Raw Vegan Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Pumpkin. Just hearing that word, makes me hungry. I’ve always loved anything and everything pumpkin, and the magical combination of pumpkin and pumpkin spice. Yum!  Starting from pumpkin pies to the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. Though as much as I loved them, I don’t do those anymore (the lattes).


Although the weather is nice year round here in Southern California, you don’t really get to experience the seasonal changes. I am all for nice, warm weather, but sometimes I miss the crisp winter breeze, and brisk snow covered Christmas mornings. So I indulge myself with pumpkin treats, to recreate that wintery experience.

Recently, I felt like I was missing some pumpkin goodness and thought it would be nice to begin my day with it, so I came up with a raw vegan pumpkin chia pudding. It took a couple tries to get the ratio right, trying to soften some of the raw pumpkin aftertaste but it turned out great. I ended up adding half of the cashew cream, per my husband’s suggestion, which was initially made just as a topping. I think it helped mellow and marry all the flavors. I’m pretty happy with the end result. The cashew cream thickens up nicely when you let it sit overnight. I kind of pulled them out a little too early to take the pictures of the pudding in the glasses, so the cream looks a little thinner than the first picture. If you like the cream thick, let it sit overnight. If you like it a little thinner, pull them out in about 4 hours.


This raw vegan version is packed with nutrients. Pumpkin is rich in vitamin A, potassium, and minerals. Chia, a prized Mayan superfood, with its name meaning “strength” in Mayan, is packed with fiber, Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, iron, magnesium, calcium, protein, and anti-oxidants. It also keeps you satiated for a long time, which makes it perfect for a busy morning. Almond milk and cashews are loaded with anti-oxidants, vitamins, and more. With all these nutritionally dense ingredients, these puddings will really start your day right! So here you go, a raw vegan pumpkin chia pudding for all my fellow pumpkin lovers. Enjoy!

Raw Pumpkin Chia Seed Pudding

 

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Prep time

20 hours

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

20 hours 30 mins

 

Author: Mariko Sakata

Cuisine: raw food, raw vegan, gluten-free

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

Pumpkin Chia Pudding

• 1 cup fresh pumpkin puree or 9 oz (260g) peeled and cubed fresh pumpkin or pie pumpkin
• 1 cup almond milk (recipe in notes)
• 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (non-alcohol)
• 1¼ teaspoons cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
• ¼ teaspoon all spice
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 Tablespoons maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon salt
  
• 
  

Cashew Cream

• 1 cup cashews (soaked and drained)
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (non-alcohol)
• ⅓ cup water (more or less)
• A little squeeze lemon juice
• A dusting of cinnamon for garnish
  
• 
  
• Equipment: high speed blender

Instructions

Cashew Cream

1. Soak the cashews for 4 hours, rinse and drain.
2. Add all the ingredients except for water and cinnamon into the blender. Run the blender and slowly add water a little at a time. You only want to add just enough water to make it into a smooth thick cream, and no more.
3. Set aside half of the cashew cream (this portion will be added to the pudding mixture), and put the rest in a container. Put saran wrap directly onto the cashew cream, so that the surface is not exposed to air. Refrigerate overnight to let it thicken.
   

Pumpkin Chia Pudding

1. Add pumpkin and almond milk in a high speed blender, and blend until smooth.
2. Transfer the pumpkin and almond milk mixture into a bowl. Add vanilla extract, all the spices, salt, maple syrup, and half of the cashew cream you set aside, and mix together. Add in the chia seeds, and mix until well combined.
3. Pour each serving into ramekins or glasses and refrigerate overnight.
4. Top the pudding with the rest of the cashew cream, dust with some cinnamon, and serve.

Notes

Refrigerating the pudding overnight will let the chia gel and set, and also allow the raw pumpkin flavor to mellow out.

Feel free to adjust the spices and sweetness. This recipe is on the sweet side to counter the raw pumpkin flavor. When you lessen the sweetener, the raw pumpkin flavor may come through a little more.

To make 1 cup of almond milk
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/3 cup almonds (soaked for 12 hours, rinsed and drained)
1 date

Instructions:
1. Blend everything in a high speed blender.
2. Have a bowl and set the nut milk bag in the middle. Pour the milk into the nut milk bag.
3. Strain the milk with the nut milk bag.

Please check out my raw vegan almond milk recipe post for more detailed instructions.

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