Dairy Free Tropical Chia Pudding With Mango & Lychee (Vegan)

Chia puddings are a simple make-ahead breakfast that you can grab and go in the morning. The good news is that this popular breakfast idea is so easy to make completely free from top allergens. Our dairy free tropical chia pudding recipe is flavoured with coconut, mango and lychee for a delicious allergy friendly way to start your day.

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What are chia seeds?

Chia seeds are small seeds from a plant that’s related to mint, known as Salvia hispanica. These tiny seeds can be white, brown or black and are completely edible. They are popular in vegan recipes as they contain plant proteins as well as omega-3 fatty acids. They are also naturally gluten free, making them a great option for people who need to avoid gluten or wheat.

One of the unique things about chia seeds is that they absorb up to 12 times their weight in liquid and form a gel, making them a great thickening agent for jams, jellies and puddings like this one. They can be eaten raw as well, but it’s important to remember not to just dry chia seeds by the spoonful. The water-absorbing properties means that they can get caught in your throat and pose a choking hazard. A few chia seeds sprinkled on a dish are fine, or soak them first like we have here.

How to make allergy friendly chia pudding

Chia pudding is one of the easiest dishes to tweak for allergies.

The most common allergens you’ll find in chia pudding recipes are milk (either cow’s milk or yoghurt used to soak the chia seeds) or nuts, often used to garnish and add extra healthy fats and protein. It’s very easy to swap out the dairy ingredients for a non-dairy (and vegan) alternative. We’ve used coconut milk in this recipe, which blends well with the tropical fruit flavours. However if you can’t have coconut, you could also swap out for another non-dairy milk that’s suitable for your allergies. And also swap the coconut flake topping for something else, like passionfruit pulp or pumpkin seeds.

Don’t like lychees? You can swap them out too for another tropical flavoured fruit.

Dairy free tropical chia pudding ingredients

To make this vegan and allergy friendly tropical chia pudding you’ll need:

• 3 Tablespoons chia seeds (we’ve used white chia)
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped (or 1 cup frozen or tinned mango pieces, drained)
• 1/2 cup lychees, pitted and chopped (fresh or tinned)
• 2 Tablespoons coconut flakes
• 2 fresh mint sprigs to garnish

A note about using coconut milk. We’ve used unsweetened coconut milk from a carton for this recipe, which has a similar consistency to cow’s milk, soy milk and oat milk. It is thinner than full fat canned coconut milk and has less calories. By all means use canned coconut milk instead, but just be aware that your pudding will be richer and more energy dense.

Method

Place chia seeds, coconut milk and maple syrup in jug or bowl and whisk to combine. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow the chia seeds to soak and expand. (Give the mixture another stir after about 10 or 15 minutes so the chia seeds don’t all stick to the bottom.)

Blend mango pieces into a thick puree. This is easy to do with an immersion blender – I use my Bamix – or you can use a food processor. Remove seeds from the lychees and coarsely chop.

Divide the mango puree evenly between 2 glasses, glass bowls or jars. Add chia mixture evenly on top of the mango in each container. Top each pudding with chopped lychees, coconut flakes and a sprig of mint to garnish.

Serves 2.

Storage and freezing chia puddings

Enjoy your chia pudding straight away, or cover and keep in the fridge to enjoy later. It will keep well for up to 3 days (or a little longer if you add the toppings just before serving).

Chia puddings can be made ahead and frozen for easy meal prep. I find this works best if you just freeze the base (mango and chia seed mix) and add any toppings like the lychees and coconut after defrosting and just prior to serving. Frozen chia pudding will keep for up to 2 months in an air tight container. Be sure to leave enough space between the pudding mixture and the lid for the mixture to expand. Defrost in the fridge (overnight is good) and stir well before adding your toppings.

More allergy-friendly recipes

For more delicious breakfast ideas that are allergy-friendly, try our dairy and egg free French toast, apple and cinnamon pancakes or mixed berry pancake tray bake.

Or for another make ahead allergy-friendly breakfast idea, try our orange cinnamon oats with berries or our egg and dairy free vegetable breakfast muffins. You’ll find these recipes and more in our collection of allergy friendly breakfast recipes.

For more allergy-friendly recipes check out our recipe page, where you’ll find recipes that are all free from milk, egg, nuts and other allergens.

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