I love chia seeds, and I have found so many different ways to incorporate these nutritious little seeds into my diet.  I have made  vanilla, matcha, and chocolate chia seed pudding before, and hot cocoa chia pudding was a simple flavor to make.

Hot Cocoa Chia Seed Pudding

If you haven’t tried chia pudding before, it makes it so easy to get a big serving of chia seeds.  These little seeds are absolutely packed with all kinds of nutrients and benefits, and are the richest whole food source of Omega-3 (ALA) (as a vegetarian family, we love that!).  There are so many other nutritional benefits, from vitamins to minerals and helping with digestion.

This recipe is super easy to make, and a fun twist on both regular pudding!

Ingredients

1/3 cup chia seeds

2 cups milk (regular milk, coconut milk, almond milk – whatever you prefer)

Approx. 2 tablespoons or more of hot cocoa mix powder (regular, mint – whatever flavor you like!).  (I use regular sweetened hot cocoa mix, otherwise your pudding won’t be sweet if you use just cocoa).

Directions

I use a Mason jar to mix my ingredients and to store the pudding.  However, you can also mix your ingredients in a bowl.

Whisk together the milk and hot cocoa powder.  Use the ratio you would for hot cocoa (varies according to the brand).

Then combine the seeds with the milk/hot cocoa mix.

My favorite way to make this is in a Mason jar, because I like to shake the ingredients every 5 minutes or so in the beginning.  Otherwise you will notice the chia seeds clumping up in the bottom of the jar.

Allow to sit in the fridge overnight (or for the good portion of a day).  It only takes a few minutes to mix the ingredients, so you can make it right before bed and it will be ready in the morning.  If you can remember, mix at intervals every so often just to help break up some of the chunks that can form.

Once the chia seeds have thickened, mix again thoroughly, breaking up any chunks, as some of the chia generally becomes clumpy or sticks to the bottom of the jar.

I have eaten this as dessert, but even as breakfast.  Add in a few banana slices or other fruit for an added healthy touch!

Serve, and enjoy!

Hot Cocoa Chia Seed Pudding