Chocolate Orange Chia Parfait

This vegan chocolate chia pudding is made with dates and nondairy milk then blended to make a surprisingly creamy and healthy breakfast or light dessert. Flavoured with orange zest, and topped with pomegranate and orange juice for a bright wintertime treat. 

A few of the very best winter flavours come together in this vegan chocolate, orange, and pomegranate chia pudding parfait. This is a totally decadent breakfast – still super healthy! – and chocolate for breakfast is always good, right?

If you love the health benefits of chia pudding but can’t stand the tapioca-like texture, blending it up is a good solution. Blending it up with chocolate is an even better solution, and adding orange and pomegranate make it even more delicious. This is the most decadent, healthy breakfast in town.

I usually prefer warm breakfasts in the winter (like this) but the chocolate made this comforting and cozy enough that I can happily eat it in the cold. Of course you can just have this for breakfast, but it makes a great post-workout snack, too. And it tastes like dessert.

I don’t think I need to tell you about the health benefits of chia or raw cacao, you already know it’s healthy. If you want to include more raw foods in your diet this is a great option for both dessert and breakfast, and it’s less time consuming than many raw desserts. This little nutrient and energy packed breakfast is so good for you and it tastes like christmas time chocolate oranges in pudding form.

If you have a high powered blender and can make the pudding really smooth, it’s even more fun to eat, but if not (I don’t have one) it tastes just as good, but with a little more texture. Like any chia pudding, the seeds have to be soaked overnight or at least a few hours. After soaking, you blend it up with cacao, dates, and orange zest, then serve with lots of pomegranate for a fun winter breakfast!

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Chocolate Orange Chia Parfait

This vegan chocolate chia pudding is made with dates and nondairy milk then blended to make a surprisingly creamy and healthy breakfast or light dessert. Flavoured with orange zest, and topped with pomegranate and orange juice for a bright wintertime treat. 

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine Vegan

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 1 person

Ingredients

• 1 cup non-dairy milk coconut, almond, oat
• 3 tablespoons chia
• 3 tablespoons cacao
• 1/4 cup soft dates pitted
• Zest of an orange
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

To serve:

• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1 orange peeled and blended

Instructions

1. Place the milk and chia in a container and stir well. Refrigerate overnight or for at least four hours, until the pudding is set.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, add the chia pudding, cacao, dates, orange zest, and cinnamon. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides if necessary. If needed, add another tablespoon or two of milk. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.
3. To make the orange sauce topping the parfait, place a peeled orange in a blender and pulse until you have a thick juice. It will thicken more in the fridge. Add a teaspoon of maple syrup or honey if you find it too tart.
4. To assemble the jars, place 1/4 cup of pomegranate seeds in the base, followed by 1/2 cup of the chocolate pudding, and top with half of the orange sauce. Repeat for the second jar. Serve cold. The pudding, unassembled, will keep in the fridge for up to three days.

Notes

• Using canned coconut milk will make this pudding very rich and dessert-like. If you prefer something lighter choose nut or oat milk instead. (Coconut milk for dessert, almond for breakfast.)
• You don't need medjool dates for this recipe. Just use regular dates, and soak them in hot water for half an hour before blending if they're not soft.
• The orange sauce will seem too much like juice, but it will thicken, and it goes well with the hint of orange in the pudding and the pomegranate. Leave it out if you don't want to dirty your blender, and serve the pudding in a bowl with pomegranate or granola.