Easy, Low Carb, Rich Chocolate Chia Pudding

I make chia pudding every week and eat it either for breakfast or as a dessert. I've adjusted this recipe so that it's VERY chocolatey, which my kids really appreciate. This pudding is also very low carb, so you can enjoy it as part of a paleo, low carb, or any other healthy, sugar free diet.

My chocolate chia pudding is rich and creamy with a little crunch from the seeds.

Step 1: Ingredients

2 cups of any kind of low carb milk. For me, the best ones are soy milk or cashew milk. These are creamy but not high calorie. If you're not worried about the calories, you could also try half and half.

Optional splash of heavy cream.

Half a cup of Chia seeds.

Half a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder.

Six packets of Splenda or other non-sugar sweetener. (You can adjust the sweetness to know how you like it.)

Quarter teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Dash of salt.

Step 2: Assemble

You'll need a container with a leak proof lid. I use glass Rubbermaid containers. It will need to hold 4 cups.

Put everything your container, starting with the wet ingredients.

Step 3: All In

Step 4: Cover

Put the lid on and make sure it's tight.

Step 5: Shake It

Then shake vigorously until you see that the cocoa powder is well blended in.

Step 6: Refrigerate

Put the container in the refrigerator for at least a half an hour. Try to take it out within an hour, but if you have to leave it in longer, it's OK.

Step 7: Mix

After 30 to 60 minutes, take your pudding out of the refrigerator. It will have separated. You can either shake it or stir briskly with a spoon or whisk. It should be well blended at this point.

Then return the covered container to the refrigerator. It will take another several hours for the liquid to be completely absorbed by the seeds and cocoa.

Step 8: Nom Nom Nom

Give the pudding a final stir before serving. It will stay thick and puddingy at this point. You can add berries and cream for breakfast if you want or sugar free whipped cream for dessert. Or eat it just like it is - delicious!

Comments

[mrsmerwin]

I love that it does not require cooking. It is nice to have on a hot summer day.

[brentp13]

That soaking part is wonderful, with stirring in also being something. And I am glad the warning about the final stir for serving was added. So I will need to add this for my continued health, as part of a diet.

[Rhonda Chase Design]

Thanks! I'm glad this works well for you. I love chia pudding : )

[Rick V]

Awesome recipe. I replace the sugar substitute with raw, unpasteurized honey and also add 1 tsp cinnamon.

[Rhonda Chase Design]

Thanks! I sometimes add cinnamon too and it's so yummy.

[ashleyjlong]

This looks great! Is there a reason for shaking the ingredients together, rather than whisking the cocoa powder in?

[Rhonda Chase Design]

It's really hard to whisk in the cocoa powder. It's so fine and so not soluble that it pretty much just blows around and takes forever to get incorporated. I found the cover-shake-sit-stir method the easiest way to make the cocoa smooth. And I guess I'm lazy : )

[snoop911]

I have Callebaut Dutch Baking Cocoa Powder, but I've read regular (non-alkaline processed) cocoa powder is healthier and tastes better. Any thoughts?

A while back I did a similar/modified chocolate pudding recipe from Monica Reinagel's blog that turned out good:

1/2 cup unsweetened hemp milk
2 teaspoons grade a dark maple syrup (or Torani maple syrup)
1 packet of Cocoa Via (or 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder)

2 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 banana, cut up

"Whisk first 4 ingredients together until cocoa is well blended. Then, stir in bananas and pour into serving glasses and refrigerate 1 hour"

[Rhonda Chase Design]

Thanks for the variation! This sounds really good. Sad for me, but I can't have the syrup or bananas. Though I love the idea of adding coffee! I'm going to try that next time. Hemp, soy, almond and cashew milk all make good bases for the chocolate. Coconut changes the flavor - just thought I'd mention it for anyone following this. I use Trader Joe's cocoa. I don't know about the processing, but the flavor is intense and good. Have a great week!

[Elinazariel]

What if I want to use honey as sweetener? It would not need much I think

[Rhonda Chase Design]

I think honey would be very tasty. I would try 1/4 cup. The only thing is: I would add the honey after the pudding has started to thicken. And maybe warm the honey a bit to help it mix in. Let me know how it goes : )

[ColemanSamuel]

I do not use non-sugars due to their health issues,how much sugar should I use alternately

[Rhonda Chase Design]

Hmmm..Good question. I would try 1/4 cup and taste it when the sugar is dissolved (from shaking). Then add 1 tablespoon at a time until you like the level of sweetness. If you do this, please post what you thought was the right amount. Thanks!

[hackey7795]

six packets of Splenda is equivalent to 1/4 cup of sugar. http://m.splenda.com/cooking-baking/conversion-charts