For all my girlies with a sweet tooth, this one’s for you: Warming Chocolate Oatmeal Pudding. It’s giving dessert-for-breakfast vibes, and I couldn’t be more obsessed or excited to share this recipe.
Filled with flavor and the most delish, healthy ingredients like GF rolled oats, chia seeds, cashew butter and maple syrup, I know you’ll be just as obsessed too. Not to mention it’s the easiest thing to make. Let’s get into it!
AN IRRESISTIBLE DESSERT-FOR-BREAKFAST PUDDING
This Warming Chocolate Oatmeal Pudding is one of my new favorite ways to start the day.
I might even go so far as to say this one will turn even those that aren’t already into oat and chia pudding, into major fans. I mean, when it tastes like dessert for breakfast, how could you resist?!
Like a normal overnight oat mixture, you’ll simply chill your oatmeal chia mixture (that takes just 10 minutes to whip up) overnight in the fridge. And the next day, when you’re ready to indulge, just take 5 minutes to warm it up on the stovetop with a little bit of cashew milk, and stir in some cashew butter, coconut yogurt + chopped chocolate when you remove it from the heat.
And most importantly, don’t forget to top with some maple syrup and chopped walnuts. Tell me your mouth isn’t watering!
HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE OATMEAL PUDDING
You likely already know my love of making any and every recipe with the most healthful ingredients possible, but never sacrificing flavor, and this Warming Chocolate Oatmeal Pudding is no exception.
We all know oatmeal is a favored breakfast by many, thanks to the well-balanced nutritional composition in the fluffy oats (they’re filled with fiber, complex carbs, protein + other essential nutrients), milk (I have a dairy intolerance so I use unsweetened cashew milk), and cinnamon (helpful in reducing blood sugar + contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects).
But when you combine it with a deliciously nutty cashew butter for some healthy fats, and naturally sweetening ingredients like maple syrup, cacao nibs and chopped dark chocolate? Well, you get where I’m going with this whole dessert-for-breakfast vibe.
And let me quickly rave about the little superfoods that are chia and hemp seeds. Loaded with nutrients like protein, fiber and Omega-3’s, they’re a perfect addition to many breakfast recipes, but especially this pudding.
WHAT BREAKFAST DREAMS ARE MADE OF
Ok and what’s an RGE recipe without a protein boost? In this one, I add a scoop of vanilla protein powder (check out a list of my favorites HERE), plus 4 scoops of collagen peptides.
I love adding in collagen peptides to a lot of my baking, sweets and soup recipes since it doesn’t alter the taste, but adds protein and support for healthy skin, hair, nails, joints and bones.
Having recipes like this that I can easily prep ahead and that I know are fueling my body well really makes adjusting to this new phase of mom life so much easier.
Plus, when it’s a meal (or snack or dessert, let’s be serious) that tastes this good and also satisfies my sweet tooth, it’s almost too good to be true. What breakfast dreams are made of, if you ask me!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:
For the Batch:
- Unsweetened cashew milk (I like Malk)
- Collagen peptides (I like Equip or Vital Proteins)
- Vanilla protein powder (I like Ritual)
- Vanilla extract
- Kosher salt
- Cinnamon
- Maple syrup
- Natural cashew butter
- Gluten-free rolled oats
- Chia seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Chopped walnuts
- Cacao nibs
To Serve Individually:
- Oat & chia pudding mixture
- Unsweetened cashew milk
- Cashew butter
- Unsweetened coconut yogurt
- Dairy-free dark chocolate
HOW TO MAKE MY WARMING CHOCOLATE OATMEAL PUDDING
For the Batch:
In a medium mixing bowl, add the cashew milk, collagen peptides, protein powder, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, maple syrup, and cashew butter. Whisk until completely combined.
Add the oats, chia seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, and cacao nibs. Stir until totally combined.
Transfer to airtight containers (either as a full batch or portion individually) and transfer to the fridge. Allow the mixture to set in the fridge overnight.
If you do not want to warm the pudding up, you can eat it chilled like a normal overnight oat mixture. Simply remove it from the fridge, scoop your desired portion into a bowl, and top with extra cashew butter, a spoonful of coconut yogurt, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a few chunks of chocolate.
To Serve Individually:
*Note: this makes for a bit of a larger serving, but it’s intended to be hearty.
In a small pot over medium-low heat, add 1 cup of the oat and chia mixture. Pour in 1/4 cup of the cashew milk and stir to combine. Heat until the sides of the pot are simmering and the mixture has absorbed the extra liquid.
Add cashew milk in 2 tablespoon increments until you’ve reached your desired consistency. Remove from the heat and stir in the cashew butter.
Transfer to a bowl and swirl in the coconut yogurt and chocolate. Top with extra maple syrup and walnuts as desired.
RECIPE SUBSTITUTIONS & QUESTIONS
For the ingredients, I used an unsweetened cashew milk in this recipe, but you could try making with an unsweetened almond milk, or regular milk if you’re not dairy-free.
Use your favorite collagen peptides and vanilla protein powder, but if you need any protein powder suggestions, here is a list of my 6 favorites. I prefer a runny, natural cashew butter, but you could try with almond butter as well. And instead of chopped dark chocolate, option to use chocolate chips.
Lastly, if you prefer to eat this chilled like a normal overnight oat mixture, you don’t have to warm it up – just follow the instructions above/below.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHIA SEED PUDDING AND OVERNIGHT OATS?
For obvious reasons, the main difference is the primary ingredient in each: chia seeds and oats. While they are both plant-based ingredients that, over time, soak up the liquid or cream element in each to create a thick, creamy mixture, the end results differ in texture. Chia seeds will have a more gelatinous consistency, and soaked overnight oats will create more of a dense, oatmeal-like texture.
Both main ingredients are rich in nutrients like protein, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, however, oats tend to be more filling. So, why not combine the two and make this delish Warming Chocolate Oatmeal Pudding?
WHY USE COLLAGEN PEPTIDES?
Collagen is best known for supporting healthy skin, hair, nails, joints and bones, and it generally contains eight of the nine essential amino acids your body needs, which makes it a good source of protein. As we age, our body’s natural collagen production may decline, which shows up in ways like fine lines and wrinkles – essentially, decreased skin elasticity.
Supporting your body’s collagen production with a collagen peptide supplement may help with that, and since it’s flavorless + doesn’t change the taste, it feels like a no-brainer to sneak into a recipe.
HERE’S MORE EASY, HEALTHY BREAFKAST RECIPES TO TRY:
Coconut Mango Chia Pudding  Â
High-Protein Meal Prep Egg Cups
Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins (GF)
High-Protein Blender Banana Oat Pancakes
Warming Chocolate Oatmeal Pudding
Ingredients
For the Batch:
- 4 cups unsweetened cashew milk, I like Malk
- 4 scoops collagen peptides, I like Equip or Vital Proteins
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, I like Ritual
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup maple syrup, plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup runny, natural cashew butter, plus more for serving
- 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup cacao nibs
To Serve Individually:
- 1 cup oat & chia pudding mixture
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk
- 1 tablespoon cashew butter
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut yogurt
- 1 tablespoon chopped dairy-free dark chocolate
Instructions
For the Batch:
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the cashew milk, collagen peptides, protein powder, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, maple syrup, and cashew butter. Whisk until completely combined.
- Add the oats, chia seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, and cacao nibs. Stir until totally combined.
- Transfer to airtight containers (either as a full batch or portion individually) and transfer to the fridge. Allow the mixture to set in the fridge overnight.
- If you do not want to warm the pudding up, you can eat it chilled like a normal overnight oat mixture. Simply remove it from the fridge, scoop your desired portion into a bowl, and top with extra cashew butter, a spoonful of coconut yogurt, a drizzle of maple syrup, and a few chunks of chocolate.
To Serve Individually:
- *Note: this makes for a bit of a larger serving, but it’s intended to be hearty. In a small pot over medium-low heat, add 1 cup of the oat and chia mixture. Pour in 1/4 cup of the cashew milk and stir to combine. Heat until the sides of the pot are simmering and the mixture has absorbed the extra liquid.
- Add cashew milk in 2 tablespoon increments until you’ve reached your desired consistency. Remove from the heat and stir in the cashew butter.
- Transfer to a bowl and swirl in the coconut yogurt and chocolate. Top with extra maple syrup and walnuts as desired.
Looks delicious but Ritual has natural flavors, gums, and a few other questionable things in it. Not a clean protein at all.