It wouldn’t be St. Patrick’s day without something green and this dairy-free pistachio pudding is the perfect thing. There is no green dye either! Fresh spinach is what gives this pudding its beautiful green color and no, you cannot taste it. The pistachios add a little bit of green too.
This pudding is not to be confused with the extremely processed, boxed pistachio pudding you may have grown up eating, so don’t expect that flavor. I will admit that I did enjoy said pudding as a kid though and even remember buying boxes of the instant stuff for myself as a teenager. Ick. Meanwhile, the banana acts as the sweetener in this pudding and it was enough for me, but if you want it sweeter, feel free to add a little raw honey, maple syrup or even a couple dates. Also, this is a thicker pudding and more mousse-like in texture, but if you want it thinner, experiment with less gelatin.
Oh, and I am back from Iceland as of late Monday night. It was an incredible trip and we loved it there! I will share more about that soon. In the meantime, follow me on Instagram if you want to check out some of the photos and videos from our Icelandic vacation.
Cheers and happy St. Patrick’s Day!
P.S. Anyone else excited about eating corned beef and cabbage today?!
Dairy-Free Pistachio Pudding
Ingredients:
- 13.5 oz can full-fat coconut milk (I used this brand)
- 1 small just-ripe banana (yellow with no spots)
- 4 cups loosely packed fresh spinach
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup roasted and salted pistachios, shelled
- *Scant 1 Tbsp gelatin, preferably grass-fed (I recommend this one or this one)
- Extra pistachios, chopped, for garnish
*Experiment with less gelatin if you want a thinner texture. I personally like the hybrid pudding-mousse texture, but make it how you want it.
Directions:
- Pour about 3/4 of the coconut milk into a high-speed blender container. Then, add the vanilla, banana and spinach. Blend until totally smooth.
- In a small saucepan, heat the remaining coconut milk over low heat. Once warm, whisk in the gelatin and continue whisking until dissolved.
- Pour the gelatin mixture and pistachios into the blender and mix about 20 seconds or until mostly smooth (I like to keep some coarse pieces of pistachio).
- Pour into desired-size ramekins and place in fridge to set for 1-2 hours. Before serving, add chopped pistachios for garnish, if desired.
Kathryn
October 30, 2018 at 7:25 pmDo you think this would work as a frosting on a cake with a few modification? I’m willing to make a few attempts. Any advice? My son wants a ninja turtle birthday cake and I’m looking for some healthy options for green frosting. Thanks!
Alisa
October 31, 2018 at 6:12 amHi, Kathryn! I love that you’re making your son a Ninja Turtle cake and seeking healthier frosting options. That’s both fun and great! Anyway, it may work with some modifications, but it’s questionable. You’d definitely have to use a bit less gelatin to make it thinner and more spreadable, but even then, I don’t know. I’d definitely run the experiment of making a batch or two with the modifications first, to see if it will work. And, if it doesn’t work, it’ll still be delicious to eat on its own! Another idea is to make actual frosting (you can find healthier recipes with palm shortening or butter and unrefined sugar) and add a bit of spirulina powder to turn it green (it’ll be a small amount and you won’t taste it). Simple Mills also makes a decent looking paleo-friendly vanilla frosting (made with coconut oil) you could buy and turn green with the spirulina powder. Whatever you end up doing, I hope it’s a success!
Kathryn
November 1, 2018 at 9:07 pmI tried this out and it was really good! I don’t think it will work for frosting, but I’m planning to have it out as a side dish to go with our TMNT theme. All these kids definitely need a good dose of spinach this time of year. Thanks for the really unique and tasty recipe!
Alisa
November 2, 2018 at 6:08 amI’m so happy to hear that, Kathryn and thanks for trying it out (and reporting back)! It’s nice that you can sneak some green veggies in there, isn’t it? Hope the party goes well!
Mae ... OTP in the ATL
December 20, 2018 at 12:27 pmHello Alisa. I’d like to make some of your lovely Pistachio Pudding, but I am a *stone former* (kidney and gall), so the spinach (and the nuts, come to think of it) you used to *green* this pudding is too problematic for me. Sucks to be me, right? Since spirulina, as you suggested to Kathryn, is also too high in oxylate, do you think matcha (far lower in oxylates) would sufficiently green this pudding?
Alisa
December 20, 2018 at 12:44 pmHi, Mae. Matcha would definitely work and I think it would be delicious! Depending on how much you use, it may alter the flavor a bit, but if you like the taste of matcha, then you’re all good. I kinda want to try this with matcha now!