Vegan Chocolate Coconut Chia Seed Pudding

So I love dessert! But I am always looking for desserts I can feel good about. This is one of our favorites because it's packed full of healthy goodness and it tastes amazing!



What you'll need:

-1 can of coconut milk
-2-3 spoonfuls of Raw Cacao Powder
-1/2 cup of Chia Seeds
-A natural sweetener such as maple syrup, agave or honey. (maple syrup is my favorite in this)

What to do:

Pour the can of coconut milk into a mason jar or something you can put a lid on. Then add your Chia Seeds, Cacao and sweetener. The Cacao amount and sweetener are up to you depending on how chocolately and sweet you like it. Stir it up, then let it sit for an hour. The Chia seeds will expand and gelatinize. After it's done you can taste it and add more cacao or sweetener if needed. You can also blend it if you don't like the tapioca consistency. (If you have a Vita Mix you can get it to be fully smooth!)


What are the health benefits?

Chia Seeds:

-Chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, even more so than flax seeds.
-Chia seeds also provide fiber (25 grams give you 6.9 grams of fiber) as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc.


Raw Cacao Powder:

-Cacao has more antioxidant flavonoids than any food tested so far, including blueberries, red wine, and black and green teas. In fact, it has up to four times the quantity of antioxidants found in green tea.


Coconut Milk:

-Coconut milk contains many vitamins, minerals and electrolytes, including potassium, calcium and chloride.
-The saturated fat in coconut is made up of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids the body quickly turns into energy instead of storing as fat.


So there we go. A healthy dessert alternative. You can use this pudding on top of a crust or combine it with fruit. You can also make other flavors. The only other flavor I've experimented with is lemon. Replace the Raw Cacao with real lemon juice and lemon zest! Enjoy!

-Bailey