Black cherry kefir pudding with jammy sour cherries and a crunchy granola layer.

I have a vicious sweet tooth. I can forgo most things but sweets are a harder thing to resist. Like most, I’m also sensitive to dairy desserts, and making the swap to probiotic packed kefir is the answer. Lifeway Kefir stocks shelves with seasonal favorites and year round staples. They’ve kindly sponsored this post and recipe developed just for my favorite spring flavor.

Cherry season is the opening of spring. We love to get the family going to pick sour and sweet cherries, and then get back home to start pitting and preserving. This is ideal but not always possible and there are lots of great frozen, fresh and jarred options in the store.

Black Cherries vs Other Cherries

Black cherries are darker than the usual red cherry and find their way into jams, make delicious cocktail garnishes and are the deeper more cherry flavored of the cherries. Of the many types of cherries, black and sour are at the top of the list. 

Sour cherries, are just that sour, but with a delicious floral flavor and chewy texture. If you can find them, try them. Usually they’re enjoyed sweetened as a syrup, jam or by the spoon. They make their home in sweet Ukrainian vareneki and in soft pillowy cherry cake with lots of Chantilly cream- the inspiration for this dessert.

Can’t find sour cherries, use black cherries, bing cherries, queen anne, rainier or whatever you can get your hands on. 

What flavors go well with cherries?

Cherries are amazing with sweet and savory. Since we’re going sweet today, here’s a good list of flavors that are delicious with cherries:

Almond

Cardamom

Vanilla

Rum

Chocolate

Plum

Cinnamon 

Currants

Sour cherries, are just that sour, but with a delicious floral flavor and chewy texture. If you can find them, try them. Usually they’re enjoyed sweetened as a syrup, jam or by the spoon. They make their home in sweet Ukrainian vareneki and in soft pillowy cherry cake with lots of Chantilly cream- the inspiration for this dessert.

What is kefir?

It’s cultured dairy, sometimes called the champagne of dairy, it is full of protien, 12 live and active cultures and gut loving probiotics.

Traditional kefir is just milk that undergoes a culturing process and then enjoyed as a drink or added into recipes.

Flavored kefir is just as good for you and delicious. Growing up my grandma would flavor plain kefir with honey, fruits, jam etc. Having the option to grab a perfectly flavored bottle of cold and creamy kefir is even easier.

I add it into everything from smoothies, cakes, sauces, pancakes and now pudding.

Instant Pudding

This should be a part of your dry pantry inventory, much like kefir should always be in your fridge.

You don’t need milk to make instant pudding mix, most any liquid will get it from powder to creamy pudding like consistency.

How does instant pudding work? Science and magic. Maybe. I don’t know. 

I do know that swapping out milk for Black Cherry Lifeway Kefir when mixing up a packet of vanilla instant pudding also makes magic, magic that tastes amazing. It’s not a cheesecake but it is very close and easy on the stomach. 

Black Cherry Kefir Pudding:

Ingredients:

1 package instant vanilla pudding mix

2 cups Black Cherry Lifeway Kefir

2 drops cardamom extract

½ tsp vanilla

Sour Cherry topping

1 cup frozen sour cherries 

½ cup sugar

½ cup water

¼ tsp almond extract

1 tbsp corn starch

Prepared granola

Method:

Combine kefir, pudding mix and flavorings into a bowl until smooth. Place into the refrigerator to set.

In a sauce pan, simmer the cherries, water, sugar until soft and fragrant. 

Lower heat to a gentle simmer. 

Remove a ladle of liquid into a separate bowl and mix in 1 tbsp corn starch. Whisk until smooth. It wil be an opaque milky pink in color. 

Slowly whisk in the cornstarch mixture. The sour cherry compote will thicken on contact. 

Turn off the heat and transfer into a bowl to cool. 

Layer granola, pudding and cherries into your favorite cups. Eat.