This rich chocolate chia pudding is smooth and delicious, plus it’s low carb, dairy free, & sugar free. So healthy, you can even have it for breakfast!
Chocolate Pudding. Yum.
But Chocolate Pudding that is good for you?
Hard to find. But this chia pudding really fits the bill.
I have fond memories of warm pudding (made from a mix – Ugh!) from when I was growing up. So it’s a comfort food that I love, but I needed to find a recipe that brought comfort to my whole self – not just my taste buds :-)!
What’s so great about this Chocolate Chia Pudding?
I am always looking recipes that meet these criteria:
- fast
- budget-friendly
- nutritious
- delicious
Well, here is one that is sure to please on all counts.
Partially because you can make it without sugar and partially because it’s main ingredient is —
Chia!
Chia is an amazing nutritional powerhouse that I only recently became acquainted with. So let me introduce you to my new-found nutritional buddy…
Here are some other great healthy budget-friendly recipes.
Homemade Almond Joy
Chocolate Almond Chip Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Amazing Bean Fudge
Homemade “Jello”
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Benefits of Chia
Like I mentioned in my post on another great chia dessert, Dairy-Free Berry Mousse, just 2 tablespoons of chia makes the medicine go -er – ahem – has:
- 4 grams of complete protein
- 4.5 grams of omega 3 oils
- 5.5 grams fiber
- 9% RDA calcium
- 7% RDA iron
And it is super filling.
Save Money
Extra bonus – this recipe is so frugal. If you make your own milk alternative you really save a bundle.
Have you ever looked at the price of those teensy boxes of “pudding mix” in the stores? Ugh.
And for what – just sugar and artificial flavors and colors. They don’t even include the milk!
Like I always, say, help our your health and your wallet at the same time and make it yourself!
Where to Buy Chia
Try your local health food store, or online. Amazon has a nice price — Nutiva is quite good.
So here is another great way to get good nutrition into you and your family, without taking a lot of work.
I am sure you are going to love this chocolate chia pudding. My family wolfed down all of my kitchen tested versions in a flash this morning. So I would recommend making a double or triple batch!
Recipe Notes and Substitutions for this Chocolate Chia Pudding
- Vitamix:
This pudding gets pretty thick. My Vitamix handled it easily and I am sure my totally wonderful professional food processor – I heard they are discontinuing it, or I’d recommend it to you 🙁 – would work great. Just be careful not to overheat your machine. :-)! - Coconut Milk:
My Easiest Coconut Milk is a great make-your-own option for coconut milk. You can use any dairy-free milk or regular milk instead of coconut milk. Anything will work, including my Easiest Almond Milk. - Stevia:
It is really important to choose a good quality stevia so that you avoid the bitter aftertaste as much as possible. I like NuNaturals currently, but plan to try SweetLeaf soon – their SweetLeaf liquid stevia flavors are great!
See How to Use Stevia for more information on stevia. Here is a great brand of stevia scoops. You can also substitute approx. 1/4 cup of an acceptable sweetener, to taste. - Sweeteners:
Xylitol, while not technically a real food, is one of the only alternatives appropriate for those with conditions like diabetes or candida. Any healthy sweetener can be substituted for it, though. Stevia alone can work and is a great option, but typically stevia alone leaves an “icky” taste. Mixing a variety of alternative sweeteners together gives a cleaner – i.e. yummier 🙂 – taste. If you choose to use xylitol, you might wish to purchase a xylitol that is not made in China.Other alternatives would be coconut sugar or Lakanto, or maple syrup or honey.Monk fruit is another popular low glycemic sweetener that is considered to be a whole food. - Carob:
You can use organic carob powder instead of cocoa to avoid the stimulants in cocoa. - THM:
This recipe will fit in as an “S” for those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan.
Now – on to the recipe!
Rich Chocolate Chia Pudding ~ dairy free, low carb, paleo
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups coconut milk
- 1/2 cup chia seeds (white or black)
- 6 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/16 tsp stevia extract powder (2 scoops)
- 1/8 cup xylitol (see recipe notes for alternatives)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor (UPDATE: if you have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, you can just process the whole thing in there. If not, thanks to my friend, Ricki Heller, I have a tip. Grind the chia seeds first and then blend everything together.)
- Mix thoroughly until ultra smooth.
- Pour mixture into a storage container, preferably glass.
- Store in the fridge (if you have any left).
- Top with coconut, chopped nuts (preferably soaked and dehydrated), Homemade Chocolate Chips -- you name it!
Nutrition
You can have your sweets and your keep your health too!
What would you top your chocolate chia pudding with?
Are chia seeds better for you if you soak them first? The recipe looks delicious!
You do not have to soak chia seeds. They do not have phytates. Enjoy. Did you see this one? https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/chocolate-peanut-butter-chia-pudding/ 🙂
Very good turned out delicious !
So glad to hear it! We love it too!
Xylitol occurs naturally in some foods. It’s no less “real” than butter or kefir is.
I agree – I guess folks have an issue b/c of the processing and the digestive upset that some experience.
I have been reading about zero calorie, healthy sweeteners and wondered if you have seen this one. https://www.lakanto.com, it is a monk fruit zero calories sweetener. It is so hard to sort it all out. I was reading all of the info about the reformulation of the stevia you recommend and trying to figure out what is good.
Thanks for all of your help.
Hi there. Yes, I have seen that. I think it’s a good sweetener and I trust Donna Gates. It’s pricey though. I think I should work on a DIY version :).
2 questions and I’m sorry if it’s up there already and I didn’t see it.
How many carbs per cup?
Has anyone tried this in a ninja?
Hi there. Sorry but I don’t provide nutritional info since I always have substitutions in my recipes and it would be too hard to do it for all the options. I haven’t tried it in a Ninja – maybe someone else has?
I LOVE your recipes, and print many to keep in a notebook. However, is there a way to add the picture of the recipe to the printable file so I can have the picture to go with each recipe. Thanks for all you do for us low carbers.
Hi Sharon. Thanks for the suggestion – we’ll see if we can do that. We’ve been looking at a different way to do recipes – I think one person didn’t want this b/c it used more ink but I think it would be useful – thanks!
Hi Sharon!
Just wanted to drop by and say we are working on this as I type. A few of the recipes are done — it’s a work in progress, but hopefully this helps! Here’s one so you can see….https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/cream-soup-recipe-dairy-free-soup-cream-vegetable-soup/
I got my Vitamix today! I may just have to try this for hubby!
Yea – hope he likes it. You’re going to LOVE your machine!
Doesn’t erythritol function the same as xylitol for blood sugar control without the possibility of digestive upset?
It is my understanding that xylitol has a glycemic index of 7 and erythritol’s is zero. Typically folks have more digestive upset w/ xylitol than erythritol.
I am not understanding the stevia ingredient. It says extract powder? Can I use liquid?if so how much?
1 scoop is supposed to be 1/8 tsp liquid but I think you really need to do it by taste. :).
This and lots of others look so delicious! I’m going to have to put a big hunk of time on my schedule to come back and look through your recipes. I think we’re in a similar boat. Thanks for posting and saving me the work of figuring things out for myself. ;D
Thanks!
Hi, thanks for all the hard work you do putting these together…love reading your posts. Just made this in my Cuisinart. Processed the seeds for at least a minute and then combined sea salt, vanilla, organic dutch cocoa, NuStevia pure stevia extract, Erythritol and unsweetened Almond milk. Processed for a minute or two….almost consistency of pudding, tastes JUST LIKE CHOCO PUDDING, BUT…..mine has lots of chia “seeds”. I don’t know how much more this could be processed and a Cuisinart HAS to be better than a blender??? Wish I had a Vitamix!!!
Hmmm…could you grind the chia seeds first and then make the pudding?
would i be able to replace the xylitol/stevia with raw honey instead? if so, how much should i use?
thx!!
Yes – check out my post on substituting sweeteners and my post on stevia. Just use the search bar :).
Check out WHEY LOW sugar alternative. Very diabetic friendly.
Hi I made this last night and for some reason it never set!! We ended up drinking it this morning! Which was a yummy way to start the day but I was looking forward to eating it. I used milled chia as that is what I have at home, could this have been the reason why it never set? And how long are you suppose to blend for? Great to have alternative desserts to give to smalles n grown ups alike. Thanks for sharing.
Odd. Sorry about that. I used whole chia – perhaps that is the reason? I used milled the other day to make another chia and it seemed to need more to set.
I was wondering if you have tried this with agave and the result?
I haven’t but I am sure it will work.
Thanks for the great idea! I just blended 2 1/2 cups of silk dark chocolate almond milk with 1/2 cup chia seeds. It doesn’t get much easier!
yum!!!
I am a new Vitamix owner. How long do you need to blend and at what speed to get it completely smooth? I just made it. It tastes great, but it still has a little chia texture.
I just blend it until it is smooth – I’ve never calculated it. Just try for maybe 1 minute on high – and keep blending until you get what you want – let me know!
We are eating this for dessert tonight and it is SO good! I didn’t have any stevia, so I just used 1/4 cup of coconut sugar, but I really didn’t want to add any more, so I tossed a ripe banana in and sprinkled with some cocoa nibs. Yum!
Nice ideas – sounds great!
Can you use an alternative to xylitol?? like agave or honey??
Of course. Whatever you think is the best choice for you! Enjoy!
So I finally tried this again tonight and it still didn’t work in my Kitchen Aid food Processor 🙁 I did the whole amount and I let it run for probably 10 min total. Oh to have a vitamix!
Oh shoot. Here’s an intermediary idea….grind the chia first and then make the pudding. But get a Vitamix :). I’m trying to get a giveaway. Trying…..