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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!
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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!
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![{Almost} Instant Chocolate Chia Pudding](https://ohsheglows.com/gs_images/2014/04/veganchiachocolatepuddingsquare-7059-768x768.jpg)
{Almost} Instant Chocolate Chia Pudding
![](https://ohsheglows.com/wp-content/plugins/osg-recipes/images/ornament_long_artichoke.png)
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
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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!
This is so smart, Angela! I want to love chia puddings but the texture always bugs me. This blended version with frozen almond milk cubes sounds like the perfect solution! Good luck with your move!
Hi Angela, I also ordered your book and love it. This recipe looks great and I’m defenitly going to try it. What did you put on top, coconut and…..????? Just one question. When I discovered your website I printed several of the older recipes and when I print them they have a nice picture with it, witch I love, Because a pretty picture of a recipe motivates me to try it even more. The new recipes don’t come with a picture when I print them, May I ask why this is?
Linda from Holland
Ooohh.. I like how you freeze almond milk. I never thought about doing that. I’m definitely going to give that a try. What an awesome tip! Thanks for sharing! :)
If you have a coffee grinder, you can grind the chia seeds prior to adding them to the mixture. I have been doing this for the past couple of weeks!
Chia seeds have been all the rage lately, and now I finally see what all the fuss is about. This chocolate chia pudding looks amazing! Thanks for sharing- I can’t wait to try it!
I love this recipe!! And it’s especially good with a little bit of peanut butter on top! :-)
My husband bought me your cookbook for my birthday, and he has made more recipes out of it than I have! He made your chick pea salad last night and was excited to take it to lunch today. I made the apple pie oatmeal yesterday morning and it was fantastic. I can’t wait to make more of the recipes and my husband has started giving me a priority list of recipes I need to make first! Great work.
I am also looking forward to your future posts on pregnancy related topics. I’m 18 weeks and am not vegan, but am trying my best to incorporate healthy recipes and snacks the best that I can.
Thank you so much for sharing! This pudding tastes absolutely divine :).
I love love love chia seed pudding and you know what I love even more. . . CHOCOLATE chia seed pudding! EHHH I’m soo excited to try out this recipe. There is nothing worst than having an instant craving for it and having to wait and wait for it to sit in the fridge. LAME! Going home and trying this out stat! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
ashleydenaexo.blogspot.com/
I am so excited to try this. To date, I have been enjoying a banana/avocado chocolate pudding which I do like… but this looks amazing. I have been introducing more plant based meals to my family, but my 14 year old is not a willing participant in many of my endeavours. Perhaps this pudding might tickle her fancy. BTW… I adore your sour cream recipe!
Just bought a batch of chia seeds yesteday. Now I know what I’ll be doing with them. Can’t wait to taste the pudding :)
I made your granola from the Oh She Glows cookbook almost two weeks, and my roomie and I have been munching on it ever since. It is so good! In fact, we love all of the recipes so far. I have even made some of them to friends and family and they were head over heels too.
Freezing almond milk – what a great idea! Sometimes it’s the simplest things that you never think of….
Got my cookbook the other day (from Amazon all the way to Australia). Have spent only a brief moment drooling over the photos and recipes, but I’m looking forward to getting stuck in. Congratulations – you’re such an inspiration!
Robyn xx
I am always craving a vegan milkshake! I make mine with frozen bananas and throw in some chia seeds, it adds a lot of creaminess and bulks up the texture. One time I threw a couple spoonfuls of almond butter….heaven. Congrats on baby, Angela :)
Hi Angela,
I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of months and am completely hooked! I was and am not a vegan, but I’ve been making your recipes pretty much every day (also those in your cookbook!) Everyone loves them. I’m just having your chocolate pudding, and it is absolutely heavenly. I made it ‘the traditional way’ yesterday, and it comes very close to real Belgian chocolate mousse. Absolutely great. Thank you so much for sharing all of this; it’s greatly helped us finding a healthier lifestyle. Very happy so many of your recipes are without gluten and have a nut-free option, too. Keep up the great work! I hope your a happy pregnant woman :-)
PS My boyfriends keeps joking he wants a meet and greet with you when we travel to America this summer – he keeps on saying you really changed our lives, which is absolutely true :-)
*sorry about the typos…!*
I’m so happy to hear this Josine! Thanks for your feedback. :) I would love to meet you sometime! Will you be traveling to Canada too?
Aaaw that sounds great! We are still planning our trip – who knows! If we’re going to be anywhere near Toronto I’ll let you know :-)
This sounds so awesome and so heathly!! Thank you for putting up such awesome recipes like this one. Now I can get my Chocolate fix on every day!! This sounds like a great after workout snack too!! I love your site so very much!!! thanks for all you do!!!
This was so delicious! It is a really nice change from the usual chia seed puddings, which I want to love, but just don’t. This was so creamy and decadent. It reminded me of the pudding from my youth, but way better. I bet kids would go crazy for this!
This sounds amazing! I have Giddy Yoyo’s cacao powder (that I’m addicted to), so I can’t wait to try that out in this!!
Hi, I made this recipe and I just want to know how do you get it super smooth. No matter what I do the seeds remain. I cant afford the vitamix does this mean this recipe is doomed for me? BTW every recipe I try I love. You inspire me!
Hi Angela,
I’ve been following your website and your recipes for a while now, and I’d love to buy your cookbook. The only problem is that it is appearently not available in the belgian iTunes store… Is it a problem that can be solved ;)? Do I have to change my settings in iTunes, I absolutely have no clue?
All the best and the best wishes for your expanding family!
Johanna
I can’t wait to make this. I think I will make it tomorrow night. I need to freeze the almond milk cubes. I have to tell you, that I love love your cookbook. I made the cream of tomato soup tonight with the roasted chickpeas. It was so yummy!!! My whole family loved it. Can’t wait to try more recipes.
Just wanted to say your recipe looks great…Thanks for being so kind.
The medjoo dates are sooo expensive in my country, what can I use instead? Please help me, this looks so delicious! I love your blog!