Creamy blended peanut butter chia pudding with a snappy dark chocolate shell on top – a delicious, high fiber, protein-rich snack or dessert!
Stealing inspiration from the viral magic shell yogurt cup, I created a variation that is easily dairy-free, still high-protein, higher in fiber, and still tastes deliciously like digging into a peanut butter cup with a spoon. It could be a sweet breakfast, it could be a healthyish dessert, it could be a new favorite recipe in your life (because it definitely is in mine!)
How To Make CREAMY Peanut Butter Chia Pudding
Emphasis on the creamy part – none of the chia texture, just smooth as silk peanut butter pudding. But since the base is still secretly chia seeds, there is no cooking or thickeners or high fat coconut milk required. I love chia pudding even with the chia texture too. But as I mentioned in this creamy chocolate version, when you blend chia pudding it somehow elevates from healthy snack to chic dessert.
Seedy or creamy, chia pudding requires some prepping ahead so the chia seeds have time to do their gel thickening thing. This recipe starts just like your typical chia pudding, the only difference is blending right at the end before serving. You do really need to BLEND to get rid of all the seedy-ness, so a high powered blender is ideal. Give it at least 30-60 seconds on high speed to make sure the texture is as smooth and creamy as possible. That amount of blending will warm up the pudding slightly, so I like to refrigerate again for 30 minutes or so before serving.
Peanut Butter Chia Pudding Ingredients
There is some flexibility in the ingredient list for this recipe, so let’s break it down:
- Milk of choice. I used almond milk, but you can really use any type – dairy or non-dairy. If you want to make the pudding extra rich, use half full-fat coconut milk.
- Maple syrup. Or sweetener of choice. Reduce or add extra to your personal preference.
- Peanut butter. Or SunButter if you want a nut-free option. Or tahini or almond butter would be delicious too.
- Salt and vanilla extract.
- Protein powder. Optional of course, but I like to add it for nutrition and creaminess purposes. An unflavored or vanilla variety is best (links to my fave in the recipe). Collagen peptides are a great option here too if not vegan.
- Chia seeds. White chia seeds will make for the prettiest PB color, but regular are fine too (that’s what I used).
Two Options For The Dark Chocolate Shell
So we can go snappy, or we can go smooooooth. Both are delicious, just different eating experiences. For the snappy option, simply melt dark chocolate chips (add a splash of coconut oil if it’s super thick) and pour over top of the pudding. For the smooth option, melt dark chocolate chips WITH one tablespoon of non-dairy milk to create a dairy-free ganache and pour that over top of the pudding. I do like to use full-fat coconut milk here, but any kind will work. Either way, it’s easiest to get a think even layer if your pudding is slightly chilled. One will require shattering with a spoon to get in, the other will just be a smooth scoop.
More Chia Recipes You’ll Love
- Bananas Foster Chia Pudding
- The ULTIMATE Chia Pudding Recipe
- 3 Latte-Inspired Chia Puddings
- Creamy Vegan Banana Pudding
Creamy Peanut Butter Cup Chia Pudding
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chilling Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: pudding
- Method: blender
- Cuisine: american
Description
Creamy blended peanut butter chia pudding with a snappy dark chocolate shell on top – a delicious, high fiber, protein-rich snack or dessert!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (480g) milk of choice
- 2 tbsp (40g) maple syrup
- 1/4 cup (65g) peanut butter (or SunButter for a nut-free option)
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional: 2 scoops protein powder or collagen peptides
- 1/2 cup (80g) chia seeds
- 1/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, melted (for a softer ganache-like topping, add 11/2 tbsps non-dairy milk)
Instructions
- Blend the milk, maple syrup, peanut butter, salt, vanilla, and protein powder (if using) until combined and smooth.
- Pulse in the chia seeds. Rest 30 seconds, then pulse again. Repeat until the chia seeds stay in solution and don’t sink to the bottom (3-4 times).
- Transfer to an airtight container, and refrigerate overnight.
- The following day, blend on high until VERY smooth.
- Divide between 4 jars.
- Melt the chocolate chips, and stir until smooth. Pour a thin layer of chocolate on top of each cup. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and flaky salt.
- Refrigerate until chocolate is set.
Keywords: dairy free, snack, breakfast, dessert, peanut butter, chocolate, creamy, fiber, healthy, kids
Instead of putting them in the fridge overnight, how many hours would they need before adding the chocolate?
I’d recommend at least 6 hours!
Thank you! I didn’t see your reply & I literally just prepped them & they’re in the fridge for tomorrow! Really looking forward to trying this. I’ll be back to review 🙂
I can’t wait for you to try them!! Enjoy☺️
Amazing! Thank you for the recipe, Natalie!
Delicious!! I made as written & added the 2 scoops of protein powder. So so yummy. The protein powder I used is vanilla so probably could have used half of the maple syrup to save on the calories. Regardless it still tasted great. I’m currently restricting calories so I’m doing 8 servings instead of 4. I made a few in small ramekins & the rest I stored in a mason jar for later. It was a perfect dessert with the chocolate & would also be great with granola for breakfast. This recipe is a keeper! 10/10
★★★★★
Forgot to add that I used PB powder in place of the peanut butter. I would probably be even better with actual PB 🙂
Yay! So grateful for you, sharing your variations and feedback🩷
This looks so good! What a great combination of flavors!