Texture and consistency are huge components of how enjoyable a certain food is to an individual. Every time I’ve tried a chia pudding recipe, I couldn’t get past the gelatinous chia “pearls”… no matter how delicious the flavor of the combined ingredients. I really wanted to love everything about chia pudding given its health benefits, but I just couldn’t enjoy it the way I was preparing it.
So when I started seeing blended chia pudding recipes, my hopes soared. All of the perks of chia seeds in a creamy, smooth pudding? Sign me up.
The key is to soak the chia seeds in liquid for an extended period of time before blending. For the quickest clean-up, soak the chia seeds right in your blender container; then all you need to do is pop it on the base, add the remaining ingredients, and blend away.
The resulting consistency is perfectly smooth & creamy: exactly what I want for pudding.
This particular chia pudding features the classic flavor combination of coffee & chocolate, and is sweetened only with Medjool dates (with the option of enhanced sweetness from maple syrup or honey). You can enjoy it for breakfast, a snack, or dessert. You can top the pudding with whatever you’d like; photographed here are chocolate shavings and cacao nibs.
I already have another flavor in the works!
Smooth & Creamy Mocha Chia Pudding
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Keywords: blender breakfast dessert snack vegan chocolate pudding
Ingredients (4 servings)
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk + more, if necessary
- 1/2 cup brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature
- 1/2 cup tightly packed pitted soft Medjool dates (for me, it was 6 dates)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp instant espresso powder
- pure maple syrup or honey to taste, if desired
- shaved dark chocolate with espresso beans and/or cacao nibs, for serving, optional
Instructions
Combine chia seeds, 1 1/2 cups almond milk, coffee, and pitted dates in a large bowl or blender container; stir. Refrigerate at least 8 hours, or overnight.
Blend the chilled ingredients until smooth.
Add in the cocoa powder, vanilla, and espresso powder. Blend until very smooth.
Stream in extra almond milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, to reach desired consistency. If the pudding isn’t quite sweet enough for your taste, add liquid sweetener, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired sweetness is reached.
For optimal results, chill finished pudding in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.
