Chocolate Chia Pudding Recipe – Healthy Breakfast Or Dessert!

Thick, rich, chocolatey, and completely delicious, this healthy chocolate chia pudding recipe is quick to whip up in minutes!

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Why you’ll love this chocolate chia pudding

Nutrition packed. Each spoonful tastes like a decadent dessert, and it’s packed with calcium, iron, fiber, and protein at the same time.

Easy to make. You need just four ingredients for this creamy chocolate pudding.

Grab and go. Meal prep a big batch overnight, and take one from the fridge each day during the week, for an instant breakfast or anytime snack.

Customizable recipe. Craving chocolate peanut butter? Or smooth coconut? This simple chia base gives you unlimited add ins and topping options to make the recipe your own.

Readers also love this Healthy Chocolate Cake

Vegan Chocolate Chia Pudding Ingredients

Key ingredients

Chia seeds – Superfood chia seeds offer an array of vitamins and nutrition. You can often buy them in the baking aisle of regular grocery stores, as well as health food shops and online.

Cocoa powder – For optimum chocolatey flavor, use high quality unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao powder. Or swap out the cocoa for an equal amount of chocolate protein powder.

Milk of choice – My two favorite milk options in this chia recipe are creamy coconut milk or almond milk. Pretty much any milk will work, including nondairy milks to create a vegan chocolate chia pudding.

If you want a thicker chia pudding with higher protein, substitute up to half of the milk with regular, nondairy, or Greek yogurt.

Maple syrup – Sweeten the pudding with pure maple syrup or your go-to all purpose sweetener. Other options you may use include honey, agave, coconut sugar, or stevia or erythritol for a keto and sugar free chia pudding.

Vanilla extract – An optional fourth teaspoon of pure vanilla extract perfectly compliments the chocolate taste. Omit this ingredient if using vanilla milk.

Salt – Adding a pinch of salt is also optional, but I recommend it for depth of flavor.

Step by step recipe video

How to make the best chocolate chia pudding

Gather all of your ingredients, as well as two mason jars or a lidded container.
Add the milk, chia seeds, cocoa powder, sweetener, optional vanilla extract, and salt to a bowl or directly into the container.
Use a wire whisk or a fork to stir ingredients well.
If you prefer smooth, blended chocolate chia pudding, blend the mixture in a single serving blender or with a hand blender until smooth.
Transfer to the jars, if using. Cover and refrigerate until thick, which takes around eight hours or overnight. (You can eat the recipe immediately if you do not wish to wait.)
Serve cold, with toppings of choice. Or gently warm up in a saucepan or microwave.
Refrigerated, leftovers should keep for up to five days. The chia pudding can also be frozen and thawed before enjoying.

Chocolate chia pudding recipe variations

Mocha. Add a fourth teaspoon of instant coffee granules, or substitute strong brewed coffee or espresso for one fourth cup of the milk.

Nutella. Stir two tablespoons jarred or Homemade Nutella in when you add the milk.

Mint Chocolate. Add a fourth teaspoon of pure peppermint extract along with the vanilla extract. Stir in a handful of raw cacao nibs or sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.

Peanut Butter. Stir in two tablespoons of peanut butter or powdered peanut butter. Garnish with chopped peanuts or sliced banana. This idea works with other nut or seed butters too.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry. Whisk in two tablespoons strawberry jam. Top with chocolate ganache or homemade Chocolate Covered Strawberries.

Other flavors. Try matcha, avocado, cherry, or almond butter and raspberry jam.

Chocolate chia breakfast parfait

If you want to be fancy, layer one third of the chocolate chia pudding in a parfait glass.

Add a layer of raspberry yogurt and optional sliced fruit of choice or granola.

Top with alternating layers of pudding and yogurt.

Finally, garnish your layered chia pudding parfait with chopped pistachios, sliced bananas, or shaved dark chocolate.

Sugar Free Chocolate Dessert Chia Pudding

Health benefits of chocolate chia seed pudding

High in iron, with omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and 25% of the daily value for both calcium and fiber.
Each thick, luxuriously creamy serving is just 100 calories.
The recipe can be dairy free, gluten free, egg free, soy free, high protein, nut free, oil free, keto diet and weight loss friendly, and vegan.
You get 6.5 grams protein per jar, or over 12 grams protein for the entire recipe.
Low carb if you use a sugar free sweetener, with only about one gram of net carbs.
Includes both hydrating chia seeds and antioxidant rich cocoa powder.

High Protein Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding (Vegan, Gluten Free)

The recipe was adapted from this Chia Pudding and my Vegan Chocolate Mousse.

1. Combine all ingredients in a container or medium bowl. Whisk well.
2. Or if you prefer smooth chocolate chia pudding, process with a small blender or immersion blender instead of whisking by hand.
3. Cover the container, or transfer to two mason jars and cover. Refrigerate overnight or until chilled and thick.
4. Add toppings of choice as desired.
5. Serve for a healthy breakfast, snack, or dessert. Enjoy!
6. Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to five days.