When you puree chia seed pudding, it becomes smooth and creamy just like traditional pudding. In this recipe for Mexican Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding, I also added cinnamon and cayenne-because why not? It works for my breakfast shake, and it works really well in this pudding too.
Bonus: you can totally have this chia seed pudding for breakfast. Breakfast pudding! We'll live like kings!
And if you love this recipe, be sure to check out this Mexican Coconut Horchata too!
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup chia seeds
- 1 cup unsweetened almond, or other non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, I used Grade B
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of cayenne, optional
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.
- Transfer mixture to a high-powered blender and blend until completely smooth. If pudding is warm from blending, return to refrigerator until chilled. (Alternately, you can just stir the pudding and eat it without blending.)
Notes
This pudding is thick, almost like a mousse. If you've blended your pudding and decide you want it a little thinner, add some extra milk. Be sure to blend the pudding until completely smooth-if you don't, it will be gritty! A high-powered blender like the Vitamix works best. Any sweetener you like will work in this, and if 1 tablespoon of maple syrup isn't sweet enough, feel free to add more.
Nutrition (estimated per serving)
Calories: 196kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 6gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 169mgPotassium: 218mgFiber: 12gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 18IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 356mgIron: 3mg
Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!
Amy says
Wow this is delicious! I love the thick mousse texture. I didn't add cayenne but I might next time.
Has anyone given this to their kids? I don't have any kids but I think this would make a great natural alternative to store bought pudding. Would be fun to put into a child's lunchbox in snack sized containers!
Kiersten says
I'm glad you enjoyed it! I did have a reader tell me she's made it for her grandson and he loved it. 🙂
Laura says
I laughed through this entire post! I totally relate to being too practical for my own good. 🙂 I just found your awesome blog yesterday and have already pinned, like, a jzillion of your recipes. Most look so easy. I'm newly vegan, and this will be the first vegan dessert recipe I ever make. I have everything needed in my house right now! Thanks for a wonderful blog. I'll be back to let you know how this dessert was for me.
Kiersten says
I hope you like it! If you don't have a high speed blender, you can skip the blending part. 🙂 Then it's kind of like tapioca pudding. Oh, and thanks for the pins!
denisa says
Hi, I am really glad I came across your blog! I am a newbie in vegetarian/vegan field and I am really looking forward to doable recipes.
Thank you
Kiersten says
Good luck with your new diet! 🙂
kate says
haha this is great! I can totally relate to running around the kitchen and dirtying multiple bowls only to use the same one as last time 🙂 This looks like a great recipe and can't wait to give it a try. yum!
Kate
Amanda says
FYI - for anyone who tries this and thinks its' going to look like the picture ....a nice, smooth consistency - it wont. UNLESS you have a Vitamix - I don't and started with the food processor, then the blender, then the hand blender - nothing...just little bits of chia seeds which is not what I was going for.
Kiersten says
The recipe does call for a high powered blender.
alie says
The same thing happend to me...more like tapioca texture than fluffy pudding!
Brena says
You could try putting the seeds by themselves in the blender first to grind them up or in a spice grinder. They might be easier to process dry instead of when they are gelatinous.
steph says
Is this ground chia seeds or whole?
Kiersten says
Whole chia seeds.
She Rocks Fitness says
Love the addition of the maple syrup! I never thought of doing that. I only have skim milk, but that should work as well...right? Thanks for sharing this! 🙂
Kiersten says
I think skim milk will work too. 🙂
Nicole says
I currently only have ground chia seeds on hand - would that work?
Kiersten Frase says
I haven't tried it with ground chia seeds myself, so I can't say for sure. I think it would depend on how finely ground they are. If they're very finely ground, it should work just fine. If not, the pudding might be a little gritty.
Jess says
I used a Nutribullet. It came out slightly gritty, but not too bad. It was a little more like a smoothie, so I drank it with a straw. We just roll with those sorta things around here.
It all started last night when I decided to see what chia seeds soaked in almond milk would look and taste like. After examining the results this morning, I decided to find a recipe on Pinterest to further the experiment. Your recipe sounded interesting and yummy, and I guesstimated that I'd used about that much chia seeds and that much almond milk. All in all, the experiment worked nicely, with some tweaking (lots more maple syrup and a little more almond milk.)
I tried it with the cayenne. I might have added a little more than a pinch... ^_^
Kiersten Frase says
Well hey, chia smoothies are good too! 🙂
Shinee says
OMG, I just run into this post (and your beautiful blog) on Pinterest. I started reading this and I felt like I had written this in my dream or something. It exact description of me, not preparing the stages, running around the kitchen to find just right spoon or plate, and then be so hesitant to spread food all over the table etc… Wow I'm not alone, and thanks for sharing that!
Oh and I just made chia pudding the other day. I also "effortlessly" sprinkled chia seeds on the table for pictures, then vacuumed everything, thinking what a waste! Haha
Kiersten Frase says
Nope, you are definitely not alone! 🙂 I always admire the photos with ingredients artfully spilled all over the table, but I can't bear to throw things away, so I never do it!
Kim says
How long did you blend in your vitamix and on what speed? Do you find it separates? Does it keep well?
Kiersten Frase says
I just blend it until it's smooth--I start it at the lowest speed and slowly work my way up to high. It won't separate; I've kept it for a day and it will thicken a little, but it's fine other than that.
Steph says
Ooooh, this looks delish! I love the add of spice to make things interesting!
Sonu says
Can I do this with fruit? Chocolate sounds great but I have a family of non chocolate eaters
Kiersten Frase says
I haven't tried it with fruit, but I'm sure it would work out. You may have to adjust the proportions of the recipe, though. I might add more chia seeds since the fruit will add liquid to the recipe.
Erika says
Mmmmm... So good! My first taste, while mixing, had a celery aftertaste so I added a bit more maple syrup and now I don't want to share...,I'm tempted to each my husbands serving too. The cayenne definitely comes through... But in a great way. You get that little bit of heat in the back of your throat. Great balanced dessert.
Kiersten Frase says
Celery - wow! I've never heard that one before. To me, the chia seeds don't really have much of a taste, but maybe there's something in them that I'm not picking up on. 🙂 I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Robyn says
Oh my gosh! I just made this for breakfast today. This recipe is to die for! it is so creamy but so light. And doesn't have the heavy richness of the avocado chocolate puddings. I could eat tonnes of this. Yum yum yum!
Kiersten Frase says
Thank you for your comment - I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
Lizzie says
I came here because I was drawn in by the delicious-looking pudding (and I'm totally going to try it!). However, I didn't expect to laugh so much. When I got to the "artfully spilling things" section I was actually laughing aloud. Thank you for sharing and being hilarious.
On a more serious note, I've tried to blend chia seed pudding before and nothing changed. I am wondering if my blender is just not powerful enough, or if I should get a food processor, which might work better? Thanks for posting.
sherah kraan says
Oh my word!!! I think I've just found my new favorite low carb dessert! (I made it with 1 T. Ground chia and sf syrup and ground erythritol. To.die.for!! Thank you!!
Sonja says
Omg! Came across this googling vitmaix recipes that should arrive by thursday evening and i think itll be my first recipe!!! Ive been wanting to try a great healthy chia pudding but im not a gritty tapioca sorta pwrson. This is perfection! Kudos!
Zoe Blarowski says
Hi! I'm a writer with Care2.com and I'd love to include a link to this recipe in one of my articles. Is it alright if I also use one of your photos? Thanks!
Katie Trant says
Hi Zoe, you're welcome to share a photo and a link back to our page, but please don't include the recipe in your article.
Zoe Blarowski says
Sure thing, thanks Katie!