Chocolate Chia Pudding tastes like a decadent chocolate dessert with nutrition of a healthy breakfast. Ready in 10 minutes and packed with 15 grams of fiber, you will be making it on repeat.
Reader’s Review
So happy to find this! Thank you! I use really good quality vanilla extract (steenbergs UK), I use full fat filtered organic cows milk and my kids LOVE this too!
Rebecca
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
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.
I started making vanilla chia pudding years ago for breakfast and afternoon snack, then naturally turned it into a chocolate chia seed pudding which I swear feels like eating your favorite chocolate bar, but so much healthier!
According to Healthline, chia seeds are full of antioxidants, its fiber helps you stay full longer and aids in digestion, plus Omega-3s fatty acids offer the good kind of fat that is proven to be heart healthy.
Ingredients for Chocolate Chia Pudding
- Chia seeds: Please use whole chia seeds sold in any supermarket. I do not recommend to use ground chia seeds. Chia pudding will have very prominent Omega taste and unpleasant texture.
- Milk: Any dairy or dairy-free milk from a carton. I like unsweetened vanilla almond milk but soy milk or oat milk works. Canned coconut milk doesn’t work because it’s too thick.
- Maple syrup: I prefer pure maple syrup to 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.
- 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
- Combine all ingredients: To any small jar, add milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, chia seeds and cacao powder in this exact order. Whisk with a small whisk or a fork really well or until cacao powder is dissolved. Some tiny cacao powder lumps are OK.
- Stir again: Let chocolate chia pudding sit for 10 minutes and stir mixture again to break down any clumps. Close jars with lids.
- Refrigerate overnight: Chill in refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight is the best.
Recipe Tip
If you don’t like tapioca consistency of chia pudding, gently pulse in a high-powered blender once until combined. Let sit for 10 minutes, pulse again and then chill in the fridge. Don’t process too long because chia seeds will start grinding.
Tips for Best Results
- Liquids first: It’s important to add ingredients in the order listed in the recipe.
- To avoid lumps: I highly recommend to stir chia pudding 2 times before refrigerating overnight. 1st time when mixing, 2nd time 10 minutes later.
- If you have lumps just stir again with a fork before enjoying.
- 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.
- Too thin: Next time making it, add additional 1 tablespoon of chia seeds.
- One batch: You can also make it in a large bowl and then distribute between jars.
Toppings Ideas
You can enjoy chocolate chia pudding on your own or here are a few of my favorite garnishes:
- Chocolate chips or cacao nibs
- Fresh or frozen berries like raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries
- Coconut flakes
- Banana slices
- A drizzle of peanut butter or almond butter
- Greek yogurt for a protein boost
How to Store
Store: You can prepare and refrigerate this chocolate chia pudding recipe 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.
Freeze: 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 to Try
- Cottage cheese chocolate pudding
- Greek yogurt chocolate pudding
- Tiramisu chia pudding
- Chocolate banana chia pudding
- Greek yogurt chia pudding
- Banana chia pudding
- Coconut chia pudding
Chocolate Chia Pudding
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk, I used unsweetened almond milk
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 – 4 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon 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.
- Consistency: For a thick consistency pudding use 4 tbsp chia seeds, for soup like consistency (pictured) use only 3 tbsp (my favorite).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Congrats, Olena, on your fabulous cooking blog!
What is the ratio of ingredients if I want to make 6 servings in a mixing bowl then put in mason jars?
It might be easier just to put the individual servings in the 6 mason jars and mix that way, or you can just take the ingredients and times by 6, you will need quite a large bowl!
I made this it was delish. I put T tablespoons of chia cut up fresh straw berries 4 diced up, and small dark chocolate morses 1 table spoon.
That sounds delicious!
I make these Chocolate pods once a week for my family for breakfast! I put fresh fruit on top. They love it!
Thank you
So amazing to hear Joan!
Can I use original sweetened almond milk instead of unsweetened?
Yes, just note that the result will be sweeter and the nutritional information listed will be different. Can’t wait to hear how you like it!
I made a chia jam recipe from you a year or so ago and I just wrote down the ingredients and vague directions. Now I can’t find it on your site at all. I have it as “clean eating chia jam”. I used strawberried when I made it and it was amazing. I think it’s just in the blender, no cooking. Do you still have that recipe somewhere. Thanks.
Hi Sandi, the recipe is now in the archives but we will send it over to you. 🙂
Love it! After it is set I take about 1/3 of the recipe and put it in a small Pyrex glass bowl. On top of that I spread some strawberry jam, but raspberry would be excellent as well. On top of that I smooth over some plain yogurt. Today I topped the yogurt with a little more jam and on top of that some frozen blueberries (still a little frozen). Delicious!!!
I am a chia seed newbie! I followed the recipe as written except I replaced the maple syrup with 2 tsp of a Stevia sweetener. The consistency was nice. I did warm it up and add a few dark chocolate chips for added sweetness since the Stevia didn’t sweeten it as much as the syrup would have. Syrup spikes my blood sugar so I try to to use that. I would definitely make this again! I warmed it up a bit so the chips would melt and added blueberries. Delicious!!
Sounds so yummy with the dark chocolate chips. Thanks for taking the time to send this great feedback Ruth Anne!
Soooo good! Used my blender the first time and I got a more pudding like texture. 2nd time I mixed it up just like the recipe and it was more drinkable than pudding. But tastes great either way. Will keep making it with different milk variations. Thanks
So great to hear this Janice!
So happy to find this! Thank you! I use really good quality vanilla extract (steenbergs UK) I use full fat filtered organic cows milk and my kids LOVE this too!
So happy to hear this Rebecca!
I made this recipe and tried it several hours after…I ended up eating the whole serving without waiting at least the recommended 6 hrs, it was so good I could not wait. Olena, I just discovered your website and it almost seems too good to be true: recipes of my family’s heritage made healthier and adjusted to be done in the instant pot! It is literally my dream come true!!! I am still learning ways to find easy ways to make healthier meals for my family amidst our very fast paced, busy lifestyle and I finally see it being realistic with your recipes! Your cookbook is a gem and has forever changed the way my family will eat! Thank you!
Hi Nina! Your comments made my day. I really appreciate it and am so happy your family enjoys my recipes!