Raw Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Chia Pudding

I love having chia pudding. It’s such a nutrition powerhouse and sustains you for hours, but most of all, it’s super yummy! So I like making various versions of it, like this raw vegan chocolate hazelnut chia pudding. Nutella was one of my favorite things growing up. I just couldn’t get enough of the nutty hazelnut and the rich chocolate concoction. I missed so much, I made it into a chia pudding. This pudding recipe was a bit tricky to get, because once you put the chia seeds in and let it sit in the refrigerator, the hazelnut flavor subsides substantially. So to get a stronger hazelnut flavor, I’ve had to make the pudding just slightly grainy in texture from the added hazelnuts.

To make it, all you have to do is throw everything except for chia seeds into the blender and blend until smooth. Then add in the chia seeds and run it on the lowest speed for a few minutes, until the chia seed starts to gel and the mixture becomes a thicker consistency.

Pour it into the glass or container of your choice, and refrigerate for 2 hours. Top it with chopped hazelnuts, a little bit of cacao nibs, bananas, whatever you like. I’d advise to go very light on the cacao nibs, because it can throw off the balance and you won’t be able to taste the hazelnut flavor too much. Then it won’t end up tasting like nutella. But feel free to use the chopped hazelnuts liberally. It gives you bursts of hazelnut flavor, which is crucial for the right balance. This pudding tasted best when it has just set, after sitting in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Though it does keep for 3 days in the refrigerator, the flavor tends to weaken the next day, especially the hazelnut flavor. If that happens, I suggest adding a little bit of cacao powder, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to brighten the flavor again. Top it with liberal amount of chopped hazelnuts.

This will be a nice snack along side the raw vegan basic chia pudding. I just can’t get enough of chia pudding, and don’t think I’ll ever get tired of them. I’ll be posting more chia pudding variations in the future so look out!

Nutella Chia Pudding

 

Print

Prep time

12 hours

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

12 hours 15 mins

 

Author: Mariko Sakata

Cuisine: raw food, raw vegan, gluten-free

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw hazelnuts
• 2 Tablespoons cacao powder
• 3 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1½ cup water
• 1½ teaspoons non-alcohol vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
  
• 
  
• Some chopped hazelnuts, cacao nibs, or slices bananas for garnish

Instructions

1. Soak the hazelnuts for 12 hours. Rinse and drain.
2. Add all the ingredients except the chia seeds into the blender and blend until smooth.
3. Add in the chia seeds and blend on the lowest speed for a few minutes until the chia starts to gel and the mixture gets thick.
4. Pour it into a glass or container of your choice, and refrigerate for 2 hours until set.
5. Top with chopped hazelnuts, cacao nibs, bananas etc and serve.

Notes

Be very light on the cacao nibs if you choose to use them as a topping. It could easily overpower the hazelnut flavor. You can be generous with the chopped hazelnuts.

Keeps for 3 days in the refrigerator. However, the flavor tends to weaken after it sits for several hours in the refrigerator. If this happens, brighten the flavor by adding a pinch of cacao powder, a dash of maple syrup, and a dash of vanilla extract. Top it with liberal amount of chopped hazelnuts.

3.4.3177