Decadent Keto Pumpkin Chia Pudding: The Ultimate Healthy Fall Dessert You Can't Miss!

Fall is many people's favorite season, a time for cozy sweaters, autumn leaves, and the comforting flavors of pumpkin spice. This Keto Pumpkin Chia Pudding recipe captures the essence of fall, offering a healthy and delicious way to enjoy the flavors of pumpkin pie without the guilt. It's extremely delicious, easy to make, and tastes just like pumpkin pie filling. Enjoy a creamy, thick, naturally gluten-free chia pudding flavored with pumpkin and spices.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Tastes just like pumpkin pie: Craving that classic pumpkin pie taste? This chia pudding delivers all the warm, comforting flavors you love.
Easy: With just a bowl and a few minutes, you’re set. Mix, chill, and refrigerate. It's also perfect for meal prepping.
Power-Packed Goodness: Chia seeds aren’t just a texture element. They are packed with nutrients and many health benefits.
Cool Comfort: When those fall cravings hit, but the weather’s not cooperating, this no-cook recipe has your back.

Health Benefits of Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are packed with nutrients and many health benefits. They are very high in fibre which has shown to help weight loss and lower blood glucose levels. According to Healthline, chia seed pudding will benefit you by: improving digestion and keeping you full for longer, thanks to the high fiber content; supplying minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants to your body; and it may help in boosting your heart function and regulating blood sugar levels.

Ingredients You'll Need

This nutritious fall chia pudding with pumpkin needs a few basic ingredients. This pumpkin pie chia seed pudding only requires 6 ingredients!

Chia Seeds: The essential ingredient for chia pudding, these tiny seeds absorb the liquid and expand, creating a gel-like consistency. Black chia seeds are recommended. Chia seeds have an amazing gelling effect and absorb over 10 times their weight in water.
Pumpkin Puree: While you can use store-bought pumpkin puree, avoid using pumpkin pie filling as it’s loaded with sugar. Alternatively, you can make homemade pumpkin puree.
Almond Milk: I prefer to make my chia seed pudding with almond milk, but you can use creamy coconut milk (carton or canned coconut milk), oat milk (not low carb, but a nut-free alternative), or any non-dairy milk, (plant-based milk) that you prefer.
Coconut Milk: This can be omitted, but it makes it extra creamy and “pie” like! The coconut milk from the carton works better in this pudding. The fats don't solidify, so it creates a smoother and creamier texture. Instead of the half and half, use coconut milk!
Sweetener: Use your favorite liquid or granular sugar substitute. Options include powdered Erythritol or Swerve or other healthy low-carb sweetener. Powdered sugar is recommended because it mixes better than granular. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. The keto sweeteners I use have 0g net carbs & are not included because sugar alcohols do not impact most people.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: I created my own combination of pumpkin pie spices! This includes vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. You can easily replace my spices with some pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice.
Heavy Cream: If you’re not low carb or keto, you could use half-and-half if you prefer. If you need more fat, you can sub out some of the almond milk for heavy cream.
Optional Ingredients:
- Stevia extract
- Protein powder

Step-by-Step Instructions

It’s incredibly easy to make this simple healthy fall dessert: pumpkin chia pudding.

Gather and prep all ingredients.
Add all ingredients to a bowl or container. In a large shallow bowl, combine the coconut milk, almond milk, pumpkin puree, erythritol, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and a pinch of sea salt.
Mix the ingredients together well. Mix the ingredients together well. Try to make sure no lumps of pumpkin puree or protein powder are left. Whisk thoroughly to combine and taste to adjust sweetness as needed.
Stir in the chia seeds. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes, then whisk again to prevent the chia seeds from clumping together.
Cover and store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, but preferably overnight. This will give the chia seeds time to absorb moisture and thicken up. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer the pumpkin chia pudding to the refrigerator. Let it sit for at least 10-15 minutes, ideally overnight in the fridge.
Once ready, serve and enjoy! Once ready, serve and enjoy!

Blending for Texture

For a pumpkin pie chia pudding with more texture, skip the blender and simply stir your ingredients together before storing in the fridge. This will make a very thick pudding. For the smoothest pudding possible, make sure you give it enough time to process in your blender.

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Place all ingredients in a blender (a high speed blender like Vitamix is recommended).
Blend all until as smooth as you like. You can blend this pudding (and any other chia pudding) as little or as much as you'd like.

Serving Suggestions

This pudding is a treat that you can enjoy for breakfast without feeling guilty. What you eat with this keto pudding depends on when you are eating it. If you are going to enjoy it for breakfast, add some more protein to your plate - like these low-carb egg bites. Now you have a filling and healthy start to your day!

As in the photos, topping this pumpkin chia pudding with regular or dairy-free whipped cream make a delicious parfait.

Add some homemade keto whipped cream on top. Garnish with some cinnamon and a cinnamon stick.
Serve it with a slice of low-carb pecan pie for a decadent treat. Or, add it on top of a coconut flour pie crust and enjoy pumpkin pudding pie.
Fruit - Apples and pears are delicious chopped into the fall spiced pudding!
Dark Chocolate - say yes to chocolate + pumpkin spice!

Meal Prep and Storage

I love that chia pudding is perfect for meal prep and is highly customizable. You can whip it up the night before and have it ready for breakfast the next morning. When it comes to meal prepping, it doesn’t get much easier than this recipe. Just toss the ingredients in a blender, process for a few minutes, then store in the refrigerator. These little jars make an easy grab-and-go meal in the morning that will make you feel like you’re eating pumpkin pie for breakfast. They also make a great snack when you need an afternoon pick-me-up. You can absolutely meal prep chia pudding! If you want 4 servings, just double this recipe and you have breakfast ready for almost the entire week!

Fridge: For best freshness, keep the pudding in an airtight container or small jars in the refrigerator. A chia seed pudding can last 4-5 days in the fridge. Chia pudding with coconut milk can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. It stays fresh 5-7 days if made with almond milk only. If you store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it will stay fresh for up to a week.
Freezer: For longer storage, portion the pumpkin pudding into individual serving containers.
Your chia seeds will continue to absorb moisture as they sit so on days 3 and 4 if your pudding is thicker than you would like, just stir in a splash of milk to thin it back out. You should know that the longer it sits, the pudding will have a thicker, gel-like consistency. So, you might need to mix in a splash of almond milk to make it smoother after a few days.

Tips and Troubleshooting

Why is chia seed pudding liquidy? If your chia seeds are still liquidy after several hours, you used either too much liquid or too little chia seeds. You can fix this by using the recipe in the recipe card below.
Why are my chia seeds settling to the bottom of the pudding? This is probably because the seeds are not incorporated completely with the other ingredients. It might help to pulse all the pudding ingredients in a blender before you put it in the refrigerator. You can also try to stir it a few times while it sets up.

Variations and Customizations

As with all of our chia pudding recipes, you can customize them to fit your needs and macros.

If you need more protein, you can adjust the amount of protein powder that goes in! Blend in your favorite plant based protein powder for an even more protein-rich start to your day.
If the chia pudding is too thick, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water or almond milk.

Is This Recipe Suitable for Specific Diets?

Keto/Low Carb: Packed with nutrients and sugar-free: Pumpkins and chia seeds are naturally low-carb. They also have many health benefits like fiber and healthy fats. By substituting regular sugar for a keto sweetener, this pumpkin pie chia seeding pudding is a great option for those on a keto diet or those simply looking to cut back on sugar. As written, this recipe is keto friendly. Chia seeds are a great source of fiber on low carb diets. 1 serving of Pumpkin Chia Pudding made with monk fruit sweetener contains 5 net carbs per serving. This Keto Pumpkin Chia Pudding recipe is a fiber-packed, low-carb alternative to overnight oats. It’s filled with pumpkin pie flavors and a great way for busy people to prep a healthy breakfast, snack or dessert with minimal effort.
Vegan: This Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding recipe is vegan as written. It’s a great way to add extra protein into a vegan diet.
Whole30: No, pumpkin chia pudding is not approved for the Whole30. The Whole30 emphasizes meals being made from whole proteins (like chicken, beef, and seafood) and fruits and veggies. Turning compliant foods, like chia seeds and almond milk, into a pudding, is not allowed, especially with any kind of sweetener. However, if you’re doing the Whole30 and need a healthy breakfast or meal prep option, this Whole30 Chia Pudding can help you in a pinch.
Allergen-Friendly: This is also one of the best desserts you can serve at parties because it is free from the most common food allergens and irritants. It's a dairy-free, gluten-free, and nut-free recipe!

Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto

tags: #keto #pumpkin #chia #pudding #recipe