Tofu Chocolate Pudding

Tofu chocolate pudding?!? Don't make a hairball sound. This stuff is good. Really good. And you can pig out on it without any guilt. If you want an excuse to eat chocolate pudding for breakfast, this is it. Or in my case, if you've had oral surgery and have to eat liquids for days on end and are going out of your mind, this will fill you up (a hard-to-beat quality when you're on a liquid diet) and it tastes good. Tastes like it's supposed to, not a baby food version of something else.

I originally saw a recipe in a fitness magazine using tofu as a base for chocolate pudding. That pudding was just OK, but had some potential. With some additions for flavor and texture, this one is addictive. The key is taking the time to let the flavor develop. If you taste it right after mixing it up, you'll be disappointed. So don't. Just wait. Stick it in the fridge overnight and try it the next day. Better yet, wait two days. The longer it sits there, the more the tofu takes on the chocolate and other flavorings. Sadly, that last little spoonful you get at the bottom of the container always tastes the best. But that will just make you want to make more. I dare you not to get hooked.

I turned up the flavor by using Mexican vanilla, a shot of instant coffee, cinnamon and chocolate extract. All of these together build layers of flavor. You could probably use coffee extract instead of the instant coffee, if you like.


2 cups silken tofu
4 ounces bittersweet (70%) chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon instant coffee (I use decaf)
1/2 cup nonfat or lowfat sour cream
1/2 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt (I use Stonyfield)
1 tablespoon Mexican vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon chocolate extract
1/4 cup chocolate soy milk

Melt the chopped chocolate in a bowl in the microwave in 30 second increments at 50% power. Repeat until the chocolate starts melting. Stir to smooth out.

Dissolve the instant coffee into 1/4 cup boiling water. Stir to dissolve completely.

Combine the dissolved coffee and all the other ingredients in a blender and whiz. Scrape down the sides and whiz again.

Add the melted chocolate and whiz again until well blended.

Put in the fridge in a covered container and forget about it for 24 hours. At least. Do not taste it before then. It will taste like naked tofu and nobody wants that. After 24 hours, you can see if you want to adjust the flavors. Experiment with it. Make it your own.

I'd love to give you a serving count, but frankly, we usually just eat a few spoonfuls of this stuff straight from the container. It's surprisingly filling. As much as you might want to scarf down a whole bowl of it, you probably won't be able to. It'll fill you up right quick.