So I’ve been wanting to make chia pudding forEVER.
I mean, what’s not to love about rich, dark chocolate, high-protein chia seeds, and sweet dates? Plus, I love how easy it is to make – and to have these babies waiting for you in the fridge the next morning is as good as it gets.
Because I’ve been trying to stay away from processed sugars like granulated white sugar or brown sugar (see this post for more on that), I’ve been enjoying finding new ways to sweeten my food. Easy, healthy, and unprocessed sweeteners like real maple syrup and honey are great, but I wanted an ever richer, sweeter option for this chocolate chia pudding.
So, I chose dates. Dates are an amazing sweeter and have such a luscious, thick, and creamy texture when you puree them. They give the chia pudding a rich depth of flavor like no other.
That being said, if you don’t have access to dates (or a blender to puree them), you could easily get by with maple syrup or honey.
So, originally, I made this overnight chocolate chia pudding to have as a healthy breakfast. But, it’s also a delicious dessert or high protein snack. It just gets better with time, too – so I highly recommend using airtight containers for individual portions.
To serve, I made a quick topping with plain greek yogurt and maple syrup and tossed in a few fresh raspberries. Not only is it beautiful and vibrant, it’s delicious and healthy.
Chocolate Chia Pudding
A real winner of a healthy recipe, if you ask me, and I’m soooo glad I finally got around to making them!
- For The Pudding:
- 1½ cups original almond milk
- 6 dates, pitted
- ⅓ cup black chia seeds
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- For The Topping:
- 2 tbsp. plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp. real maple syrup
- Optional: fresh raspberries and/or mint leaves, for garnish
- Add the milk and dates to a blender and puree until smooth.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combined the blended mixture with the chia seeds, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
- Cover the mixing bowl with saran wrap or (more preferably) pour into 4 individually-sized air-tight containers and place in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 5-6 hours, to allow the chia seeds to absorb the liquid.
- When ready to eat, make the topping by combining the greek yogurt and maple syrup in a small mixing bowl.
- Place a dollop of the topping on each serving and garnish with fresh raspberries and mint leaves, if desired.
This post was last updated on November 27, 2015 to include a recipe video.
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