I’ve been on a chia pudding kick lately. You may be thinking I’m a little late (as in a few years late) for the chia pudding bandwagon but chia is still holding it’s own, and for good reason. Chia seeds are high on my list of amazing superfoods, full of anti-inflammatory omega-3s, minerals, antioxidants, quality fiber and protein. In fact, these little seeds pack 14 grams of dietary fiber and 6 grams of protein per 1/4 cup, now that’s the real deal!
This healthy version of pudding is so easy – just toss it together, throw it in the fridge, grab and go the next morning, enjoy as a mid afternoon snack, or savor for dessert that evening. Plus it’s dairy and gluten free. Alright, time to get our pudding on…
Chocolate Cherry Chia Pudding
serves 2
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut OR almond milk
- 2 Tbsp cacao powder
or unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp cherry extract
- Pinch of himalyan salt or sea salt
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
DIRECTIONS
- Equally divide coconut or almond milk into 2 separate 16-ounce mason jars
- To each jar, add 1/4 cup chia seeds and 1 Tbsp cacao or cocoa powder, and shake well
- Add 1/2 tsp cherry extract, 1 Tbsp honey, and a pinch of salt to each jar and shake well
- Refrigerate overnight allowing chia seeds to absorb liquid and soften
- Serve and enjoy!
Note: Choose different variations, like adding peppermint, orange, almond, or raspberry extracts instead of cherry. Use your sweetener of choice, maple syrup is a great way to make it vegan friendly :)
If you’re not a chocolate lover try my recipe for vanilla chai spiced chia pudding.
I am not familiar with Chia seeds, but you have my interest and you give good ideas and recipes on how to use them. Great Job!
Thanks Michael, glad I could peak your interest :)
Very cool! My mom gave me a bag of chia seeds and is constantly pestering me to use them. I’m not a big fan of pudding, though–what else can I do with them?
Haha good mom looking out for you! Great question :) There are many uses for chia seeds – add them to smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal (they’re in my recipe for single serve overnight oats), or bake them into muffins. I would love to hear if you experiment with them or find other uses.
Oooh, I want to try muffins! Is there anything special I need to know about baking with them?
Nope. Just go ahead and toss in 1 Tbsp chia seeds when adding your wet ingredients. This will work for a typical recipe that makes 12 muffins. It’ll give your muffins a nice healthy fiber boost! Good luck, I’d love to hear what you end up making! Suggestions are always welcome :)
hi!
well this looks good! I have to say that I was skeptical at the beginning. But I love every component of this pudding so I am sure I would love the end result. This is an interesting kind though as the chia seeds absorbing the liquid is what makes the pudding. Interesting recipe!
Thanks Emily! Let me know how it turns out for you. Hope you enjoy :)
This looks delicious. I’ve always heard chia was great for your health but I never thought to make less guilty desert out of it. Genius! I’m printing this out to try it later.
Thanks Shane! I know, I love that it’s guilt free and loaded with health benefits at the same time! Hope you enjoy it. I just had some for breakfast this morning :)
Now this looks yummy. Thank you!
Thanks Christie, it is! Let me know if you give it a go :)