Tasty, nourishing things come from late night chocolate cravings with no chocolate other than cocoa powder in the house. The coconut milk not only makes this chocolate pudding dairy free, but also provides a great source for nourishing medium chain fatty acids that are absorbed directly into the blood stream for quick nourishment, and often stops cravings of sweet foods because it is so satisfying. The gelatin, especially if made from grassfed beef as listed below, is full of essential amino acids and is helpful for repairing the gut lining. The gelatin also allows a creamy pudding that is egg free- and I know many of you are looking for egg free recipes.
Chocolate Gelatin Pudding
2 cans coconut milk (purchase here, yes, I use canned, and yes added guar gum is one of the cheats I do on GAPS)
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup (maple syrup is not GAPS legal) (buy honey here)
1/2 cup cocoa powder (*Dr. Natasha allows cocoa once digestive symptoms have passed)
2-1/2 tablespoons gelatin (purchase here)
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla, optional
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (purchase salt here)
Instructions:
In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, heat coconut milk. Once coconut milk is hot, stir in other ingredients and continue stirring until gelatin is dissolved. Pour into 8 ramekins, cover, and chill. Once chilled top with whipped cream if desired.
Whipping cream (optional, obviously not dairy free)
1 pint heavy cream
2 tablespoons sweetner of choice (honey, maple syrup, rapadura- honey is the only GAPS legal sweetener)
Instructions: Whip cream until light and fluffy, add in sweetener and beat until just mixed. Store covered in the fridge.
Learn how to heal leaky gut
60-page ebook of all my best GAPS Diet (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) articles all in one place.
Are dates gaps legal? I’m thinking coconut milk/dates/gelatin would make for a great butterscotch pudding! I’m going to try this! (I dont much care for chocolate. I know, I’m weird.:) Thanks for the idea! I have missed puddings/custards since having to give up eggs. (I am not on gaps, I am on an ALCAT diet. It is also an elimination diet, but based on bloodwork for food sensitivities.) Thanks, Cara!
Ooh! I’ve been meaning to try this with regular milk.
This dessert looks divine. You had me at cocoa and coconut milk :)
Thank you so much! I have to take gelatin and have been looking for yummy foods to make with it. :D This recipe looks fantastic and will be something my whole family loves.
I am making this recipe as soon as I complete a couple years on the GAPS diet! I am intensely craving chocolate, but waiting for my digestive system to heal before I indulge in it. Gelatin is a life-saver for GAPS desserts! I make a strawberry mousse with gelatin, coconut milk, creamed coconut, and strawberries.
Do you have a recipe? That sounds amazing!!
Oh this looks delicious! I used to love pudding as a child, and I’m sure a real food version is even better. :)
Not sure if it was the premium ingredients I used (full cream organic coconut milk), but 2.5TBS of gelatin is too much. It still tastes delicious, but was rubbery in texture. I will definitely try again with 2 TBS gelatin and the same coconut milk, OR 2.5 TBS and lite (non-creamy) coconut milk. Cheers!
What cocoa do you buy?
Just made this with about 26-28oz of raw milk (about half my milk was slightly sour) and I used 2 TBS of gelatin per a previous commenter. Turned out really well! I would advise, as you suggested, to make sure the gelatin is all the way dissolved; otherwise, like me in my over-eagerness to get it chilled before eating dinner, you might end up with a little bit of chunkiness in your pudding. Other than that, very good and quite simple!
Fantastic recipe,thoughly enjoyed the chocolate pudding.
We just started GAPS but I’ve known for years that I was sensitive to guar gum and other emulsifiers so I was happy to buy Natural Value Natural Coconut Milk in the red cans which is only coconut and water. It is also available from Amazon if you don’t mind some dented cans.
I just got some grass fed gelatin and am searching online for recipes and found this one. I will definitely be making this one!
We have been making this every week-my husband loves it I have one question tho- I have no problem getting the gelatin to dissolve in juice/water but for some reason, I end up with chunks when I use coconut milk. Any suggestions? I have even brought the milk to slightly bubbling and it still didn’t seem to dissolve all the way. Do I just need to heat it at a higher heat? Or am I just not letting it sit on the heat long enough? Thanks for the help! We really love this recipe!
Same problem here!
natural value organic canned coconut milk comes in a BPA-free can and doesn’t contain emulsifiers.
Made this with raw goat milk and reduced to 2 tbsp gelatin and after chilling it was rubbery/ chocolate jello. :)
would this recipe work with raw cow milk?
thanks!
Can I just leave out the cocoa for vanilla pudding? Everyone has chocolate pudding recipes made with gelatin, but no vanilla ones! LOL Thanks!
Yes, but it may be more of a ‘coconut’ pudding :D
I found this recipe when looking for gelatin desserts to make over the holidays – summer in Australian subtropics. We enjoyed it from the first bite and I knew that it would be a keeper. Furthermore, it reminded me of a chocolate cannoli filling my Sicilian auntie used to make when I was a child- replicating this taste has been a quest and I think this recipe will be as close as I can get to it. Since Christmas I have now made this recipe three times and have gradually tweaked it until it perfectly suited our palate. We have replaced the honey with 5 tabs xylitol and 1/4 tsp dried stevia leaf, reduced the cacao powder from 1/2 cup to 6 level tabs, and increased the gelatin from 2.5 tabs to 3 level tabs. This time I didn’t have enough coconut milk so used water instead AND it worked a treat, phew! We love eating desserts that taste fantastic whilst being nutritionally sound. And this recipe ticks all the boxes. Thank you very much for this recipe.
I made this last week and everyone loved it. I just used and immersion blender right in the saucepan, couldn’t have been easier. Thanks!