Coconut Chia Pudding
Creamy, tropical and ready any time you are, Coconut Chia Pudding is a fun and tasty breakfast or snack.
Sometimes new recipes are discovered out of inspiration. And sometimes out of desperation. Either way it can be a win.
Today’s Coconut Chia Pudding is a creamy, tasty and convenient breakfast or snack. And it’s every bit as nice as the classic Overnight Oats. Plus it’s lower in carbs, vegan and dairy-free.
And who wouldn’t love a slightly tropical vibe from the coconut. Doesn’t it always seem like summer goes too fast?
Which takes us back to the desperation.
You Can Get Lyme Disease in your Well-Manicured Backyard
This brings us to the less sunny reason I needed a dairy free recipe. I have been taking doxycycline for a nasty case of Lyme disease. And the general rule of thumb (this is not meant to be medical advice) is to take it with food and not with dairy,
Yes, I had been under the mistaken impression that it would be safe to cross my well cropped lawn to harvest a tomato from the raised bed garden.
Nuh-uh.
So now it’s time for a new dairy-free breakfast routine.
Why You’ll Love This!
Happily there are many things to love about this Coconut Milk Chia Pudding—even if you don’t have Lyme disease.
Convenient. Just like the popular Overnight Oats, you make up servings of this ahead of time and leave them in the refrigerator until needed. Just in case you wake up 10 minutes before you need to leave (ahem).
Dairy free. Even if you’re not dairy free (or taking doxycycline), this is something everyone can enjoy if you’re serving a vegan or dairy free guest.
Fun. You don’t even need to top these at all, but I think matching for different holidays is a blast! Or you could do school colors too.
Serving Dishes
This doesn’t make a really large serving size. In the first (larger) serving glasses I tried and rejected, the pudding almost seemed to disappear. So look for a more petite serving dish.
In the end my favorite “dish” was a half cup canning jar. I have a lot of these, including lids, which were perfect for keeping the pudding from drying out. The one downside is that there isn’t as much room on top if you want to really load up fruit.
Tips & FAQs
If you’re working with dietary restrictions, be aware of the composition of any protein powder you use, since they may have dairy or meat-based ingredients. When in doubt, just omit it.
You can make a zero calorie, carb free maple syrup substitute by mixing 2 Tablespoons allulose syrup (or other zero calorie syrup) with a drop of maple flavoring. This will reduce the calories in this by 25 per serving and lower the carbs too.
I had a lot of fun dressing up my coconut chia pudding cups in seasonal and holiday colors! But in the end, I decided I liked the mango topping the best. I felt like it kept the tropical vibe going. Yum!
And if you try this, I’d love to hear what your favorite toppings are!
Cooking with Coconut
- Chewy Coconut Macaroons from Creative Cynchronicity
- Coconut Fish Curry from That Recipe
- Coconut Oil Fudge from Jen Around the World
- Coconut Toast from Palatable Pastime
- Minatamis Na Bao – Filipino Coconut Jam from Magical Ingredients
- Thai Curry Chicken Pasta from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
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Coconut Chia Pudding
Ingredients
Pudding:
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- 12-14 ounces light coconut milk (1 can) or regular coconut milk that is all liquid, not chunky, also works
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons protein powder optional, use a dairy free protein powder for dairy free pudding
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Toppings (optional):
- fruit, nuts, sprinkles, shredded coconut
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine pudding ingredients and stir together until well mixed. Divide between 4 serving dishes.
- Cover and refrigerate until thickened, at least 3-4 hours, though it will continue to thicken for about 8 hours. If pudding separates while thickening, give it a quick stir, then re-cover.
- Top with fruits, nuts, etc. for serving if desired.
I love how versatile and fun this Coconut Chia Pudding looks! The tropical twist with coconut and mango makes it feel like a mini vacation in a jar.
Love the tropical flair to breakfast or snack! YUM!