10 minute Chocolate Chia Pudding tastes like dessert with nutrition of a healthy breakfast. Refrigerate this naturally gluten free and vegan treat for up to 5 days for easy grab and go snacks.
I love to meal prep breakfasts like vanilla chia pudding, cottage cheese chocolate pudding and pumpkin chia pudding. It’s smooth, delicious and so creamy!
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Dessert for breakfast anyone? I mean delicious chocolate mousse with healthy fats, complex carbs, fiber and protein. This chocolate chia pudding is creamy, rich and full of dark chocolate flavor.
It is possible to combine delicious and nutritious, and proof is in these healthy chocolate muffins, black bean brownies and healthier chocolate cake. And in the pudding, of course.
Chia pudding tastes like something in between tapioca pudding, mousse and Greek yogurt. It melts in your mouth, and is both creamy and rich.
I swear it is an equivalent to eating your favorite chocolate bar, but so much healthier!
This whole jar is only 275 calories. And it’s just as perfect for healthy breakfast as it is as part of your healthy snacks rotation!
Are Chia Seeds Healthy?
Chia seeds are considered a superfood because of their nutritional benefits!
- Plant based protein: Chia seeds are a complete source of protein, perfect for those following vegan or plant based diets.
- Antioxidants: An essential part of any healthy diet!
- Fiber: Helps you stay full longer and aids in digestion.
- Omega 3 fatty acids: The good kind of fat that is proven to be heart healthy.
Most importantly, this chia seed pudding will pass for a chocolate dessert to anyone with closed eyes. I’m saying that not because it’s my healthy recipe. But because it’s delicious.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chia seeds: Please use whole chia seeds sold in any supermarket. I do not recommend to use ground chia seeds. The taste will have very prominent Omega fishy taste. And texture is not pleasant.
- Milk: Any plant based milk works from a carton. I like dairy free almond milk. You can use any other milk like oat milk, rice, coconut, hemp or soy milk. Canned coconut milk doesn’t work but it makes wonders for healthy chocolate bread.
- Maple syrup: As for a sweetener, I prefer maple syrup vs. honey because it mixes better with cold milk. You can use honey if it is of a runny consistency and your milk is room temperature. Otherwise, my experience shows honey doesn’t dilute well. It results in bitter chocolate chia pudding with lumps of sweetness.
- Cacao powder: You can use cocoa powder. It is what most people know and have on hand. The only difference between cacao powder and cocoa is that last one is more processed. Cacao powder has more antioxidants and is better for you.
How to Make Chocolate Chia Pudding
Chia pudding recipes are so easy to make, if it wasn’t so good, it would be almost embarrassing.
Combine all ingredients: To any small jar, add milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, chia seeds and cacao powder in this exact order.
Whisk with small whisk or a fork really well or until cacao powder is dissolved. Some tiny cacao powder lumps are OK.
Stir again: Let chia pudding sit for 10 minutes and stir again to break down any lumps. Close jars with lids.
Refrigerate overnight: Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight is the best.
Chocolate Chia Pudding Recipe Tips
- To avoid lumps it is better to stir chia pudding 2 times before refrigerating overnight. 1st time when mixing, 2nd time 10 minutes later.
- Liquids first: It is important to add ingredients in the order listed in the recipe.
- If you have lumps just stir again with a fork before enjoying.
- If your chocolate chia seed pudding is too thick, add a splash of milk and stir. I like my chocolate pudding to fall off the spoon and that is what this recipe makes.
- You can also make chia pudding in a mixing bowl and then distribute between jars.
FAQs
Any milk works for this recipe! Dairy milk or plant based milk. Just do not use canned coconut milk, it is too thick.
I find that I love my chocolate chia pudding with a 1:3 ratio. That is 3 tbsp of chia seeds per 3/4 cup of milk. You may find that this is too runny for your preference! It’s easy to thicken with an additional 1 tbsp of chia seeds. Add them, stir and wait to thicken.
Alternately, see below how to make blended chia pudding and that will also thicken it further.
Yes, gently pulse one time until combined. Let sit for 10 minutes. Pulse again. Just don’t process too long because chia seeds will start grinding.
Chocolate chips, raspberries, blueberries, coconut flakes or a drizzle of peanut butter. You may also love it served with healthy fruit salad!
How Long Will It Last?
You can prepare and refrigerate cacao chia pudding for up to 5 days. I love to meal prep it in individual mason jars!
When ready to eat, give your pudding another good stir. Sometimes you might have lumps due to gulps of air in-between the chia seeds and that’s OK.
You can freeze chia pudding for a make ahead option as well! Just thaw as needed for a feel good treat anytime.
More Chia Seed Recipes
- Chocolate banana chia pudding
- Brown rice pudding
- Banana chia pudding
- Mango chia pudding
- Matcha chia pudding
- Coconut chia pudding
- Strawberry chia pudding
- Healthy overnight oats
Chocolate Chia Pudding
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup any milk from a carton
- 2 tsp maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 – 4 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp cacao or cocoa powder
Instructions
- To a Mason jar or any container with a tight lid (I prefer glass), add milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Then add chia seeds and cacao powder. It's important to add ingredients in the order listed in the recipe, liquids first.
- Whisk well or stir vigorously with a fork until cacao powder is well combined with the rest of ingredients. Let sit for 10 minutes and stir again.
- Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- When ready to eat, stir well again. Some lumps are OK, just stir well. The thickness and sweetness can be adjusted to your taste.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Coconut milk: If using coconut milk, make sure it’s from the carton and not a thick coconut milk from a can.
- Consistency: For a thick consistency pudding use 4 tbsp chia seeds, for soup like consistency (pictured) use only 3 tbsp (my favorite).
If you add 2tsp more chia, let sit, then blend the mixture in a blender it will be just like pudding.
Chia seeds on my shopping list again. Tis ages since I last made this .
I go through waves too. 2 weeks ago I made like 10 jars and since then nada. I buy chia seeds at Costco so it’s hard to run out lmao.
I subbed 2 tbsp. Xylitol for the honey and maple syrup to cut down carbs, and it is delicious. I plan to sprinkle on Hemp seeds to raise the protein, because eating it all is too much chocolate for one meal for me. Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome, Martha!
This is so delicious! I made it with coconut milk instead of almond milk, as it’s what I had on hand. Reminded me of my all-time favorite dessert, chocolate mousse! THANK YOU!
Awesome, Natalie!
So I found this a few days ago and tried it and liked it but I always want something hot for breakfast. I made a basic chia pudding last night with the milk and seeds then this morning threw in about a tbs of semi sweet chocolate chips then heated it up until hot. Stirred it all together until the melted chips were incorporated and I gotta say- it was pretty damned fantastic. About the same sugar content as using the honey option too. Have you tried it hot? You should if you wasn’t 🙂
I should try it got, Sara. Never thought of that. Thanks.
I’ve really started to fall in love with chia pudding. I have a bunch of recipes collected to try, but I wanted to explore the basics before going into some of the crazier options. So I made this the other day, and it was fantastic! I keep getting surprised by the subtle sweetness of the healthy things I’ve been making, and that happened with this, too. Great richness to the chocolate flavor, and I got a wonderful texture out of 4 tbsp of chia seeds. I like my pudding to fight back. lol My roommate, who eats all sorts of processed garbage, couldn’t detect any sweetness and called this a good “palate cleanser.” That made me a little bit sad.
Hi Sherwood. Good for you! DOn’t be sad or offended, I used to. Try to eat a serving of ice cream and then chocolate chia pudding. Your tastebuds will be so overpowered by added sugar you won’t taste any natural sugar in the chia pudding. Processed foods screw up palettes big time! So keep calm and make chia pudding.:)
Hi there- just wondering how it comes out to 12g of fat? I’ve just started chia puddings like this for lunch. Love them!
Chia seeds are high in Omega-3s that are good for you! This is good fat that doesn’t make you fat so don’t worry and enjoy!
Found this recipe yesterday and ate this morning! Quick assembly made it super easy for me to actually eat breakfast for once! Perfect for to-go! It tastes like chocolate pudding with some extra nibble in it.
It really works better to mix cocoa with chia seeds first, then add it to warm ‘milk’ while whisking – no lumps and thickens quicker as it needs only about 45-60 minutes to cool :0).
That’s a good idea!
If this is going in a mason jar, why do we have to whisk it? Can’t we just screw on the lid and shake it?
Because cacao powder has a hard time dissolving in liquid and your chia pudding might be lumpy and lack taste.