I feel like chia seed pudding had its moment on social media for a while but I missed the train. I tried a version of chia seed pudding at a hotel I recently stayed at and I see why it was popular! The texture of creamy chia seeds is really fun, and I loved the coconut flakes this pudding came with.

But, it was way too sweet for me. I wanted to recreate a better version of it! After some tweaking, I came up with my version of a vegan, gluten free, lightly sweetened chia seed pudding with toasted coconut flakes.

Toast a batch of coconut flakes

I made a small batch of toasted coconut flakes to go with my chia seed pudding. These flakes can also be used as a yogurt topping, ice cream topping, salad topping, or anything else that needs an extra crunch.

My recipe for toasted coconut flakes uses unsweetened flakes to control the sugar used. You can choose sweetened coconut flakes to roast if you want more sweetness, they may need to be baked for a 1 minute or 2 more.

If you don’t want to toast coconut flakes, you can substitute granola or fresh berries as a topping idea.

Prepare chia seed pudding

This chia seed pudding can be prepared the night before so it can soak overnight in the fridge. Or, it can be ready in 2 hours.

Grab a small container (I use a glass bowl that holds 2 cups). Mix all the pudding ingredients directly in the container and stir. If you remember, an hour later go back and stir the pudding to break up clumps that may form. If you forget it’s not a big deal.

In the morning, your pudding will be ready for breakfast or an afternoon snack later in the day. I eat this straight from the fridge with some toasted coconut flakes on top.

Simple snack idea

This vegan, gluten free, chia seed pudding coconut flakes recipe is simple and easy to put together. The texture from the toasted coconut flakes gives the pudding a nice soft crunch. It’s a great for breakfast, a snack, or even a dessert option. Try it out and let me know what you think!