Easy Overnight Chocolate Chia Pudding Dessert

This Overnight Chocolate Chia Pudding dessert recipe is too easy and delicious to pass up! Few ingredients and no-cooking-required makes it the perfect companion for travel, road trips, and meal prep.

One of my favorite evening routines in my camper van is to make this overnight chocolate chia pudding recipe with coconut milk, so I wake up to a dessert-like breakfast! It's especially nice when I park my camper van in a public spot overnight and need to make a quick go-for-it in the morning. 

Whether you enjoy it for breakfast or a snack on a busy morning or just because it’s that good, you'll be glad you decided to take my advice and give this chocolate pudding with chia seeds a try!

Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Chia Pudding Recipe:

• Super thick consistency. This chocolatey overnight chia pudding combines thick and creamy coconut milk with chia seeds that plump up for a fantastic mouthfeel. 
• Easy to modify. Use any milk on hand and switch up the toppings. It makes for an adaptable breakfast, dessert, or midday snack.
• Healthy and delicious. This chia pudding is so thick, creamy, and chocolatey that you’ll be surprised it is chock full of healthy goodness. Indulge and feel pretty great about it. Plus, it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and a delicious paleo treat!
• Perfect for travel and on the go! Because It makes a nice thick pudding, there are no worries about it spilling into your backpack.

Ingredients and Substituions

Chia puddings are so great to make because they only require a few base ingredients and then you just build on to that to get a recipe you love.

• Full-fat coconut milk - You’ll get the thickest and creamiest chia pudding with full-fat coconut milk, but it is still just as delicious with other plant-based milk like almond, hemp, or oat milk.
• Chia seeds - These little seeds absorb the liquid and plump up into soft, nearly noticeable ones and add some really great texture and health benefits, too.
• Cocoa powder - use unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder.
• Other additions: salt, maple syrup, and vanilla (optional).

How to make overnight chocolate chia pudding

Step one: Add the ingredients to a jar and shake or stir until well-mixed. Let it rest, shake again, rest, and mix one more time to ensure the chia seeds are evenly distributed and to prevent them from clumping. 

Step two: Cover the jar and store it in the fridge to rest for at least 2 hours or overnight. Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Tips for making chocolate chia seed pudding

• Use any plant-based milk you like. You can replace the ⅔ cup (150 ml) water-coconut milk combination with almond, hemp, or other plant-based milk. Water & coconut is my favorite.
• Find your own perfect chia pudding consistency. This recipe makes a nice thick pudding. Add a little more liquid to thin.
• Prevent clumps — make sure you shake/stir it well. You know you’re finished shaking/stirring when the chia seeds are separated (not sticking together) and remain in the mixture rather than floating to the top (note that some will still float).
• Add extra protein. Add a scoop of protein powder to the mix or use chocolate protein powder and replace the cocoa powder. 

Topping Ideas

This overnight chocolate chia pudding is great just as it is, but to make it extra delicious, you could add a few toppings. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Chopped nuts: pecans, walnuts, or macadamia nuts
• Fresh fruit:  raspberries, strawberries, and bananas
• Extra chocolate: dark chocolate shavings are the best!

How to store chocolate chia pudding

This chocolate coconut milk chia pudding is perfect as an overnight recipe and for meal prep. It stores for up to five days in the fridge, making it a quick and easy breakfast or snack during the week. 

Tips to make my Chocolate Chia Pudding Recipe on the road:

From warm Hawaii campsites to cycling the Pacific Coast and van life, Chocolate Chia Pudding is a favorite healthy snack! Check out my Simple 2-ingredient Chia Seed Pudding Recipe for a list of travel tips.

Hungry for more? Try these:

• Simple Chia Seed Pudding Recipe >> 2-ingredient paleo breakfast
• The 3 Best Gluten Free Smoothie Recipes
• Rice Porridge >> quick + easy GF breakfast

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Be sure to check out our tasty gluten-free Recipe Index <3

With love and gratitude,

❤︎ Jamie