Coconut Chia Seed Pudding is a thick, creamy vegan dessert recipe that only takes 5 minutes to prepare and only 5 ingredients are needed!
When it comes to food trends, I tend to be pretty stubborn (says the girl who’s writing a cookbook on kale. PAH!).
I resist, give the cold shoulder, and ultimately I end up caving because it’s lonely being a black sheep. Plus, I get hungry.
Up until a few days ago, I ignored chia seed pudding like it was the annoying kid in class who constantly had his/her hand raised.
I assumed (incorrectly) that chia pudding would require a time investment with a lot of milk-boiling and yolk-tempering.
I imagined it would be just another insulin spike and sugar coma walk down food addiction lane.
So what, who cares, no big deal, was my take.
The fact that I was spotting chia seed puddings all over the intraverse made me mistrust its validity when the whole time, I should have been swaddling it in my warm, welcome embrace.
Well, great news for all us folks that enjoy short ingredient lists and 30 second prep times: There’s no boiling or egg tempering required and chia seed pudding is GREAT for you (provided you use healthful milks and natural sweeteners versus cane sugar).
All I did was mix almond milk, coconut milk, and chia seeds together in a jar and stick it in the refrigerator overnight.
What came out was a thick, rich pudding similar to tapioca, that I felt absolutely no shame over eating for breakfast.
The first batch I made, I didn’t add a sweetener and simply diced up a ripe mango to mix in. What happened next was I felt like I had cheated the system.
The whole system. There I was, enjoying a decadent treat that took half a minute to make, which had zero refined sugar and was nothing but healthful. This is my bliss.
Coldplay should be playing right now as background music.
I love you, my chia pet.
So what’s the deal with chia seeds? Other than the fact that they make a delicious, tapioca-like consistency when soaked in liquid, they have mondo health benefits.
Chia seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, minerals, are an anti-inflammatory, can lower blood sugar, and can be used as an egg replacer in vegan cooking and baking.
Plus, they are digestible in their whole form, which means they don’t need to be ground up in order to reap the benefits.
Where do you find chia seeds? You can purchase chia seeds from any natural food store, most grocery stores, and online.
Oh chia…I want to gaze lovingly at you and put you on my windowsill.
More Chia Pudding Recipes:
- Maple Chia Pudding with Caramelized Figs
- Keto Chia Pudding
- Banana Chia Pudding
- Pumpkin Spice Chia Seed Pudding
Coconut Chia Seed Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1.5 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 2 to 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup optional
- ½ cup chia seeds
- 1 ripe mango peeled and diced
Instructions
- Combine the milks and agave in a jar and stir well with a spoon (or put the lid on and shake the jar. That’s the more fun way of going about this). Note: If your coconut milk is cold and separated, it will need to be stirred well to combine the water and flesh.
- Add the chia seeds and shake with the lid on (or stir).
- Refrigerate the overnight (at least 6 hours).
Nutrition
Yum I love chia seed pudding! Never made it with coconut milk but I can imagine it would make it ultra luscious and creamy 🙂
Now, what can you tell me about the texture here? Are the seeds chewy? Slimy? Smushy? I tend to avoid bubble tea places because the bubble thingies weird me out, which is kind of what I’m reminded of here, but if this is healthy I don’t want to totally discount it…Also, we all know how I love coconut, so I’m totally on that bandwagon…Hmmmmmmmm…enlighten me, darling friend!
Imagine tapioca texture but with smaller balls…let me take a second to giggle…okay, back to my explanation. So, smaller balls that are slightly harder than tapioca balls. There is a slight gooey-ness, but for the most part, it is thick and creamy. The chia seeds totally get stuck in your teeth…flossing after consumption is recommended 😉 Honestly, if you’re a texture person, you may not like the pudding 🙁
I HATE tapioca bubble like those in the bubble tea. The gross, slimy feeling like you’re swallowing partially melted plastic balls. YUK.
However, I just finished my first bowl of this, and will be eating more. I do think having some fruit (I had pineapple) on top helps cut the texture, but the “bubbles” are so much smaller that, until one gets stuck i your teeth, I really didn’t notice it much.
Ok. I’m going to have to try this. I haven’t heard about the chia pudding thing. I have all of the ingredients on hand, so maybe for this weekend. Lord knows I need to detox myself from eating so much of Stephie’s peach ice cream. 🙂
UGH, peach ice cream sounds amazing! Definitely try it! Worst case scenario, if you don’t enjoy it, you can add it to oatmeal or bake it into a muffin! 🙂
I have been seeing a lot of chia puddings too…but none as pretty as this! I may need to jump on the bandwagon myself! I love the bright mango on top. Just lovely!
I’d probably play with mine and wiggle it around for a good 10 minutes before eating it. Just being honest! Looks delicious!
It took me a while to embrace the whole chia seed pudding too, but now it’s one of my favorite desserts. 🙂 Adding mango sounds perfect!
Welcome to the Chia Seed Lovers Club! I recently discovered them and I feel a little like, “where WERE you my whole life!?” I love finding new ways to use chia seeds- your version here with coconut milk is def one I’m gonna have to try.
I’m glad you said it bc I’ve been thinking it for months….I always feel like I’m getting away with something when I eat chia pudding. Such a great dessert and actually good for you….best win-win ever!
This post makes me so happy because I too have been giving the chia pudding the stink-eye! Now that I know it doesn’t require a crazy amount of time to make, I am diving in! Love the coconut addition:)
I’m totally with you on the food trends. I’ve been seeing chia pudding around and haven’t given it a try yet. Your photos and ingredients make this look irresistible!
Despite my love of chia seeds, I’ve never made a chia seed pudding! Yours looks beautiful and I think you may have just roped me into it (once I’m done with this stupid juice fast — talk about jumping on the trendy food band wagon!)
I bought some Chia seeds but have only been using them in oatmeal. I wasn’t really sure what else to use them in.. but now I know I’m going to be making this pudding! Thanks!
ha! I react the same way to food trends, one eyebrow perpetually raised 😉 But I’m usually the crazy one for not trying it. You always make these things so accessible! I love that. I’m going to have to put chia pudding on my to do list now. PS. Are chia seeds easy to find?
Exactly – once we finally get around to sampling the in-style food, we realize what we have been missing the whole time. Chia seeds are pretty easy to get ahold of – you can get them at any natural food store or a regular grocery store that carries Bob’s Red Mill’s products (the ones I used are BRM 🙂 You can also get them online cheaper than grocery stores! 🙂 I’m glad you asked because I’m sure other readers have the same question!
I’m a huge fan of chia pudding in all its gooey glory. I’m obsessed with your pictures, too! Everything is better with coconut, in my opinion. I bet making this with coconut milk makes it super decadent!
Yeah, I have never done any kind of chia seed pudding or chia seed anything for that matter! I like chia seeds, but never use them. Thanks for reminding me about them. This looks awesome and so easy too!
Gorgeous! Welcome to the chia pudding bandwagon! It’s nice up here, huh?