If you love chocolate and you love pudding, this chocolate chia seed pudding is for you. It's a great sweet treat that will satisfy your chocolate cravings while providing some nutritional benefit! This recipe only requires 5 ingredients - chia seeds, a milk of your choice, chocolate protein powder, vanilla extract, and a sweetener of your choice. Once mixed together and left in the fridge overnight, the chia seeds soak up most of the milk, forming a thick and creamy pudding-like texture. The chocolate protein adds protein (obviously) but also a sweet, chocolatey flavor. This chocolate chia seed pudding will be one of your new favorite desserts that requires little preparation!
We gotta talk about texture
We have to warn you - chia seed pudding has a different texture to it. The seeds soak up the majority of the liquid, which causes them to soften. But a gelatinous "gel" forms around each seed, which will still have a slight crunch to it. This is how the "pudding" is formed! Chia seed pudding isn't silky smooth like traditional pudding because of the individual seeds. However, there is a trick to get it smoother if certain textures weird you out! Simply put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend on high for 1-2 minutes. Then let the mixture sit in the fridge overnight. Boom! You will have a smoother chia seed pudding 🙂
Our favorite way to eat this chia seed pudding is plain with a (heavy) drizzle of peanut butter or mixed in with plain Greek yogurt to add extra protein! This is a great meal prep recipe because you can make a big batch at once and eat it throughout the week as an easy grab-and-go breakfast.
Recipe FAQ
Each protein powder will have a different level of chocolate intensity. If you can't get enough of the rich chocolate flavor, add 1-2 tsp of unsweetened cocoa powder!
Whichever you prefer! This recipe will work with any type of milk, from cow's to almond to oat.
We use honey but any type will work! Keep in mind that more solid sweeteners (table sugar, brown sugar) may not be absorbed as well as liquid sweeteners, such as honey and real maple syrup.
Nope! It's all based on personal preference. If you want this pudding less sweet, decrease the amount of sweetener used or omit altogether. Sometimes protein powders can be pretty sweet on their own so you may not need sweetener!
Chia seed pudding does have a different texture to it. If you prefer a smoother pudding, blend all of the ingredients together in a blender for 1-2 minutes and that should crush up the seeds into a smoother texture!
Yes, it provides nutritional benefits that traditional chocolate pudding does not. However, "everything in moderation" is so true here! Scroll down to read more about the health benefits of this chocolate chia seed pudding 🙂
Health benefits & other flavor ideas
Chia seeds are full of fiber, omega 3 fats, and a small amount of protein. The combination of all of these nutrients make this chia pudding a satisfying snack! You can even decrease the amount of added sugar by omitting the sweetener and reading the nutrition facts label on your protein powder (remember to pick a third party tested protein powder - read more about that in this post!).
If you aren't a big chocolate fan, vanilla protein powder will work just as well! Or any flavor you prefer. We love adding peanut butter powder (you can leave this out of the recipe below if you'd prefer) to ours to give it a peanut butter cup vibe. You can mix in any nut butter, crushed nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, sliced banana, diced apple, etc. - the add-ins are limitless! If you try this recipe, please rate and review it below. We also love connecting on social media, so tag us @theperfectpear8 so we can see what you created!
Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
If you love chocolate and you love pudding, this chocolate chia seed pudding is for you. This recipe only requires 5 ingredients - chia seeds, a milk of your choice, chocolate protein powder, vanilla extract, and a sweetener of your choice. This chocolate chia seed pudding will be one of your new favorite desserts that requires little preparation!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 ½ cups 1x
- Category: Breakfast, Desserts, Snacks
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup milk of choice
- 3 ½ Tbsp chia seeds
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 1 tsp sweetener of choice
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter powder
Instructions
- In a mason jar or medium bowl, shake or whisk ingredients.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 3 hours.
- Add desired toppings & enjoy!
Notes
- Optional toppings: chocolate chips, sliced banana, crushed nuts, sliced almonds, drizzle of nut butter
- Keep in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup
- Calories: 171
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 140
- Fat: 7
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Unsaturated Fat: 6
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 15
- Fiber: 7
- Protein: 12
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: chocolate pudding, chia seed pudding, chia gel, chia seed gel, chia pudding, healthy dessert ideas, chia seed pudding recipe, chocolate pudding recipe, healthy snack ideas, healthy dessert recipes, dessert recipes, chocolate recipes
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