Vegan Mango Pudding: Cholesterol-Free Dessert

I'm not vegan, but I'm all for making healthier substitutes where it doesn't make a huge difference in taste, especially when it involves saving time. Lately, Ive become a rabid fan of using silken tofu in desserts. Its simpler to make than an egg and dairy based custard, with all of the richness and none of the cholesterol.

Silken tofu, also called "Soft tofu" has not been drained or pressed, giving it a higher water content than firm tofu and a satiny smooth texture which makes it perfect for making faux custards. It also tends to have a milder soybean flavor, making it easy to obscure with other ingredients.

While the name may sound like the Chinese dessert of the same name, I made this pudding in the style of a trifle, using alternating layers of custard with digestive biscuits. The hard cookies absorb moisture from the custard as it sits in the fridge overnight, setting the pudding, while giving the digestives a moist cake-like texture.

If you use ripe fruit, you also dont need to add any extra sugar as the fruit will sweeten the custard, but if you dont feel like its sweet enough, you can always add some agave nectar.

While I used mangoes this pudding would be just as good with made with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches well you get the idea.