I have a bad habit of letting bananas cross over the mushy-but-edible threshold into the is-that-still-a-banana zone. Instead of saying goodbye to these and creating unnecessary food waste though, there are lots of recipes that get better when you use overripe bananas.

This banana pudding, which can easily be made vegan using cocoa powder and a dash of sugar instead of chocolate chips, has one secret weapon: avocado.

Instead of adding a weird flavor, the avocado simply makes the recipe creamy and rich.

Low on ingredients but high on the sweet-tooth scale, this is an easy recipe to make quickly in a dorm or at home, and it is very forgiving to ripe fruit.

Three-Ingredient Chocolate Banana Pudding

  • Prep Time:5 minutes
  • Cook Time:0 minutes
  • Total Time:5 minute
  • Servings:4
  • Easy

    Ingredients

  • 1 banana (the riper the better)
  • 1 avocado
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips
Photo by Hui Lin
  • Step 1

    Place the chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring in between. Stop once all the chips are melted, but be careful, it is easy to burn chocolate.

    Don’t have a microwave or double-boiler handy? Check out this hack for melting chocolate in a dorm.

    Photo by Hui Lin
  • Step 2

    Peel the banana and avocado and place them in a medium-sized mixing bowl. If you are new to cooking with avocados, this video breaks down how to peel them.

    If you don’t have a blender, be sure to cut the banana and avocado into small slices and chunks.

    Photo by Hui Lin
  • Step 3

    Add the melted chocolate to your bowl.

    Photo by Hui Lin
  • Step 4

    Using a blender, combine the ingredients until smooth. This should take about 30 seconds to 1 minute. You know your work is done when you can’t detect any bits of green. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go.

    If you don’t have a blender, mash the mixture with the back of a fork. This will leave you with a bit of a chunkier final product, but will also get the job done.

    Photo by Hui Lin
  • Step 5

    Chill the pudding or eat it immediately. Top it off with banana slices, whipped cream and chocolate chips for maximum Insta-impact.

    Photo by Hui Lin