This Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding is creamy, full of chocolate flavor, and made without refined sugar. Enjoy this healthy treat for breakfast or dessert for a guilt-free chocolate treat.
Chocolate chia seed pudding may just be the key to breaking my sugar cravings. For the past few weeks, I have been trying to break some bad habits where I basically reach for a piece of chocolate after every meal. It's a bad habit I started a few years back. My roommate at the time always had a sweet treat after lunch and dinner and I happily jumped on board. And now that I want to eat cleaner, this habit is getting in the way.
Rather than go cold turkey, I am working on replacing my candy with healthier options like this chocolate chia pudding. It's got everything I crave in a sweet treat but is actually super good for you. Chia seeds are packed with fiber, protein, and healthy fats. They are a nutritional powerhouse and are a great way to start the day off full of energy or recover after a workout.
Additionally now that it is hot in the morning, I love that this is a cool breakfast option. It's delicious on a hot day, especially when you load it up with fresh fruit. I use frozen fruit as well when I know I won't eat it right away. It helps keep the pudding cold until I get to it.
Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding Variations
- Keto: For a keto chocolate chia pudding, you will want to use full-fat Greek yogurt and swap the maple syrup for Stevia or another no-calorie sweetener. You can also swap out the milk for whole milk or canned coconut milk.
- Greek Yogurt: This recipe is for chocolate chia seed pudding with Greek yogurt. To mix things up, consider using a coconut or vanilla Greek yogurt. I also like it with berry flavored Greek yogurt and it is amazing with coffee flavored yogurt if you can find it. Regular yogurt works fine as well.
- Coconut Milk: This chia seed pudding can be made with either canned coconut milk or the refrigerated coconut milk. Refrigerated coconut milk is similar to almond milk in terms of calories and consistency. If you make a coconut milk chocolate chia seed pudding with the canned milk, it will come out much thicker and with a more pronounced coconut flavor. It will also be higher in fat and calories.
- Almond Milk: Almond milk chocolate chia pudding is a great dairy-free option if you choose a dairy-free yogurt as well. You can also leave the yogurt out completely. You can use either an unsweetened or sweetened almond milk and the flavored options work great as well.
- Quick and Easy: If you don't want to wait around for the chia seed pudding to set, throw everything into a blender. Then just let it sit for about 10 minutes to thicken. This also is a great way to create a smooth pudding if you don't like the tapioca style texture of chia seeds. Consider adding some avocado as well for an extra creamy pudding.
- Protein-packed: Add your favorite protein powder to the mix as well. If you are using a chocolate protein powder, you may not need any cocoa powder. You also may not need added sweetener if the protein powder contains sweetener. You can also add peanut butter or almond butter to the pudding directly or on top.
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