Shhh…I’m supposed to be unpacking right now. Don’t tell anyone you saw me here!!
Last week turned into blender week. My Vitamix was one of the only kitchen things I refused to pack in a box. For the record, I moved it very carefully in my clutched, loving embrace! Before packing up the kitchen, I made a double batch of this soup so I had some healthy food ready for quick meals. I’ve been relying a bit too much on prepared foods lately. Once we’re moved in and settled I’m going to get back to more home cooked meals. One thing at a time, I suppose!
To energize myself during the endless packing sessions I threw together this chocolate chia pudding. Ok, ok, I made it 4 times in the span of 6 days. I love this stuff. It only requires a few ingredients and it satisfies all those creamy chocolate cravings in a healthy way sweetened only with dates. This pudding reminds me of chocolate cake batter – creamy, chocolaty, with a hint of vanilla. Not only is it tasty, but it’s packed with over 10 grams of fibre and 7 grams of protein per serving, as well as loads of iron, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids. Now we’re talking!
Chia pudding is great and all, but the hardest part is waiting for it to chill and set, don’t you think?
Thanks to my chocolate impatience, I came up with a method that gets around this pesky waiting time using almond milk ice cubes. I’ve used coffee ice cubes in smoothies in the past (very tasty) and I thought, why not use almond milk ice cubes in this pudding so I can enjoy it instantly? Yes!
Of course, you do have to plan ahead and freeze the ice cubes in advance (hence the name “almost instant”), but if you keep a tray of almond milk ice cubes in the freezer you’ll be set for any chia pudding craving in the future. If you are like me last week, one tray of ice cubes will set you up for a whole week…ha. I’ll be keeping a tray of almond milk ice cubes in the freezer at all times now. Mark my words!
{Almost} Instant Chocolate Chia Pudding
Yield
1.5-2 cups (serves 2)
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Chill time
8 hours
Total time
This chocolate chia pudding is decadent-tasting yet healthy at the same time. Packed with protein, fibre, and omega-3 fatty acids this is a pudding you can feel good about! When blended with the almond milk ice cubes it's a treat you can enjoy immediately without waiting for it to chill. The texture is a cross between a smoothie and a pudding. It will thicken up even more if you put it in the fridge for a few hours. I recommend using a high-speed blender for best results since the dates, chia seeds, and ice cubes are challenging to blend super smooth. Adapted from my healthy chocolate chia pudding.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 4 large almond milk ice cubes (see note)
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 5-6 pitted Medjool dates, to taste
- 2-3.5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (see note)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, to taste
- pinch fine grain sea salt or pink Himalayan sea salt
Directions
- Fill an ice cube tray with almond milk. Freeze until solid. You can use leftovers in smoothies or for more pudding in the future!
- To make the pudding: Add 3/4 cup almond milk into a high speed blender. Now add the rest of the ingredients, including the almond milk ice cubes.
- Blend on the highest speed until super smooth. Enjoy immediately or chill in the fridge where it will thicken up even more.
Tip:
Add the cocoa powder to taste. Some brands will be more pungent than others. 3.5 tablespoons of cocoa powder is great with my brand (camino) however you may need to use less depending on what kind you use. My advice is to add the cocoa powder slowly to taste.
You will want around 12 tablespoons of almond milk ice cubes added to the pudding. For my tray, this equaled 4 large cubes.
You can skip the almond milk ice cubes and simply add a splash more almond milk. Chill in the fridge the old-fashioned way.
If your dates are firm, I suggest soaking them in hot water for at least 30 minutes before you begin. Drain well.
To turn this into a chocolate "frosty" add more ice cubes to make it super icy.
To make this nut-free, use a nut-free non-dairy milk of your choice.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
New Oh She Glows Cookbook reviews and giveaways to share:
Joann @ Woman in Real Life (review, recipe)
Louise @ Life Is Good (review)
Mandy @ Mandy’s Healthy Life (review)
Monique @ We R Addicted (review)
Karissa @ Vegan a la Mode (review)
Liz @ The Sixth Letter (review)
Nikki @ Tolerant Vegan (review + giveaway)
Erin @ Olives for Dinner (review, recipe, giveaway)
Alexis @ Hummusapien (review)
Emily @ Puppies and Peanut Butter (review)
Marleah @ Marleah (review)
The Oh She Glows Cookbook hits Target
I have another fun retailer announcement to let you know about. The OSG Cookbook hits shelves across US Target stores today! You can find it on their website too. Don’t forget, it’s already in Target stores in Canada too. Be sure to share your recipe creations & book pictures on social media using the hashtag #osgcookbook. Bon Appétit!
I don’t like chia seeds, but this recipe is delicious. I threw in some chopped cherries, strawberries and pecans, and it tasted like a decadent dessert. I’m eating a bowl of it as I type this! Thanks for the great recipe.
Made this today for myself and my 5 yr old…I loved it! She ate half of hers and than was done…maybe too sweet/chocolatey for her. Saved the rest for her sister and my husband. Also, I cannot stop making recipes from the cookbook…it’s almost once a day…I think my husband needs a break but I kind of don’t care! ;). Overnight oats was this morning…super delicious. Not sure which I like better, that or the buckwheat porridge. Husband Loves the Go bars. And he liked the tomato soup I made yesterday.
So, thank you! I am having so much fun trying out all these fun new recipes!
We just had this for dessert after olive oil walnut and lentil pasta. Absolutely delicious. It was a hit with the kids and the husband! Thanks for all of your great recipes. Your blog is always a source of dinner inspiration in this vegetarian household.
Such a clever recipe! I used homemade walnut milk (frozen in cubes) and it was glorious. A wonderful fix for chocolate cravings. Thank you Angela!
Yum! Sounds delicious :)
Hey!
You’re pudding looks delicious! And I never would have thought of using frozen almond milk ice cubes to make it thicken faster! You’re a genius :) But that’s pretty obvious… ;)
Looks really good! I guess I need to find an ice cube tray.
I just made this! I’ve had super chocolate cravings lately and I can’t wait until this is cool enough to enjoy. I also,picked up your book and am planning on trying a couple of recipes this week. Thank you for helping make the transition to being a vegan so delightful and tasty!
I made this recipe this morning to enjoy tonight with my dad. We’re both chocolate lovers. We loved the pudding! Thank you for sharing this. I am now a big fan of your website and look forward to trying more recipes! I also love the photography. Thank you, Angela :)
For once a pudding without the usual bananas and avocados (although I love them). Thanks for the recipe Angela!
Love from Germany,
Elisa
Thank you so much for this recipe Angela! I made it last night and turned some of it into fudgesicles and they were awesome!
Mmmm chocolatey goodness…
Hi! Can’t wait to try the pudding.
Have and love your cookbook. Question on the burgers page 155. Is the flax seed supposed to get mixed with water before adding?
Directions refer to adding flaxseed mixture but there is nothing to mix them with.
Made it as written and liked them but wondering if something is missing.
Still good maybe a tad dry.
Will try making it a flax egg next time.
Thank you
Really loving your book!
Made the present glow bars today too the family loved them.
I’ve made this twice in four days. Yum yum yum! I don’t have ice trays (evidently, I’m a cave person) so I added a bit more almond milk and (3) regular ice cubes and it’s delicious! Thank you for all of the love-filled recipes.
I am going to make this tomorrow! sounds great thanks!
What’s the best substitute for almond milk?
My kind of “instant” pudding!
This was a delicious pudding! I also made your brownies from the cookbook last night. My mid-morning snack today was a brownie. My lunch dessert was a few spoonfuls of the pudding. I didn’t change anything in either recipe from the way they were written. Both are DELICIOUS!!
Thank you, Angela.
Amanda
Angela, this hit the spot for that chocolatey time of month! So quick and easy, it took longer to get the ingredients out and back away than it did to make this. SO good and good for you! Thanks!!
I made this with light vanilla organic soy milk and it turned out great! A healthy way to get my chocolate fix. Thanks, Angela! I have learned so many things from your blog. Love your cookbook, too.
This was so awesome! I made it in the evening while baby was asleep, so I couldn’t blend it as much as I should have, however my husband loved the little date chunks! My prep for the almond milk ice cubes was a little too late, so I stuck my glass of pudding in the freezer and it was perfectly chilled by the time I was done cleaning up the dishes after dinner. What a perfect treat!! Thank you!
This is the most delicious pudding I ever had! I did not want to part from the vitamix bowl until it was half finished :) thanks for yet another great recipe!
can I just say, WOW! I trepidatiously stuck my finger into this secretly healthy chocolate looking concoction and it took every single ounce of my will power to pour it into a container and put it into the fridge (I made the not so instant version). Every single recipe of yours that I try is an absolute winner with my whole family, I think I’m in love! haha! going to order your cookbook right now!
If you want to build up a good stock pile of almond milk ice cubes, or even lemon juice cubes, or herb ice cubes, you can freeze them first then put them in a container or ziplock bag in the freezer so that the tray is free again to use for regular ice cubes :)
I made this to have for an after dinner treat tonight; it is delish! This is definitely going to be a staple around our house now! Thanks so much for the recipe! And by the way, thanks for all the work you put into what you do; your website makes eating clean so much easier!
I was wondering and this will sounds stupid but do I have to have the chai and dates in it. I don’t care of either but I am looking for a almond milk form of pudding for my family! Is there anything else that I might be able to replace it with?
Was so excited to make this and once I did I’m already on second batch! It was A-mazing! Taste and texture of box chocolate cake batter! Another success from your site! Thanks for all the yummy recipes!
I was wondering how to make this without a high speed blender?
Looks Great! Will try…where do you get those spoons from?
I made a variation of this pudding tonight to bring to work with me. It’s still seedy as i don’t have a blender that will pulverize the chia seeds, but the texture isn’t bothersome.
I did add a tbsp of cold pressed virgin coconut oil, a drizzle of honey, and some bits of an avocado that was on it’s last legs. I also used chocolate almond milk to make it that much more chocolaty.. a requirement due to all the easter chocolate thats around and hard to resist.
Love this pudding tho, it’s a staple! Thaks for the great recipe! :)
I made this pudding for breakfast this morning topped with the granola clusters from your cookbook, and it was absolutely heavenly! :)
Just curious, do you pre-gel your chia seeds before adding to blender?
I made this today in my Vitamix and it came out GREAT! I used 2 T Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder and forgot the salt. It wasn’t completely smooth, like boxed pudding, but it was pretty close. I really liked the flavor. A real win for me.
I plan on making this tomorrow! 2 questions: I don’t have room in my freezer for almond milk ice cubes. How long should the pudding sit in the fridge if not using the ice cubes? And if I don’t have dates, what other sweetener can I use?
I just made this and it is setting up in the fridge right now. I had a quick lick off the spatula and I was blown away! This is not one of those recipes where people have to convince themselves that it’s tasty because it’s healthy (not that Angela has any of those – everything I’ve tried is amazing!!!) – this actually tastes like the most unhealthy and decadent chocolate cake batter ever!
I am 24 weeks pregnant and fighting a serious sweet tooth. This is a revelation – I am saved!! Can’t wait to tell everyone I know about it. Delicious!
This looks AHHHMAZING! I can’t wait to try it! As I’ve just quit sugar (man-made) I’m always looking for recipes like this to satisfy my sweet tooth =)
I’m wondering what I should do if I don’t make the almond milk ice cubes? I’d rather make it and let it set overnight… How will the recipe change?
Thanks!!
Nooo!!! Don’t tempt me with that spoonful! I would love to try this!!!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Oh, Angela. I am a new whole-foods vegan, and enjoyed perusing your recipes. Ihave been doing well, but tonight I had such a sweets craving. I found this recipe and was bummed because I would have to wait (I wanted it NOW!). But I didn’t have frozen almond milk cubes, so I just made it with 1 cup almond milk instead. I put it in the Vitamix and left it running for over a minute to make sure it was smooth. I was a little concerned when it started to steam (the Vitamix is new for me, too!), so I turned it off and tried a spoonful to taste, planning to leave it in the fridge overnight. OMIGOSH!! It was like the creamy pudding my Mom used to make on the stove when I was a little girl – warm, smooth, plenty think. I am embarrassed to say that I didn’t even save any for hubby, but gobbled the whole thing up!! Thank you for saving my sweet tooth!!
OMMGGGGG this looks beyond DIVINE :) who said that vegan foods have to be boring right ? haha I really LOVE your blog and your story behind it Its a great message to young girls out there. AND you look GREAT to…so cute
If you like decor you can check out my Swedish blog :)
I wish you a lovely day dear
LOVE Maria at inredningsvis – Swedish decor, inredningsvis.se/vasterbottenpaj-en-svensk-matklassiker/
I made this today and it was okay. My blender wasn’t fast enough to completely purée the chia before the pudding got really thick. Once the thickness took hold, my blender couldn’t move the pudding. The texture was still alright, but that aside, I thought this needed a little something…. Maybe some instant espresso granules? More sweetener? I love your main course items and this was my first attempt at a dessert. As you mentioned on the blog, dessert is harder to do vegan!
I did add a few coffee ice cubes that I had on hand and a teaspoon of coconut palm sugar and I thought it was great (especially compared to the other chia puddings I’ve made. My regular blender got thick too, so you can just add a little more liquid. The neat thing about these recipes is once you taste them you can make them your own by adding whatever your taste buds suggest. Hmm, maybe some orange zest next time?
OMG, this was just AMAZING!
How do you do this? Every singe recipe you make is divine. Congrats Angela. ;)
Being a firm believer that “I can be patient when I have to be, but if I don’t have to be, then why wait?” I used your basic recipe to make the best Chocolate Chia Pudding to date, and it was INSTANT. I used regular ice cubes with some almond butter, along with soy milk, the dates, vanilla, chia seeds and salt (all what I already had on hand). I did add a teaspoon of coconut palm sugar since I used raw cacao and it needed a little more sweetness. After blending in a regular blender with the ice cube setting, I topped each dish with toasted sliced almonds and it completely met my craving for something sweet and healthy before bed. I’m so glad I found your site. Thank you for the inspiration for a better chia pudding!
What a winner! Hubby said make that again and again. Thanks, been trying to get more chia seeds in my diet. We always make almond milk ice cubes to keep on hand for our protein smoothies and I happened to have some chocolate ones in the freezer..yippee!!
Thought I would share my blunder….I found your recipe AFTER I started soaking my chia seeds in almond milk. I liked the idea of blending it and thought I still had time to quickly throw them in the Vitamix before the seeds “bloomed” too much. Well, I was still too late. The mixture practically seized in the blender and became a thick, gelatinous, gloppy mess – an unfortunate waste of good ingredients! Next time I’ll be sure to stick with one method instead of switching gears part way through. Thanks for your post – can’t wait to try again!!
I wish I could post the pics of my two-year-old going to town on this pudding!!! Best stuff ever!!!!! Thank you soooooo much!!!!
First time I have EVER been defeated by a dessert. Whipped this up for my boyfriend and I and dished it out without checking serves sizes…we had to look because we assumed it must have been for 4. I used coconut milk because I didn’t have any almond at hand. Totally delicious :)
Just recently discovered your website and I’m already hooked. I’m ADDICTED to this recipe! Soo glad I still had almond milk ice cubes so I could make some more!! Love it! Thanks!!
Hi Angela!!!
I just LOVE your recipes!!! just now I made the vegan tacos, delish!!! you are a lifesaver for us starters in this veggie/vegan world!!
I have one question regarding this recipe, I don’t like dates, what can I replace them with?? do you recomend any type of sweetener?
I recommend a liquid sweetener such as maple syrup…add to taste and you should be fine!
Hi Angela, Can you recommend any other dried fruits to use instead of dates, i’m not able to have them! Would dried cherries or apricots suffice? Thanks so much! Love your recipes!
Absolutely delicious! Love regular chia pudding, love the slightly smoother texture of this one as well. Have made it twice now, once with cinnamon, and can’t wait for the next batch! Thanks so much for sharing!