Are you looking for a vegan dessert option that is delicious and easy to make at the same time?
Don’t look any further.
If you’re new to plant-based living chances are you are losing your mind. So many fruits and vegetables to choose from. And then you see people making beautiful looking food out of it.
How are they doing it and from where do they get all these ideas?
You have no idea where to start.
We understand your frustration.
When we first started our plant-based lifestyle we could not think of any dessert that we could make without using eggs or dairy.
There are several influencers like Ella Mills who have helped in making a plant-based living easy
After tons and tons of research and reading, I finally came up with this idea of yummy, quick and children approved recipes that people can eat guilt-free.
And trust me when I say that they are all vegan and so delicious.
In this post, we are introducing one such versatile ingredient that can be used to make sweet and savoury vegan food. It is quick and easy to work with.
Let me introduce you to my holy-grail – Chia seeds
I bring to you the power of chia seeds in this wonderful plant-based dessert idea.
You can do thousands of chia seed dessert recipes if you understand the basics.
The basics of a vegan chia seed pudding
Chia seeds are plant-powered protein-packed seeds. They are full of omega-3, fibres and skin-nourishing qualities. And they are not very expensive as well.
A small amount goes a long way so beware when you first make your pudding.
The texture is gooey, soft, and jelly-like and I love that texture. I am drooling over as I write this post.
Along with chia seeds, there are some basic ingredints that go in the making of a vegan chia seed pudding.
1. A good base
The first step in creating chia pudding is a base. The base is the liquid part of the pudding which is used to soak chia seeds.
Chia seeds absorb the moisture and become gelatinous and thick.
In usual desserts, people use milk but in this version of vegan chia seed pudding, we are using a simple cashew milk base.
You can choose any other nut milk you enjoy almond milk or oat milk. But I highly recommend using cashew milk for this version because flavours have been added accordingly.
If you want to use any other milk, you can create your own version of this dessert.
There are recipes with fruit juices instead of milk as well. Chia pudding is the most versatile dessert.
2. Chia seeds
Choose good quality chia seeds. Chia seeds usually aren’t very expensive. I recommend using Better Body Food’s chia seeds.
But if you are able to spend a little more then go for organic chia seeds.
3) Sweetener
If you are a fitness enthusiast, we understand your urge to cringe over the word dessert. We ourselves are not a fan of sugar.
But who doesn’t like ocassional cheat days and a not-so-sweet, healthy dessert?
The sweetener I really like is jaggery. It is the first sugar obtained from the sugar cane juice after boiling and there is no extra processing.
Ayurveda has several benefits of jaggery. Jaggery can be taken even by diabetics in limited quantities.
If you are not a big fan of jaggery, you can use dates instead.
In this recipe, I have used dried figs instead. It is a diabetes-friendly recipe.
Since chia seeds are generally bland, it needs 3-4 figs if you are making one jar of chia pudding.
If you like even more sweet, add more figs or dates or raisins.
3. Flavour
The fourth step is to give your pudding a flavour. There are so many flavours to choose from.
In this recipe, I am using desiccated coconut for flavour. But you can also go for vanilla, spiced cinnamon, coffee, chocolate or fruits.
4. Crunch
Crunch adds so much more texture and flavour to the pudding. You will love the feeling of the crunch in every bite.
To add some extra crunch I add nuts and seeds.
You can also make it crunchy by adding some granola, chocolate chips, roasted quinoa or fruits like berries.
Vegan Chia Seed Pudding Recipe
Servings: 1 jar
Serves: 2 people
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
10 cashews
2 cups of water
1 tablespoon chia seeds
3-4 figs/dates
1 teaspoon coconut powder
2 teaspoons unsweetened granola
Recipe
1. Take 10 cashews and soak them overnight in 1 cup of water.
If you forgot to soak them overnight or you want to make it instantly, don’t worry.
Put your cashews in hot water for 15 minutes in 1 cup of water.
When they are swollen and rise up, you should know that they are done.
I am not a big fan of putting them in hot water. Heat can destroy the nutrients.
Coldwater soaked cashews are better as the water takes away excess heat from the nuts. This heat can increase your pitta dosha otherwise.
Soaking is the best way to cool down your nuts especially if you are making this during summers.
Once the cashews are swollen and have become fluffy, discard the water you soaked them in overnight and add 2 cups of freshwater. In a blender, blend your cashews with the water to make your home-made cashew milk.
2. Add figs and coconut powder in the blender and blend along with the milk.
Let it stay in the jar for a couple of minutes for the flavours to blend in completely.
3. Divide the milk into two parts. Keep ½ cup of milk aside for final touches. Take the remaining 1 ½ cup of milk and add it to a wide face bowl. The bowl should be safe for some whisking.
4. Add chia seeds and whisk lightly for 1-2 minutes. Keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.
Chia seed will absorb the moisture and become gelatinous. You can keep it in the refrigerator if you like it cold.
Before serving, add the remaining milk and pour the contents in the jar.
5. Top it up with crunchy granola and seeds.
6. Serve it chilled
Note: When adding granola, keep it on the top. If you mix it with entire contents it will become soggy instead. You can add more granola if you like more crunch while eating.
What new recipes you would like to see? Comment below!
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Chakshu is a US alliance certified yoga teacher, a biotechnologist and an Ayurveda evangelist. Her passion is to help people live a toxic-free life, emotionally and chemically. She loves reading self-help books. When she is not writing, she is busy thinking about life.
