This Chocolate Brownie Batter Chia Pudding tastes indulgent but can be enjoyed for breakfast. It starts with a quick chocolate chia pudding, topped with chunks of dark chocolate and crushed walnuts. Plus, it’s vegan, gluten free, grain free and high fiber thanks to the chia seeds.
The recipe can be ready in 15 minutes. After mixing the chia seeds and liquid together, it only takes about 10 minutes for the chia seeds to soak up the liquid. Just give it a stir periodically to make sure the seeds absorb the liquid evenly.
What is the ratio of chia seeds to liquid for chia pudding?
The ratio of liquid to chia seeds when making chia pudding will depend on personal preference. A lot of recipes will use a 1:4 ratio. This means that for one tablespoon of chia seeds, you would use four tablespoons of liquid.
I personally enjoy my chia pudding a little thicker, so I like to use a 1:3 ratio. That is what I have done in this chia pudding recipe. After letting the chia seeds soak for 10 minutes and giving the mixture a good stir, you can decide whether you are happy with the texture. If you want the pudding a little thinner, just stir through a little extra liquid.
How to make chia pudding taste good
The key to making chia pudding taste good is twofold. First, you need to flavor the pudding mixture. Chia seeds naturally have an earthy flavor, so if you were to just mix them with water the end result would not be very appetizing. In this chocolate chia pudding recipe, I flavor the pudding with raw cacao powder and vanilla, lightly sweeten it with maple syrup and use unsweetened almond milk as the liquid. Make sure you enjoy the milk that you use, since you will be able to taste it.
Second, adding toppings to your chia pudding will make it taste better by introducing some contrasting textures. I like to have something sweet and something crunchy along with the slippery texture of the pudding. For this brownie batter chia pudding, I use chunks of dark chocolate and crushed walnuts.
Can I make this chia pudding ahead of time?
Yes, you certainly can. If you prepare this chia pudding ahead of time, keep it in the fridge until ready to enjoy. It should last in the fridge for up to five days.
If you want to meal prep this recipe, I recommend chopping up the dark chocolate and walnuts and storing them separately from the chia pudding to be added right before serving. This is because the walnuts will stay more crisp and crunchy if they aren’t exposed to the moisture from the chia pudding for an extended period of time.
Ingredients for chocolate brownie batter chia pudding
- Chia seeds: You can use white or black chia seeds in this chia pudding recipe. I find that both varieties taste the same.
- Raw cacao powder: Raw cacao powder gives the chia pudding its chocolate flavor and also provides some antioxidants. You can substitute cocoa powder if that’s what you have at home.
- Maple syrup: To sweeten the chia pudding. You could also use brown rice syrup, honey ora sugar-free liquid sweetener if you prefer. If the milk that you are using for the pudding is sweetened, you can leave out this additional sweetener or reduce it to taste.
- Unsweetened almond milk: For the liquid component of the chia pudding. You can use your milk of choice as a substitute, such as rice milk, regular dairy milk or this Creamy Homemade Oat Milk.
- Dark chocolate: To chop into chunks and sprinkle over the chia pudding. I used 70% cocoa dark chocolate, but you can use your favorite chocolate bar or chocolate chips.
- Walnuts: Also for topping the chia pudding. The combination of chocolate and walnuts always reminds me of brownies. But any nut would work well.
- Vanilla extract: Helps to give a brownie batter vibe and always pairs well with chocolate.
- Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the flavors in this recipe.
More healthy breakfast recipes
- Banana Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal Protein Bars
- Gluten Free Buckwheat Olive Oil Quick Bread
- Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
- Vegan Sweet Potato Bread with Chocolate Chips
- Orange Ginger Carrot Smoothie
For more healthy breakfast ideas, check out the Breakfast Recipes page.
Chocolate Brownie Batter Chia Pudding Recipe
Serves
1
Prep time
5 mins
Cook time
10 mins soaking
Ingredients
- 8 tsp / 28 g chia seeds
- 1 tbsp / 7 g raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- 2 tsp / 14 g maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of fine salt
- 1/2 cup / 120 ml / 120 g unsweetened almond milk (see Note 1)
- 1/8 cup / 20 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp / 10 g walnuts, roughly chopped
Method
- Place the chia seeds, raw cacao powder, maple syrup, vanilla and salt in a small serving bowl or jar. Stir briefly so the cacao powder starts to get incorporated into the maple syrup and vanilla. Then, gradually add the milk and continue to stir until everything is well combined (see Note 2).
- Let the chia seeds soak up the liquid for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then to ensure even distribution.
- To serve, chop the dark chocolate into chunks and break the walnuts into small pieces. Sprinkle over the chia pudding and enjoy.
Notes
- Milk – You can use any milk that you enjoy in this recipe. Make sure you like the taste of the milk that you use, since it will be noticeable.
- Mixing cacao powder with liquid – Mixing the cacao powder with a small amount of liquid before adding all of the milk makes it easier to incorporate. If you try to add all the milk at once, the cacao powder can end up floating on top of the milk making it very hard to mix by hand.
- Storage – Chia pudding will last for up to 5 days in the fridge if you want to make it ahead of time. If doing this, store the chopped chocolate and walnuts separately and add them just before serving so that the walnuts remain crisp.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving size: 1 serve (made with 70% cocoa chocolate)
- Energy: 359 Calories / 1504 Kilojoules
- Total Fat: 22.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.3 g
- Total Carbohydrate: 32.3 g
- Dietary Fiber: 12.9 g
- Sugars: 10.9 g
- Protein: 8.2 g
- Sodium: 353 mg
- Potassium: 282 mg
