Coconut Vanilla Chia Pudding

This delicious Coconut Vanilla Chia Pudding topped with strawberries is the perfect breakfast for vanilla lovers!  Creamy chia pudding infused with fresh vanilla and tender sweet berries, just as filling as oatmeal, and as fun as frozen yogurt with toppings.  It calls for 5 ingredients and can be whipped up the day before.  Tastes like pudding, and is also a healthy choice.  Dairy-free, paleo, vegan, and nut-free too!

Chia pudding is what regular pudding is for kids.  It tastes like healthy adult pudding, you guys!  It's creamy and lush just like actual pudding.  Each spoonful is satisfyingly delicious and feels like dessert.  I love that when you add toppings it feels like a real treat, despite its healthy nutritional profile.  It's my favorite breakfast for the Paleo diet, and easy to make, fast to whip up, and hearty as heck.  It's the best breakfast ever!

Now that you know this breakfast choice is amazing let's talk about making it from scratch.

It's so easy to buy store-bought chia pudding but then you are left with a not-so-healthy breakfast.  Store-bought options are riddled with sugar and other additives.  And by making it yourself you get to customize your own chia pudding bowl.

HOMEMADE CHIA PUDDING VS STORE-BOUGHT 

• When you're making your chia pudding homemade, and from scratch, you get to choose all the toppings you want
• That means you control the amount of sweetness, sugar, lack of sugar, healthy toppings versus processed toppings, and no thickeners or additives
• You get to decide what type of plant-based milk you'd like
• Control.  You have full control over what you are eating, and creating
• Always made with love
• You can dress up it any way you'd like!  Think of frozen yogurt with toppings

My favorite way to make chia pudding is sans artificial sugars and made with fresh fruit and spices.  I usually use unsweetened coconut milk, Tiger nut milk, or hemp milk - but you can use any milk that works best for your body.

The healthier the toppings are, the more filling and satiating this breakfast treat will be.

Favorite toppings for pudding include obviously without a doubt, strawberries because they are so tangy and you can have MANY without feeling overloaded.

HEALTHY CHIA PUDDING TOPPING IDEAS IF YOU'RE NOT INTO STRAWBERRIES

• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Raspberries
• Sliced bananas
• Papaya chunks
• Clementine sections
• Cocoa powder
• Carob powder
• Cacao powder
• Sugar-free chocolate chips
• Almond butter
• Cashew butter
• Sunbutter
• Pumpkin seed butter
• Plant-based yogurt of choice
• Hemp seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Poppy seeds
• Walnuts
• Almond slices
• Cashew halves
• Pistachios
• Hazelnuts
• Certified gluten-free oats
• Warmed apples or pear slices with cinnamon
• Purely Elizabeth chocolate probiotic granola  {gluten and nut-free}
• Purely Elizabeth Blueberry Hemp granola {gluten and nut-free}

IF YOU LIKE THIS CHIA RECIPE, YOU'LL LOVE THESE TOO!

• Wild Blueberry Lemon Chia Pudding
• Matcha Chia Oat Parfait
• 8 Healthy Plant-Based Gluten-Free Breakfast Ideas

HEALTHY SUGAR SOURCES TO USE

• Pure maple syrup
• Raw honey
• Coconut sugar
• Date syrup
• Homemade date paste
• Dates

CHIA PUDDING TIPS

Any plant-based milk or regular milk can be used. You can always add sweetener up to 1 tablespoon if this is too non-sweet for you. Sugars that will work are maple syrup, coconut sugar, or honey. Gluten-Free and Celiac peeps! Remember to always make sure your chia seeds are certified gluten-free. I use nutsdotcom for my chia seeds tested at below 10ppm.

READY TO GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS?

Print Recipe

5 from 7 votes

Coconut Vanilla Chia Pudding

Ever wonder why chia pudding is so popular?  It tastes like pudding but it's healthy!  Creamy, dreamy vanilla mixed with strawberries and coconut milk makes this pudding an unreal snack and breakfast experience.

Prep Time5 hrs 5 mins

Total Time5 hrs 5 mins

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Paleo, Sugar-Free, Vegan

Keyword: chia, chia pudding, creamy, refined sugar-free, sugar-free, sweet

Servings: 1 person

Author: Julie Rosenthal

Equipment

• mason jar

Ingredients

• ¾ cup coconut milk unsweetened
• 4 tbsp chia seeds
• ½ piece vanilla pod good quality, inside flesh only
• 1 drop stevia liquid
• 5 large strawberries sliced
• 2-4 tbsp additional coconut milk

Instructions

• Add all ingredients into a mason jar except the additional plant milk and strawberries.
• Close the lid of the jar and shake. Refrigerate overnight or for 5 hours.
• Once ready to serve, open the jar and mix with a fork. It will be thick. Add an additional 2-4 Tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk for desired consistency, one teaspoon at a time.
• Top with sliced strawberries and eat up!

Notes

Any plant-based milk or regular milk can be used. You can always add sweetener up to 1 tablespoon if this is too non-sweet for you. // Additional sugars that will work are maple syrup, coconut sugar or honey. Gluten-Free and Celiac peeps: remember to always make sure your chia seeds are certified gluten-free. I use nutsdotcom for my chia seeds tested at below 10ppm. // I love making my own homemade coconut milk it makes this breakfast not need any more added sugar because homemade coconut milk is sweet all on its own. // Store bought will work as well, but homemade is better. // If you cannot get fresh vanilla you can also use vanilla powder.  It has been tested with both.  ¼ teaspoon vanilla powder if you omit the fresh vanilla bean.

Health and nourishment,