Legitimately healthy chocolate desserts are hard to come by– although the term “healthy” is relative, right? Your definition may be totally different than mine, but I consider healthy food to be sustenance that makes me feel good and is good for me. That normally translates to fresh ingredients, less sugar, and little to no dairy. This chocolate chia seed pudding recipe checks all those boxes. It’s also freezer-friendly, loaded with fiber, antioxidants, and healthy fats, and an amazing way to use up the rest of your fresh fruit before it goes bad. Keep reading for my super simple chocolate chia pudding recipe! Seriously, you’re going to want to bookmark this one. Trust me, it’s that amazing!

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

Chocolate Chia Pudding Ingredients

This chocolate chia seed pudding is as simple as it gets. It calls for date syrup, too, which (if you’ve never heard of it) contains more than twice the amount of potassium, calcium, and magnesium as maple syrup or honey per tablespoon, in addition to roughly ten times more antioxidants. For reference, refined sugar has none of those things, so yeah… it makes a pretty amazing sweetener.

Date syrup included, here’s everything you need to serve eight–

• 2 ripe avocados, sliced in half, cored, and de-skinned
• 2 cups ripe berries– Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries all work. Just use what’s fresh and in season. Aside from raspberries as a topping, I exclusively used blueberries in this particular recipe.
• 1/2 cup date syrup– Date syrup can be tough to find in stores (granted, we don’t have a Whole Foods in Columbia), so I buy this brand from Amazon.
• 3 tbsp cacao powder– I buy mine from Amazon. 
• 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter– Almond butter is a better-for-you option, although I personally prefer peanut butter.  
• 1 1/2 cups almond milk
• 1/4 cup raw chia seeds

Substitutions

This recipe is virtually impossible to mess up, so you have a lot of room to play around with different ingredients. Here are a few substitutions I’ve tried that’ve worked successfully in this recipe–

• Seasonal berries– Any seasonal berries will work in this recipe, but I recommend ripe raspberries and blueberries. When they’re in season, they add just the right amount of flavor. I don’t recommend using frozen berries, however. They throw off both the taste and consistency.
• Almond butter– Almond butter has the same consistency as peanut butter and can be swapped in/out of this recipe seamlessly.
• Cow’s milk– You can substitute cow’s milk for almond milk, although it’ll shorten the pudding’s shelf life to 3- 4 days. Just keep that in mind!

Of course, you can also try using an alternate sweetener, but I’ve never personally liked anything other than date syrup in this recipe.

How to Make Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

This dairy-free chocolate chia seed pudding is super easy to make and almost impossible to mess up, which makes it a handy healthy chocolate dessert recipe to keep in your back pocket! Kyle and I have been trying to get on a pre-holiday health kick (trying being the operative word), and this pudding’s been such a lifesaver. It’s delicious, healthy, and curbs all those mean sugar cravings– what could be better?!

To make a batch, take two ripe avocados, cut them in half, remove the pits, and scoop out the flesh. Then, throw the avocado flesh in a blender, along with the ripe berries (I used blueberries), date syrup, cacao powder, peanut butter, and almond milk.

Just a note– when it comes to the fruit, the more, the merrier!  If you have extra avocado or fresh berries, throw those into the blender, too. It only makes the pudding creamier and more flavorful. It’s also worth noting that frozen berries don’t work well in this recipe. They throw off both the taste and consistency. 

Next, blend until smooth– about fifteen seconds. You may also need to stir the mixture a bit after blending. Sometimes the date syrup pools around the edges of the jar.

Once everything’s all mixed together, pour it all into a mixing bowl and fold in the chia seeds, about a tablespoon at a time. Once the chia seeds are mixed in, cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least eight hours, preferably overnight. 

After the chia seeds have swelled, stir the pudding to break up any clumps of chia seeds and make sure everything’s blended evenly. Scoop the chocolate chia pudding into serving bowls and top with dairy-free whipped cream, cocoa powder, and/or more fresh fruit. Always serve this chocolate chia pudding chilled– and enjoy!

How to Serve Chocolate Chia Pudding

I like to scoop the chocolate chia pudding into ramekins and top with whipped cream, cocoa powder, and more fresh fruit. If you want to keep everything dairy-free, Reddi-wip makes both almond milk and coconut milk whipped creams. 

In addition to dairy-free whipped cream, fresh berries, and cocoa powder, other “healthy” chocolate chia seed topping ideas include–

• cacao nibs
• cacao powder (if you like that bitter taste!)
• dark chocolate shavings
• bananas and/or other ripe fruit
• chocolate granola

How to Store Chocolate Chia Pudding (How Long Does It Last?)

Even though the recipe doesn’t contain any ingredients that will spoil, this chocolate chia seed pudding should be stored tightly covered or in an airtight container in the fridge. It’ll safely keep for one week. You should stir it before every serving, though, primarily to break up any clumps of chia seeds.

Even better, though– this chocolate chia pudding can be FROZEN, too! I recommend portioning it out into individual freezer-safe containers and then transferring them to the fridge the night before you want to serve them. Just make sure they’ve thawed (if not, give them some time on the counter), give them a quick stir, add some toppings, and enjoy!

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Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes

This dairy-free chocolate chia seed pudding is super easy to make and almost impossible to mess up, which makes it a handy healthy chocolate dessert recipe to keep in your back pocket! The more, the merrier with this recipe, too, so if you have extra ripe avocados or fresh fruit, throw those into the blender, too. It only makes this chocolate pudding creamier and more flavorful.

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Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados, halved, cored, and peeled
• 2 cups fresh blueberries (or other ripe seasonal berries)
• 1/2 cup date syrup
• 3 tbsp cacao powder
• 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups almond milk
• 1/4 cup raw chia seeds

Instructions

1. Halve two ripe avocados, remove the pits, and scoop out the flesh. Throw the avocado flesh in a blender, along with the fresh blueberries (or other seasonal berries), date syrup, cacao powder, peanut butter, and almond milk. Blend until smooth.
2. Pour the mixture into an airtight, medium-sized bowl and fold in the chia seeds, about a tablespoon at a time. Cover and refrigerate for 8-10 hours, preferably overnight. 
3. Once the chia seeds have swelled, stir the pudding to break up any clumps of chia seeds and make sure everything's blended evenly. Scoop the chocolate chia pudding into serving bowls and top with dairy-free whipped cream, cocoa powder, and/or more fresh fruit.
4. Serve chilled-- and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe Tips

The more, the merrier with this recipe! If you have extra avocado or fresh fruit, throw those into the blender, too. It only makes the pudding creamier and more flavorful.

In addition to dairy-free whipped cream, fresh berries, and cocoa powder, other "healthy" chocolate chia seed topping ideas include cacao nibs, dark chocolate shavings, bananas and/or other ripe fruit, and chocolate granola.

Substitutions

• Seasonal berries- Any seasonal berries will work in this recipe, but I recommend ripe raspberries and blueberries. When they're in season, they add just the right amount of flavor. I don't recommend using frozen berries. They throw off both the taste and consistency.
• Almond butter- Almond butter has the same consistency as peanut butter and can be swapped in/out of this recipe seamlessly.
• Cow's milk- You can substitute cow's milk for almond milk, although it'll shorten the pudding's shelf life to 3- 4 days.

Storage

• Fridge- Even though this recipe doesn't contain any ingredients that will spoil, this chocolate chia seed pudding should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It'll safely keep for a week.
• Freezer- This chocolate chia seed pudding can also be frozen, too, by portioning it out into individual freezer-safe containers and then transferring them to the fridge the night before you want to serve them.

Nutrition Information

Yield 8
Amount Per ServingCalories 235Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 0mgSodium 26mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 9gSugar 19gProtein 4g

Nutritional information isn't always accurate and can vary based on a number of factors, including but not limited to discrepancies among brands, precision of measurements, and freshness of ingredients.

More Chocolate Desserts to Try

Chocolate’s just the best. If you’d like more easy chocolate recipes to try (especially around the holidays!), here are a few I think you’ll enjoy–

• Homemade Peppermint Bark– I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to make peppermint bark February through October, but still– if you’re in that sweet Christmasy spot, this homemade peppermint bark is AMAZING! There’s no baking required, and it’s another chocolate dessert recipe that’s virtually impossible to mess up. Also, in my humble opinion, it tastes just like William Sonoma’s famous recipe and, when divided up into cute tins, makes amazing Christmas gifts, too!
• Chocolate Fondue Dessert Board– This isn’t a recipe as much as it is a dessert board, but still, it’s delicious. All you need is a fondue pot, some yummy melting wafers (highly recommend Ghiradelli– just my personal fave), and a variety of dippers.  
• White Chocolate Rice Krispie Hearts– I’m going to be 85 and still love rice krispie treats. They’re just so darn tasty– and they’re one of the easiest desserts out there. Again, there’s no baking required, and all you need to make them a little extra special are a cookie cutter and some colored melting wafers. 

 
If you tried this chocolate chia seed pudding recipe for yourself, please don’t hesitate to let me know if you had any trouble. Questions, concerns, or complaints– I love hearing from you guys, and I’m happy to help. Thanks so much for reading, y’all!

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