Chocolate Chia Pudding
Updated January 26, 2026
Nico Schinco for The New York Times, Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne.
- Total Time
- 15 minutes, plus 8 hours resting
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 10 minutes, plus 8 hours resting
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
¼ cup cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
2 cups milk or milk alternative of choice, such as oat or almond
½ cup black or white chia seeds
¼ cup maple syrup (or sweetener of choice, to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
A tiny pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)
Any combination of toppings, such as berries, banana slices, chopped stone fruit, chopped nuts, granola or coconut flakes, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
52 grams carbs; 325 calories; 2 grams monosaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 9 grams fat; 12 grams fiber; 6 milligrams sodium; 12 grams protein; 8 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large bowl, whisk the cocoa powder to break up any clumps. Add the milk and whisk to combine. Add the chia seeds, maple syrup, vanilla extract and cinnamon, along with the cardamom and nutmeg (if using), and whisk to combine. The mixture will be loose at this point, but will firm up as it chills. (To make single-serving puddings, you can divide the chia mixture among smaller containers or glasses.)
- Step 2
Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for 8 hours. Stir before serving, garnish with preferred toppings and serve. (Chia pudding will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It will thicken the longer it sits, but can be loosened with a splash of milk.)
Private Notes
Comments
I’ve been making this for years. In order to get a consistent pudding like texture you must thoroughly whisk it after 30 minutes in the refrigerator and again 30 minutes later. If you’ve made this recipe and find that it’s lumpy and thin, this extra step will fix that problem and it will set up well. Also, for better nutrition,I use cacao powder (Terrasoul, unlike man other cocoa powders, is not high in cadmium-which is a common problem with many brands). An ever better sweetener is date syrup.
This is a very nice “healthy” treat. It’s rich in chocolate flavor. Due to eyeballing the spices measurements because by measuring spoons were in the dishwasher, I put enough spices in that it had a distinct Indian restaurant chai flavor. I will definitely make this recipe again. This is not something I’d serve for a dinner party. It’s something I would serve myself when wanting decadent desserts but feeling sad about middle age weight gain.
I regularly make chia pudding. I found if you don't keep stirring or whisking it for 5 or more minutes after you add the liquid that it will clump up. Really hard to break those up. I put my mix in a jar with a screw on lid and shake and agitate it.
I tried this recipe and added the suggested nutmeg and cardamom, which was a mistake, made it taste odd and didn’t enjoy it. Don’t know why it was even suggested. I will try again without.
I had trouble whisking the cocoa powder and milk together because the cocoa seemed hydrophobic. They stayed stubbornly separated. My solution was to first whisk all the dry ingredients first, including the chia seeds and spices. The milk combined much easier with all that.
Very delicious and nutrient dense! Used soy milk for liquid and local orange blossom honey for sweetener because that’s what I had. Followed another commenter’s suggestion to whisk 30 minutes after making to ensure no clumps. Final product the next day was creamy, thick, and bouncy. All seeds were fully hydrated and I found no clumps. Added a splash of soy milk to my serving. So delicious and easy!