Zucchini Pudding with Cinnamon and Cardamom

A delicious healthy zucchini dessert recipe that's not your run-of-the-mill zucchini bread! Zucchini Pudding with cinnamon and cardamom is both healthy and delicious. It's light and creamy, and the flavors complement each other perfectly.

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Zucchini is ultra low calorie and high fiber. Plus its flavor is mostly neutral, so it's perfect to sneak into all sorts of dishes. You'll love the way it works in this pudding, and I hope it inspires you to think about adding zucchini into recipes you would never consider before!

Zucchini pudding pairs well with summery dishes like No Bake Chickpea Stuffed Peppers, Grilled Tempeh with Peach Relish, and Ratatouille.

Heart Health Benefits of Zucchini Pudding

Our zucchini pudding includes ingredients that are high in fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants that may help improve blood pressure, lipid profiles, and inflammation (1, 2, 3, 4).

Macronutrients

As mentioned above, zucchini is very low in calories, and that helps keep our dessert on the lower calorie side, at just over 150 calories. Perfect dessert amount!

The pudding is low in carbohydrates and protein, and a good source of fiber, which can help reduce blood sugar spikes, lower LDL cholesterol, and help reduce constipation.

Heart Health Note: The fat content in the coconut milk may slightly increase HDL cholesterol (the "good" kind), but also increase LDL cholesterol (the "bad" kind) (5), so moderation is advised on this recipe. Make sure to check out the nutrition facts below the recipe for information on saturated fat content.

Micronutrients and Bioactive Components

Zucchini pudding is high in vitamin C, and a good source of potassium and magnesium. These are important for immunity and keeping your heart beating and pumping properly.

Here's a quick rundown of important bioactives in this recipe:

• Carotenoids and vitamin C - (in zucchini) antioxidant vitamins that help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation;
• Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) - (in chia seeds) an essential omega-3 fatty acid associated with lower cardiovascular risk factors (6);
• Soluble fiber - (in chia seeds and zucchini) a type of fiber that dissolves in water and can help lower cholesterol and blood sugar (7);
• Polyphenols and flavonoids - (in chia seeds, dates, and spices) antioxidants that can help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, and may protect blood vessels, (3, 4, 8, 9);
• Insoluble fiber - (in dates) helps slow blood sugar response and support gut health (10); and
• Cinnamaldehyde - (in cinnamon) flavonoid that gives cinnamon its color and flavor. Cinnamon can help lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, and raise HDL cholesterol (11).

Ingredients

Here is what you'll need for this recipe, along with some applicable substitutions and notes.

• Reduced Fat Coconut Milk - use unsweetened cashewmilk or oat milk for a lower saturated fat content
• Zucchini
• Dates
• Water
• Cinnamon
• Cardamom
• White chia seeds - regular black chia seeds will work fine, too, but will change the color of the pudding

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Here's how to make zucchini pudding.

1. Step 1: Quarter and chop the zucchini.

2. Step 2: Add the zucchini, along with the water and dates, to a small saucepan.

Variations

Try these ideas to mix it up a bit!

• Ultra creamy - instead of using water, use a nondairy milk of your choice to simmer the dates and zucchini in. Just be careful of scorching! Stir often.
• Vanilla - add a teaspoon of vanilla extract into the mix. Leave the cinnamon and cardamom out.
• Fruity - instead of water, use a 100% fruit juice you like; apple, white grape, or peach would be delicious (FYI these may change the color of this pudding!)

Equipment

A good blender should be highly considered for this recipe so everything blends up smoothly. A high speed blender will work well. You will end up with 5-6 cups of liquid, so you need something large enough to handle that volume.

Storage

Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Note that after a few days the pudding may start to "weep" water out of the mixture. You can either mix it back in before eating it, or pour it off.

Food safety

Safety is our top priority in the kitchen! Always keep these tips in mind.

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands before touching food, and after touching raw meat, your hair, face, pets, etc.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours (or 1 hour if the weather is hot)
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.