pudding

It’s been two years since I completed the dietary test that is the Whole 30 Challenge. And while I learned a lot from the experience and have toyed with the idea of attempting it again, most of the good habits and recipes I picked up have since fallen by the wayside.

There is one recipe, however, that I have made over and over again. Not necessarily in an attempt to be healthy, but because it’s delicious and happens to also be healthy!

And that is chia seed pudding.

I have made several varieties of chia seed pudding over the past two years. One that I have perfected and turn to over and over again is chocolate chia seed pudding.

This is hands down my favorite version because it absolutely tastes just like chocolate pudding. Except there is sugar, no dairy, and is chock-full of the superfood that is the chia seed!

How to Make It

And did I mention its SUPER easy to make? Maybe easier than real chocolate pudding?

Well, it is!

For this recipe, you will need some:

milk (whatever type of milk you prefer – almond, cashew, cow, etc.);
unsweetened cocoa powder;
salt, which will actually bring out the sweetness;
sweetener, such as honey, agave, maple syrup, sugar, or sugar substitute; and
chia seeds (obviously)

I also like to add a bit of coffee extract to my chocolate chia seed pudding because it really emphasizes the chocolate flavor. This is totally optional since I know not everyone has coffee extract on hand. But you could also add a couple drops of your morning espresso.

First, mix together the milk, cocoa, salt, and sweetener until mixture is nice and smooth.

Then, add all the chia seeds and mix them in until completely incorporated. Just make sure that they don’t fall all the way down to the bottom, as they will want to do.

Next, pour the mixture into individual jars.

Or don’t.

You can portion this out however you would like.

Then, pop the pudding into the fridge and wait.

Waiting is always the hardest part.

After a few hours (or ideally overnight) you will have a delicious chocolate chia seed pudding!

Now, for those of you who have not had chia seeds before or have not had chia seed pudding, I will warn you. The texture is a bit different. It’s actually a little bit like tapioca pudding or cottage cheese.

I don’t mind it in the least and I am pretty sensitive to weird textures. But it may take some getting used to for the chia seed virgins.

The sooner you do, the sooner you will have a wonderfully rich, healthy, chocolate dessert.

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Cinnamon Roll Chia Seed Pudding

Without fail, regardless of the diet, I will start craving things I would normally never eat just because it is now “off limits”. I am like a teenage girl when the boy she kinda likes starts ignoring her: OBSESSED.

Which is why breakfast was the hardest meal for me while I was on the Whole 30. I like my breakfast so sweet that it could be confused with dessert. I put up with eggs for a few weeks, but towards the end I had to indulge a little. Enter my cinnamon roll chia seed pudding. A creamy, sweet pudding with a touch of cinnamon and a butter-cinnamon swirl on top. Just enough sweetness to squash any cinnamon roll craving I was having.

If you aren’t familiar with chia seed pudding, its this the kinda funky, questionably looking, paleo-friendly dessert. Despite how it looks, it is an amazing substitute for things like yogurt, pudding, or ice cream. The chia seeds themselves just act as a thickening agent and all the flavor comes from whatever you soak them in. The resulting texture is almost exactly like pudding.

Making it is pretty easy, too. I use almond milk as my base, but coconut milk or cows milk would work too (if you are’t paleo). To the milk I add some honey for sweetness (a mashed banana works too), vanilla, and cinnamon then mix it all together. Once all the flavors are evenly mixed into the milk, I stir in the chai seeds. That’s pretty much all there is to it!

The pudding has to refrigerate overnight so the chia seeds can plump up and soak in all that flavor. Once it’s ready, just spoon it into a bowl and top with a little bit of ghee mixed with honey and cinnamon for that butter-cinnamon swirl that makes a cinnamon roll a cinnamon roll.

Cinnamon Roll Chia Pudding

For a little extra nutrition, I also like to top mine with some chopped pecans and blueberries. I always have frozen berries on hand, so that’s what I used. But any berry would be delicious!

Cinnamon Roll Chia Pudding

How about that for a healthy cinnamon roll substitute!

Enjoy!

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