Just 3 ingredients make this thick, silky chocolate protein pudding, with 26.8g protein and 1g net carbs per serving. Avocado, not cottage cheese or chia seeds, is my secret to a creamy texture that tastes like real pudding.
I make this chocolate protein pudding at least twice a week. It takes about 3 minutes in a blender, and it tastes more like dessert than something with 27g of protein per serving. When I have a sweet tooth, this is what I reach for.
Most recipes like this use cottage cheese or chia seeds as a base. I went a different direction. I use avocado, and the texture is unreal. No graininess, no weird aftertaste, just thick, creamy pudding that you would never guess has half an avocado in it. I have made this for people who say they hate avocado and not a single person has tasted it. Cottage cheese and Greek yogurt versions can hit 45-50g of protein per serving, which is higher than my 27g with one scoop. But I bump mine to 50g by adding a second scoop and swapping nut milk for Greek yogurt. You get the avocado texture and the higher count.
The protein powder you pick matters. I stick with a low-carb chocolate protein powder that has minimal fillers. If you only have vanilla on hand, add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder. I tested this with whey, pea protein, and a plant-based blend, and they all work. The consistency stays the same because the avocado handles all the thickening, not the powder.
For the nut milk, I use macadamia nut milk because it has the creamiest mouthfeel. Almond milk and coconut milk both work fine. You can also swap the nut milk for Greek yogurt if you want an even thicker result (I do this when I want it to hold up like mousse).
What I love most is how well it fits into meal prep. I double or triple the batch on Sundays and keep individual portions in the fridge. It stays thick and creamy for 3-4 days. I also keep a rotation of banana pudding and zero carb milkshakes in the fridge alongside this one.
Craving fruit instead of chocolate? My sugar free banana pudding is the same no-cook, no-sugar idea in banana form.
Does it matter which protein powder I use?
I have tested this with whey, pea protein, and a couple of plant-based blends. They all work. The protein powder does not affect the consistency because the avocado is doing all the thickening. The only difference I noticed is flavor intensity. Whey gives a richer chocolate taste, while plant-based powders tend to be a little more subtle. I usually add an extra half tablespoon of cocoa powder when I use a plant-based protein to bump up the chocolate.
How much is one scoop of protein powder?
I have used about a dozen different protein powder brands over the years, and most come with a scoop that holds roughly 1/4 cup. But I always check the label because some brands pack in 30g per scoop and others do 25g. For this recipe, I use one standard scoop (about 25-30g of protein). If I want more, I add a second scoop and cut the nut milk down by a couple tablespoons so it does not get too thin.
Pick your flavor
I make this in chocolate most of the time, but I have tried vanilla, salted caramel, and coffee flavored protein powder in this recipe. They all work. The flavor of your protein powder becomes the flavor of your pudding. Chocolate masks the avocado completely. If I only have vanilla on hand and still want chocolate pudding, I add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder to get the chocolate flavor back. I stick with low-carb or zero carb protein powder to keep the net carbs down. My favorite combo lately is a scoop of vanilla protein with a tablespoon of peanut butter blended in. My kids ask for that one specifically. For toppings, my go-to is a drizzle of peanut butter right on top. I also do shredded coconut, a few sugar-free chocolate chips, or crushed pecans for crunch.
How to make it thicker
If yours is coming out thinner than you want, here is what I do.
Use less liquid. I cut the nut milk down to 2-4 tablespoons instead of 1/3 cup. This makes a huge difference.
Use a full avocado. I use a whole avocado instead of half when I want it spoonable-thick.
Blend in chia seeds. A tablespoon of chia seeds absorbs the extra liquid and creates a super thick pudding. I let it sit for 10 minutes after blending when I add chia.
Swap to Greek yogurt. Instead of nut milk, I use 1/4 cup of Greek yogurt. This gives you the thickest texture and adds even more protein.
Meal prep and storage
I double or triple the batch and store it in individual containers in the fridge. It keeps for 3-4 days in an airtight container without separating or getting watery. I have also frozen individual portions in freezer-safe containers for up to 2 months. When I freeze it, I pull it out about 15-20 minutes before eating so it softens to a mousse-like consistency. It is one of the easiest keto desserts I meal prep alongside my keto fudge and peanut butter bars.
To a blender or mini food processor, add avocado, protein powder, and nut milk.
For this step
Avocado
Protein powder
Nut milk
2
Blend
Blend pudding ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
Nutrition
Per serving: Whole recipe
Calories
247
Fat
13.5g
Protein
26.8g
Total carbs
7.4g
Net carbs
1g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
What changes if I use cottage cheese or Greek yogurt instead of avocado?
Both bring a slight tang that avocado does not, and cottage cheese leaves curds unless you blend it on high for at least 60 seconds. Greek yogurt comes out thicker than the avocado version. That tang is why I keep avocado as my base.
Why are there green flecks in my pudding?
Your avocado was not ripe enough. A firm avocado leaves little green flecks that will not blend out no matter how long you run the blender, and I have gone two full minutes on an underripe one with the same result. A fully ripe avocado dissolves into the chocolate. I squeeze the stem end at the store and skip anything that does not give a little, and if yours is still firm, give it another day on the counter.
Why does my pudding turn brown in the fridge?
That is the avocado oxidizing, and it is purely cosmetic. Mine usually starts browning around day 4, and the taste does not change. When I blend a big batch, I add a squeeze of lemon juice, which keeps the color fresh for an extra day or two.
Is this protein pudding dairy-free and lactose-free?
It depends on your protein powder. I keep mine dairy-free and lactose-free by using pea protein and macadamia nut milk, and the pudding comes out the same because the avocado does all the thickening. Whey is a dairy protein, so a whey version is not dairy-free. Check that both your protein powder and your nut milk are dairy-free and you are set.
One thing that helped: I make it in the morning and let it sit in the fridge until afternoon. It gets thicker and the chocolate comes through more. Thanks, Annie.
The silky set is accurate. Had to double the cocoa to get actual chocolate flavor though, one tablespoon gets you close, two gets you there. The avocado base doesn’t argue back.
Didn’t know if the avocado needed to be fully ripe or just close, used one that was maybe 80%, ended up with tiny bits that wouldn’t blend out no matter how long I ran it. Fully ripe matters a lot. Also pulled back the nut milk to two tablespoons instead of a third cup and it came out almost mousse-thick, which I liked better anyway.
Aisha, that 80% avocado is exactly it. I’ve blended underripe ones for two minutes straight and still got little green flecks that wouldn’t smooth out. I use two tablespoons myself for mousse texture. I might actually add a note on that to the recipe card.
Confession: I almost brought something else because I wasn’t sure a blended dessert would feel substantial at a proper dinner table. Served this at a friend’s birthday dinner in little glass jars with a dusting of cacao on top so it looked intentional (two of us eating keto, four not, said nothing upfront). What got me was watching one guest pick up her jar and turn it over looking for a label, fully convinced I’d bought them from somewhere. That’s the avocado doing its job: it blends out completely smooth, none of that chia seed texture or the heaviness you get with cottage cheese versions. I used Cacao Bliss with a chocolate protein powder and the double cocoa made it taste richer than the ingredient list suggests. These are going everywhere with me now.
That guest turning the jar over looking for a label is my favorite part of this story. Cacao Bliss with chocolate protein, the double cocoa makes it taste like way more went into it than three ingredients.
Tried chia versions from a few different sources and could never get the texture right. The avocado base is actually silky where chia always went grainy and thick. Not even close.
Swapped the nut milk for cold brew on a hot day when I wanted something more dessert-forward. Cacao Bliss kind of intensifies with coffee in a way it just doesn’t with almond milk, and I ended up with something closer to a frozen mocha mousse than pudding. Already testing the espresso version.
Cold brew was a good instinct. Coffee amplifies the cacao in a way milk just can’t. When you test the espresso version, start with a shot diluted with a little water or it gets too thick.
Subbed full-fat coconut milk for the nut milk and the texture went from pudding to straight-up mousse (the extra fat does something with the avocado, makes it set thicker). Blended it, tasted it, then stuck it in the freezer for 20 minutes just to see what would happen, and now that’s the only way I’ll make it. 26g protein and it holds a spoon upright.
I grabbed vanilla instead of chocolate because that’s all they had. Will it still taste like pudding, or does the chocolate protein powder matter? I have cocoa powder if it helps.
Used a peanut butter protein powder instead of chocolate and the whole thing tasted like a peanut butter cup. I was not expecting that to actually work. The avocado makes it so thick and dense that I had to remind myself this was only 3 ingredients. Going straight into my spring reset rotation.
Used coconut cream instead of nut milk and it went from pudding to something closer to mousse. Thicker, holds its shape when you spoon it out. If you have avocado going soft, freeze it in chunks first and blend from frozen for even more body.
Yeah, coconut cream does that. The fat content is just way higher than nut milk. Frozen avocado chunks is a tip I have not tried yet but it makes total sense for extra body.
Tip from someone who learned the hard way: your avocado needs to be fully ripe for this to blend smooth. I tried it once with a slightly firm one and ended up with little green flecks throughout the whole thing. Give it an extra day on the counter and it comes out completely silky.
The green flecks are the worst. Fully ripe avocado basically dissolves into the chocolate. I squeeze the stem end at the store now and skip anything that doesn’t give a little.
Skipped this forever because avocado pudding sounds fake, but made it on a desperate snowy night and now I’m mad at myself. Nothing else comes close to this texture.
My 7th batch this winter and I finally tried vanilla protein instead of chocolate. You actually taste the avocado more, which sounds odd but the texture gets even silkier. Still 4 stars only because I haven’t decided which version I like better.
The cocoa masks the avocado completely, so that tracks. If you want the vanilla version to really lean in, skip the Cacao Bliss too. Completely different dessert at that point.
If you are using chocolate protein powder, you don’t have to replace the Cacao Bliss with anything. If you mix it and find that the pudding isn’t as chocolaty as you would like, then add in a 1/2-1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder. You may need to add some sugar-free sweetener to counteract that bitterness though.
