Recently, my husband challenged me to make vegan vanilla pudding after tasting my Chocolate Vegan Pudding. Apprehensive, I thought about my options. If I could make vegan chocolate pudding from sweet potatoes, why not try vanilla pudding the same way?
But, I needed to find a sweet potato with a very mild yet sweet taste. So, I chose a white sweet potato this time for my experiment, hoping for a bland yet underlying sweet taste.
What is a white sweet potato? And what does it taste like?
When shopping at the grocery store, the two most common sweet potatoes are orange and white. For instance, orange sweet potatoes with a bright orange interior are extremely sweet,
White sweet potatoes, on the other hand, have lighter, golden-colored skin and white flesh. The interior of a white sweet potato looks a lot like a starchy russet potato, while its shape and texture resemble that of a classic sweet potato.
Because white sweet potatoes taste bland compared to orange sweet potatoes, they make the perfect base for vegan vanilla pudding.
First, I peeled and cut the white sweet potato into equal-sized pieces to boil until soft and cooked through. Generally, this process takes about 20 minutes once the water boils, depending on the pieces' size.
However, a quick way to ensure the potatoes are cooked is to pierce the potato pieces with a fork. If the fork slides through quickly, the potatoes are cooked.
Another suggestion is to drain and allow the potatoes to cool before making the vegan vanilla pudding to avoid burning yourself. It's also beneficial for the other ingredients not to be heated or warmed to mix well.
What ingredients are in the vegan vanilla pudding?
- White Sweet Potato
- Medjool Dates
- Unsweetened Oat Milk (or plant milk of choice)
- Maple Syrup
- Vanilla Extract
Although I used a high-speed blender, a food processor works just as well.
How to blend dates for vegan vanilla pudding and other recipes
Sometimes, dates stiffen once the package is opened. Also, some packaged dates suggest refrigeration after opening, which makes them more challenging than their original soft texture.
As a result, some dates don't blend well when stiff. Instead, boil 2 cups of water in the microwave and add the pitted dates to the boiling water to soften dates.
Then, allow the dates to sit in the boiling water for 10 minutes, which will soften them for blending. Next, drain the water from the dates before mixing with the other ingredients.
Once blended thoroughly, the vegan vanilla pudding mixture should be covered and placed in the refrigerator for an hour or more.
Then, spoon the vegan vanilla pudding into your favorite dessert dish and serve plain or with additional toppings.
Possible vegan vanilla pudding topping to enjoy...
- Fresh cranberries and mint (Holly for the holidays)
- Add vegan chocolate chips.
- Sliced Strawberries, Bananas, Blueberries, Kiwi or Pineapple
- Granola or crunchy nuts
- Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar
Like my chocolate vegan pudding recipe, freeze vegan vanilla pudding for a creamy vanilla frozen treat.
Here are more healthy desserts to curb your vegan sweet tooth.
- Chocolate Vegan Pudding
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
- Simple Vegan Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- Cranberry Bars
- Vegan Apple Crisp
📖 Recipe
Vegan Vanilla Pudding
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large white sweet potato peeled and cut into equal-sized pieces (yield 2 cups cooked sweet potato)
- 8 Medjool dates pitted
- 2 cups oat milk
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Peel the white sweet potato and cut into equal-sized pieces
- Place the pieces of sweet potato in a pot and cover with water
- Add 1 teaspoon salt
- Bring a pot of water with potatoes to a boil and reduce to simmer, cooking for 20 minutes
- Use a fork to pierce through a few potatoes to make sure the potatoes are done
- Drain potatoes in a colander and cool completely before adding to a high-speed blender or food processor.
- If dates are not soft, boil 2 cups of water, remove the date pits and soak the boiling water dates for 10 minutes; drain.
- Add a small amount of plant milk to the blender or food processor before adding the potatoes and remaining ingredients.
- Blend on high until smooth, not thick. Add additional plant milk, a small amount at a time, until smooth.
- Place the mixture in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour or more.
- Stir again with a spoon before serving.
- Serve as is or add additional toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Char
I used 7 Tbsp of Date Lady date syrup and was perfect. Check out Date Lady website!
Kathy Carmichael
Char...good to know. Thank you for the substitution. I'm glad it turned out well.
Patience
This is so timely! I'm planning on making a Trifle for my holiday dessert this year. My mother gifted me a trifle bowl some years back -- she is joining my spouse and me for Xmas this year (our only guest), so Trifle it is. I've had trouble deciding if I want to go fruity/berry-based for the Trifle, or chocolately-based (think I'm leading toward "Black Forest"-style, with cherries). Either way this Vanilla Pudding will be the perfect mix-in to layer with cubed oil-free cake and fruit in my lovely trifle bowl. Thanks so much for sharing...!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Patience, I'm so glad to help with your holiday Trifle.Thanks for reaching out. And Merry Christmas! I would love for you to share the recipe on our Facebook recipe share page after you are done. I would love to try it! If you aren't already a member, check it out. https://www.facebook.com/groups/veganrecipesKVK