I love when a recipe feels decadent enough to be dessert, yet it’s healthy enough to eat for breakfast. This blended chocolate ginger chia pudding is just that!
I felt inspired to combine chocolate and ginger together after recently trying one of Four Sigmatic’s mushroom blends. There’s just something SO good about this combination, with ginger giving the perfect kick of spice to chocolate’s bitterness.
Chia Pudding Nutrition & Health Benefits:
You guys know I love my chia pudding, and for good reason! Not only is it delicious, but it’s packed with nutrition and health benefits, such as:
- Fiber: there are 10 grams of fiber in 2 Tbsp of chia seeds, which is about 40% of your daily fiber needs (women should aim for at least 25g/day and men 38g/day)!
- The soluble fiber in chia allows the tiny seed to absorb about 10 times it’s weight in water. Soluble fiber is what creates that gel-like texture of chia pudding. This expanded gel in your stomach slows digestion and absorption of nutrients, which is why chia seeds can play a role in satiety, lowering blood sugar, lowering cholesterol, and regulating your digestion.
- Omega-3s: chia seeds are one of the best plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids (ALA). Omega-3s play a role in heart health, brain health, and in reducing inflammation throughout the body.
- Protein: 2 Tbsps of chia seeds provide 4 grams of quality plant-protein. Protein provides the building blocks for your body’s tissues, and also helps to slow digestion and keep you full.
- Minerals: chia seeds are a great source of minerals like magnesium, calcium, and iron. 2 Tbsps provide 23%, 17%, and 12% of your daily needs, respectively.
Chocolate & Ginger Have Nutrition Benefits, Too!
For chocolate, I love using raw cacao powder, which is rich in nutrients like magnesium, iron and flavonoids (antioxidants). Raw cacao powder is not the same as your standard chocolate milk powder; it has no added sugars and is cold-pressed, meaning its nutrition is preserved during processing. I’ve linked my favourite brand here – it’s a staple in my pantry!
Ginger is a warming spice that is known to help alleviate digestive distress like nausea, morning sickness, and feelings of an upset stomach. Ginger contains both anti-inflammatory compounds and antioxidant properties, which collectively can help reduce risk for chronic and inflammatory conditions.
If you’re someone who doesn’t love the texture of traditional chia pudding, you might enjoy it blended! Blended chia pudding has a much smoother, more traditional pudding texture (you can see from the pictures that there’s no visible chia seeds here).
I hope you guys enjoy this blended chocolate ginger chia pudding as much as I did! If you’re looking for more chia pudding recipes, feel free to check out my Blended Raspberry Chia Pudding or my Kefir Chia Pudding as well.
Blended Chocolate Ginger Chia Pudding (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 4 Tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 cups milk of choice (e.g. almond or coconut milk)
- Optional toppings: nuts, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, granola, etc.
Instructions
- Add chia seeds, cacao powder, and ginger to a large bowl or jar. Mix ingredients together before adding milk and maple syrup.
- Mix wet and dry ingredients well, then cover and keep in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours until mixture has solidified.
- Remove from fridge and add mixture to a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth (~1 minute).
- Serve and add topping as desired. Best enjoyed cold!
Notes
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This looks absolutely amazing! I’m interested in making it! Do you have a nutritional list for each recipe? Cal, carb,fat,etc?
Hi Laura,
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
I try not to calculate the exact nutrition or calories of any of my recipes; rather I just focus on high-quality, nutrient-dense ingredients. If you’re interested in having a nutrition breakdown, feel free to enter the recipe here (just be sure to divide by number of servings!) – https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
Made these but the coNsistency was almost gummy. I think you need to eat right away. I put in fridge for a out 2hours while making rest of meal
Hi! Hmm I’m not sure what you mean by gummy. It’s supposed to be a thick pudding-like texture (which is a little gummy?). If you were to eat this right away it won’t thicken at all as the chia seeds need to sit in the milk to absorb the liquid! If you found it too thick, then perhaps a little more milk is the answer!
Hi! I love this, is there any way you could substitute the maple syrup for something else?
Hi Adina,
Thanks so much!! You can totally swap the maple syrup for any sweetener that you like! While it may affect the flavour a little, it shouldn’t affect the texture too much 🙂
I have a little fresh grated ginger in my fridge. Could i SUBSTitute that for the ground ginger? If so, how much would I use? Thanks! Recipe sounds yummy!
Hi Charlene,
Thanks so much! I haven’t tried the recipe with grated ginger myself, but I think it should work! It seems that the recommended amount for substitutions is 1 Tbsp of fresh ginger for every 1/4 tsp of ground ginger. In my opinion, that may be a bit strong for this recipe (I find the flavour of fresh ginger much more powerful)! I would maybe start with a smaller amount (e.g. 1 tsp) and taste test, and then adjust from there 🙂
it isn’t easy to find a good-tasting, healthy alternative to ice cream to offer my kids after dinner once and in while. thank you for this recipe, my kids loved trying something new!
Hi Liane,
So happy to hear that your kids enjoyed this one!! Thanks for sharing 🙂