Coconut Vanilla Chia Pudding {paleo, nut-free, vegan}

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.

 

Chia pudding is what regular chocolate pudding is to kids.  At least in my eyes.  Chia pudding is pudding, you guys!  It’s creamy and lush just like pudding.  Each spoonful is satisfyingly delicious and feels like dessert.  And added with toppings?  My God!  Why did I not know about this dish until I went on the Paleo diet in 2014?  Long-time to wait for goodness.

You can dress up chia pudding any way you’d like!  Making it kinda like an ice cream bar with toppings, but instead, it’s chia seeds and they are a plant-based powerhouse superfood that just so happens to be one of the best healthy fats ever!

My favorite way to make chia pudding is sans artificial sugars and made with fresh fruit and spices.  I usually use unsweetened coconut milk, TigerNut milk, or hemp milk – but you can use any milk you want.

The more healthy toppings you add the more filling this treat will be.  And if you add your choice of a healthy form of sugar it can become a deliciously healthy dessert.  You can also turn this into a parfait with layers!  The sky is seriously the limit with this versatile dish.

Favorite toppings for chia pudding include obviously without a doubt, strawberries because they are so tangy and you can have MANY without feeling overloaded.  And having a food sensitivity for 5 years not being able to have strawberries and then suddenly being able to have them again makes this treat extra special!  Drop me a line in the comments below if you’ve been through something similar xx

Lots of other yummy toppings are:

• blueberries
• blackberries
• cacao, cocoa or carob
• chocolate chips
• raspberries
• sliced bananas with peanut butter
• a drizzle of any nut or seed butter of choice
• plant-based or greek yogurt of choice
• hemp seeds
• pumpkin seeds
• sesame seeds
• poppy seeds
• sunflower seeds
• any nut of choice like pistachios or cashews
• walnuts with sliced apples and cinnamon
• pure maple syrup, raw honey/organic honey or coconut sugar
• date syrup or homemade date paste
• watermelon seeds
• Purely Elizabeth chocolate probiotic granola  {gluten and nut-free}
• Purely Elizabeth Blueberry Hemp granola {gluten and nut-free}
• gluten-free oatmeal
• Sunbutter drizzle

By now you’re probably sold because I so would be.  I’d be running to the kitchen to make this one because you cannot enjoy it immediately.  Like real regular kid pudding, you have to do some prep and stick it in the fridge overnight.  So get cooking!

 

Ready to make beautiful music together?

 

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. 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.