Chia seeds lend their thickening power to this silky smooth chocolate pudding; just like your childhood pudding cups, but way healthier.

Course: Sweets

Keyword: Chocolate, Chocolate Chia Pudding, Desserts, Gluten-Free, Make-Ahead

Chocolate Chia Pudding

Name: Chocolate Chia Pudding
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 130 min
Ingredients: 1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder; 1/2 cup Grade A dark, robust maple syrup; 1/3 cup chia seeds; 1 large avocado, pitted and scooped; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 tablespoons coconut oil, at room temperature

ACTIVE TIME: 10

TOTAL TIME: 2 10

Yield: 3 1/2 cups

When I was a kid, I was addicted to these little canned puddings the other kids always had in their lunches. This reminds me of that pudding, thanks to chia’s silky smooth thickening power.

And, of course, this chocolate pudding has the “functionality” of chia: high fiber, omega-3 fatty acid in the form of alpha-linolenc acid, and a fair amount of protein. Me, I just like pudding.

This recipe first appeared in Season 1 of Good Eats: The Return.

Photo by Lynne Calamia

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Software

1 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup Grade A dark, robust maple syrup
1/3 cup chia seeds
1 large avocado, pitted and scooped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons coconut oil, at room temperature

Specialized Hardware

Heavy-duty blender (something in the 1,500-watt range should do the trick)

ACTIVE TIME: 10

TOTAL TIME: 2 10

Yield: 3 1/2 cups

Procedure

Place the cocoa powder in the blender. Microwave 1 cup of water for 1 minute, then add to the blender and blend on high for 30 seconds.
Add the maple syrup, chia seeds, avocado, vanilla extract, and salt, plus 1 cup of water to the blender and blend on high for 45 seconds.
Slowly stream in the coconut oil with the blender still running. Continue to blend on high until the pudding homogenizes, about 1 minute more.
Transfer to a resealable container and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours. The pudding will continue to set up as it cools. You can also dose the pudding into individual serving containers then cover and cool.