Creamy Millet Pudding
Lately, I’ve been on a quest to expand my dessert repertoire a bit. Less all-purpose flour and processed sugar, and more whole foods and natural sweeteners. Reaching for a caramel-like medjool date after dinner instead of a chocolate chip cookie, for example. That’s where this creamy millet pudding comes in.
One recipe that I recently fell head-over-heels in love with was a raw, vegan chocolate mousse by my friend, Sally. Who knew soaked cashews could create the most perfectly rich, yet airy mousse? The only glitch was that I didn’t have a key ingredient – raw cacao powder. Still, I made the mousse anyway, foregoing the cacao and adding in a little extra vanilla. It was fabulous! The flavor reminded me of a decadent rice pudding, and I had to summon all of my willpower to not eat the entire bowl of vanilla mousse in one sitting.
While I was successful in my portion control, I could not stop thinking about rice pudding and all of the directions I could go with it. Should I use almond milk? A combination of almond milk and light coconut milk would be even more creamy. Vanilla bean paste was a given, but almond extract would take it over the top. Something about the sweet, comforting smell gets me every time. But what if I didn’t use any rice at all…
I honestly lost myself for a solid twenty minutes daydreaming about this simple pudding, and then I had it: millet pudding. Lightly toasted and fragrant millet in a sweet mixture of almond and coconut milks, with just a hint of cinnamon. This is a dessert that can be enjoyed at breakfast or as an after dinner sweet. Or both. Who am I to judge?
- for the millet pudding:
- 4 cups non-dairy milk (I used 2 cups canned light coconut milk + 2 cups plain unsweetened almond milk)
- 2/3 cup uncooked millet
- 1/4 cup agave (or sweetener of choice)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- for serving: (optional)
- chopped almonds
- fresh berries
- Add the millet to a medium pot with a lid, and toast it over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the millet starts popping. The goal is a light toast, so be careful not to burn it.
- Once the millet is toasted, add the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir to combine. Cover the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the millet is cooked through.
- Serve warm with a sprinkle of chopped almonds and fresh berries, if you like.
