By Mark Bittman
- Total Time
- 10 minutes, plus chilling
- Rating
- 5(1,583)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This winner of a pudding, made with silken tofu, takes about as much time to make as hot chocolate. And in fact the combination of cinnamon, chile and chocolate recalls Mexican hot chocolate. Use the highest quality chocolate — semisweet or bittersweet, please — you can lay your hands on. After all, it's the flavor of the chocolate, not the flavor of the tofu, that will dominate. The texture is almost unbelievably good.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- ¾cup sugar
- 1pound silken tofu
- 8ounces high-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½teaspoon chile powder, or more to taste
- Chocolate shavings (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
341 calories; 15 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 46 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 20 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Step
1
In a small pot, combine sugar with ¾ cup water; bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.
Step
See AlsoPad Krapow Gai (Thai Basil Chicken) RecipeKale Salad With Cranberries and Cashews RecipeThe Lost Kitchen: Recipes and a Good Life Found in Freedom, Maine: A CookbookHardcoverThanksgiving Recipes Across the United States (Published 2014)2
Put all ingredients except for chocolate shavings in a blender and purée until completely smooth, stopping machine to scrape down its sides if necessary. Divide among 4 to 6 ramekins and chill for at least 30 minutes. If you like, garnish with chocolate shavings before serving.
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Cooking Notes
Sarah
Just a note that this concept works beautifully with cocoa powder, too, if you're looking to make it lower in fat or if you have cocoa but not bar chocolate on hand. I'm an enormous fan of bitter and so use about 1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder and a few tablespoons of honey in lieu of the chocolate and sugar, though I use the full measure of sugar if I'm making it for someone else.
juleezee
Been making a variation on this theme for a number of years now. I use 2 aseptic packages of silken tofu, about 12 oz. of good bittersweet chocolate and 1-2 tsp vanilla. Mine has no simple syrup and no chili powder, rather a good tablespoon or two of good cognac or your favorite flavored liqueur. Haven't heard any complaints about it, ever.
Melissa
You can pour the pudding in a graham-cracker or other cookie crust and call it "pie".
Anna Conda
Very easy, very good recipe. I melt the chocolate in the syrup when it's slightly cooled. Uses one dish less.
Eela Thakrar
if you put the chocolate in the warm sugar water (same pot), it melts, and pours out easily. One less utensil with no chocolate waste.
Love the recipe.
Abbie
I made this with 1/4 cup sugar instead of 3/4 and it was plenty sweet. I also used half unsweetened chocolate. This has a satisfying and rich taste. Add a salad and call it dinner! I like pudding warm and, because of the sugar syrup and the quick preparation, it was a lovely temperature when I finished.
Easy as anything!
san
I added some orange zest just just because I had some. That was pretty tasty too.
Sharon
I used 3/4 cup coffee instead of water to dissolve the sugar, then added the chocolate to melt. I cut sugar down to 1/4 cup and added a ripe banana when blending for additional sweetness. Can be topped with fruit such as blueberries, strawberries, or banana instead of chocolate shavings. The chili powder is hard to detect so I add more than called for. Love this recipe--simple, quick, and always a winner!
Sara
We were astonished at the tasty, fudge-like results even though we had to accommodate for ingredients not at hand. After blending, firm tofu was only the slightest bit grainy, 1/2 teaspoon of espresso powder substituted well for the vanilla, and unsweetened chocolate substituted for bittersweet with the addition of .45 oz. of sugar for each ounce of unsweetened chocolate. We were uncertain about the chili powder and hedged a tiny bit but agreed we could have used a bit more.
RG
This is delicious, but beware the chili powder! It was not clear what was intended, since In my mind "chili powder" is the mixture used to make a pot of chili, and that clearly wasn't right. It calls for 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder or more. I used less than 1/8 tsp. of cayenne and it was perfect, just a little kick that enhanced the flavors, but 1/2 tsp. would have made it inedible for us.
Malika
Made with 14oz silken tofu, no simple syrup, cinnamon and chili powder as noted, about 3oz 100% cacao and about 3oz Ghiradelli semi-sweet chips and it is amazing. Doesn't need any more sugar than is in the semi-sweet chips.
SusieQ
Great recipe. Sometimes I leave out chili and make it with a tablespoon of Cointreau. Fantastic surprise for people that it is vegan!
Genevieve
I've made this many times and have had it come out grainy a couple of times--the key seems to be to (a) not let the chocolate cool too much before blending because if it cools it stiffens a little, and (2) blend everything quite thoroughly. This has made the results beautifully smooth for me. I've never had the liquid settling problem at all, though--my texture has been really even and thick.
Karen M
Love this recipe as written - easy, delicious, and the chili adds an unexpected note. Be sure to use really high quality chocolate and vanilla. I'll try it next time with more chocolate, as noted below.
Sally Hoger
I make this on a regular basis since discovering this recipe. I use cocoa powder and, like others, greatly reduce the sugar and add about 2 tsp. Stevia. I have experimented with orange, peppermint and pandan extracts but use in conjunction with the vanilla. You can also add a ripe banana.
Sweet Tooth
Excellent, sweet taste, improved after chilling. Unfortunately not 100 percent vegan due to milkfat in Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate I used.
Liliana
This is amazingly good! I wanted a simple but luxurious-feeling dessert for a more labor-intensive dinner. Made it with good-quality peppermint dark chocolate bars marked way down after the holidays, because that's what we had. Used 1.5 tbsp agave syrup in place of the simple syrup. Kept the vanilla as written, but didn't add the cinnamon or chili powder because, peppermint. Everyone loved it, including picky 7-year-old, and no one guessed it was tofu. This will be a go-to dessert.
Lee
Made with 1/2C maple syrup and no refined sugar. Yum!!!!
Karen M
This has become my go-to for a quick dessert for guests (no one guesses it's tofu!). I reduce the sugar to as little as 1/4c as recommended by others and melt the chocolate in the water/sugar for ease. I serve it in small ramekins with plenty of whipped cream and it always goes over gangbusters. I've added finely chopped candied ginger with great success. I love this recipe so much that I make batches for myself to keep in the fridge for an indulgent/healthy after-dinner treat. A great recipe!
mcmurp
I made it as written (with semisweet chocolate), and it was much too sweet. I recommend cutting the sugar down to 1/4 c if using semisweet chocolate. It may work better with bittersweet. I then added more chocolate and chili and then also cardamom, and these helped balance out the sweetness somewhat.
Kathy KC
Delicious. Made it twice. Added the vegan choc chips to the simple syrup, but they didn't melt completely. Used only 1/2 c sugar with dark choc chips. Added orange zest (1 strip into blender, probably about 1/2-1 tsp). Brightened up the flavor, which was tannin-y from the cinnamon.
DenverKate
I always thought recipe meant Cayenne not Chili Powder bc who would want garlic and oregano in their dessert? But I've made this many times, w 1/8 t cayenne vs 1/4 t CP and the CP is better! Next time, I'll put a bit of salt on top, too.
AggyinDc
Can someone tell me how long this will keep in the fridge? Trying some make ahead desserts for Thanksgiving.
CortneyC
This is my favorite dessert recipe. Like others I cut the sugar to 1/4c and melt the chocolate with the simple syrup. I add cayenne, Urfa, and regular chili powder. I find the mix adds depth. This is a quick and easy dessert option that people live and are shocked it has tofu in it.
Sandy
Delicious, easy, and relatively guilt free. Like for others, about 1/2 cup of sugar worked for me. I added 1/4 tsp of kosher salt the second time I made it.
Jamie
My almost-centenarian m-i-l with very little appetite loves it. And it gives her 8 grams of protein. We all love it.
Lori Lippitz
Going on the advice of other commenters, I cut the sugar back to 1/2 cup and melted the chocolate in the syrup. I just used a scant shake of cayenne pepper and that was plenty for me and my guests. I added about 1/4 cup of cocoa powder & blended it in a Blendtec. The first time I made it I used soft tofu, which produced stiffer results. Silken is better for a silkier mousse. I used high-quality chocolate . I poured the pudding into small pyrex storage dishes with lids.
Dolym
Made pretty much to the recipe (bittersweet). We found it a little challenging. The recipe is vague about chili powder vs cayenne. I used chili powder since it seemed like too much for cayenne. That plus the dominating cinnamon was not my favorite. Wouldn't repeat it.
mama s
I made a lazy version with chocolate to taste (no chili) and loved it. The kids thought it was too chocolate-y, so I made butterscotch pudding for them, with tofu, vanilla, and butterscotch chips. Super adaptable!
Lori L
For those who suggest adding espresso or espresso powder--always let your guests know when you have done this. Some of us are so sensitive that we will literally not sleep all night if we consume even a little espresso in the evening! Thank you.
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