Easy chocolate chia seed pudding recipe, homemade with 5 simple ingredients. Rich, creamy, healthy no bake dessert that chills overnight in the refrigerator.
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If you liked my Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding (4 Ingredients) or Vegan Chocolate Pudding recipes, then you will likely love this as well. It is a great option for both breakfast or dessert, because it is not only tasty but healthy, too. The chia seeds are basically flavorless and work well to make a nice pudding consistency that brings nutrition to your day.
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Key ingredients for healthy chia pudding
- Milk- Use at least 2 percent for a creamier pudding.
- Chia seeds- Make sure they aren't expired!
- Maple syrup- Gives this pudding a natural sweetener without the guilt.
- Vanilla extract- Adds a bit of warm flavor.
- Cocoa powder- Use unsweetened and play with the amounts per your preference.
- Whipped cream- This is optional, but I highly recommend it.
Variations
- Mason jar mix- Make it easy on yourself and use less dishes by putting all your ingredients in a quart jar. You can easily mix it in there with a shake, a small wooden spoon, or an electric stirrer. Then simply put a lid on it and place it in the fridge.
- Make this a vegan dessert- By using almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk, soy milk, add other vegan milk options.
- Make a layer dessert- By adding a Graham Cracker Crust or Oreo Pie Crust at the base of the cup and then adding the pudding on top.
- Make a blended pudding- Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth, cover and place in the fridge overnight. This makes it more like a mousse texture. For those of you that don't like the texture of little chia seeds, this is the way to go.
- Add some ground flax seeds- For added nutrition. Reduce the quantity of chia slightly and replace that with flax seed powder.
- Use other sweeteners- You can try honey, granulated sugar, brown sugar, or agave syrup to name a few.
- Reduce cocoa- To 1.5 tablespoon if you prefer a milder cocoa flavor.
Topping Options
- Whipped Creams- Whipped Cream, Chocolate Whipped Cream, or whipped coconut cream.
- Jams and preserves- Homemade Strawberry Jam, raspberry preserves, berry jam medley, and more.
- Dried fruit- Coconut flakes, bananas, and various berries.
- Sauces- Caramel Sauce, Hot Fudge Sauce, Chocolate Ganache, or Nutella Syrup.
- Extra Chocolate- Chocolate shavings, crushed chocolate bars, chopped up candy bars, or chocolate chips.
- Chopped nuts- Peanuts, cashews, almonds, pecans, or walnuts.
- Butters- Almond butter, peanut butter, Biscoff cookie butter, Nutella or chocolate hazelnut butter.
- Fresh fruits- Strawberries, bananas, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, or even pineapple chunks.
- Warm fruit- Caramelized Bananas or Sauteed Cinnamon Apples on top to take it up to a whole other level.
- Spices- Cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or nutmeg can really enhance the overall flavor.
How to make easy chocolate chia seed pudding recipe from scratch?
- Whisk together- The first 3 ingredients (Image 1).
- Add cocoa powder- And whisk again until combined (Image 2).
- Leave the bowl out at room temperature- For about 15 minutes without stirring.
- Whisk everything together- One final time.
- Cover and chill- In the refrigerator overnight.
- Stir together- One last time before eating.
- Pour mixture- Into 2 small cups.
- Top it off- With all your desired toppings and enjoy!
Tips and tecniques
- Use unsweetened cocoa powder- Otherwise this will be too sweet and much less healthy.
- Don't use skim milk, evaporated milk or fat free milk- Because the final consistency will be too thin. I also don't recommend using sweetened condensed milk because it's too thick and makes the pudding too sweet.
- Don't use expired chia seeds- Because they do expire (I know people hang on to them for far too long) and won't set or gel. Therefore, the pudding won't have the right consistency.
- Don't skip the step of letting it rest- Don't mix it for 15 minutes and just leave it out on the counter, because this allows the the chia seeds to gel and gives it a great consistency.
- If pudding is too thick- You may have had a bit too many chia seeds, but you can add milk to thin it out.
- Don't add toppings until ready to serve- Otherwise they will get soggy, change the pudding consistency, and just not taste as good.
Recipe FAQs
First of all, you need to make sure your chia seeds are not expired. If that is not your problem, it is likely you didn't let the mixture rest. Be sure to let it sit 15 minutes before putting it in the fridge, because this is the time it really allows the seeds to expand and thicken.
It is likely you didn't allow the seeds to sit long enough. You need to let it rest, then place in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Another issue may have been that it wasn't mixed well enough. If the chia seeds don't get mixed and separated into the milk then they will stick to each other and not expand or get soft.
You need to put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but many people find it convenient to leave it in overnight so it's ready for breakfast in the morning.
Storage
- Make ahead- This is a great option to make a head for breakfast. Simply make it and place in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 2 days. Then, stir and enjoy!
- Room temperature- You don't want to leave this out for any long period of time, because the milk will go bad.
- Refrigerate- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Freeze- This is not recommended, because when thawed out the consistency changes.
More pudding recipes
- Rice Pudding
- Chocolate Pudding Pots
- Homemade Banana Pudding
- Halloween Pudding Cups
- Coconut Rice Pudding
Recipe
Easy Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
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Ingredients
- 1 cup Milk Can use whole or 2% or full fat dairy free alternatives.
- ¼ cup Chia seeds
- 2 tablespoon Maple syrup Can replace with honey.
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon Cocoa powder Can reduce to 1.5 tablespoon if you prefer a milder cocoa flavor.
- ½ cup Homemade whipped cream Optional.
Instructions
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together milk, chia seeds, maple syrup, vanilla extract until roughly combined.
- Add cocoa powder and whisk again until combined.
- Leave the bowl out at room temperature for about 15 minutes without stirring. This allows the the chia seeds to gel.
- Whisk everything one final time.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight or at least 4 hours.
- Stir together to combine ingredients one last time.
- Pour mixture evenly in 2 small jars or cups.
- Top off with a big spoonful of whipped cream and chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips. Enjoy.
Notes
- Other sweeteners you can try include honey, granulated sugar, brown sugar, agave syrup.
- Don't use skim milk, evaporated milk or fat free milk because the final consistency will be too thin. I also don't recommend using sweetened condensed milk because it's too thick and makes the pudding too sweet.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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