I come from a long line of dessert lovers. When I was growing up, my family ate dessert every night after dinner, and my parents still end each day with a bowl of ice cream (though my mother opts for an artificially sweetened one now). It’s a hard habit to break and one I’m afraid I’ve passed down to my daughter. But our typical dessert isn’t ice cream or even Soy Dream but fruit, plain and simple. Of course, if sugary vegan goodies are around, we’ll jump on them like a pack of starving dogs, which is why I try to keep them out of the house entirely.
Keeping the sugary stuff out of the house has been even more important since I resolved at the beginning of the year to cut out sugar and flour and increase the amount of vegetables I eat. If you’ve been following my KISSS plan, you know that I outlawed not just refined sugar but also dried fruit, such as dates. I’m going to say something that may be heresy to most proponents of unprocessed vegan diets, but I believe that dates, date sugar, and date syrup, especially in the large amounts that some recipes use, are only slightly less unhealthy than white sugar. Sure, dates contain vitamins and minerals and some fiber, but they are still a very concentrated form of sugar. If you’re like me and trying to eliminate your sweet tooth, moving from white sugar to date sugar isn’t going to stop your cravings.
The same may also be said for sugar-free sweeteners like stevia, the super-sweet extract of the stevia plan that many of us use instead of artificial sweeteners. There’s a lot to be said for giving up all sweeteners cold tofurky, but to be honest, I haven’t done that yet. I have been weening myself off the stevia, decreasing it a little all the time to gradually train my taste buds to like food less sweet. I’ve also been “keeping it simple” and eating fruit for dessert, with one exception–this pudding.
One day I got the craving for a chocolaty dessert and was tempted to make my standard fat-free chocolate pudding. But that recipe uses cornstarch, a processed food that I’m trying to limit, so I decided to go with a more natural option. I’ve had chia pudding before and like it because it gets its thickness through the gel that forms naturally when liquid is added to chia seeds. Chia seeds have lots of health benefits: they’re high in Omega 3 fatty acids, which most of us are deficient in, and contain good amounts of fiber, protein, calcium, and antioxidants. Unlike flax seeds, chia doesn’t need to be ground in order for its nutrients to be used by the human body, and when the seeds are hydrated, they retain a bit of crunch in the center. If you like the texture of tapioca, you’ll probably like chia pudding.
The first time I made this pudding, I wasn’t sure what ratio of chia to liquid to use, so I consulted an expert, Choosing Raw. Check out all the delicious chia puddings that Gena has created there! One more note about chia: You can buy either white or black. They taste the same and have the same nutritional benefits, but the white look a little better in light-colored dishes, so that’s what I normally buy. The last time I was shopping, however, the white chia cost nearly twice as much as the dark, and I couldn’t bring myself to pay more for basically cosmetic reasons. In chocolate pudding, the dark seeds blend in, but if you’re hoping to make other flavors of chia pudding, you may want to splurge on the white seeds.
Here’s the recipe. Be sure to look under it for more sugar-free, flour-free dessert ideas.
Chocolate Chia Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk I used soymilk but any plant milk will do
- 1/2 teaspoon double-strength vanilla extract or 1 tsp. regular strength
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- sweetener of choice to taste (I used 2 scoops of KAL pure stevia powder)
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/2 to 1 cup raspberries cherries, or other fruit, plus additional for garnish
Instructions
- Place the milk, vanilla, and cocoa into the blender and add sweetener to taste (about 2 servings worth). Blend until cocoa is completely incorporated.
- Pour milk mixture into a bowl and add the chia seeds. Stir well, making sure that all the seeds are moistened. Leave out on the counter and stir periodically (about every 15 minutes or so), breaking up any clusters that form. Allow it to stand until the pudding has thickened and all liquid has been absorbed, at least an hour.
- Refrigerate. Just before serving, stir in fruit. Serve topped with additional fruit.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
More Sugar-Free, Flour-Free Desserts
Many of the dessert recipes on this blog either are sugar-free or can be made sugar free just by replacing sugar with stevia. The difficulty with using stevia is that all brands have different levels of sweetness. I advise using a pure stevia extract and adding it to taste.
It’s so easy to make sugar-free frozen desserts at home. Try this frozen yogurt, Ridiculously Easy Pineapple Sorbet, Strawberry-Banana Sorbet, or a sorbet made simply by freezing persimmons.
There’s a sugar-free version of Apple-Pumpkin Delight at the end of this post.
You can substitute stevia in either of these microwaved baked apples recipes and also bake them in the oven if you prefer.
There’s no sugar or other sweetener in this heavenly ambrosia.
Sweetened only with fruit juice, you and your kids will love these little fruit gels.
Marian Hamilton
AWESOME ideas! I’ll add this post to my Recipe Box too – and try some of the dessert recipes ASAP! xxooxx
Archana
Now that I know the Indian equivalent of the word chia I can try this out. Thanks,
Monica
Susan, is there any reason you don’t add the chia before it goes in the blender?
Susan Voisin
That’s to keep the “tapioca-like” texture. I haven’t tried it blended, though it should gel as well or better.
ann
I need to try this one. I love both chocolate and tapioca. (In fact, that’s what I though it was when I first looked at the photo.) This might fix my craving for both.
ann
Update: I used Vanilla soy milk (it’s what I had on hand) and added another tablespoon of chia seeds. (After 2+ hours it still wasn’t thick.) I’ll definitely be making this again.
Martina
I don’t think i can get chia-seeds that easily, is ist possible to use flaxseeds instead?
Susan Voisin
To make flax pudding, you have to grind the flaxseeds, but it should work the same. Recipes I’ve seen use about 1/4 cup ground flax per cup of liquid.
Martina
thank you! I’m eager to try this recipe, so i will settle with the flaxseeds for now, but i’ll keep my eyes open for chia – thanks for introducing a new ingredient to me đ
Laura @ Gluten Free Pantry
I think I am going to make this dessert for lunch-YUM! I am crazy about chocolate and chia so together in a pudding–oh yes please!
Kathy
Oh thank you thank you! I’ve been doing Eat to Live since Jan 1 (trying to lose DD2’s babyweight, and it worked so well for DD1). I’m nursing two kids though and nursing just makes me craaaaaave sweet stuff. I can’t wait to give this a shot!
Janet
How big is your scoop for stevia. Mine didn’t come with a scoop.
Susan Voisin
My scoop is 1/32 of a teaspoon, but all brands of stevia vary in strength, so what works for me won’t necessarily work for you. Just start off with very little and add more until the milk is to a sweetness you like.
wendy (healthy girl's kitchen)
We all must have chia on the brain. I just posted a vegan overnight oats post last night singing the praises of chia seeds. I haven’t made Chia Chocolate Pudding yet, but it’s only a matter of time! I had never even seen or heard about white chia seeds until you mentioned it here, so the color never bothered me about my dark ones. I heard they now sell them at Costco! Whoa, the world is changing!
JayKayTee
Really at Costco. Shoot, I could sprout my sofa :o)
JayKayTee
Do you have a more specific measure for the sweetener? Say for agave nectar or basic white sugar?
I wasn’t aware that there are white chia seeds.
Susan Voisin
It really depends on how sweet you like things. Add as much as you would for, say, a cup of hot cocoa. With either sugar or agave, I would guess at least 2 tablespoons, and for people like me who like things very sweet, maybe even 4.
Karen
Just saw this and know it is an old post. Had to comment though. 2 Tablespoons of sugar per cup is a lot in my opinion. I make hot chocolate with 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder and 1 cup unsweetened soy milk, heat together stirring to break up the cocoa lumps, add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract when hot. Plenty sweet for me.
Susan Voisin
We’re all different, Karen. I like things very sweet and wouldn’t be able to taste the sweetness of one tablespoon of sugar in a cup of cocoa. That’s why I don’t use sugar and stick to stevia, which is calorie-free and super concentrated.
moonwatcher
Hi Susan,
This looks great–I look forward to giving it a try, though I’ll probably do it with carob instead since the chocolate tends to do a number on my nervous system.
I really appreciated this post and thought I’d “weigh in” about how sugar, and dates, have effected me. My situation is different, since I’m not actively seeking to lose weight and don’t need to. But the sugar, for anyone dealing with something like fibromyalgia, or chronic pain, is a trigger for inflammation, I’ve found. Especially anything granulated. Last April I decided to stop using granulated sugar altogether, and also agave. Although not granulated, it seemed also to bother me since it’s very sweet. I began substituting date syrup for agave in small amounts in dressings, etc. I still also can use maple syrup in small amounts.
Even though I still do eat some gluten free flour products (like my buckwheat pancakes), I limit how much I have, because as you’ve pointed out many times, flour and sugar together are a dangerous combination. Instead of using an equal amount of date syrup in a recipe, I just bake less, and when I do bake, I try to do things like follow Cathy Fisher’s lead on straightupfood blog for my treats. This may not be in line with what some of you are trying to do, but I just wanted to chime in that less dates and date syrup is good, and lots of it may just put one in the same category of “too much.” Maybe it helps that I’m a cheap skate, too–at nine bucks a bottle or whatever it is, a little at a time is “enough.” I often have a date or two for “dessert.” But over time, I notice I’m not using as many of them as often, and the date syrup lasts a long time. But it did help me transition off the agave and the granulated sugar to use it, though I never used it in high amounts that appear in some recipes. I knew that would just be too sweet for me—and too expensive! lol And stopping the sugar helped the fibromyalgia pain spectrum calm down significantly. Like night and day almost. So that’s another reason to avoid sugar, should it apply.
My only regret about seeing this recipe is that in the last couple of days I ate the very last of my frozen raspberries–they would have been great with this pudding!
Thanks for more great tips, another good recipe, and luscious photos, too–
xo
moonwatcher
Sarah
Just a sideline suggestion. With “Eat to Live” I had my second major life-changing health breakthrough. My first was when I was healed from my chronic pain through the treatment approach of Dr. John Sarno (“Healing Back Pain”) and Dr. David Schechter (mindbodymedicine.com). You might check these resources out. If you’d like to communicate further, let me know. I wish you all the best!
Prathiba @ Vehemently Vegan
This is a great idea! I love chia puddings! I actually have started using them as dessert too. It’s healthy but creamy and sweet. So, it definitely fits the bill.
Also, I agree with you about the dates. They are essentially sugar. I do use them from time to time, but definitely something to avoid with the KISSS plan.
Great post!
Sue Flood
Thanks for this. It looked so good I made it this evening. I didn’t have unsweetened soy milk, but I did have some chocolate almond milk I purchased for my son. It’s delicious with the black raspberries I picked up over the weekend. I’ll make this again.
Rachel
The couple of times I’ve tried to make chia puddings, they have failed to thicken. Sadly, this has made me go back to the conventional custard with a starch thickener. But after seeing such beautiful results here, I am inspired to try once again! Thank you đ
luminousvegans
Chia seeds…I’m so glad to see these popping up everywhere. I have a list of chia pudding recipes I want to try and am adding this to it đ
Northwest Herbivore
I know what’s going to help me through tomorrow afternoon at work! It’ll be just the thing with the bananas I bought tonight. Thanks for posting this.
My Recession Kitchen
I love tapioca, and this is a much healthier substitute. I’m going to try this!
Rachelle
I made this last night and it was really good. I used chocolate chai rice milk and truvia. Thanks!
Titti
Hi Susan! What a beautiful blog!! I’m italian and vegan!
Art Moskowitz
Stevia is not the same as sugar free substitutes as it doesn’t have an impact on your glucose level.
Gena
I am so delighted with the looks of this pudding!!! I am a veritable chia fanatic, and this is a tasty looking specimen đ
artha
Reading about the health trends that have come and gone over the past 30 years has really made me wonder if even the mass exodus from sugar will soon become a thing of the past with the emphasis somewhere else. I say this because every trend seems to make sense at some point, and there is more and more research coming out lately saying that we need sugar to process other nutrients and for our bodies to run efficiently. Breast milk for example, a good example of a complete food, is quite full of sugar. It seems the problem always comes around to abuse of a good thing. I’ve decided to stick with sugar. đ I’ll choose it wisely (what is provided in nature all around us, fruits – especially dates and date syrup đ ) and I’ll use it as part of my diet, not all of it. It’s worked nicely for me for years!
Sarah, Simply Cooked
I wholeheartedly agree about giving up sugar. The issue is with the amount of all types of sugar we eat. I gave up sugar completely for several months and now I eat one or two pieces of low-sugar fruit a day, and that’s it. (And I still eat cake on my birthday and anniversary.) I have tried hard to change my taste for sweet things and so I’ve avoided artificial sweeteners as well. I think, what’s the point of learning to love less sweet things if I tease myself with artificial sweeteners? It’s been hard – especially at first – but I can see that I have made progress.
I finally found chia seeds today at a speciality store here in Hong Kong so I am excited to try them out! Thanks for the inspiration. And good luck with your admirable goal of quitting sugar.
Jasmine
I love your blog, you inspired me to start my own blog about vegan life. I would really appreciate it if you could take a look.
Thanks,
Jasmine
Elizabeth
EASY! I will try it, but with carob powder!
veganisme
I made this tonight with my new Vitamix (yay–replacing one I had to get rid of in a move), and it turned out great. It was pretty much gelled while still in the blender, though I was able to pour it out nicely. I used date sugar…something I had never had before. Wow, the date sugar is delicious and it is totally not something you would want to get if you had issues with sugar…it is like regular sugar only tastier… So…definitely something to use infrequently. This recipe, on the other hand, goes on the frequent list. Thanks!
Laina
Hi Susan,
I’m so behind on posting comments. ;-( This is so delicious. I made it with agave because I’m not fond of the taste of stevia. I used a TB of agave and it’s perfect. Thanks for another delicious recipe! đ
Natalie@fitjamericangirl
I still haven’t tried chia seeds. This looks like the right way to give them a try.
steve
I am gonna try this and I hope this doesn`t taste anything like strawberry faluda. I mean it is a great drink but its not my taste. will post results.
Jen in Co
I have made this a couple times now and it is the perfect antidote to a chocoholic’s craving. Adding a dash of cinnamon is divine.
Jacqui
I am enjoying this as part of my breakfast right now.. yum! I have had a bag of chia seeds for a couple weeks now, and wasn’t sure what to do with all of them.. now I know. I used 3 drops of stevia extract for mine.
I am new to your site, and just starting to play with a vegan diet. I have already pinned a lot of recipes to try!
Heather @ Better With Veggies
I love chocolate and chia together, what a great way to have a treat but still have all the superfood goodness of chia to add a little balance.
Mansi
That looks wonderful. we make Tapioca pudding in Indian cuisine, so I can relate to its texture. Thanks for the wonderful advice about staying away from all forms of sugar:)
Linda
Great sub for chocolate pudding. Added strawberries and when you consider the health benefits of chia seeds, this is a winner!
Becky
Tried it and it was great! Even my kids who don’t like tapioca liked it. My husband wouldn’t even give it a try. Could be that my description (words like “slimy” and “gloppy”) was the turn-off. I have to confess I described it that way so he wouldn’t want any since I’d already sacrificed some bites to the kids!
Kathleen @ KatsHealthCorner
This is SO cool! What an amazing recipe! đ
Rachel
awesome recipe and ZYVIA has added it more awesomeness with its natural sweetness and healthiness.
lea
Susan,
The chia pudding looks great! I was inspired by another of your recipes today : the Balsamic Fudge Cookies- and made it into Chocolate Balsamic Hummus! I’m really feeling great without the sugar and flour.
Lea