Ok, I have to be honest with you from the beginning.. this chia chocolate pudding tastes very good and it is an excellent option for a healthy, quick to make and nutritious pudding, but it has nothing to do with the traditional chocolate pudding, which is creamy, chocolatey, milky and just delicious! This chia pudding is the perfect choice if you are searching for a healthy and guilt-free pudding, that you can enjoy at any time of the day and of course you can offer with no second thoughts to your kids. Moreover, if you have already tried a regular chia pudding but you didn't enjoy its seedy texture, you should give a chance to this chia pudding because it is blended, leading to a smoother, thicker and creamier pudding rather than the regular one. But still, depending on the power of your blender you may end up with tiny crunchy chia crumbs. The higher power your blender has, the smoother the chia pudding will become. However, even the most powerful home blender cannot grid the chia seeds completely, leading to this pudding to have some chia crumbs. Do not worry, this pudding will not have the seedy texture of the regular chia pudding, but it will be enjoyable crunchy.

Chia seeds are tiny black, white and grey seeds that are considered to be super food! This means that they are very nutritious: they are loaded with fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants (you can see all the health benefits of chia seeds here). Chia seeds are advised to be eaten form kids and adults, but only after being soaked in water, milk, or any other food with a semi-liquid consistency. Dry chia seeds tend to absorb the liquid and expand, therefore eating dry chia seeds should be avoided in order to decrease the risk of gastrointestinal blockage. However, this is the property of chia seeds, that let them create amazing, creamy puddings.

For a chia pudding the basic ingredients are chia seeds, milk (of your choice) and a sweetener (honey, maple syrup, sugar, stevia or which ever you prefer). Then the flavour combinations are endless. Usually chocolate chia puddings have cocoa powder for the chocolate flavour and vanilla extract for extra aroma. But honestly I find this combination kind of monotone. Trying to improve the taste of my chocolate pudding I added my favourite spices along with orange aroma. For spices, I use good quality of organic ceylon cinnamon powder and grated fresh ginger. For extra flavour I add zest of one orange, which is the outer orange part of the orange, which I grate. However, if you want an extra kick (and you are not planning to serve this pudding to children) feel free to add a pinch of cayenne pepper!

Making this chia pudding is super easy! Just add all the ingredients in your blender starting with the milk. Blend in low speed till everything combines and increase to high in order to blend as much as possible the chia seeds. Blend until the mixture has get a creamy and pudding-like texture and the chia seeds are almost undetectable. The blending of the chia seeds depends on the power of your blender. The higher power your blender has, the more the chia seeds are blended. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the blender with a rubber spatula if needed.

Transfer to 2 serving bowls. Actually you can directly consume the pudding, but I prefer to cover it (with lid or plastic wrap) and put it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours to let it set and cool. You can top the pudding with fresh fruits, especially berries, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, whipped cream or whatever you like. Enjoy!