Chocolate Chia Pudding

Looking for a healthy tasty easy dessert with no sugar added? If you've tasted my no sugar added chocolate peanut butter pudding, you'll love this chocolate chia pudding just as much!

This Chia pudding is one of my favorites. With just four ingredients, it can made rather quickly and it lends itself to variations such as topping each bowl with raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries,

I love making this dessert because it is sugar free and has no added oils. It keeps in the refrigerator a few days for when I need a quick energy boost. If I'm tired, I grab and enjoy a healthy pudding instead of an unhealthy snack.

Why not make it in heart shaped ramekins for Valentine's Day? 

Simple Ingredients:

I use a banana, chia seeds, cocoa powder and almond milk which produces a simple pudding that is satisfying and delicious. If you banana is not sweet enough, you could add a little liquid stevia to the pudding after it's done cooking. 

You can find (link) organic chia seeds online or in almost any supermarket including Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.

Quick and Easy 

First I blend the four ingredients in the blender. Next, I pour the mixture into a sauce pan and heat it for about 4 minutes until it thickens and bubbles. I then pour it into 4 ramekins. 

It can be enjoyed warm or chilled.

Chia Seeds on a spoon

Let's look at the benefits of the ingredients. 

Chia Seeds (link for purchase) give off a natural gel-like substance that is a natural thickener for puddings and the chia seeds are extremely good for you. 

A few years ago, I wrote an entire post explaining the extraordinary benefits of these tiny ( see the post from this link: little chia seeds. )

They are highly nutritious, contain a significant amount of fiber,  protein, Omega 3, calcium, and iron. Adding these seeds to oatmeal or puddings give you a lot of punch for your buck. 

Banana: Another nutritious good for you food. I wrote a full post about the benefits of bananas a few years ago as well. Bananas contain B vitamins, potassium, fiber plus minerals. You might enjoy my banana oatmeal cookies that also have no sugar added.

Unsweetened Cocoa: 

This cocoa comes in powder form. Cocoa is rich in calcium, iron, magnesium and fiber. It tastes deliciously chocolatey and the banana will add the sweetness you are looking for in a dessert. 

Almond or Cashew Milk: 

A good milk substitute. I like to purchase almond milk or cashew milk that is only 25 to 30 calories. It keeps the calories down in the dessert and tastes just as good in this pudding as the 90 calorie nut milks. 

Author: Judee Algazi

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Cook Time: 4 minutes

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients: 

1 ripe banana

1 teaspoon of chia seeds

1 heaping tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups of almond milk 

Optional: 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon 

Directions:

Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. When done, pour ingredients into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and pour the pudding into four ramekins. 

Chill for later.

One recipe makes 4 ramekins, so if you are watching your sugar, one ramekin only has 1/4 banana.

Valentine Day Suggestion

 Fill a few heart shaped ramekins with chocolate chia pudding and fill a few heart shaped ramekins with fresh strawberries or chocolate dipped strawberries for a healthy festive dessert. 

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