Dessert

Bryan Johnson's Nutty Pudding recipe

Name: Bryan Johnson's Nutty Pudding
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 50-100ml macadamia or almond nut milk; 60ml pomegranate juice; 3 tbsp ground macadamia nuts; 2 tsp ground walnuts; 2 tbsp chia seeds; 1 tsp ground flaxseed (also known as linseeds); ¼ brazil nut; 1 tbsp cocoa powder (about 6g - will turn the pudding brown); 1 tsp sunflower lecithin; ½ tsp ceylon cinnamon; 75g berries (blueberries / raspberries / strawberries / blackberries. About ½ a cup); 3 cherries (I use frozen); 1 tbsp manuka or regular honey (or trehalose sweetener); 30-60g pea protein; a powerful blender (or a food processor)

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A nutritious smoothie bowl made with nuts, seeds, fruit, nut milk and optional pea protein.

Prep10m
Total10m

dairy-free fruit quick vegan-adaptable vegetarian

Bryan Johnson's Nutty Pudding topped with berries and pea protein

Bryan Johnson says that the saddest moment of his day is the last bite of nutty pudding. I can relate; I often feel sad when I finish something tasty.

I find Bryan Johnson really interesting. I’m not sure I’ll ever see a cookie of an act of violence against my body, or have an 8pm bedtime, but there are good takeaways: prioritise sleep, exercise, eat well, consume high polyphenol extra virgin olive oil.

Anyway, I’m always after healthier dessert ideas and nutty pudding is lovely. If you have a sweet tooth I’d include the optional tablespoon of manuka (or regular) honey.

The initial outlay for the nuts, protein powder and sunflower lecithin is steep but the powders last for ages. I questioned the pea protein but it’s brilliant and I now add it to smoothies and other dishes.

However you feel about Bryan Johnson, his ideas are thought-provoking, and his interview with Steven Bartlett is worth a listen. Something I learned from Ramit Sethi, which I try to remember when I feel incredulous, is: “From disparagement to curiosity”. My feelings can generally be summed up by the top comment on the nutty pudding video:

“…He’s literally living his life as an experiment so that we can live a longer healthier life ... Pretty admirable [shrug emoji]”.

Notes

Disclaimer: The nutty pudding in the photo doesn’t include cocoa (same as the pudding in the video). Cocoa turns the pudding dark brown. It’s a nice variation but jarring for anyone looking for the well-known pink nutty pudding recipe.

Bryan Johnson "typically will also add 30-60 grams of pea protein". I can't imagine adding 60g, which is around 6 huge, heaped spoonfuls. I add around 10g.

For best results, the nuts and seeds should be freshly ground just before making the pudding. I chuck the macadamia, walnuts and flaxseeds in whole as my Vitamix blends everything up. I add a little more of each ingredient to compensate.

The ingredients have been converted to metric. I’ve kept the Brazil nut because I don’t subscribe to the Blueprint stack (in the video, the bowl with the lone, tiny chunk of brazil nut always cracks me up - Bryan Johnson isn't kidding when he says every calorie in his diet has to fight for its life).

Recipe credit

Bryan Johnson.

Recipe

Bryan Johnson's Nutty Pudding

Prep10m
Total10m

Serves: 1

Ingredients

Nutty pudding

50-100ml macadamia or almond nut milk
60ml pomegranate juice
3 tbsp ground macadamia nuts
2 tsp ground walnuts
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp ground flaxseed (also known as linseeds)
¼ brazil nut
1 tbsp cocoa powder (about 6g - will turn the pudding brown)
1 tsp sunflower lecithin
½ tsp ceylon cinnamon
75g berries (blueberries / raspberries / strawberries / blackberries. About ½ a cup)
3 cherries (I use frozen)

Optional extras

1 tbsp manuka or regular honey (or trehalose sweetener)
30-60g pea protein

You will need

a powerful blender (or a food processor)

Method

Liquid: Add 50-100ml of macadamia or almond nut milk (50ml for a thicker pudding) and 60ml of pomegranate juice to a blender.
Nuts, seeds and powders: Add 3 tablespoons of ground macadamia nuts, 2 teaspoons of ground walnuts, 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, 1 teaspoon of ground flaxseed, ¼ of a brazil nut, 1 tablespoon of cocoa (this will turn the pudding brown), 1 teaspoon of sunflower lecithin and ½ tsp of ceylon cinnamon to the blender.
Fruit: Set half of 75g of berries to one side (to top the pudding with later - use a mixture of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or blackberries). Add the other half to the blender. Add 3 cherries and 1 tablespoon of honey (optional, I don't bother) then blend until smooth.
To finish: Pour into a bowl and top with 30-60g of pea protein (optional, see notes) and the remaining fruit. If using pea protein, stir it into the pudding so you don’t accidentally inhale it like we did.