Mango Coconut Chia Seed Pudding Recipe

Chia seed pudding has taken off in popularity in recent years as a delicious and easy-to-make meal. Since the chia seeds have to soak for a few hours to absorb the liquid in the recipe and gel up, it's naturally a perfect dish to prepare ahead. Make it the night before, and a healthy breakfast will be waiting for you to grab and enjoy in the morning. And, these tiny seeds do pack a big nutritional punch. They're an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, which can protect against heart disease; they're chock full of antioxidants, which can help keep cancer and aging at bay; and they contain notable amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, and certain B vitamins, which all support overall health.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a recipe for mango coconut chia seed pudding that's not only health-promoting and quick to prepare but sweet and tasty, too. Bottalico says, "When creating this recipe, I wanted to include coconut because I know coconut and mango pair really well together. I suspected that combination, along with the addition of a few warm spices and a little maple syrup, would be good, but I was really surprised at just how delicious it was. This is now my favorite chia seed pudding I've made so far." Whether you're prepping convenient breakfasts for the week or whipping up a sweet snack or dessert, this mango coconut chia pudding recipe is an excellent one to keep on hand.

For this recipe, you will need ripe mangoes, and they'll need to be peeled and pitted before you start following the recipe steps. Of course, chia seed pudding calls for chia seeds, so have those on hand, as well. The liquid in the recipe comes from light canned coconut milk and a little maple syrup. You will need shredded unsweetened coconut flakes, vanilla extract, and salt for additional flavor. Finally, the warm spices used in this recipe are ground cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.

Roughly chop 1 mango. Puree it in a blender or place it in a bowl and puree with an immersion blender. Set aside.

Chop the other mango as neatly as you can and store it in the refrigerator until serving.

Place the chia seeds, maple syrup, vanilla extract, coconut flakes, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger in a large bowl and mix well.

Combine the coconut milk and water and stir well to mix.

Add the coconut milk mixture to the chia seed mixture and whisk until evenly incorporated.

Divide the mango puree evenly at the bottom of 3 individual glasses or containers. Try to keep the surfaces level.

Distribute the chia seed mixture evenly on top of the mango puree. Cover and let the pudding sit in the refrigerator overnight or for at least for 4 hours.

Before serving, evenly distribute the refrigerated chopped mango on top of the chia seed mixture.

Garnish with coconut flakes and serve.

This recipe lends itself quite easily to ingredient substitutions. We think the mango coconut combination is delicious, but if you don't like mangoes or they're not available, you can use a different kind of tropical fruit in your pudding instead. Pineapple, guava, passion fruit, papaya, or dragon fruit are other sweet choices.

We use canned coconut milk for delicious, dairy-free chia seed pudding. This recipe calls for the lite version mixed with water to cut down on the fat. If you'd like to make a thicker pudding, you can use it undiluted, but we don't recommend full-fat canned coconut milk because it is very thick. You can also use the coconut milk drink that comes in a refrigerated carton. If you prefer a thicker pudding, you can add nuts, nut butter, other kinds of seeds, yogurt (either dairy or dairy-free), or rolled oats.

This recipe uses a little maple syrup to sweeten the pudding, but you can use honey, instead, or agave syrup to keep it vegan. You can also leave the sweetener out, if you prefer. Sweetening desserts with fruit instead of sugar is a good way to cut back on added sugars. The dish will still be delicious because ripe mangoes are naturally sweet.

Chia seed pudding is an excellent breakfast meal prep idea. The recipe is quick to make, and the covered containers of pudding will last for five days in the refrigerator. If you prepare it on Sunday night, you can enjoy this delicious breakfast for the entire work week. There's no excuse not to have a healthy breakfast even on busy mornings.

If you're planning to make pudding for the whole week, we recommend storing the chopped mango destined for the topping in a separate container and topping the pudding right before serving. Cut mango, if tightly wrapped, will also last for up to five days in the refrigerator.

If you have leftover pudding or want to make a larger batch ahead, you can freeze it for up to three months. Portion the pudding into individual, resealable containers or mason jars. After letting the pudding set for four hours or overnight in the refrigerator, place the containers in the freezer. Just make sure your containers are large enough for you to you leave some headspace; this will account for expansion of the liquids during freezing.