Decadent Coconut Mango Chia Pudding

As midterm season is in session once again for me, this means more time in the books and less time in the kitchen unfortunately. However, it also means a lot of potential distractions on my phone. So here I was, searching the wonders of the internet when I stumbled upon this dessert: Chia pudding.

 Now for someone still fairly new to the healthy side of life, I had to ask myself, what on earth is chia pudding? The dessert itself looked so indulgent, and yet it was supposedly healthy? The deeper I searched the internet, the more I saw various recipes pop up for different varieties and flavours of chia pudding. From what I could see, chia pudding could easily be taking the internet by storm just as popular as smoothie bowls are. On top of that, I was fascinated by the ability of dry chia seeds to pass as a tapioca look alike. It looked almost similar to the sweet tapioca dessert Payasam I had growing up. This was definately a cause worth investigating, and with a bit of luck, I was able to whip up a recipe to share with you guys. Here’s how you can make your own batch of healthy creamy chia pudding:

Ingrediants: 

• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/4 cup water or as needed
• 1 cup coconut milk 
• 3 drops vanilla extract 
• 2 cups frozen mango slices
• 1 tsp honey
• Toppings: toasted coconut, mango slices 

Instructions: 

1. Since we are going for a layered look, first you need to prepare your mango layer. To do this, you simply need to prepare a puree by blending 2 cups of mango with 1/4 cup water. Set aside this mixture for later use.

2. Next, you prepare your chia layer. To do so, mix 1 cup of coconut milk with 3 tbps of chia seeds, adding in both the honey and vanilla extract and stir well together. Allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes, this will thicken the chia. 

3. Once thickened, plate both mango and chia mixtures into serving jars, alternating between each layer. Store each pudding cup into a freezer and allow to chill for atleast 4 hours before serving or overnight. 

4. Before serving, top with toasted coconut slices and mango, or any other topping of your choice. 

And there you have it, one easy summer treat: a healthy breakfast and an indulgent dessert, what’s not to love? You’ll be satisfying both omega-3 needs and sweet tooth cravings all at once. This healthy eat is approved by yours truly- S.