Easy Chia Seed Pudding

Chia seed puddings are one of my favorite go to desserts to make. They require minimal time in the kitchen and are easily customizable! Since it's Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share how I put together some of my favorite chia seed pudding combinations. Any of these ingredients can be substituted for another fruit or flavor; if you like raspberries, use in place of the strawberries, etc! If you're treating your love to a home cooked meal, these would be a great after dinner dessert!

Chia Seed Pudding (Base Recipe)
What you'll need:

• 1 cup dairy or non-dairy milk 
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp liquid sweetener (maple syrup, honey, or agave), optional

Top Left- Black Forest

• Chia Seed Base Recipe
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 oz dark chocolate, melted 
• 1/2 cup pitted cherries
• 2 tbsp water
• coconut flakes

Top Right- Neopolitan

• Chia Seed Base Recipe
• Strawberry Yogurt (store bought or homemade)
• Chocolate Pudding (store bought or homemade)

Bottom Left- Pitaya 

• Chia Seed Base Recipe
• Pureed Pitaya or Acai (frozen packs)
• sweetener or frozen fruit of choice
• sliced almonds
• coconut shreds

Bottom Right - Chocolate Covered Strawberry

• Chia Seed Base Recipe
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 oz dark chocolate 
• 2 tbsp strawberry compote
• Strawberries
• Chocolate sauce

What do do: 

1. To make the Chia Seed Pudding Base, heat the milk over medium low heat until it just begins to steam. Remove from heat and stir in the chia seeds, vanilla, and liquid sweetener. Pour the chia seed mixture into a container, cover and let it cool and thicken in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight. 
2. To make the Black Forest pudding, stir in the cocoa powder and melted chocolate into the chia seed mixture before storing it in the fridge to cool. Cover and allow to thicken. Make the cherry compote by heating the pitted cherries and water over medium heat until the cherries have softened, about 10 minutes. Layer the puddings with the compote, coconut flakes, and chia seed pudding.
3. To make the Pitaya pudding, puree the frozen pitaya or acai packs with sweetener of choice or frozen fruit. Layer the puddings with the pureed pitaya/acai mixture and chia seed pudding. Top with sliced almonds (or other nuts) and coconut shreds.
4.  To make the Chocolate Covered Strawberry pudding, divide the chia mixture into two separate bowls. In one bowl, stir in the cocoa powder and melted chocolate into the chia seed mixture before storing it in the fridge to cool. Cover and allow to thicken. With the other half, stir in the strawberry compote before storing it in the fridge to cool. Cover and allow to thicken. Layer the puddings with the chocolate mixture, then the strawberry mixture. Top with chocolate sauce and fresh strawberries.