If you’ve ever searched for chocolate protein pudding, you probably wanted something thick, creamy, and high in protein – not a watery shake in a bowl.
One of the easiest ways to make protein pudding is to stir protein powder into plain nonfat Greek yogurt. It takes about a minute and it works.
But if you want a richer, ultra-thick chocolate pudding you can practically stand a spoon in – with better texture and extra quality carbs – this sweet potato version takes it to another level.
Even though this protein pudding recipe is leveling up from whey in Greek yogurt, it’s still fast. About 10 minutes start to finish. Even less if you have cooked sweet potato or puree on hand.
For the smoothest texture, use an immersion blender if you’re starting with whole baked sweet potato. Hand mixing works, but I prefer it completely lump-free.
Note: One of our members shared in the forums that she uses a food processor to make larger batches.
An advantage of puree is that it’s completely smooth. However, you may need to alter the recipe slightly from our original recipe listed above for really thick pudding. That’s because puree has a similar consistency to applesauce so it’s basically a liquid ingredient. That means the ratio of dry to wet might need to be altered if you like super thick pudding like I do.
Below is a slight recipe variation I’ve enjoyed when I’m using puree instead of whole sweet potato:
I increase the protein powder which is a dry ingredient. That will also bump the protein from 30 grams to 42 grams. You might also reduce the milk (a liquid ingredient) to 1 tablespoon.
Deep Chocolate HIGH Protein Pudding (With Sweet Potato Puree)
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup sweet potato puree (4.3oz/113g)
1.5 scoops chocolate protein powder (46g)
1 Tbsp (16g) natural peanut butter
1 Tbsp unsweetened (natural) cocoa powder
1 – 2 packets zero calorie sweetener
1 Tbsp milk (or as needed to achieve desired thickness)
NUTRITION INFO:
Calories: 384
Protein: 42g
Carb: 33.8g
Fat: 10.2g
The base ingredients in this protein pudding stay the same, but you can alter the ratio of ingredients however you like to get the thickness you want. You can also alter ingredients to get the macros you want.
For example, if you have a larger calorie budget (perhaps you’re aiming for maintenance or muscle gain rather than fat loss), here’s a variation with more peanut butter:
Deep Chocolate HIGH Protein DOUBLE PEANUT BUTTER Pudding (With Sweet Potato Puree)
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup sweet potato puree (4.3oz/113g)
1.5 scoops chocolate protein powder (46g)
2 Tbsp (32g) natural peanut butter
1 Tbsp unsweetened (natural) cocoa powder
1 – 2 packets zero calorie sweetener
1 Tbsp milk (or as needed to achieve desired thickness
NUTRITION INFO:
Calories: 480
Protein: 45.5g
Carb: 37.3g
Fat: 18.4g
As you can see, when using sweet potato puree the recipes above use 1/2 cup (4.3oz/113g). When you’re using raw sweet potato, between 4 ounces (113g) and 5 ounces (142g) is ideal for a single serving portion. The macros listed in the original recipe are for 4.5 ounces (127g). You can change these amounts too, but we find they provide enough to make a satisfying serving size.
If you want an even larger serving (with more calories), if you’re serving more than one person, or you want to make extra for meal prep, simply scale up the ingredients.
This pudding is great at room temperature but also great chilled after it comes out of the refrigerator, so once you’ve got the recipe exactly the way you like it, don’t be afraid to prep in larger batches.
This pudding makes a large snack or you could call it a small meal, with 346 calories and 30.5 grams of protein, plus 36 grams of the healthiest type of starchy carbs you could eat (in the original recipe).
If you’re on a muscle building program or you’re a highly active athlete with a high calorie budget, you may want to call the pudding your protein, not a complete meal and then add an additional carb source. Suggestion: Serve this with fruit such as strawberries or a banana. That will get you over 450 and even over 500 calories.
When I’m on a muscle mass building diet, I’ll sometimes have this in the morning along with two slices of whole grain toast and a banana. Eggs are a staple protein for me at breakfast, but once in a while having something that tastes like dessert for breakfast is quite a treat! That brings me in at about 600 to 650 calories, which fits perfectly for a large, active man who needs a calorie surplus to gain muscle.
For fat loss programs, I know many people who insist on using powdered peanut butter (such as P2B) to save calories, but in my opinion, it’s not the same. If you want to enjoy this for the “almost decadent” but healthy treat that it is, I’d suggest regular peanut butter. But if you’re on a super tight calorie budget, use powdered PB if you choose. You can also use chocolate peanut butter protein powder to add PB flavor.
Someone asked me why I call this “deep” chocolate pudding. That’s because we include a tablespoon of cocoa powder. It deepens the chocolate flavor, and unsweetened (natural) cocoa only adds 10 calories. That fits in even if you’re on a fat loss program with a small calorie budget. I consider the cocoa an essential ingredient!
This only takes about 9 to 10 minutes to make, and half that if you use puree. So if you like chocolate and peanut butter, you gotta try this! After you do, let me know what you think. If you follow the recipe exactly as I listed, I’m telling you, it will blow you away.
Feed it to a junk food eating sugar-holic family member or friend and don’t tell them it’s high protein, sugar free and healthy. You will fool them. Just like our protein ice creams, protein brownies, and other dessert recipes, they won’t know the difference.
Final tip: this pudding is somewhat similar to frosting. If you make treats like muffins, mug cakes, or even oatmeal pancakes and they seem a little dry, you could slather some of this pudding on top as frosting. You’re welcome.
Enjoy!
Sweet Potato Chocolate Protein Pudding
Equipment
- 1 Ramekin
- 1 Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 127g g sweet potato, skinned, cooked, mashed (4.5 oz)
- 31 g chocolate protein powder (approx 1/3 cup)
- 16 g natural peanut butter (1 Tbsp)
- 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 1-2 packets zero calorie sweetener
- 2 Tbsp nonfat milk (or to desired thickness)
Instructions
- Skin a sweet potato, weigh out a 4.5 ounce portion (127g) and microwave for 3 to 4 minutes or until cooked through. Alternately, use leftover baked sweet potato or leftover mashed sweet potato. (Can also be made with sweet potato puree from the can).
- If peanut butter is too firm from refrigeration, microwave it about 20 seconds so it is soft and easily mixable
- In a small mixing bowl, add sweet potato, chocolate protein powder, peanut butter, cocoa powder, milk and packet of sweetener (optional).
- Mix all ingredients until completely combined. Use a hand held mixer (immersion blender) for the smoothest and creamiest consistency
- Mashing and mixing thoroughly with a fork or spoon will work, but it may leave small sweet potato chunks. If you want to manually mix with a spoon, consider using sweet potato puree instead of whole sweet potato, and add milk last one Tbsp at a time to reach desired consistency.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate to serve chilled later
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