Chocolate Chia Pudding

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Chocolate chia pudding is so simple and amazingly delicious. It’s the easiest healthy dessert recipe you can make with no baking. It’s creamy, chocolatey, indulgent and yet, loaded with nutrients. A winner of a dessert recipe that you’ll make again and again.

Two glasses of chocolate chia pudding

I almost hesitate at calling this chocolate chia pudding a dessert or labeling it as indulgent, because really, it’s probably healthier than the average breakfast or snack. There’s just one tablespoon of maple syrup per serving. So feel free to enjoy it any time of day!

But want to know why I really love this recipe? It’s so darn easy to make and you probably have all of the ingredients in your kitchen already. Long story short, you really can’t beat chia pudding, whether you’re whipping it up for breakfast or dessert!

Ingredients for chocolate chia pudding

What’s in Chocolate Chia Pudding?

There’s only 5 ingredients in this easy recipe and that includes:

  • Cacao Powder: Cacao powder is typically less processed than cocoa powder, but either one works in this recipe.
  • Maple Syrup: One of my favorite all natural sweeteners. You could also use honey or another liquid sweetener.
  • Vanilla Extract: To enhance the sweet flavor.
  • Milk: Choose your favorite one, whether dairy or dairy-free, they all work beautifully.
  • Chia Seeds: The omega-3 packed seeds that combine everything together into a creamy, dreamy dessert.
Chocolate chia pudding ingredients in a bowl

How to Make Chocolate Chia Pudding

All you have to do is whisk together the cacao powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract, nut milk and chia seeds. Chill it for a few hours (or overnight). And voila – chocolate chia pudding. I’ve topped mine with raspberries and chocolate shavings today, but feel free to get creative.

Pro tip: If you don’t like the tapioca consistency of chia pudding and want a smoother texture, you can blitz it all together in a high-powered blender to create a chocolate chia pudding mousse.

Mixing chocolate chia pudding in a bowl

Are Chia Seeds Healthy?

They sure are! Chia seeds have a ton of health benefits. They’re on my list of 8 anti-inflammatory foods to eat every week since they’re so high in antioxidants and loaded with fiber. In fact, they may be the best source of fiber on the planet.

What Kind of Milk Can I Use in Chia Seed Pudding?

This chocolate chia seed pudding will work with all types of dairy and dairy-free milks. Today, I’m using my cashew milk recipe (my personal favorite). But you could also use almond milkoat milk, or even banana milk.

If you make this recipe with canned full-fat coconut milk, it will likely be thicker than the previously mentioned options. You could always add more milk or water to thin it down, if desired.

A glass bowl of chocolate chia pudding

How Long Will the Pudding Last?

Chocolate chia pudding can be left in the fridge for about 4 to 5 days. This makes it an easy treat to make in a large batch and enjoy over the course of a week.

If you have leftovers you can even freeze it! It will last for up to 3 months in the freezer. Then simply thaw as needed when those chocolate cravings strike. Meal prepped chia pudding for dessert? Oh yes. You’re welcome!

Chocolate chia pudding with fruit

More Delicious Chia Seed Recipes

Here’s more chia seed recipes you’ll love as well:

Want two more simple chocolate dessert recipes? Make sure to check out my Chocolate Mug Cake and Chocolate Avocado Pudding. They take less than 5 minutes to make!

I hope you enjoy this chocolate chia pudding as much as I do! If you make it, let me know how it turned out in the comment box below. Your review will help others in this community!

Cups of chocolate chia pudding

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

4.92 from 110 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
wait time: 4 hours
Total: 4 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 2
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding is a light dessert when you’re having a chocolate craving. There's only 5 ingredients and it's easy to make. Watch the video below to see how quickly it comes together!

Video

Ingredients 
 

Garnish

Instructions 

  • In a medium-size bowl, add the cacao powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract, dairy-free milk and chia seeds. Whisk together until all ingredients are combined.
  • Leave the mixture in the bowl for 15 minutes without stirring for the chia seeds to gel. After 15 minutes, whisk it together one more time. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator overnight or a minimum of 4 hours. 
  • Remove the chocolate chia seed pudding from the fridge and stir together with a spoon. Serve into small dessert sized glasses. Top with your favorite fruit, chocolate shavings or other garnishes.

Lisa’s Tips

  • If you notice your chia seeds aren’t starting to gel and thicken after 10 minutes, you may have dud chia seeds. This can happen in they’ve been sitting in your pantry a while. Just grab a new bag of chia seeds
  • If you want that frosted look on your berries, here’s how you do it. In a single layer on a plate, freeze fresh berries that have been washed and are completely dry. Once they’re frozen, add them to the chocolate chia pudding. About 2 to 3 minutes later (as they come to room temperature) they’ll have that frosted look. But serve them up quick because it doesn’t last long! 

Nutrition

Calories: 192kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 169mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 11IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 313mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chocolate Chia Pudding, Chocolate Chia Pudding Recipe, Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

Recipe originally posted May 2019, but updated to include new information.

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

4.92 from 110 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




308 Comments

  1. Fantastically rich, perfectly sweet and super chocolaty! this super easy, no cook recipe is a hit I’m sold! Think i’ll cut down the milk a little to help thicken it up just a bit.4 stars

  2. The consistency turned out pretty spot on but turned out very bitter. More like a dark chocolate taste. My kids would not eat it. I’m going to try again with a lot more sweetener.3 stars

    1. Is there a substitute for chia seeds? They do a number on my digestive system as does flaxseeds. (IBM).
      Thank you

      1. You’ll need chia seeds for this recipe. But you could also make my chocolate avocado pudding recipe!

  3. This was a perfect snack to fill my sweet craving! I have made it several times with different berries .. raspberry or strawberries have been my favorite to add !5 stars

      1. I love this. It’s easy to make, healthy, and delicious. I top mine with an ounce of stevia sweetened dark chocolate chips and frozen raspberries. Excellent!5 stars

  4. I have sent this to so many of my friends. This is my new favorite thing to eat at any time of day. It’s also fun for me to make it and then know I have something to look forward to later on. I also add some almond extract to mine, because I just love that, and I’m experimenting now with putting a tiny bit of salt in the mix, and maybe a touch of espresso powder. We’ll see how it goes! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe! It’s amazing as-is, I just can’t help but experiment :)5 stars

    1. I’d love to know the calories too. Is that for one serve or the whole batch. The recipe makes 2 serves. I’m trying it today. It looks so delicious.