This quick chocolate chia pudding recipe is ready in a flash and with simple ingredients you have in your pantry! It's:
Ready in 5 - 10 Minutes
Rich, Chocolatey, & Just Sweet Enough
Thick Enough To Enjoy Right Away
And Bursting With Protein!
The Protein Source
Chia seeds!
These mighty little seeds are a fantastic ingredient we always have in our pantry. They swell up when they are submerged in liquid which means they are a fantastic quick thickener and perfect for instant pudding!
Chia seeds are packed with nutrition. If you're new to using chia seeds and interested in the health benefits click on this Healthline article: 11 Proven Health Benefits of Chia Seeds.
The Other Ingredients
I've found that most chocolate chia pudding recipes are made chocolatey by cocoa powder and cocoa powder alone.
But... most of us have chocolate chips in our pantry right?
Why not cut down the unsweetened cocoa powder and add in the smooth chocolatey flavour from dark chocolate chips! So for this recipe I take an extra minute to melt chocolate chips in my milk and it makes all the difference!
- Soy Milk (or plant milk of choice... shelf stable and pantry friendly!)
- Dark Chocolate Chips
- Chia Seeds
- Cocoa Powder
- Maple Syrup
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
- And A Dash Of Vanilla Extract are all you need!
How To Make This Quick Chocolate Pudding Recipe
- To start, melt your chocolate chips in your soy milk.
- Heat your milk over low heat on the stovetop until just warm and whisk in the chocolate chips until melted OR heat in the microwave in 20 second increments until your milk is just warm enough.
- Add the warmed chocolatey milk to your blender and add the chia seeds.
- Blend for 30 seconds or until the chia seeds are noticeably broken down.
- Add the cocoa powder, maple syrup, sea salt, and vanilla to the blender.
- Blend again until evenly mixed.
- Enjoy immediately OR refrigerate for at least 2 hours to chill and thicken even more!
*Since this is a chia pudding it will not have a completely smooth texture. Even using pre-ground chia seeds will result in a bit of a seedy texture. If you're like me and you don't have a super high powered blender; I have found that using an immersion blender for a second blend results in a smoother texture.
BUT if you don't mind a bit of texture to your pudding and/or don't have access to a blender... you can skip the blending all together!
Make It Timelier And Skip The Blending
- Sift your cocoa powder in a medium sized mixing bowl so you minimize any clumping.
- Pour in your heated milk with the melted chocolate chips and whisk to combine.
- Add the maple syrup, sea salt, and vanilla. Whisk again.
- Then stir in the whole or ground chia seeds.
- And voila! Enjoy immediately or refrigerate to chill and thicken even more.
Recipe Cost
This quick chocolate chia pudding recipe costs us approximately: CAD $2.63 for 2 180 g servings which is nearly double the size of a traditional store-bought pudding cup.
If we were to buy pudding cups from our local grocery store the price ranges from about CAD $0.55/100g - $0.75/100g. This recipe at $0.73/100g is therefore quite comparable and packs an added boost of protein and nutrition from the chia seeds!
Let us know in the comments below if you make this quick chocolate chia pudding and how you top it! We love making it fancy with our Fluffiest 5 Minute Whipped Cream and some fresh strawberries!
If you like this recipe, try using your chia seeds in our Fluffy Chia Chip Pancakes!
Quick Chocolate Chia Pudding Recipe
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 360 grams (at least 2 serves) 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This quick chocolate pudding recipe is ready in 5-10 minutes with simple ingredients from your pantry! Dairy free & protein packed!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup soy milk (or plant milk of choice)
- 2 tbsp chocolate chips, dairy-free
- 4 tbsp chia seeds (pre-ground if desired for a smoother texture)
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 - 3 tablespoon maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
- Pinch of sea salt
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
*All the ingredients for this recipe are from our pantry tips!
Instructions
- Start by melting your chocolate chips in the soy milk either in the microwave or over low heat on your stovetop. If melting in the microwave, heat in increments of 20 seconds or so. Take the bowl out, stir, and return to the microwave if needed. Once your chocolate chips are mostly melted you can move on to the next step (you don’t want the milk to boil so don’t overheat the milk). Likewise, for the stovetop method, heat the milk over low heat until just warm enough to whisk the chocolate chips until melted. If you see steam rising from your milk take it off the heat so it doesn't boil.
- If using a standup blender, pour the milk with your melted chocolate chips into your blender and then pour in the chia seeds. Blend for 30 seconds or so until the chia seeds are noticeably broken down (I find if you add the chia seeds first you may get some clumping at the bottom of the blender and it's best to start blending as soon after adding the chia seeds as you can since they will sink through the milk and want to gel together).
- Then add your cocoa powder, maple syrup, pinch of salt and vanilla to the blender.
- Blend it all together until your desired consistency is reached.
- Depending on the power of your blender you may get a smoother texture using an immersion blender. (Using ground chia seeds will make the blending even quicker).
- If you don’t have access to a blender, enjoy this as a chunkier chia seed pudding and keep the seeds whole. Sift your cocoa powder into a medium mixing bowl to minimize any clumping, pour in your warmed milk with the melted chocolate chips. Whisk. Add the maple syrup, salt, and vanilla. Whisk again until combined. Then stir in your whole or ground chia seeds.
- Chia pudding will thicken right away so you can enjoy your pudding immediately or refrigerate for at least 2 hours to chill and thicken even more.
- Keeps well for 4-5 days in your fridge. Top with fresh berries, coconut whipped cream, or however you desire!
Notes
Cost Comparison: CAD $2.63 for two 180 gram servings ($0.73/100g) vs. store-bought pudding cups at about $0.55 - $0.75/100g. And usually at least CAD $3.50 per serving if chia pudding cups are purchased out.
If you have a spice grinder or mortar and pestle you can grind the chia seeds before your start and it will decrease the amount of time you need to blend the pudding. Or you can try and find pre-ground chia seeds at your local bulk store. *Even with pre-ground chia seeds this pudding will not have a completely smooth texture.
Feel free to experiment with any flavourings you’d like! Sub the vanilla for peppermint extract, try adding a bit of peanut butter, even try blending in some raspberries. If you give these a try let me know in the comments below how they work out!
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American, Canadian
Debbi
a five star rating in this house, we topped it with some raspberries, nuts and seeds plus a dollop of aqua faba whip cream ..a beautiful dessert
Kathryn Alexandre
Oh awesome! Thank you for letting us know that you loved it and thank you for the 5 stars! I've never made aquafaba whipped cream. I usually make mine from coconut cream so I'll have to give aquafaba a try! I'm so glad this one was a hit!