Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

This chocolate chia seed pudding is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and super-duper delicious. I promise! Plus, you are going to love how easy this is to make. Good things don’t always need to be difficult.

I love chia seeds. You can use them in so many ways. I like that they give baked goods a little crunch, or, as in this recipe, can be a comforting pudding-like texture. They are an amazing substitute for dairy pudding, plus they are so much more nutritious. We buy them in bulk and still go through a bag regularly. We also buy cacao powder in bulk 😆, LOTS of cacao powder consumed here. We are chocolate lovers!

This simple chocolate chia seed pudding recipe is a piece of cake to make; you can whip it up in five minutes or less. Just make sure you let it sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours so the chia seeds can work their magic. The longer the pudding is refrigerated, the thicker the texture will become. We sometimes have this for dessert, sometimes as a snack, or occasionally even as a breakfast treat. Being high in omega-3, fiber, and protein, this pudding is a healthy option for curing any sweet tooth!

What’s the best milk to use?

I like to make this with unsweetened soy milk, mostly because 1 cup of soy milk contains a whopping 7g of protein. Soy milk is my go-to plant-based milk because it’s high in protein, has more fiber, and calcium than other types of plant-based milk. About the only thing I won’t use soy milk in is savory cheese-like sauces. It just always tastes a little sweet to me. If you are averse to soy this recipe is equally delicious using cashew milk or almond milk. You choose your preferred type of milk!

The Power of Seeds

In addition to chia seeds, this recipe contains flaxseed as well. Are you sensing a theme? Don’t tell my kids. Only kidding, but we do make an extra effort to incorporate as much as seeds as possible into our diet. Seeds are such an excellent source of fiber, healthy fats, antioxidants, and more. Flaxseed is such a nutrient-dense food I try to sneak it in anywhere I can. One tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains 2.8 grams of fiber! Holy cow, that’s a big punch for a little tiny seed. Plus flaxseed is very affordable, I buy a large bag of it in the bulk section for around $1.79! This pudding recipe is super chocolatey so you can’t even taste a hint of flaxseed (although I don’t really mind the flavor of flaxseed). The flaxseed also helps to create that yummy pudding texture. Scoop some up!

Cacao Vs. Cocoa

Time for food semantics! Cacao is the name of the plant, and unroasted (raw) beans are called cacao beans. Cacao powder is the raw beans finely ground into a powder. To make cocoa powder, cacao beans are roasted and then ground into a powder. Dutch processed cocoa powder, is processed using baking soda and greatly decreases the nutritional value of the cacao. You can use cocoa powder in this recipe, but I highly recommend using cacao powder. My favorite cacao powder is Navitas organic cacao powder, you can sometimes find it in a super size bag at Costco, but it’s readily available at Whole Foods or Royal River Natural Foods here in Maine. Great, now that we’ve cleared that all up let’s make some pudding!

How to Make Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

It really doesn’t get easier than this for making a tasty breakfast or yummy dessert. The key to this recipe is to give yourself time for the chia to absorb all the liquid and become pudding like. At a minimum it needs 1 hour to set up, overnight works great.

To make the chia seed pudding, I like to add all the dry ingredients to a wide mouth mason jar first—chia seeds, cacao powder, and ground flax seed. Then I add the lid and give this a good shake to combine all the ingredients. Next, I add all the wet ingredients—plant based milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Again, put the lid on and give it a really good shake to mix everything up. If there are still dry ingredients clinging to the sides you can mix it with a spoon. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. I love to make this the night before and then my kids can just grab a jar from the fridge for breakfast. Add your favorite toppings: fresh raspberries, blueberries, bananas, or cacao nibs before serving. So yum!

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Vegan Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

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4.6 from 7 reviews

A delicious dairy-free sweet treat loaded with omega-3s and fiber! Plus this tasty chocolate chia seed pudding can be whipped up in less than 5 minutes and requires no cooking!

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 5 minutes (plus 2 hours of refrigeration)
• Total Time: 5 minutes (plus 2 hours of refrigeration)
• Yield: 2 cups 1x
• Category: Snack
• Method: No cook
• Cuisine: Healthy
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/3 cup of chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons of cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed
• 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened plant-based milk (I love cashew milk)
• 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
• Dash of vanilla extract
• Fresh raspberries or banana slices

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Instructions

1. Add the chia seed, cacao powder, and flaxseed to a jar. Add a lid and give it a shake to mix everything up.
2. Add the plant-based milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Put on the lid and shake it up until well incorporated.
3. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or even overnight).
4. Served chilled, with fresh raspberries or banana slices on top! If the pudding is too thick, add a little more milk until you reach that pudding consistency.

Notes

Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.