Mexican "Hot" Chocolate Pudding

To be honest, there's nothing technically hot about this recipe. It doesn't actually even require cooking. It does, however, have the cinnamon-ey, warming flavor of Mexican hot chocolate, plus tons of omega-3s, fiber, calcium, protein... I could go on and on, but at some point you'd probably like to be able to find the recipe.

"I'm versatile enough to be a dessert AND a pretty healthy breakfast."

It's super convenient to prepare in small batches (i.e., for one person), and with only a few simple ingredients, it's very allergy friendly :-)

Chia is ubiquitous at the moment. Although it does sometimes seem as though it's becoming the new "it" (or fad) food of late (I even saw big bags of chia at the local wholesale warehouse), I suppose it's not the worst thing ever because it's easy to find chia seeds or a chia [fill-in-the-blank] product just about anywhere.

I like to prepare a selfish girl little batch of this pudding, before I go to bed or leave for work¹, and place it in the fridge to "rest". This way the seeds really have time to do their thing, and form a nice thick pudding.

Mexican "Hot" Chocolate Pudding (for One)

• 28g Chia Seeds
• 1 cup Coconut Milk (I used So Delicious Unsweetened; you can also use full-fat coconut milk for a much richer, creamier pudding)
• 1 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1/3 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp Ancho Chili Powder
• 6-8 drops Liquid Stevia OR 1 Tbsp Agave Nectar/Coconut Sugar (if you've opted for a sweetened coconut milk, cut down on or omit the sweetener)

In a shaker cup² or blender, combine all ingredients, except for the chia, and blend (or shake!) until everything is smooth and well-combined.
Mix the chia into the liquid mixture, so that the seeds are pretty uniformly distributed. Keep an eye on the mixture for a few minutes as the seeds start to form their gel. Stir occasionally.
Once the seeds have reached the point where they can pretty much stay suspended without totally sinking to the bottom, let the mixture sit for a minimum of 10-15 minutes; the longer, the better.

Enjoy as is, or top with Whipped Coconut Creme, cacao nibs, chocolate chips³, or a combination of the above⁴.

Create a Fabulous Day!


1. This is an especially helpful method for me to deal with my impatience.
2. I used a resealable container as a makeshift shaker cup. I'm like MacGyver.
3. There are quite good allergy-free ones out there. It's also quite easy to make your own.
4. If you're into that sort of thing.