Chocolate Chia Pudding

Let's make this yummy vegan chocolate chia seed pudding! This simple recipe transforms cocoa powder, coconut milk, maple syrup and chia seeds into a versatile and easy sweet treat. Perfect for breakfast or a healthy dessert!

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Chia pudding is a really easy vegan breakfast or simple dessert that's on the healthy side.

It's similar to tapioca pudding, but there's no cooking involved so it's super quick to whip up!

The thick consistency comes from the chia seeds which naturally swell and gel up to create a pudding-like texture.

This easy chocolate chia pudding recipe is:

• Vegan and dairy-free
• Gluten-free
• Refined sugar-free
• Rich
• Creamy
• Simple
• Easy to make in advance
• And fun to customize with your favorite toppings

To make this chocolate chia pudding, you'll need the following ingredients:

Coconut milk: Use full-fat coconut milk from a can for the creamiest texture and richest flavor.

Maple syrup: I recommend adjusting the amount of maple syrup you use to suit your tastes. If you want a not-so-sweet breakfast pudding, you can use just a few teaspoons. If you are making this as a dessert and have more of a sweet tooth, you can add up to 4 tablespoons.

Here's how to make this chocolate coconut chia pudding recipe. Full detailed recipe and quantities are in the recipe card at the end of the post.

There are many ways to customize this recipe to your taste preferences. Here are a few ideas:

Instead of cocoa powder, you can use raw cacao powder which is less processed. The flavor is a little more bitter and earthy if you use cacao.

Instead of coconut milk, you can also use almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, or any other non-dairy milk for a lighter pudding.

Swap the maple syrup for agave nectar or another sweetener of your choice.

For a chocolate banana chia pudding

Stir some mashed banana into the pudding and top with banana slices, vegan whipped cream, and chocolate.

For a chocolate orange chia pudding

Omit the vanilla extract and add 1 tablespoon orange juice and 1 teaspoon orange zest or orange liqueur to the mixture and top with fresh orange slices.

For a chocolate peanut butter chia pudding

Mix in 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter. Top with crushed peanuts and an extra drizzle of nut butter.

For a smoother pudding, blend the mixture in a high-speed blender for 1-2 minutes or until very smooth.

This is quite a firm chia pudding, if you prefer yours to be runnier, you can increase the amount of coconut milk to 2 cups / 480ml.

Short wide mouth mason jars with lids make the perfect containers for chia pudding.

This recipe makes about 4 servings, depending on the size of your serving dishes. You can double or half the recipe to suit you.

Here's a list of toppings that go deliciously with the flavor of this chocolate pudding:

• Sliced bananas
• Berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries...)
• Cherries
• Peaches
• Shredded coconut
• Chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts...)
• Granola
• Chocolate chips
• Cacao nibs
• Whipped coconut cream
• Peanut butter or almond butter
• Maple syrup
• Fresh mint leaves

Store the puddings in jars or other covered containers for up to 5 days.

Freeze without toppings, in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks and thaw overnight in the fridge.

Recipe