Vegan Mint Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

Mint chocolate: you’re either obsessed or you’re not. I am definitely obsessed! Which is why this vegan mint chocolate chia seed pudding has me excited about chia puddings again.

The other exciting thing is that I’ve used ground white chia instead of whole, so it is silky smooth and reminiscent of the puddings I used to eat as a kid. No tapioca-like texture, just silky, chocolatey, minty goodness. It’s also vegan, gluten free, and packed with good-for-your-gut ingredients.

It blends up in five minutes, meaning the only hard part is waiting for it to firm up!

Chia Pudding Health Benefits

Chia seeds are high in fibre, which you might be surprised to learn is mostly insoluble fibre – the type that sweeps your gut clear – with some soluble fibre, which forms a gel in the gut. This gel is especially soothing to irritated guts, and regulates elimination, making this pudding a great option for those with irritable bowel syndrome. In fact, if you soak and rinse the cashews for four hours prior to using, this recipe is low FODMAP!

Chia seeds in their ground form will help make their powerful nutrition even easier to absorb. Just how powerful?

Check out what’s in just 2 tablespoons of chia (which is the amount you’ll get in a single serving of this pudding):

• Almost 7.5 grams of total fibre…that’s more than 25% of a woman’s daily need..and 20% of a man’s!
• 135mg of calcium, which, when paired with the cashews and almond milk in this recipe, makes it a great bone health dessert. Magnesium adds to the bone health benefits.
• A trio of anti-inflammatory phytochemicals: quercetin, chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid.
• Even more minerals to help energize the body – zinc, iron, manganese, copper and selenium – plus 100% your total daily requirement for anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids.

You can read even more about the benefits of chia seeds here.

Anti-Inflammatory Chia Pudding for Gut Health 

In addition to being FODMAP-friendly and high in fibre, this vegan chia pudding also contains a few other sneaky gut benefits.

• Raw cacao: raw cacao is highest in anti-inflammatory flavanols that appear to act as a prebiotic, boosting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut. Next is natural, un-dutched cocoa with traditional dutched cocoa having the least.
• Good quality peppermint extract: peppermint oil is an evidence-based anti-spasmodic, meaning it help to sooth irritated gut muscles. I used Simply Organic Peppermint flavour (not sponsored!), which is made from pure peppermint oil. However, to make this more therapeutic, you could also use pure peppermint oil. It’s very potent; start with 1/8 teaspoon and only add more after tasting.

How to Make this Blended Vegan Mint Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

There are three super simple steps…they take patience, but not effort!

1. Soak the cashews for four hours, then rinse well. Note, you can totally skip this step if you have a high-speed blender and aren’t on a low FODMAP diet.
2. Blend up all the ingredients in the blender and pour into four dessert glasses or jars. Easy peasy!
3. Wait four hours, or overnight for the chia to firm up the pudding. You will have a silky smooth, loose set pudding in four hours and a firmer one in eight.

Also…if you love chia puddings, you should totally try my Matcha Mango Chia Pudding! It’s caffeine + anti-inflammatory breakfast in one!