This vegan strawberry chia pudding is simple yet oh-so-special. Sweet vanilla chia seed pudding mingles with layers of bright cardamom-infused strawberry compote. The result is a parfait that's special enough for dessert yet nourishing enough for an everyday breakfast.
Happy Friday! Now that we're officially welcoming spring temperatures, it feels like the right time to post another chia pudding recipe. After this one was such a hit in our home and on the blog, I started thinking about ways to revise this healthy, energizing, and sweet dessert.
When I started writing this revised recipe, I knew I'd be posting it sometime right before Mother's Day. Since there are certain ingredients that immediately come to mind when I think of my mom, I wanted to make sure this chia pudding included one. Cardamom, an aromatic spice within the ginger family, always makes me think of my mom (and not just because it ends in "mom"). She loves cardamom and expertly sneaks it into fresh berries, whipped creams, and other sweet dishes. Its warm fragrance is comforting and soothing, and it can take an incredibly simple dish and turn it into something so beautiful. Kind of like the way a mother is comforting, soothing, and can make an ordinary day seem so special.
Lately, I've been getting so caught up in the everyday busyness of being both a psychologist and a blogger that I'll go days and sometimes weeks without reaching out to the people that have supported me the most. My mom is absolutely one of those people, and I really have to work on picking up the phone more often. Regardless of whether it's been hours, days, or a week since our last conversation, my mom is incredibly understanding and unwaveringly supportive of what I do, which is just part of what makes her so amazing.
Protector. Keeper of secrets. Celebrator of successes. Listener. Supporter of endeavors. Empowered woman. Entrepreneur. Unconditional love provider. Volunteer. Interior Designer. Intelligent thinker. Animal lover. Selfless. Meditator. Seeker of peace. Inspired soul.
My mom is all of these things, and I'm so grateful for her. She keeps an open heart regardless of what happens in life, and always reminds our family that everything will work out beautifully.
This sweet, cardamom-infused treat is made just for you, mom. Love you so much!
Strawberry Chia Pudding
Ingredients
- ½ cup chia seeds + 2 tablespoons
- 2 cups unsweetened vanilla nut milk
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups quartered strawberries
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
Instructions
- Add chia seeds, vanilla nut milk, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon cardamom, ⅓ cup maple syrup, and vanilla extract to an airtight container. Whisk together and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Make the strawberry-cardamom topping by adding strawberries, ¼ cup maple syrup, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon cardamom to a medium sauce pan. Heat over medium-low and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer the strawberry mixture to a blender along with 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder (or substitute 1 tablespoon cornstarch) and blend for 30 seconds or until smooth. Return the blended mixture to the sauce pan and heat over medium-low for another five minutes to thicken the sauce. Thicken the sauce by refrigerating overnight.
- In four small glasses or two larger glasses, create layers of chia pudding and strawberry-cardamom sauce starting with the pudding. I did 6 total layers or 3 layers of each.
How colorful and fresh! All the flavors sound delicious, I love the addition of cardamom and cinnamon.
Thank you! That little addition of spice takes really takes it from decent to delicious! Amazing what a pinch of something can do :)
This is probably such an amateur question, haha - I use cardamom pods a lot for things, but I assume this calls for shelled cardamom? Is the measurement for ground cardamom? I just LOVE these flavors so I want it to be right!:) thank you so much.
That's a great question! It's for shelled, ground cardamom. I'll update the recipe to be more specific. Thanks for pointing that out, and I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Thank you!! I can't wait to try it:) This is the first chia pudding to catch my interest, haha!
I'm so flattered, Stacey! Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
I love this pairing of cardamom and strawberries :) this has to be one of the nicest looking chia seed puddings I've seen!
Thanks so much, Julia! Cardamom seems to have a special way of making strawberries even better than they already are -- so amazing!
Ashley, what a lovely tribute to your mom! You put into words exactly how I feel about my mom, whom I miss every day. Your pudding looks lovely as well -- I can't wait to give it a try.
Thanks so much, Anne! Moms are such special and amazing people, and they really leave an impact, don't they? Your mom sounds like she was a lovely person.
looks so refreshing and colorful
Thank you!!
Made this at home. Used splenda and honey to sweeten and cocoanut milk, used only cinnamon spice, lemon juice, vanilla, 4 tbs of whipped cream in with mix and red good coloring. Blended this for about 5 minutes. I used graham cracker crumbs for taste and presentation purposes and topped with whipped cream. It reminded me of cheeseake without the calories