This deliciously rich 4 Ingredient Chocolate Chia Pudding is full of fiber, protein and healthy fats to keep you full for hours. It’s a great breakfast to meal prep at the start of the week and tastes amazing topped with bananas and peanut butter!
This post is also featured in my Easy Plant Based Breakfast Ideas For 2020 roundup.
Have you tried chia seed pudding yet?
If not, you’re in for a treat. Chia seed pudding is insanely easy to make and has the coolest texture.
Think tapioca pudding…but with more nutrients!
I remember so clearly when I first discovered chia seeds. A friend of mine was using them to improve her digestion (oh, hello fiber!) and told me she would just soak some in water and enjoy a spoonful of “chia pudding” every day.
So easy!
When it comes to chia seed pudding, you can get really creative with the flavors you make.
There is classic vanilla, Mocha Chia Seed Pudding, Golden Milk Chia Seed Pudding, Carrot Cake Chia Seed Pudding and of course this 4 ingredient Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding!
As many of you can probably guess, chocolate chia seed pudding is my all-time favorite flavor. What’s not to love about starting your morning with a healthy, chocolatey breakfast?
What are chia seeds?
Chia seeds come from a plant in the mint family called Salvia Hispanica. They were a staple in the ancient Aztec diet and have now gained attention world-wide thanks to their amazing nutritional benefits.
Chia seeds are super absorbent, allowing them to plump up and become gelatinous when soaked in liquid.
Health benefits of chia seeds
Chia seeds have a lot of health benefits. Some of the benefits they are most known for are that they are high in Omega-3’s, making them a great source of Omega-3’s for people who eat a predominantly plant-based diet.
They also contain a lot of soluble fiber which can help regulate blood sugar and slow down digestion, keeping you fuller for longer.
Plus a serving of chia seeds, which is just 1 ounce or 2 tablespoons, contains a good source of plant-based protein, calcium, iron and magnesium!
Ingredients you’ll need to make chia seed pudding
Chia seed pudding really only requires two ingredients:
- Chia seeds
- Liquid of choice
Like I said, my friend would simply soak her chia seeds in water and call it a day. However, if you want to give your chia seeds more flavor, I suggest using non-dairy milk plus some spices/powders or juice.
How to make chia seed pudding
While chia seed pudding takes about 5 minutes of hands-on-time, it does need to soak in the fridge for a few hours in order to thicken.
For one serving of basic chia seed pudding you’ll need about 3 tablespoons of chia seeds and 3/4 cup of liquid. Simply whisk these two ingredients together in a jar or bowl until there are no clumps of chia seeds stuck together. Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes before stirring again, coving the container and placing it in the fridge to thicken for about 2 hours or overnight.
Everyone will have different preferences on how thick or thin they like their chia seed pudding. I would recommend starting with less liquid and adding more if needed. If you include any spices or powders (cocoa powder, peanut flour, protein powder, etc.), then you’ll probably need a little more liquid than if you were just making a 2 ingredient chia seed pudding.
Can you meal prep chia seed pudding?
Yes!
Chia seed pudding is really easy to double, triple, quadruple etc. You can make enough servings to last 3-4 days in the fridge, or make even more servings to store in the freezer. I’ll talk more about how to store your chia seed pudding below.
How to store chia seed pudding
Great news is you can both freeze and refrigerate chia seed pudding, making it a great food to meal prep at the start of the week or month.
Fridge: Chia seed pudding can be stored in a sealed jar or container in the fridge for 3-4 days. If you plan to meal prep your chia seed pudding and store it in the fridge for a few days, then I would recommend making just the base of your pudding and then adding toppings right before you plan to enjoy your pudding.
Freezer: Chia seed pudding can also be frozen! Just be sure to use a freezer-safe container or jar. It will last for a few weeks in the freezer. To enjoy your frozen chia seed pudding, simply remove it from the freezer the night before and allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight.
When it comes to freezing chia seed pudding, you can freeze the toppings as well! However, crunchy toppings such as granola, nuts and seeds should be added right before enjoying to maintain their crunch factor.
Fun topping ideas for basic chia seed pudding
If you’re uncertain how to serve your chia seed pudding, think of it like oatmeal. There are so many different ways you can jazz up basic chia seed pudding to turn it into something exciting and decadent. I’ll list out some suggestions below!
- Banana and peanut butter
- Pecans and maple syrup
- Fresh mango and shredded coconut
- Blueberries and lemon zest
- Peanut butter and jelly
- Strawberries and chocolate hazelnut spread
- Berry compote and coconut whipped cream
Just like different toppings will help jazz up simple chia seed pudding like vanilla or chocolate, try mixing up the flavor of the chia seed pudding itself. You can use different liquids, spices and powders to come up with a variety of chia seed puddings to keep your mornings fun and exciting!
Have fun experimenting!
Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
This rich and creamy 4 Ingredient Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding is full of fiber, protein and healthy fats to keep you full all morning long.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
Instructions
- In a bowl or large jar, mix together the chia seeds and cocoa powder until combined.
- Add in the maple syrup and non-dairy milk and mix well, adding in more maple syrup if you want a sweeter chocolate pudding.
- Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes and then mix well again.
- Cover the mixture and place the chia seed pudding in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight.
- Once it has thickened you can eat it as is or add any toppings you desire, such as fresh or dried fruit, cacao nibs, granola, nut butter, etc.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 1 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 352Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 20mgSodium 122mgCarbohydrates 39gFiber 13gSugar 20gProtein 15g
Nutrition information is a rough estimate provided by Nutrionix and should be used for informational purposes only.
Diggin’ chia seed pudding now? You HAVE to try these!
- Golden Milk Chia Seed Pudding (anti-inflammatory + superfood!)
- Carrot Cake Chia Seed Pudding (beta carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants!)
Shelly says
I just made this recipe and mine is runny. I followed this recipe what did I do wrong?
Faith VanderMolen says
I don’t think you did anything wrong Shelly! Sorry it was runny. Sometimes a bag of chia seeds can be “duds” or old and don’t gel up as much. Next time you could start with 1/2 the liquid and add more as needed? Or buy some new/different brand of chia seeds if you think they were duds. I hope you can give this recipe another try!
Heather says
Love this pudding but the carbs don’t seem correct to me. 24g? 0 net carbs? How’s that possible with so much fiber in the chia seeds?
Faith VanderMolen says
Hi Heather! We just started using a new app to calculate the nutrition facts for my recipes and I’ve been skeptical as well with some of its calculations. I don’t think nutrition calculators are ever perfectly accurate, but it does seem like this one is way off as there is not much fiber or fat listed for this recipe and there should be a good bit of both fiber and fat in this recipe (the good kind)! I’ll look into it more. Thanks for voicing your concern!
Fawn says
Have you updated the fiber and carbs for the chia seeds? My chia seeds have the same amount of carbs as fiber.
Faith VanderMolen says
Thank you for your comment! I believe the fiber content is more accurate now. However, our nutrition facts calculator is just an estimate!
Elaine says
Have made this a few times now it’s lovely.
I like it as a pudding and also as a topping for overnight oats.
Thank you for sharing such a simple yet tasty recipe!
Faith says
So great to hear Elaine! Thanks so much for letting me know!
marge201 says
Can’t wait to try it. I’ll report back. TY!
Faith says
Yes, let me know how it turns out for you! Thanks so much!
Yael Tamar says
Great pudding! Delicious and your blog is my absolute favorite for meal ideas! This will be on the dessert menu this week for sure 🙂
Faith says
That’s great news Yael! I’m so glad you like the pudding and I hope you enjoy it for dessert this week:)
Cleona says
I really enjoy reading your blog – for the food and also to imagine life in China! Can I ask though – where do you get all your ingredients? I am from the UK and live in Italy, which is hardly the ends of the earth, but even here certain vegan wholefoods type ingredients are really hard to come by, and if you do find them, unbelievably expensive. So I’m wondering – do you order online? If so, have you any recommendations?
Faith says
It’s taken me a while to find a system but many of my health food items I either bring back with me whenever I visit America or different countries or I have people who are coming to visit bring me a few items. In addition to that I LOVE a website called Taobao that is like Chinese Amazon. I can find almost everything on there. It just took me a while to learn how to search for things. Some things can be extra expensive though because their imported, but I’m always surprised what I can find for a good price. That doesn’t really help you much though! But yes, online and through friends visiting are my main ways of getting health food items. Everything else like produce I buy in our city:) Do you have Amazon in the UK? Or iHerb is another site that I love and ships to most countries!
Jennifer T. says
This looks super delish! I can’t wait to try it!
Faith says
It’s my fav! I hope you like it!
Oscar says
Chia pudding is great. Asia can get old fast. It’s good to get away. Off to Croatia next week on a sailing adventure. 🙂 Totally excited.
Faith says
Yes. It’s so good to get away. And Croatia! So fun. I was just there a couple weeks ago. We went to Plitvice lakes and Dubrovnik and loved them both. Where are you going? Have such a great time!
Emily says
I totally agree that refreshment is so key for being able to come back and really appreciate and love on those people and that environment around you. I’m so thankful that you had a really wonderful memorable restful trip, and it’s wonderful that you came back incredibly refreshed.
Faith says
I think refreshment is needed for everyone, no matter where you life. We’re human! I’m so thankful for such a restful memorable trip as well. Thanks so much Emily!