Hey Puddin’ – Banana & Lemon Puddings
I’m fortunate that my mom is whole food, plant-based (WFPB) as well. We decided independently, without ever talking about it, to change our way of eating at exactly the same time 10 years ago. It was uncanny, but we’ve been intuitively connected that way my whole life. Having someone to bounce ideas off of, share recipes with, discuss challenges, etc. as we went vegan was immensely helpful for both of us. In fact, having my mom as an accountability partner in this transition is what encouraged me to start Trimazing! Having a likeminded person to talk to made all the difference.
Mom sends me recipes she’s tried or ones that look interesting all the time. A few months ago she sent me one she’d gotten off the McDougall Friends Facebook Group, posted by Andrea Atanasova. It was for a Chocolate Mousse made from sweet potatoes. Well it was fabulous and easy! It tasted just like the chocolate pudding of my childhood, rich and creamy, with all the same mouthfeel of dairy-based pudding, but full of fiber! It got me thinking…could I make other pudding flavors? The answer is YES! Read on for recipes for banana and lemon puddings!
Banana Pudding
Yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes, such as Hannah or Japanese sweet potatoes, are key in this recipe so you have a yellow pudding.
Prepare the Sweet Potatoes
Hannah potatoes in my Instant Pot.
Steam the sweet potatoes until very soft. An electric pressure cooker, like an Instant Pot, does a fabulous job. Put some water in the bottom of your cooker and put the potatoes on a trivet above the water. Cook at High Pressure 30 minutes and wait 10 minutes before releasing the pressure. The peels will slip right off.
Peeled steamed sweet potatoes.
Put the peeled sweet potatoes into your blender with 2 ripe bananas, date paste or maple syrup, vanilla, and some plant milk (not all of it). I like to use date paste for it’s additional fiber and caramel-like flavor. It’s very easy to make and keep in your refrigerator. I use Rouxbe’s Fruit Paste recipe.
Date paste
Blend this on high until super smooth. Add more plant-milk if needed (it depends on the size of your sweet potatoes). Potatoes get kinda gummy when you blend them in a blender, which is exactly what we want in this recipe. This gives the pudding mouthfeel you’re looking for, so just keep blending until its silky-smooth.
Silky smooth banana pudding!
And that’s it! Super easy. This makes 4 cups. I like to put in 4 oz. canning jars so we have fast snacks to grab.
Puddin’ cups!
Because of the fresh banana, these puddings will oxidize and turn a little grey at the top where exposed to air, even if in a sealed jar. To minimize this, you can press a little piece of parchment paper onto the surface to block the air, or just stir this little discolored top into your pudding and it disappears.
Top your pudding with Oatmeal Cookie Granola and diced banana for a little extra yumminess. Or pour into your favorite pie crust with sliced bananas and top with whipped coconut cream or aquafaba for Banana Cream Pie, which was my Grandpa Thompson’s favorite and always served on his birthday!
Add granola or fresh bananas for a little more somethin’-somethin’
Lemon Pudding
This technique also works for a delicious lemon pudding. Instead of bananas, I add another sweet potato, the juice of two lemons and zest from one, along with the vanilla, date paste/maple syrup, and a little more plant milk. Get the recipe for Lemon Pudding here! This one is my favorite! Alan is a big banana fan so he prefers banana pudding.
Lemon or Banana…they’re both excellent!
I’m working on more flavors, including my absolute childhood favorite (stay-tuned to see what that is!). Keep an eye out for that one, coming soon!
Banana Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes medium-large
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1/4 cup date paste or maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup plant milk divided
Instructions
- Steam the sweet potatoes until they are very soft. If using an electric pressure cooker, add 1 cup of water and set sweet potatoes on a trivet. Set pressure cooker to 30 minutes on high pressure. Allow for a natural pressure release for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure. Remove skins and add cooked sweet potato to blender.
- Add 2 peeled bananas, date paste or maple syrup, vanilla, and ½ cup plant milk to start. Blend on high speed, adding more plant milk if needed for a smooth, pudding consistency.
- Remove to pudding cups or use as desired. Bananas in the pudding will oxidize to a little grey color if exposed to air. You can place a piece of parchment on top to slow this when stored in the fridge or just stir this top layer in before serving. Store up to 3 days in refrigerator.
Nutrition
Do you like this post? Please share....
4 Comments
Leave a Comment
If you liked this post, you might like one of these:
Categories:
Tags:
[Trī-māz-ing]
Cindy wants you to be Trimazing—three times better than amazing! After improving her health and fitness through plant-based nutrition, losing 60 pounds and becoming an adult-onset athlete, she retired from her 20-year firefighting career to help people just like you. She works with people and organizations so they can reach their health and wellness goals.
Cindy Thompson is a national board-certified Health and Wellness Coach, Lifestyle Medicine Coach, Master Vegan Lifestyle Coach and Educator, Fitness Nutrition Specialist, Behavior Change Specialist, and Fit2Thrive Firefighter Peer Fitness Trainer. She is a Food for Life Instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Rouxbe Plant-Based Professional, and Harvard Medical School Culinary Coach, teaching people how to prepare delicious, satisfying, and health-promoting meals.
She provides health and lifestyle coaching at Trimazing! Health & Lifestyle Coaching. Cindy can be reached at info@trimazing.com.
Subscribe to the Trimazing Blog
Receive occasional blog posts in your email inbox.
Subscribe to the Trimazing Blog
Receive occasional blog posts in your email inbox.
Approximately how many cups or grams of mashed sweet potato is needed? I don’t know how much yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes medium-large measures.
Thank you
It would be 2 cups or 400 grams for two medium-large sweet potatoes. If you have more or less than that, the plant-milk makes the adjustment for desired consistency.
Are Hannah potatoes sold everywhere? I guess I haven’t paid much attention to the sweet potato varieties. Where do you buy your Hannah potatoes?
I find them at many grocery stores. If you scratch the skin, you’ll see that the flesh is white-yellow. That’s how you’ll know it’s a Hannah.