This week I thought I’d try making a neapolitan chia seed pudding. Yup you read that right. Like the ice-cream flavour but in healthy, chia seed form.
Chia seed puddings are pretty weird, you can make them just with chia seeds and milk, the chia seeds expand and go kind of jelly like and with the right quantities make a pudding like texture. You can make all sorts of flavours, even just vanilla and top with fruit. I wanted to try something a little different that I hadn’t done before, hence my Neapolitan chia seed pudding. The bottom layer is vanilla, just flavoured with vanilla essence, the middle is chocolate flavoured with raw cacao powder and the top layer is strawberry made with frozen strawberries. And if you like you can fancy it up by topping with a hardening chocolate sauce (recipe below) and some fresh strawberries.
Chia seeds are amazing, they are filled with plant based omega 3, antioxidants, protein, fibre and calcium to name a few. Plus all of this and almost no sugar and a very small amount of carbs. This definitely makes them ideal for anyone but even more so for people who are wanting to keep their carb count low. Speaking of low carb, all up one of these chia seed puddings is a very small 5.5g. This will of course depend on which type of plant milk you use and the brand. I used Vitasoy unsweetened coconut milk which also worked really well with flavours and is lower in carb than soy. I recommend always looking for unsweetened plant milk if you can, it’s a really easy way to avoid unnecessary added sugars.
As mentioned above chia seeds expand and form a sort of gel when mixed with liquid and this is what makes the pudding texture. However to ensure this works properly you need to stir well. As you stir the chia seeds in they will slowly start to expand and make the mixture feel slightly thicker, then when they are setting in the fridge they will expand even more. If it isn’t stirred well and the chia seeds aren’t evenly distributed it’s possible you will get some parts which don’t set. So get stirring!
When I first came up with this recipe I was imagining a perfectly layered Neapolitan chia seed pudding with even, straight lines between each flavour. That just won’t happen. I tried multiple times and the flavours always, even slightly, ran into each other. But it still looks pretty cool so I’m ok with it. But just a warning in case you were also expecting that to happen, I don’t want you to be disappointed!
These are actually pretty easy to make, and each flavour is quick too but the setting does take some time. I recommend leaving each flavour to set for 2 hours but you can leave it for 1 hour if you’re short on time or impatient. However the less time you leave it to set the more chance you have the layer above seeping into the lower layer. The good thing is you don’t need to cook them so while they’re in the fridge you can at least still go out and do things.
Chia seed puddings are one of my favourite breakfasts and are great for prepping the day/night before and taking with you in the morning. But they can also triple as a dessert or a snack! They taste good enough and naughty enough to be a dessert but they’re healthy and refined sugar free with only natural sugars coming from the small amount of strawberries!
If you were a fan of this Neapolitan chia seed pudding and you’re someone who takes breakfast with you out the door in the morning, I reckon you’ll love my apple pie overnight oats
Ingredients
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Vanilla Layer
- Chocolate Layer
- Strawberry Layer
- Hardening Chocolate Sauce
Instructions
- Make the vanilla flavour first by combining all vanilla flavours ingredients together in a jar or glass. The jar or glass should be big enough to fit all 3 flavour, at least 300g capacity.
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Stir well so that the chia seeds are evenly mixed through and the mixture is starting to thicken slightly. Wait about 30 seconds then stir again, this will help ensure the chia seeds are evenly mixed.
- Put into the fridge for at least one hour, 2 hours if you have the time. If you are able to I recommend stirring the mixture again about half an hour into fridge time, it just further ensures the chia seeds are evenly distributed, as if they aren’t parts may not set properly.
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Once the vanilla layer has been in the fridge for 1-2 hours it’s time to move onto the chocolate. Using a different glass, jar or bowl (this one is just for mixing so doesn’t need to look pretty), mix all of the chocolate layer ingredients together. As with the vanilla layer, mix well until starting to thicken then leave for 30 seconds and stir again. The chocolate will need a bit more stirring than the vanilla to make sure the cacao is fully incorporated.
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Take the glass with the vanilla layer out of the fridge, and then carefully pour the chocolate layer on top. It is pretty difficult to get it exactly even on top of the vanilla layer and parts of the chocolate will likely go down the sides into the vanilla flavour, so just don’t expect the layers to be completely separated.
- Once the chocolate layer is on, return to the fridge and leave for 1-2 hours.
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Once the chia pudding has been in the fridge with the chocolate layer for 1-2 hours you can move onto the strawberry layer. Start by putting all of the strawberry layer ingredients except for the chia seeds into a blender and blend until combined and there are no strawberry lumps.
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Transfer to a small bowl and add the chia seeds then mix well until starting to thicken, and again wait 30 seconds and then stir again.
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Take the chia seed pudding with the vanilla and chocolate flavours out of the fridge and now carefully pour the strawberry on top, then return to the fridge. Chia seed pudding should be left for at least 2hours or overnight before serving.
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If you would like to make the chocolate sauce to go on top simply put all hardening chocolate sauce ingredients together in a small pot on the stove until melted (or you can put it in the microwave), then drizzle on top of your chia seed pudding. If you like you can also top with fresh strawberries.
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