A couple of years ago my mother-in-law (MIL) asked my to make her a healthy chocolate chia pudding recipe. Although it took some time, I now have one. My MIL loves that my recipes are the easiest out there, and this Chocolate Chia Pudding has only six ingredients –chia seeds, cacao powder, coconut milk, vanilla stevia, water, and salt.
I use stevia rather than maple syrup or honey as I am eating a lower-carb diet these days which has helped quite a bit in restoring my health. If you are not a fan of stevia feel free to use maple syrup or honey instead to sweeten this healthy dessert. I haven’t tried it myself so I’m not exactly sure how much sweetener you would need in place of the stevia. It would also depend on how sweet you like your desserts to be –I would guess a tablespoon or two would suffice.
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can full fat coconut milk, blended
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- 2 tablespoon cacao powder
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla stevia
- ⅛ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- Combine blended coconut milk, water, and chia seeds in a one quart mason jar and shake well
- Add cacao powder, stevia, and salt and shake well
- Refrigerate overnight to let chia seeds soften and absorb liquid
- Serve
For this recipe, it is important to blend the coconut milk prior to combining it with the other ingredients. This way you will have a smooth and creamy pudding, rather than one with little lumps of coconut milk in it.
If you’re not a chocolate lover try my regular chia pudding recipe.
Barbara says
I am not sure what I did wrong. I made this yesterday. when I checked it today, it was runny not at all a pudding texture. I used 1 can of regular coconut milk and I cup of water. Any suggestions? Should I try coconut cream instead of the coconut milk?
Elana says
Hi Barbara, thanks for your comment! I make this every week and it is incredible. I’m not sure why it didn’t set up for you. If you’d like it to be thicker I would leave out some of the water, but be careful as it could make the chia seeds somewhat binding. Too much fiber without liquid can be tough on the digestive system.
Marie Douville says
You probably found a tin of coconut milk that uses a gum to stop the fat from separating OR one of the “drink” products rather than a tin of coconut milk with 60% coconut and water. It should turn really thick and separate if you leave it in the fridge overnight (great for whipped topping).
Elana says
Thanks Marie!
Betsi says
Hello,Just starting a keko diet SO MY ON GOING QUESTION IS— How many carbs in a cup?? I love Chia seeds.love your site.
Elana says
Betsi, thanks for your comment! For more on that please go here:
https://elanaspantry.com/nutrition-information/
Have a great day!
Elana
Barbara says
Can I use coconut cream instead of coconut milk?
Elana says
Barbara, I haven’t tried that so not sure :-)
Sue says
Cream works fine for me if you didn’t already make it:)
Tammy says
This pudding is delicious! Another successful recipe! Thanks for sharing…
Elana says
Tammy, you’re very welcome! I’m so happy that this pudding was a success :-)
Alice says
I made this last night for today. Perfect balance of ingredients. I feel very spoiled enjoying pudding!
You are so kind and generous!
Elana says
Alice, thanks for your sweet comment! I’m so glad this was perfect!
Sue Schroeba says
Why do all the chia pudding recipes I see call for almond or coconut milk? Does actual milk not work with chia seeds?
Elana says
Hi Sue, thanks for your comment. I cannot digest dairy milk so I use coconut milk in this recipe :-)
Cynthia says
LOVE this recipe! But then what’s not to love with whole coconut milk? I can eat that by itself & it whips up do nicely with the chia seeds. I have used chia for years in smoothies, have seen & wanted to try a pudding recipe but just now finally getting around to it!
Thanks Elana! PS – I did not find I needed any sweetener & I even added more chocolate than the recipe.
Crazy but I have actually learned to love snacking on 100% cacao nibs or a piece of a bar…go keto!
Elana says
Thanks Cynthia! So glad you love this recipe :-)
Evalin says
Can you use regular stevia instead of vanilla stevia?
Elana says
Evalin, I think that will work.
Kathy says
Wow, Elana, you’ve done it again! I’ve been using a keto diet since June 7 when there was a suspicion I was in metastatic ovarian cancer recurrence. It was confirmed June 29 and I love the keto diet because not only is it helping me heal chemo side-effects from 2000/2001, I can feel a new freedom in my abdomen, I know it’s clearing tumors away. Cancer cells can only burn glucose, they cannot burn fat or ketones for energy so I’m starving them and going in for the kill with another 11 evidence-based strategies. I’m adding another two strategies this month. My goal is to heal myself and make surgery scheduled late August unnecessary. I haven’t had a dessert in a really long time, thanks for giving me a recipe to try tomorrow — I already have the ingredients in my pantry!
Elana says
Kathy, so glad to meet more people that are on the keto bandwagon. Good luck, my thoughts are with you all the way!
Pa says
Wow – could Kathy or someone please share evidence -based strategies?! That would be awesome!
Gail says
I tried this yummy recipe using Light Coconut Milk & it has half thickened. Should I have used full coconut milk?
Elana says
Gail, yes :-)
Michelle says
This is a perfect sugar-free dessert! I used carob powder in place of the cacao and it turned out marvelously! This is surely going to become a staple for me. I’m thinking of adding mint extract. There are lots of possibilities with this recipe. Thank you for sharing!!
Elana says
Michelle, so glad you liked it!
Douglas Beattie says
However, carob contains a substantial amount of sugar (sucrose, in fact). So if substituting carob note that net carbs including net fructose will be much higher.
Kerry green says
Is it ok to freeze this pudding??
Elana says
Kerry, I haven’t tried that so not sure.
Bridget says
Yumm pudding pops!!! I’m gonna try that.
Jordana says
Can I use cocoa powder instead?
Elana says
Hi Jordana, I think that would work.
Maria says
Omg, just finished whole30 (3rd time in three years) and really want to incorporate sweet treats that won’t lead down unhealthy road as in the past. I just made this and tried the flavor (I need to wait for the chia seeds to expand to actually eat it). It tasted exactly how I thought it would, heavenly chipcocolaty, creaminess. I do NOT like stevia so added about 1 tsp. Maple syrup. Thank you for helping others find a healthier lifestyle without forsaken flavor, richness and sweetness!
Laura says
So delicious – thank you! I added cinnamon to sweeten the pudding and found it was delicious just like that (no stevia or other sweetener).
Nancy @ I Made This Dish says
I’ve tried this recipe and it’s sooo good. Even my picky husband at first was skeptical about this sugar-free chocolate pudding. Once he tried a spoon, he wants a portion for himself now. Thanks for sharing, Elana! :)
johnberk says
I have to agree with your MIL that your recipes are extremely easy. I did not even have to go to buy ingredients, we had them all at home. I absolutely love your blog, it’s exceptional and very good quality, even compared to the professional food writers.
Sarah says
How many servings would this make?
Esta says
Is there a substitute for the coconut milk?
Maria says
Are you ok, Elana? Haven’t seen a post from you in a while.
sandra says
Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Hope Elana is o.k. Havent seen a post from her in a while
The Healthy Apple says
Yum, looks so delicious and I love that there’s only six ingredients!!
Ruth says
The beauty of this is that is raw as well as delicious and suitable for a Paleo diet – win, win, win! Including more raw food in your diet is a fantastic way to boast the nutrient content of your diet.
Sarah says
I’ve made this three times already! I’ve tried it with 3 tbsp of maple syrup, and with regular stevia. I added a tsp of vanilla to both. Also, I used almond milk instead of water as I’m a glutton for creaminess. Thanks Elana, for another simple, healthy, and delicious recipe!
Susscan K says
Once again you have another hit! This is amazing! Thank you so much for a creamy rich alternative! The stevia is just the right amount!
Jane says
Thanks for another great stevia-only sweetened recipe! I really appreciate these posts :)
Jayne Hewitt-Hood| The Coupon Cook says
I recently penned an article about the nutritious value of nuts and seeds and have searched for recipes for chia seeds. I tried this one this morning and it is absolutely HEAVENLY! I love it! I would love to feature this in the cost breakdown portion of my blog, with your permission, of course! Thank you for sharing this with us! Keep ’em coming!
jonireneez says
I doubled the amount of chia seeds, and added maple syrup. Otherwise I worried it would be runny… the results are FABULOUS.
Jamie Meade says
Mine is more like a smoothie. it didn’t set at all. :-(
Elana Amsterdam says
Jamie, I’ve reduced the water called for in the recipe so it is now thicker :-)
Tessa says
Turned out more like a chocolate milkshake than pudding, but excellent flavor! Thanks!
Elana Amsterdam says
Thanks Tessa! The recipe now uses only 1 cup water, thus more pudding-ish :-)
jennynic says
This was more like a drink/smoothie than a pudding. It did not set for me. Will try less water next time.
Elana Amsterdam says
Thanks Jenny! Because of your comment I retested the recipe, reducing the amount of water from 1 1/2 cups to 1 cup and it is now more pudding-like.
Laura ~ Raise Your Garden says
I agree! And if you’re Mother-In-Law asks you to do something….you do it!! Haha. Luckily, my mother-in-law is great =)
Petra says
I make it with coconut sugar. It’s great. You can put in whatever you want. It’s up to your imagination.
Kim says
Hi Petra, how much coconut sugar do you use?
Ally @OmNomAlly says
Chia puddings are the bomb :) Love that you used stevia, I find when using coconut milk that you don’t really need much sweetener at all as coconut has it’s only mildly sweet taste anyway. I’ve Pinned and bookmarked this page to show my husband, he’s been talking all morning about making some chia puddings today!
DamselflyDiary says
I made this last night so it could sit until today. I only had light coconut milk and so I reduced the water to 1 cup. I used part of the vanilla stevia and about 1 Tablespoon maple syrup.
When I checked on it today, it hadn’t really set properly. I was afraid of this because I was using light coconut milk. So, I added another 1/4 cup chia seeds and will let it sit again. That said, the flavor is nice – slightly coconutty, slightly chocolatey and just barely sweet.
I am going to try to go “sugar free” after Easter and this will be a nice dessert recipe.
Iva says
I am allergic to cacao. Can I use carob instead?
DamselflyDiary says
If they make carob powder, go for it. Recipes are about experimenting and making them your own.
I would think that for people that like cinnamon you could either add cinnamon to the recipe for a “Mexican Chocolate” taste, or simply omit the chocolate and add cinnamon to taste. Since you don’t cook this, it is easy to taste as you go.
Elana also has a non-chocolate chia pudding recipe on the site – look at the end of her post for this recipe where you will find the link.
Good luck!
Iva says
I made it with carob powder and it was amazing! Thank you!!!
Kathy says
Once again you have another hit! This is amazing! Thank you so much for a creamy rich alternative! The stevia is just the right amount!
Barbara says
I made this yesterday and just took a bite this morning. Heavenly! FYI – I substituted a hot chocolate mix I had for the cacao and truvia for the stevia, as I didn’t have the listed ingredients on hand, and added a touch of vanilla. Still turned out great!
kylie says
Hi there how much trivia did u use?
aspoonfulofnature says
this looks deliciouuuus :) yumm
https://aspoonfulofnature.wordpress.com/
Dt says
My question also….for those of us who don’t use stevia. Maybe 2 to maple syrup and little vanilla? Your insight is helpful. Thx
claire ryder says
I use date sugar or date syrup
Jess says
Is there an alternative to the vanilla stevia? I’d imagine vanilla and honey, but the stevia is such a small amount, I don’t want to mess-up the consistency!
Jess says
I meant to ask about amount specifically. How it goes when trying to do two things at once!
Leigh says
I am so grateful to you Elena for your sophisticated palette and recipes.They have made me feel sated, and excited about food in a time when I could have felt deprived of ‘normal’ food. This yummy pudding recipe has particularly made my tail wag. You have combined two things I love together: chocolate and creamy!
However, I’m picky about chewing on seeds. So I put my chia seeds in a spice mill first, then add all my ingredients to a VitaMix. Hello Chocolate Velvet! Then I tried coconut water instead of the 1 c water for extra flavor. When I first did this, I used some TJ’s new blend of coconut water with aloe vera juice I happened to have in the frig. It came out jelled and ready to eat right out of the VitaMix! With regular coconut water, however, you need to wait an hour or so in the frig for a smooth and velvety texture. Also tried the chocolate raspberry stevia and I am over the moon!