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!
Oh my goodness Ange, this looks amazing! I love the simplicity of chia pudding, and yes, as you said, the hardest part about it is waiting for it to set! I hope the move is going well, and I too would be clutching my Vitamix and personally walking it out of one house and into the next! :)
This looks amazing.
L x
workingmumy.blogspot.com
How did you know exactly what I needed today?
Blended! why didn’t I think of that?! I tried your earlier recipe for chia pudding and loooove it but my husband doesn’t really care for the texture. It’s so good and good for you so maybe he’ll eat it blended! I love your page, recipes, pictures and creativity! We have recently decided to cut out meat and if it wasn’t for your page we’d be eating rice and salad everyday..seriously!
Wow!! My husband loves chocolate pudding and this is one pudding I won’t say no to!
Angela, this is ridiculous!! As are all the recipes tried so far in your book. I’ve ordered 2 more for friends this week. Seriously, everyone needs a copy of OSGcookbook.
Thank you Cindy! That makes me so happy to hear. :)
Question about the chia seeds: would it be a good idea to grind them first, in order to get smoother results? You didn’t mention anything about this, so I wonder if it’s either assumed that the seeds are ground, or whether they’re just used whole. This recipe is exactly what I’ve been craving lately! Thanks!
Hi Judith,
I didnt grind them first because the Vitamix does a great job doing that on its own, but if you think your blender won’t get it smooth enough you can certainly grind them beforehand! Great idea.
Oh, that pudding is coming to my belly first thing tomorrow (after breakfast of course).
The Vitamix love is real though – if there was 1 kitchen item I could take on a deserted island it would be Vitamix hands down (to whip up delicious smoothies with bananas and palm tree leaves or whatever green I can find there. Ah, fresh seaweed!)
Thank you for this awesome recipe–it’s honestly the first time I have enjoyed chia (after so many other attempts!). I didn’t have any frozen almond milk on hand, so I used a few ice cubes. I also substituted a few drops of stevia for the dates. I definitely look forward to trying it the authentic way!! Ps-I’ve asked my mom to find your book at Costco and put it in my Easter basket :)…she was so excited she wants to pick up a copy for herself as well!
So glad you enjoyed it and that it worked out well with your subs :) Hope the Easter bunny is good to you! haha
This looks like a delightful pudding! I can’t wait to try it. The almond milk ice cubes trick sounds genius too- smart idea.
This recipe sounds delicious! I have a bad reaction when I eat chia seeds though and wonder if you can make this without them?
the chia seeds really help thicken it up a lot, but you could probably sub a bit of avocado to make a chocolate avocado pudding? You’d have to play around with the recipe a bit!
That looks absolutely delicious! My blender is in storage at the moment and it’s killing me! I’m definitely going to make this once I’ve got it back!
Charlie x
impulsory.net
This pudding is so, SO amazing. I loved that I had all of the ingredients and that it provided me with instant gratification :) I added a spoonful of peanut butter, too. YUM. Thanks Angela! You’re such an inspiration.
Okay I need to buy an ice tray and try this!
orrblog.net
I am insanely jealous that you have a Vitamix – I want one so bad!
Your photography is always so amazing! I just received a Canon T5i as a gift and am a littler overwhelmed. What program are you using to insert the beautiful text on the photos?
I adore chia pudding but definitely hate the wait time – what a great solution! This will also be perfect for summer when it’s sweltering hot… at least, I hope it will be. Based on this winter, I’m not getting my hopes up.
We made this yesterday – fantastic! Since I didn’t already have frozen almond milk cubes (or own ice cube trays to start any), I used all milk, and let it set in the fridge while we ate dinner, and the pudding was perfect when it was time for dessert. The kids love the dark chocolate Silk almond milk, so we always have it on hand. I used 1 cup of regular almond milk, and 1/2 cup of chocolate almond milk. We added sliced banana slices to the pudding while it was setting up. Love – Love – Loved it! They were licking their mugs. We will definitely make this again!
Sounds heavenly. Love that little yellow spoon, too!
I can’t wait to make this! Last week, I was having serious chocolate cravings and made your original Chocolate Chia Pudding recipe 3 times! But on one night I was too impatient to wait for it to fully thicken and ended up just drinking it haha. Wish I would have had this recipe then although it is still pretty delicious in drink form :)
Thank you for linking to my cookbook review too!! Good luck with the moving process :)