Mango Chia Pudding

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Creamy Mango Chia Pudding is a sweet tropical-inspired breakfast or snack made with fresh mangoes and nutrient-rich, fiber-filled chia seeds. This layered fruity pudding is light and refreshing and will delight your taste buds with the flavors of a tropical summer.

I love creamy fruity pudding like this mango chia pudding. Vegan pudding can be tricky. Did you know that most pudding mixes – like Jello pudding mixes are “accidentally vegan”?

So, great! You think. Just mix it together with a little plant milk and you have vegan pudding. Right? That would be a big NOPE! I have personally tried mixing instant pudding mixes with several different types of plant milk, and sadly they just don’t set up right. There is something in the dairy milk that causes the pudding mixes to set up better.

And even if they did set nicely with plant milk, there really isn’t anything healthy about Jello Pudding mixes. And sometimes you do want healthy and wholesome.

Chia seeds are the perfect ingredients to help thicken vegan puddings, baked and and cooked goods and really anything that needs a little substance

Chia seeds have an outer coating that turns gel-like when activated with moisture. This makes chia seeds perfect for this mango pudding, pumpkin chia pudding, and blueberry chia seed jam. I’ve even used chia seeds in baked and cooked recipes like healthy oatmeal cookies and creamed corn casserole.

Ingredients needed to make this mango chia pudding recipe

• oat milk – I like extra creamy oat milk. You can use the non-dairy milk of your choice, including cashew milk, soy milk, or almond milk. You might even use full-fat coconut milk for a creamy coconut tropical flavor. I was trying to keep the fat and calories down in this recipe.
• maple syrup – Real maple syrup please, not the sugary fake pancake syrup. You can substitute in agave syrup if desired. But using maple syrup makes this chia seed pudding whole food plant-based.
• vanilla extract
• pinch salt – A little pinch of salt actually adds a depth of flavor and brings out the sweetness.
• chia seeds – You can usually find chia seeds in your grocery store among the gluten-free flour and such. I order my chia seeds on Amazon.
• One large mango for the pudding with more (optional but recommended) to garnish with cut mango chunks. You can use frozen mango chunks if you are quite certain of the quality and flavor. One thing you don’t want is mushy mango for the garnish part. I sometimes buy precut mango from the produce department. One large mango yields about one and a half cups so plan accordingly.
• You’ll also need a food processor or a high-speed blender to process the fresh mango.

How to make this delicious pudding with chia seeds and fresh mango

The exact ingredients with measurements can be found in the recipe card below along with more concise abbreviated instructions. Read on for more details, tips, and tricks so that you will feel confident making this recipe.

Step 1: The chia pudding mixture

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the oat milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Stir in the chia seeds. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for one hour

Step 2: prepare the mango

While the chia pudding mixture is in the refrigerator, you can prepare the mango. After it has been prepared if the pudding mixture still has refrigerator time left, cover the mango mixture and place it in the refrigerator too.

If you are using fresh mangoes, you will need to peel the mango and cut it into chunks. I find cutting mangoes a little more challenging than say, cutting an apple. You’ve got this weird awkward giant pit that is off-centered and does not cleanly pull away from the fruit that making it difficult to cut. Watch this informative Youtube video about preparing a mango by Clean & Delicious.

I also sometimes just give up and buy my mango presliced and diced in my grocer’s produce department. You can also buy frozen mango chunks but make sure the quality and flavor are excellent. If the thawed mango is at all mushy, you won’t want to use it to garnish the top of the finished pudding.

The recipe calls for one large mango. I but two just to make sure I have enough. I can use any extra for the garnish.

How much fruit can I get from one large mango?

For reference, one large mango should yield about one and a half cups of diced mango. If your mango is small, then plan on buying a few.

Place the mango chunks into a high-speed blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Depending on the device you use, this should take one-three minutes.

Give the processed mango a little taste. Some mangoes will be sweeter than others. If your mango is tart, add in some more maple syrup until it is sweet enough to enjoy. I wouldn’t add more than one tablespoon.

Step 3: Putting it together

After one hour the chia seed pudding should be set. You have two choices for serving the mango chia pudding. Either stir the mango mixture into the chia seed mixture and spoon it into small containers, bowls, or jars, OR you can layer chia pudding and mango into the jars for a lovely presentation. Top with fresh mango chunks if desired or coconut milk whipped topping.

Store any leftover mango chia pudding in the refrigerator, tightly covered, and consume it within a couple of days. The pudding/mango mixture will probably separate or get runny. Just stir it together and enjoy.

The printable recipe card for mango chia pudding