Chocolate Chia Pudding

This chocolate chia pudding is an easy to make snack, breakfast or healthier dessert. It’s made with simple, pantry staple ingredients and has a rich, creamy texture. Naturally dairy free, vegan, gluten free and requires only 10 minutes of prep time!

Chia seed pudding is one of my go to recipe to prep for easy breakfasts and snacks throughout the week, but sometimes you need something just a bit more indulgent. That’s where this chocolate chia pudding comes in! It’s creamy, high in fiber but still sweet and rich enough to pass for dessert.

You can enjoy it exactly as written, or add in some protein powder to enhance the flavor a bit and of course the protein content. Pro tip: If you blend all of the ingredients together, you end up with a more mouse like texture that definitely gives more of a dessert feel! If you love this recipe, try my vegan chocolate mousse or matcha chia pudding next!

Tips before we get started!

• I like using canned coconut milk because it is so creamy and adds more flavor, but if you aren’t a fan or can’t have coconut, any other kind of milk will work- dairy or non-dairy.
• I love adding in a scoop of chocolate protein powder to enhance the flavor and add more protein, but this is optional! You may need to add a bit of extra milk if you do this to thin out the consistency.
• Once prepared this chia seed pudding will keep in the fridge for about 5 days. It’s perfect to whip up on a Monday morning and you have breakfast or a snack ready to go for the week!

How to make chocolate chia pudding

• In a medium mixing bowl or container, whisk together the chia seeds, cocoa powder, cinnamon and salt.
• Shake up the can of coconut milk really well to ensure it is well combined. Measure out 1 cup and add to the bowl with all remaining ingredients. Whisk everything well to combine. Let rest for 10 minutes, then whisk well again. Cover, then place in the fridge to set for about an hour.
• Mix again, then serve with coconut yogurt, berries, banana, cacao nibs etc. Enjoy and try my pumpkin chia pudding next!

Does it need to sit overnight?

You definitely can make this at night and let it sit in the fridge until morning, but it’s not necessary. You do need to let chia seeds soak for at least 30 minutes to prevent any digestive issues- but I find an hour is best to ensure they soften.

Chia seeds really only need to soak in milk for about an hour. The overnight method is just because it’s convenient and you have it ready to go first thing in the morning.

Ideal liquid ratio

For chia pudding, especially when using canned coconut milk, I suggest a chia to liquid ratio of 1 to 4. So for this recipe we’ll be using 1/4 cup of chia seeds and 1 cup of milk total.

If you prefer a thinner consistency, you can use a 1 to 5 ratio, or if you prefer it thicker, use a 1 to 3 ratio. It only gets thicker the longer it sits, so keep this in mind!

Serving suggestions

I generally have chia pudding for breakfast or a snack along with coconut yogurt, berries, banana, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds etc.

For this chocolate chia pudding in particular, I love adding in some frozen raspberries because they will melt and create a nice tang, but banana, cacao nibs, sliced peaches etc. are all really nice! Depends on what is in season.

More chia seed recipes to try!

• Chia Seed Jam
• Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding
• Blueberry Overnight Oats

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and rating below and let us know how it turns out! As always, be sure to tag me on instagram so I can see your creation!