I tend to make a lot of puddings. Children love them. I love the simplicity and comfort. When made with quality ingredients and low sugar content they can be a really nice way to add some sweetness to the end of a meal or as an afternoon snack.

I tried this recipe with both sugar pie pumpkin and red kuri squash. Both types had a distinct flavor and made a delicious pudding. I added more maple syrup to the pumpkin pudding because the pumpkin I chose didn’t seem very sweet. Alter the amount of sweetener to your preference. The pumpkin was my favorite, but I don’t think it was the added maple syrup. I think it just felt more traditional.

Lena requested a pumpkin pie a few days ago, so i made a small vegan pie crust using whole wheat flour, baked it blind and poured pumpkin pudding into the cooled crust. Chill for a few hours to set. If you are planning to do this, increase the amount of agar and kuzu to two heaping teaspoons each. This will help the filling set a little more firm. I just made little mini pies. If you decide to make a bigger pie, I am not sure if the amount of pudding in this recipe will fill an 8″ crust.

Pumpkin Pudding

1 1/4 cup unsweetened oat milk
2 tsp agar
pinch sea salt
2 cups freshly cooked and pureed pumpkin or a sweet, low moisture winter squash (see below)
1/4 cup apple juice
2 tsp kuzu
2-3 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla

1.  Place 1 cup oat milk, agar and pinch of sea salt in a medium sauce pan. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow the agar to soften.

2.  Slowly heat the oat milk mixture on medium heat. Use a whisk to help the agar to dissolve further and keep it from clumping. Bring to a low boil and turn the heat down to simmer. Let simmer gently for about 3 minutes.

3.  Add squash and stir to incorporate. Continue to simmer gently.

4.  Mix the apple juice, 1/4 cup oat milk and kuzu in a small cup. Stir to dissolve kuzu and then whisk into the squash mixture. Keep whisking until the mixture comes to a low boil. Remove from heat.

5.  Add maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla. Whisk to incorporate. Taste for sweetness and add a little more maple syrup if desired.

6.  Pour into individual ramekins. Serve slightly warm or let cool completely.

Cooking the Squash
For this recipe, I cook the squash in a way that doesn’t add a lot of moisture.
Oven to 350°. Cut the squash in 2-4 pieces and scoop out seeds. Rub a small amount of olive oil on the squash and sprinkle a very small  amount of sea salt on it. Place pieces in a covered baking dish. Bake until squash is soft, taking care to not let it burn. This takes about 30-40 minutes depending on the type of squash. Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to scoop out the tender flesh. Puree in a food processor until smooth.

1 medium size sugar pie pumpkin was enough for the 2 cups puréed squash needed in this recipe.