This date-sweetened quinoa pudding is creamy and rich with the caramelly flavor of dates. It’s a refined sugar-free and healthy treat!
We love fruit-sweetened treats. It’s the best way to enjoy the sweetness of dessert without any added sugar. This particular caramel quinoa pudding is a variation of my banana quinoa pudding. However, simply swapping dates and bananas doesn’t quite work out, so I created this delicious caramel-flavored pudding.
The differences between the recipes don’t just extend to swapping the fruit. This pudding is richer, creamier, and more dessert-like by design. The banana quinoa pudding is more like an after-school snack or breakfast alternative.
A bit of extra nutrition
This pudding is a sweet and indulgent treat. However, it is also packed with nutrition.
- Dates are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
- Quinoa is also very nutritious with high protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
- Feel free to replace the dairy in the recipe with cultured dairy for a probiotic boost! (See the notes at the bottom of the recipe for various options.
If you’re going to enjoy dessert, why not make it a healthy one!?
Chocolate date quinoa pudding
I love chocolate… so I pretty much make a chocolate version of all my desserts. Here’s how to add the richness of chocolate to this date-sweetened quinoa pudding.
- Increase the milk to 1 1/2 cups and use 14 dates in the recipe to balance the richness of cocoa powder.
- Add 1/4 cup of cocoa powder when blending. Taste and feel free to add more cocoa powder if you want.
- All the other ingredients remain the same. However, feel free to swap the vanilla extract for other flavors. Mint, orange, or hazelnut are all delicious.
Caramel Date-Sweetened Quinoa Pudding (GF)
This date-sweetened quinoa pudding is rich and creamy with the caramelly flavor of dates. It’s a refined sugar-free and healthy treat! See the section above for details on how to turn this into a chocolate date quinoa pudding.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 cups of cooked quinoa (2/3 cup dry)
- 12 Medjool dates
- 1/2 cup of boiling water
- 1 cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream (whipping cream)
- 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- The quinoa can be cooked and cooled, or used right after cooking.
- Split the dates, remove the pits, then place the dates in a measuring cup. Pour over the boiling water and allow the dates to soak for at least 15 minutes or up to 12 hours.
- When you’re ready to make the pudding, place the dates and their soaking water in a blender. Pulse to puree the dates.
- Add the cooked quinoa, milk, cream, vanilla, and salt to the blender. Blend until smooth.
- Taste the pudding and feel free to add a bit of honey or maple syrup at this point, if you want it to be sweeter.
- Spoon the date pudding into your serving dish. It can be served right away, or pop it into the fridge for a cool pudding.
Notes
- See the section above for how to adjust the recipe to make a chocolate date pudding.
- I like to use probiotic dairy in my quinoa pudding. Feel free to swap the milk for yogurt or cultured buttermilk. Swap the whipping cream for sour cream. Just don’t use milk kefir, because sparkling pudding isn’t that appetizing!
Keywords: sugar-free, high fiber, vegetarian, naturally sweetened
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