As mentioned in one of my recent posts, I’ve been trying to add more chia pudding recipes to the blog, simply because they’re delicious and fun to whip up, not to mention quick, easy, and nutritious!

I have explained some of the health benefits of chia seeds in the aforementioned post. So today, I’ll be focusing on showing you some exciting ways to include these miraculous seeds into your meals 🙂

I’m sure you already know that when mixed with liquids chia seeds tend to gel and yield a pudding-like consistency. The general rule of thumb is using 3-4 parts liquid per 1 part chia seeds. Yet, if you mix them with plain water your pudding will be utterly tasteless! In my opinion, that’s the beauty of these seeds, because you can get any flavor your heart desires by combining them with the right ingredients 😉

Let’s say you’re in the mood for vanilla pudding. All you have to do is add some vanilla bean powder (or vanilla extract) to the chia seeds, little bit of natural sweetener (my favorite is raw honey or pure maple syrup), and to get that creamy consistency, you want to use some kind of non-dairy milk or yogurt like almond, coconut, cashew, hemp, etc. instead of water.

If you’re feeling like chocolate, you can spice up your pudding by adding raw cacao powder, cacao nibs, sweetener of choice, non-dairy milk, and maybe even some dark chocolate chips! You can make matcha chia pudding, rosewater, fruity puddings using fresh juice instead of water, and the list goes on and on…

In this post, I’ll be sharing my recipe for a decadent vanilla chia pudding paired with coconut yogurt and strawberry mango dairy-free “ice cream”. To bump up the protein content and make this parfait a real meal replacement, I added a scoop of Genuine Health fermented vegan proteins+ to the ice cream. This is my favorite protein powder by far since it’s made from seven high-quality fully fermented vegan ingredients, such as organic quinoa sprouts, spirulina, hemp, mung bean sprouts, and brown rice. The advanced fermentation process makes the nutrients much easier to digest and absorb, allowing us to get more of all the goodness that’s actually inside the product. That means no more gas or bloating that’s common with most protein powders in the market!

I chose the unsweetened and unflavored version for this recipe, which is great since it doesn’t alter the taste of the fruits in the ice cream. Click here to find out where you can buy fermented vegan proteins+, in case you are interested.

Coconut Chia Parfait with Strawberry Mango Ice Cream - Nutriholist

Coconut Chia Parfait with Strawberry Mango Ice Cream Recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients

Coconut Chia Pudding

  • 4 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup or raw honey (more if needed)

Coconut Yogurt Layer

  • 1/4 cup coconut yogurt

Strawberry Mango Ice Cream

Directions

  1. To make the chia pudding: Mix the chia seeds with vanilla and coconut milk, then add in maple syrup or honey. Stir a few times to break up any clumps of chia and let it sit for 10-15 minutes or longer for the seeds to gel and thicken. Taste test and add more sweetener if desired
  2. To make the strawberry mango ice cream: Add all ingredients to a food processor or high-speed blender with a tamper and blitz until you get a smooth ice cream-like consistency. Try not to run the machine for too long, since the accumulated heat would melt the ice cream (around 20 seconds is best)
  3. To assemble: Divide half of the chia pudding between two glasses, top with a layer of coconut yogurt, the rest of the chia pudding, and finish it off with the strawberry mango ice cream. Garnish with fresh strawberries, coconut flakes, or other toppings of choice, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post, but all the opinions are 100% my own. I would never promote a product that I don’t personally use and love.