Yesterday, my favorite little man came over and we had a contemplative conversation about leprechauns. With a sense of trepidation in his voice, he asked me if I ever caught one and if I knew how big they really are. Seeing that I never personally set up a leprechaun trap, I really had no clue how to answer it. I guesstimated a range of 1-2 feet. Anyone know if I came close? We decided to be certain, once and for all, and created our very own version of a leprechaun trap. No leprechaun has ever been known to decline chocolate, and what better way to further entice the little men than into a jar of vegan chocolate pudding? So we got to working immediately in the kitchen.
RELATED: Dairy Free Banana Pudding
Vegan Chocolate Pudding (that happens to be actually be HEALTHY) made with this secret ingredient…and psst, it’s not avocado!
PrintVegan Chocolate Pudding
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 c. raw cashews, soaked for 1 hour and then drained (optional to soak)
- 1 c. nondairy milk
- 1 c. sweet potato, cooked (approx. 2 small sweet potatoes)
- 1/4 c. maple syrup (add more if you want sweeter)
- 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Throw everything into a high-speed blender until smooth.
- That’s it.
- Not even kidding.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 325
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 23mg
- Fat: 18g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 9g
RELATED: DIY Chocolate Pudding Snack Packs
We wanted our vegan chocolate pudding to be healthy so we searched the kitchen for new and unique ways to recreate an old classic. We tried using a banana with a mix of cashews but no matter how much cocoa powder we used, you could still taste the banana and we found it off-putting. We knew that the leprechauns would too. So there we were in this dilemma. I have seen people use avocado in their puddings but I didn’t want to chance it. Avocados are like jewels in this household and I’d be damned if I tested with them only to have them wasted with no success. Besides, it’s everywhere you look so how different would that be?? But then it occurred to me like a lightening bolt: SWEET POTATO! It was eye-balling me on the counter: It’s smooth, creamy, slightly sweet and it’s the perfect pureed blend for this pudding. My intuition proved spot on!
RELATED: Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
Of course, sampling had to be made (just to make sure that that leprechauns will like it) so I scooped up 2 small bowl-fulls of chocolate pudding and my favorite little man and I ate, eyes wide open, with pure delight. Why have I not been making homemade pudding??
Come this St. Patrick’s Day, if all goes as planned and the magic stays intact inside these chocolate pudding cups, I will have scored myself a leprechaun. Then I will know finally how tall they really are*.
Happy Trappings.
*No real leprechauns were hurt in the making of this post.
jill
I love the idea of sweet potatoes in chocolate pudding. So glad to find this site! I have Celiac and we have 3/4 of our family dairy free. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Meg @ BeardandBonnet
Ok, this is genius and I am going to have to keep it under wraps that the fruit bandit isn’t your only favorite little man! ha!
Katharina
I donΒ΄t get the Bill Cosby-joke π
Cara
Booooo to cultural barriers. Bill Cosby was an quirky, older actor from the 80s who had a very popular tv show. He became the “spokesman” for Jell-O Pudding. Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taQqVHw4PYU
Katharina
Not at all. I know Bill Cosby, but not how heβs related to your Chocolate Pudding π Well, the gelatin pop in the video looks like a piece of plastic ^^
Cara
He also did regular ol’ Pudding commercials too…So he approves of my homemade pudding. No? haha.
Nora @ Natural Noshing
I lOve this post! I can just hear your conversation now π and the green worms….SO fun!!!! I love your creativity as always, you rock! Xo
Cara
YOU rock π Pushing the green worms out of the straws really was the highlight of my day, I must say.
sweetlab
Hahaha. This is awesome!
Cadry's Kitchen
If Bill Cosby approves of this, could you move on to Pudding Pops next? I loved those things! We never had them at my house, but a cousin of mine always had them in their freezer. It was always a great treat to snatch one whenever I was there. If you do make Pudding Pops, I promise to buy a colorful sweater and pose with it! π
Good luck catching a Leprechaun or two. They’re wily.
(Oh, and your pudding looks mouthwateringly good!)
Cara
If I do Pudding Pops, then I will have to perfect and record my Bill Cosby dance for all to see π I also will be expecting that picture of you in that sweater…
Lisa Viger
I love this. When my kids were little, their first grade teacher had them build leprechaun traps on St Pat’s eve. I spent the night making little leprechaun accessories to put in the trap (little wooden pipes, walking sticks, hats, etc) so when they woke up it would look like the leprechaun had just left and barely escaped their trap. It was a tradition we carried on until they were in their teens …
Cara
This is the cutest thing ever! I absolutely love how you made the accessories–so much so that I must do so as well π Does it matter if I put the wooden pipes in the night before and then wake up the next morning believing that a leprechaun had actually escaped? It that weird? π ha Thanks for this, Lisa!
Audrey
This reminds me of that (rather gross) song: “the littlest worm I ever saw was stuck inside my soda straw…”. Except this is awesome, not gross!
Cara
hahaha! I never heard of that, however, I will say that I was singing, “Nobody likes me. Everybody hates me. Guess I’ll go eat worms.” What a depressing song, really… xo!
Your biggest fan!
Love the little pots ‘o leprechaun goo and the green worms!
How is it that I never treated you to Darby o’Gill and the Little People??? It’s a fave and the 2nd movie I saw as a kid at the drive-in (the very 1st was another Disney *of course* movie, Bambie). I think at one time (I was very, very young!) I believed the little people lived just outside my bedroom window – must be that little touch of Irish in me from Mamaw.
Great post me darlin girl! π
Cara
Was that last line said in your Irish accent, mum? hehe. You thinking the little people lived outside your bedroom window is the same as me thinking that E.T. was always lurking around my bedroom door π Scared the living daylights out of me…
xo!!
Your biggest fan!
Yes, that was my Irish accent π
My memory was a good feeling or maybe they were from Gulliver’s Travels -like I said….I was young! How could E.T. be frightening? Now, the Banshees…they were scary!
XOXOXO
Cara
Didn’t you ever see that neck and oddly shaped head? Hey, I was young and irrational π
Richa@HobbyandMore
See this is why i will send my kids to u.. i am fine with a few coffee episodes if 99% of the time they come back happy with green worms and pudding and happy faces!
those worms are so icky and super cool at the same time!:)) and the pudding will surely catch anyone you want to trap.. and everyone else you dont want to trap too!
Cara
HAHA! I will never have kids of my own because I will be too busy feeding everyone else’s children crafty foods π Bring ’em on over, Richa!
Heather
OMG Cara so FUN; Jello Worms made from a straw, craziness!
I am pretty sure there are 2 kinds of leprechauns – the ones that live in the woods at the begining of the rainbow are about 2-3 inches in height (pocket size) the ones who live at the end of the rainbow gaurding the pot of gold are about 1-3 feet depending on how much chocolate pudding and worms they have eaten dictates their size π
Cara
Okay, I just fell even more in love with you for this explanation…
Kelly Klepfer
That looks delish as per usual. If I was a leprechaun I’d be done for.
Cara
Any chance you might dress up in a green costume and hat just in case the trap doesn’t work??? π
Kelly Klepfer
Totally a chance. I’m vertically challenged as well so I got that covered. : )
Cara
This is giving me a great visual, Kelly! Any chance you might also tap dance while you are dressed up? π
Kelly Klepfer
ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Though I am also a wee mite clumsy, so that could be so very, very entertaining.
Cara
WHat time are you coming over??? π
Kelly Klepfer
Expecting rain anytime soon? I’ll need a rainbow and a pot of gold.
Cara
Check and check! Your tap shoes are being special ordered and should come in the mail soon. OOooooooo, I can’t wait π
thebigfatnoodle
Those green jello worms are genius, down to the crinkly head π
Cara
They were a total pain in the butt trying to figure out though! I had to google it and see if anyone else has done it before {soooo many people have, shocker!} but I finally had the last say in my method. I will be staring down the leprechaun to eat every inch of it! π ha! xo
Lou
Oh that straw idea is wicked knickers…. have to try it with some agar agar π Oh how I love pudding and worrrrrrrrrrms! Maybe this would entice Misty away from real dirt and worms which seem to be a favourite snack at the moment. Gross.
Cara
Um, gross is right! I mean, I used to enjoy a delicious snack of dirt mist myself but worms??? We must break this habit from Misty indeed! P.S. Stealing wicked knickers. Man, non-Americans have the best lingo π xo
Gabby
this is so cool! so creative π
Cara
Thanks, Gabby! A tasty little trap, it is π
Delta
Not to be a copy-cat, but Baker Bettie is correct, you ARE a genius! π
Cara
You 2 are nuts! But thank you none-the-less <3
Kristina
I need to make these gummis! I have tried before with … subpar results. π
I want to come play in your kitchen, especially if you actually catch that leprechaun!!
Cara
You could even try it will agar agar flakes {if you cannot have real gelatin} . I was debating between the 2 and just went with what was easier π Good luck this time around, and definitely come join me some time soon. The more ,the merrier π xoxo!
Brooke
My neighbors once brought my boys a bag of “dirt with worms.” It used a similar jello worm trick except the worms were pink. It was entirely too realistic. I like the green worms better. I think Leprechauns will like the green ones, too. Also, apparently Leprechauns are the dogs of the fairy world. You know how dogs can range in size from “Fits in a Teacup” to “Ride it Like a Horse?” The Internet says (yes, it really does know everything) that they can be anywhere from ankle high to three feet tall!
Cara
My leprechaun skills have not faded away, I see. I was close! I love how you googled it too, B. hehe. next on the list: make realistic worms to freak Brooke out with…
Brooke
The Internet is my drug. It has the answers to everything and directions on how to do it. The day pink worms start crawling through your pudding is the day I throw up right smack on my keyboard… And then I’ll Google how to get vomit out of keyboards…
Cara
Is it October yet???
artistrybyadele
I love this! So creative and sounds delicious π
Cara
Thank you, Adele! A foolproof way to catch a leprechaun {or give yourself a delightful stomach ache} π
frugalfeeding
No I didn’t…. Haha. This looks great Cara, love the cute little worms. You are very good at this sort of thing. Like the little jars too π
Cara
Two for two! Nick took his nice pills this morning again. It’s making me suspicious, however… ha! Thanks Frugs for the compliment. Coming from you, I hold it in high esteem!
frugalfeeding
What you talkin’ ’bout? I’m always nice! In my most recent post I didn’t even mention the Americans!
Cara
That’s true. You *are* toning it down, which is saying a lot. The Americans thank you…for now.
Jess
Thank you! I have a little one who is dairy free, so this is fantastic!
Cara
Hooray–the little one will love making this with you and love eating it, too!! My favorite part is the chocolate mustache one gets from eating the pudding π Hope you like it, Jess…
Laurel
Didn’t Darby O’Gill do it with poteen (whisky) and sunlight? And who cares anyway, watch the movie to see a very young Sean Connery sing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTwmjOySDjA&feature=related or at least do it for St. Patrick.
I don’t know if chocolate pudding and green worms work on leprechauns but they worked for me, Bendable straws were a stroke of genius. I wonder if you could tape something across the bottom, use a funnel to fill them and stand them upright in a jar? Yes. I know I’m delusional, it makes me happy. The only way I could be happier if I were 5 years old and being catered to by Auntie Cara.
Cara
Laurel, we have the same brain about the tape and funnel!!! And the answer is No, no it does not work {said in a very frustrated tone!} That was attempt number 1 at its finest…which I tried to do over and over again with utter failure. The 5 year old kept my potty mouth in check π
Laurel
Drat. Sean Connery will make it all better. BTW, which squiggled more the worms or the 5year old?
Cara
I think the answer is ME π hehehe. Sean Connery {said in the thick Scottish accent} makes everything better!
Danielle @ Fresh4Five
hey hey hey…that was my best Bill Cosby! π
Love love love the worms!! pudding too! so cute
Cara
The thing about the thing, is what the thing is all about…dooaaahhh. <–My Bill Cosby impersonation {said with my lips puckered and neck moving in circles} That was fun, let's do another one. hehe xo!
Jan
I totally remember dirt cups in elementary school ..they were the creme de la creme. Little containers of joy and amazement! You’re the best as per usual. .. .
Cara
They really were, right???! I remember they were served at a birthday party in the 5th grade and I was transfixed by them ever since. I mean, really, 22 years of waiting to recreate a dessert is a bit obsessive though, right?
Willow
Haha – what a fabulous post! I love every part of it. If I were a leprechaun, I would definitely be drawn in by that pudding and gummy worms. Wait, what am I saying… I AM drawn in! Does that make me a leprechaun? If so, then to answer your question, leprechauns are approximately 5 1/2 feet tall. π
Cara
My first leprechaun!! No one told me that I could catch one through blog posting. Oh what a victorious day this is!! My, how tall you are too π hehe
Hi Willow–thanks for such a fun comment. xo
Caitlin
omigosh- chocolate pudding AND green gummy warms?! that sounds..AMAZING!
Cara
I do it all for the leprechauns π xo
Amanda
This is adorable! How clever of you to create gummy worms using straws!
Cara
Amanda, if only you saw the progression of thought {and error} to get to this point! baha. I think I still have gummy worm juice hidden all over the kitchen. Thank you so much for this sweet comment! xo
AnonymousBurn
I recommend a viewing of Darby O’Gill and the Little People. I believe there is some leprechaun trapping in that movie and you get a good idea of how they compare in size to us humanoids. This has been a favorite film of mine since I was about 6 years old but I have to warn you – the banshees (as intended) still scare the crap outta me.
Again, we are in each others minds. I made some raw and not raw chocolate chia pudding last week with some avocado, hemp milk, cocoa, and chia seed…(not raw version choco chip and applesauce). I’ve been dragging my feet on posting.
This look delish!!
Cara
I have never heard of that movie but will do so now! And I will always use caution when the Banshees come on screen. Great, now I am a little freaked out myself…
Okay, this twinsie thing is getting out of hand! What number am I thinking of? Go.
AnonymousBurn
A million – as in the number of ways I heart you and you heart me and me girls.
Cara
Plus one π xoxoxox!
Nina
Everything about this post is gorgeous, just gorgeous! I’ve not made chocolate pudding but looking at your ingredient listing I’m not really sure why. I bought cacao nibs just yesterday (for the first time) so the children and I can go ‘nuts’ and make your dirt and worms version. :o)
Thank you, as always you are such fun.
Cara
No Nina, YOU are the fun one–I love how you use the word gorgeous! You are adorable, I could just put you in a jar and smother you with pudding and edible worms. Enjoy the cacao nibs and if you make this pudding, be careful… just the smell of it being made attracts leprechauns from all over π
Nina
You, are what I call ‘good value’. The giver of compliments. π Have to say, I DO quite like the sound of a bath of chocolate pudding, cacao nibs and jelly worms! Rather think I might be fighting the children to get in it though!!!
I’ve just reread how you made you jelly worms and had a thought. What if I made the jelly in a shallow container and let it set. Could I not then stick some cut bendy straws into the jelly and carefully lift them out of the goo with the jelly still inside? Or did you try that and it not work so well? I realise this method may ‘compromise’ the integrity of the rippled bendy bit. π
Cara
I would pay to see you elbow your kids to eat the pudding. ha! You know, I was going to do what you are talking about in regards to the jelly worms if the last step did not work but I never got to it. I say try it and see if it works!! But I think you are right {I didn’t even think of that} that it might compromise the ripples… You so smart!
bklynheart
Homemade pudding! I have a project for this weekend, thank you! Ah, I haven’t had pudding (chocolate or otherwise) in so long! Also… sheer brilliance with the worms! Hopefully the leprechaun is like me, I was immediately trapped by them! Good luck! (I know I wouldn’t be able to trap one, I’d likely eat the trap before it existed very long…)
Cara
I hadn’t had pudding in forever either! And then I wondered, why in the world have I not had pudding in so long??? And homemade pudding, none-the-less {always bought it from the box…which is completely subpar to the real thing, I am finding out} Thanks for the luck wishing! I will need it… xo!
Baker Bettie
You. Are. A. Genius!
Cara
Does utterly and completely mad count? Because that is what it feels like more often than not π Thanks, K! xo