Those who are familiar with me know I cannot start my day without a big mug of strong, black coffee. A good start for the day simply cries for the sumptuous smell of coffee, which wakes up all your senses. And when you taste the first sip of freshly-made coffee, you feel each cell in your body wake up. Ok, maybe I’m a coffee addict, but that’s not too bad of an addiction, I think.
For a change, I enjoyed my morning coffee in another form. To be honest, I haven’t been a big lover of the extremely trendy chia puddings, maybe because I don’t like chia seeds. Well, to be even more honest, I haven’t even tried chia pudding, so I cannot really tell if I like it or not!
I got rid of my lack of knowledge, and did some low-carb chia pudding experiments. The winner proved this Coffee and Chocolate Chip Chia Pudding, which is a perfect all-in-one breakfast, including that sumptuous coffee! I’m sure you will love it, too.
Tips for making the Coffee and Chocolate Chip Chia Pudding
Mornings are usually busy for all people. Even though I don’t have to commute in the mornings, there is always too little time to do things. And I’m not just hungry. Therefore, I usually skip breakfast and have one or two proper meals later during the day. However, sometimes it’s nice to have breakfast, especially if I didn’t eat well the previous evening. Then some eggs with butter, or for example, this Coffee and Chocolate Chip Chia Pudding do wonders and keep you satiated for long.
But, let’s look at how to prepare this delicious chia pudding; it’s unbelievably easy!
First, make some strong — or not that strong — coffee, depending on how you prefer it. Lately, I’ve fallen in love with capsule coffee machines because they make fantastic coffee both quickly and easily. I just take a coffee capsule and let the machine make me a cuppa joe in seconds. I also like variation, so I often test different blends, too. However, I don’t want to pay too much for a good-quality coffee, I prefer something more affordable. So, for example, these coffee capsules of Gourmesso are a great option.
So, when you have brewed some of your favorite coffee, pour it into a mug or your preferred serving dish.
Next, add the rest of the ingredients. Here comes the heavy cream. You can use coconut cream for dairy-free keto-paleo version. I just cannot live without heavy cream and so far I have had no issues with dairy, so heavy cream it is for me.
Now, add the vanilla stevia. Adjust to your liking. Or use another sweetener if you like. You can add a dash of vanilla extract, too, to enhance the vanilla flavor.
Add the chocolate chips (or grated chocolate, like in the photo below). Oh yes, and before adding them, make sure the mixture is at room temperature or cooler. Otherwise, the chocolate chips will melt in the mixture (which I think is not too bad, as you might end up with some delicious mocha chia pudding!)
And last, add the two tablespoons of chia seeds.
Mix really well.
So that everything is properly mixed.
Cover the whole thing and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. You can prepare the pudding in the evening and just grab and enjoy it in the morning for breakfast, or simply pack it with you and eat later at work.
Enjoy!
My chia pudding experiments
Like I said, I haven’t been too big of a friend of chia seeds, except in crisp bread where I use them instead of flax seeds, because flax seeds should be avoided due to phytoestrogens. Chia seeds have exactly the same properties than flax seeds, so they work as a great replacement. However, using chia seeds in pudding just sounded unappetizing. Well, as I had never really tried out chia seeds in pudding, I had to change the fact and do some experiments.
I was pondering different flavor combinations and what kind of chia pudding I could make with only 5 ingredients. First, I need some fluid as a base, preferably something creamy with few carbs. Heavy cream is my to-go option for anything creamy and low-carb. However, using only heavy cream would bring too many carbs and maybe too much creaminess as well (if there can ever be such a concept as too much creaminess!)
So if I use only a bit of cream, and then something else. Water? No. Too, hmm, watery. Coconut milk or almond milk might be good options, though. For some reason, coffee came into my mind. I’ve done coffee and mocha puddings before, I also posted a recipe some years ago, so coffee actually really works in a pudding. Since chia pudding is often enjoyed as breakfast, I would hit two birds with one stone by adding my morning coffee to chia pudding! Well, I had to try it out.
I was pondering the measures. I took 1/2 cup (120 ml) strong, black coffee and 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream. That sounded like enough but not too much cream, which would suit well with coffee. Maybe 2 tablespoons chia seeds would be enough to make the pudding thick.
The pudding also needed sweetener. Powdered erythritol would be nicely neutral and always works. However, I thought the combination of coffee and cream would need some vanilla flavor as well. First, I was planning to use powdered erythritol and vanilla extract, but ended up using vanilla stevia because I got a great idea to add some grated dark chocolate to the pudding. It would add a nice flavor and even more crunch. To be honest, I was a bit afraid that coffee and cream would be too bland, so adding grated dark chocolate sounded perfect.
I took all the ingredients and mixed them. Excitedly, I placed the mixture in the fridge and checked it every now and then to see if it has got thick. It had taken a few hours before the mixture turned into thick, creamy pudding. Not too thick and not too runny, but just the right consistency so that it was easily spoonable yet deliciously creamy. Yum! I have to say I really liked chia pudding! The crunch from the chia seeds and the dark chocolate was irresistible.
Since my first experiment succeeded, I had to do some other experiments as well. I think I got too experimental: for example, I’m not too proud of my Dark Chocolate and Bacon Chia Pudding experiment, which ended up in the trash can. So, since this Coffee and Chocolate Chip Chia Pudding was so good and the best of my experiments, I decided to publish the recipe for your pleasure, so here it is:
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup = 120 ml cold black coffee
- 1/4 cup = 60 ml heavy cream OR coconut cream
- 25 drops vanilla stevia
- 3 tablespoons grated dark chocolate (cocoa content minimum 85%)
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a mug or jar. Mix well.
- Place a lid or foil on top. Place in the fridge and let thicken at least 4 hours.
- Serve decorated with whipped cream and grated chocolate.
Nutrition information | In total (makes 1 serving): |
Protein | 7.7 g |
Fat | 37.5 g |
Net carbs | 6.8 g |
kcal | 421 kcal |
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Tips for variation
Since now I got hooked on chia puddings, you might see me post more! However, here are some tips to get more variation to this delicious Coffee and Chocolate Chip Chia Pudding:
For mocha chia pudding, replace the grated dark chocolate with 1 tablespoon of unsweetened dark cocoa powder, or even better: add the cocoa powder and keep the grated chocolate as well.
Experiment with different flavored stevias. How about some chocolate raspberry stevia? Or orange stevia for Cafe Naranja pudding? Add there 1 teaspoon of freshly grated peel from organic orange to enhance the elegant orange flavor. Oooohh, that must be good!
Colleen
Excellent! More like then putting or thick soup. The flavor was awesome and I will make again!
elviira
Wonderful! Great to hear you liked it 🙂
Nancy
This is delicious!!! I used Lily’s stevia sweetened dark chocolate chips and added a tablespoon of unsweetened shredded coconut. Total yum!
elviira
Hi Nancy, awesome! Great to hear that you liked it!
Anna
Hi, just curious. My pudding has not set after a day and a half. It is still as runny as when I first mixed it. Do you have any clue as to what may have happened
Thank you.
elviira
Hi Anna, sorry to hear! Interesting, I wonder what went wrong… Did you use a measuring spoon instead of cutlery when measuring the chia seeds? Cutlery is usually just half of the measuring spoon…
Mary
So Good! Thank you for sharing.
elviira
You’re welcome! Great that you like it 🙂