and pat dry.

3. Crumble the tofu into the bowl of food processor. Add the salt and puree until the tofu is creamed and no chunks are visible. Add the cocoa-maple syrup, the extracts, and process until the mixture is perfectly smooth and creamy. Stop the processor once or twice to scrape the sides.

4. Taste the pudding. I know the peanut butter isn’t in yet, but I was so surprised to find this to be a delicious Chocolate Pudding. If you like this, so, stop right here or divide the mixture to make 2 flavors.

5. Add the peanut butter and process until it is incorporated. Taste the pudding. You may want to add another tablespoon or so of maple syrup or you may not.

6. It’s ready to eat now or to assemble into a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Parfait.

For Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Parfaits

1. Melt some chocolate and spoon enough to cover over each serving.

2. Refrigerate until the chocolate hardens.

3. Chop some peanuts and mix with a little bit of maples syrup.  Spoon some onto the Puddings.

4. Slice a banana, add a few slices to the Pudding.

For Chocolate Peanut Butter Toast

1. Spread your toast with as much Chocolate Peanut Butter as you like.

2. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt

3. Add some sliced bananas.

4. Sounds like brekkie to me.

For Chocolate Peanut Butter Sauce

1. Mix in a tablespoon of milk at a time until you get the consistency you like.

2. Try the sauce at room temperature or even slightly warm over pancakes, waffles or French Toast.

Recipe Notes

Allergic to peanuts: Use hazelnuts or tahini. I bet these would be delicious alternatives. 

Pin this Chocolate Peanut Butter Tofu Pudding recipe for later. 

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