This has been my go-to chia seed pudding recipe recently, and I'm not planning on switching her out anytime soon because I'm obsessed. It's thick, creamy, slightly sweet, and so perfect.
I've had a lot of trial and error when it comes to chia seed pudding recipes to figure out what I like, and I've finally figured it out.
There is room for substitution and I'll give you ways you can make it sweeter or thicker but personally I think the ingredients I used are key to what makes this chia seed pudding so good. So yes if you wanted to you could use whatever you have on hand but I highly suggest using the brands I suggested.
The Cocojune yogurt is just the BEST coconut yogurt out there. It's so thick and so creamy and tastes AMAZING and doesn't have any additives or flavorings or bad stuff. Plus it has probiotics which is another plus.
I like to use unsweetened vanilla yogurt for this recipe because the flavor is just perfect. I also just use this yogurt for everything, it is my favorite and go-to yogurt.
As for the milk, any non-dairy milk would work from coconut to oat to almond. Just make sure you are using a clean brand that doesn't have any added sugars or seed oils. I suggest Malk for almond or oat milk and for coconut just use a can that only includes organic coconut.
The milk you use will also affect the thickness and flavor, so feel free to experiment to find what you like. Personally, I use almond milk but I also love oat and coconut. I'm not much of a fan of the other nut milk for my chia seed pudding, so stick to one of those three options.
As for the sweetness, I love my vanilla stevia drops but if you don't have that or you just don't like the taste of stevia, maple syrup or agave work just as well. Switching between the options won't affect the texture, just the taste. And feel free to add more or less depending on how sweet you like your pudding. Personally, I never do more than 2 tablespoons because I don't like it when the pudding only tastes like the sweetener, I like more of a subtle taste.
This recipe is definitely more on the simpler side because that's just how I like it but some great add-ins that you can add to spice it up are cinnamon, vanilla extract (if you don't use vanilla stevia or vanilla yogurt I would suggest adding this), matcha, cacao, blueberries, or even oats to make more of an overnight oat vibe.
Regarding toppings, I switch them up every time depending on what I'm feeling that day. In the photo, I used Purely Elizabeth granola and strawberries since that was the only fruit I had on hand. Other topping suggestions that I use and love would be berries, bananas, cacao nibs, goji berries, granola, almond butter, bee pollen, hemp seeds, raw almonds, or coconut flakes.