Coconut Chia Pudding
An easy-to-make, creamy and coconut-y treat made with only 4 ingredients and that tastes great with fresh fruit on top.
One of my favorite fast-casual restaurants in Nashville is Vui’s Kitchen, which serves super fresh Vietnamese food! I usually end up ordering the noodle bowl, the summer rolls, or pho but you really can’t make a bad choice at Vui’s. When I’m in the mood for something sweet after my meal, their Coconut Pudding is my go-to. Creamy, full of coconut flavor, and topped with chopped peanuts and sesame seeds, the Coconut Pudding is based on a traditional Vietnamese recipe, Che Bap.
Che Bap is usually made from tapioca pearls and sweet corn to create a creamy pudding, but Vui’s Kitchen uses chia seeds instead of corn. Chia seeds are something I always keep stocked in my pantry so I decided I wanted to create something similar at home! Rather than buying tapioca pearls, I just used this chia seeds alone to thicken the pudding. When chia seeds are added to liquid, they form a gel making them suitable for making puddings. In fact, chia seeds can absorb 9x their weight in liquid. They’re pretty amazing! Plus, chia seeds offer nutritional benefits as well. Check out the graphic below to see the main nutrition benefits and save it to Pinterest to refer back to later!
How to Make Coconut Chia Pudding
Coconut Chia Pudding comes together pretty easily, taking only about 5 minutes to mix everything together. The chia seeds, coconut milk, cardamom, and agave nectar are stirred together in a mixing bowl and then it just has to sit in the refrigerator for about 8 hours to become a pudding.
Kitchen Tip: Be sure to shake the can of coconut milk well before opening. This prevents making a mess when trying to stir it in the can after opening!
You can top the chia pudding with a variety of ingredients, but I like mine with fresh fruit such as blueberries, strawberries, mango or bananas. Other great toppings would be: shredded coconut flakes, chopped nuts like pistachios, or black sesame seeds.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 16 fluid ounces canned coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- Fresh fruit blueberries, strawberries, bananas, etc.
- Optional toppings:
- Chopped pistachios
- Shredded coconut flakes
- Black sesame seeds
Instructions
- 1. In a small bowl, combine the chia seeds, coconut milk, agave nectar, and ground cardamom. Mix well.
- 2. Pour into an airtight container and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, stirring after about 4 hours.
- 3. If using, toast coconut and pistachios in a small skillet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Top the coconut chia pudding with coconut, pistachios, black sesame seeds, and fruit.
Nutrition
Looking for more dessert recipes? Try one of these!
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