Persimmons in season! They are such versatile fruits. You can use them in both sweet and savory dishes, eat them raw, cooked or roasted. Depending on what you have in mind you may want to shop for different types of persimmon or at least use persimmons at different stages of ripeness.
Since we are moving closer to Thanksgiving I will be sharing some of my recipes that I created for this year's celebration. Let me start with a truly delicious dessert. You can make it using just two ingredients, or add some spices and decorate it nicely for a more festive look. Ripe persimmons are rather sweet so there is no need for any additional sweetener but if you really want your pudding to be sweet, use medjool dates or a few drops of stevia. Also, persimmons are rich in pectin so there is no need for setting agents such as gelatin or agar agar. More on this subject in my notes at the end of this post.
For this particular recipe I used very ripe Fuyu (non astringent) and very ripe Hachiya (astringent) persimmons. Both had the flesh as soft as jelly.
Serves 4
Tools:
- Blender, food processor or a hand-held immersion blender
- paring knife
- small spoon
- 4 single portion pudding molds or a large, elegant serving bowl
- small sieve if you decide to use raw cacao for dusting
Ingredients:
- 8-12 very ripe persimmons
- 1/2 cup raw cacao
- 2-3 medjool dates soaked in water overnight, if necessary
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract, optional
- pinch Ceylon cinnanon, optional
- pinch ground cloves, optional
- 1 Tbsp chopped activated raw pistachio nuts or walnuts for garnish, optional
- edible flowers for garnish, optional
- 1 ripe, firm persimmon cut into wedges for serving, optional
- 1/4 cup raw cacao powder for dusting optional
Method:
- Wash the persimmons and remove the calyx. Using a spoon, scoop out the fruit pulp. You should have at least two cups.
- Using your preferred tool, blend the fruit pulp until smooth. Gradually add the raw cacao and continue blending until well combined. Add the soaked dates, if using and blend again. The mass should have a smooth, creamy consistency. Add vanilla extract and spices, if using, and blend again.
- Transfer the pudding mass into small pudding molds leaving a little space to the top. This will make the unmolding a little easier. Cover the molds with lids and place them in the fridge for 4-5 hours or, if possible, overnight.
- Once you are ready to serve, remove the molds from the fridge. Take the lids off. Gently flip each mold over a dessert plate, remove the top plug, and allow the pudding to slide out. Using a small sieve, dust each portion with raw cacao powder and decorate it with chopped nuts, edible flowers or whatever else you decide to use, add a wedge of persimmon and serve right away. Enjoy this delicacy in good company!
Notes: I made the dessert first because it is the trickiest thing to make. First time, it turned out imperfect so I decided to serve it in a big bowl. If you use the wrong kind of persimmons, like the Fuyu or the Sharon fruit, the final product might collapse and completely fall apart during the unmolding. Not a pretty picture. But nothing is lost, though. Simply transfer all the contents back to your blender and whiz again. Instead of using individual molds, chill your pudding in a nice serving bowl and serve your guests out of it. Remember to cover the bowl to prevent "skin" from forming on top of your pudding. If you decide to try out this recipe, start making your dessert early and test it at least one day before your Thanksgiving event. This will save you stress, disappointment or even embarrassment in front of your guests. The pudding stores well in the fridge for up to three days.
In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique
DominiqueAllmon©2025