This recipe is dedicated to my Dad. Whenever I would make desserts for my family, my Dad would always request that I made something without chocolate, since he was never a huge fan of chocolate. However, he would never refuse my warm, freshly baked Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies topped with vanilla ice cream. His two favorite desserts were my cheesecake and carrot cake.
If he was still with us today, this Fresh Mango Coconut Chia Pudding would easily be at the top of his list. He always enjoyed both mango and coconut flavors.
I wish he was with us now, so I could watch him enjoy some.
My brother has a way of bringing out my passion for cooking. Whenever he visits or we get together, I get an urge to try out new gluten-free dishes, especially desserts. Maybe it’s because I have watched him with Celiac Disease, giving up his favorite foods 15 years ago at a time when there was little awareness of a gluten-free diet. Or it may simply be because he’s my little brother. Regardless, the fact remains that I love cooking and baking for him.
Last month, we celebrated my daughters 2nd birthday. As always, I had spent an entire day baking cupcakes, brownies, and other treats for her big day. Being the 6th birthday planned for my kids, I knew when the actual day of her party rolled around, I would be exhausted from all the baking, decorating, and party planning. Usually my baked goods contain gluten, and I know that I don’t always have the energy to bake for him during these parties. I typically send him to Jimbo’s (a local favorite grocery stores) to pick up a few delicious gluten-free baked goods.
But this time, I could not resist and found the time to make something special.
I had some fresh mangoes in my fridge and had been saving them to try out a new spin off my original Chia Seed Pudding. Who better to try my new recipe on than my brother? Not only is it gluten-free but also super easy and quick to make. Within 5 minutes, I had whipped together the chia seed pudding mixture. This time, I added shredded coconut to make a parfait, layering freshly diced mangoes with the prepared coconut chia pudding.
It was absolutely delicious. We all polished it off very quickly.
I didn’t make very much at the time and didn’t even have enough for my kids or a chance to photograph it for the website. Therefore, I made it again a few weeks later. Even the second time I made this pudding, photographing was difficult, mainly because my kids could not wait to try it. I caught their hands in at least half of the pictures (so I had to include one of them below). It was my quickest food photography session!
This version of Chia Pudding is absolutely delicious, especially if you love mangoes. And if you still haven’t tried my original Chia Seed Pudding recipe, what are you waiting for? Pick up some chia seeds and coconut milk today. This dessert is quick, healthy, and perfect to whip up for dessert for any night of the week or even for larger parties!
Fresh Mango Coconut Chia Seed Parfait
INGREDIENTS
- 14 oz. lite coconut milk ,
- 6 tbsp chia seeds
- 5 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
- 5-6 tbsp pure maple syrup , adjust amt. depending on preferred sweetness
- 1 teasp vanilla extract
- fresh mango , diced and chilled (or sub any other fruit)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a bowl, combine the coconut milk, chia seeds, shredded coconut, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.
- Let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Mix once more, cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (for best results, refrigerate overnight).
- Remove the bowl with the pudding from the fridge about 15 minutes prior to serving.
- Layer some pudding into the bottom each serving glasses. Layer some diced fresh mango on top of the pudding layer. Alternate layers of chia pudding and freshly diced mango until glasses are filled to the top, ending with freshly diced mango.
- Top with some shredded coconut and serve immediately or keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
McLeod
Delicious! I made the first batch with too much chia. And it turned out was too thick and dry. Second time I followed the recipe exactly and it seemed a little runny but it thickened up in 10-15 mins. Super easy so it was easy to remake quickly after I messed up the first time. Goes very well with fresh fruit. Thanks!
anjali
Thanks for trying out the recipe! Yeah initially it is very liquid-y, but after awhile it starts to thicken up nicely. Glad you enjoyed it!
Janneke
As we calculate in ml in the Netherlands, I tried to convert the needed amount of coconut milk from oz to ml. I do not trust the outcome however, over three liters of coconut milk seems a bit much… Can you help me out please?
anjali
Hi there! The can of thai kitchen coconut milk is net weight 14 fluid ounces which is 1 3/4 cup coconut milk, or 414 ml. So I think you may have mis-calculated somewhere…let me know if what I stated makes sense! I’m excited for you to try out this recipe…it’s very easy and delicious! Let me know how it turns out!
Chantal
1 cup equals 250 ml
Megha
Made the chia coconut mango pudding last night – it was delicious!
anjali
Thank you so much for the comment and for trying out the recipe! So happy you found it delicious!
shae
hi what is the recipe please? would love to try :p
anjali
It’s in the post above…let me know if you can’t find it still!
Shikha @ Shikha la mode
This is so awesome – I LITERALLY just bought chia seeds last night on a whim and wasn’t sure what to do with them…until now.
anjali
I was so excited for you when I read your comment! Chia Pudding is one of my favorite ways to use Chia Seeds, so I can’t wait for you to try it out! If you don’t happen to have fresh mango, you can easily sub for any other fruit (i actually have another simple basic Coconut Chia Seed Pudding recipe on my site as well. A few of my other favorite ways to use chia seeds in case you’re interested: top them on my green smoothies everyday, I love incorporating them into my overnight oats (i still have yet to post recipes for this), and healthy no-bake chia seed treats (recipe on my site). Hope that helps! And let me know how the recipe turns out. Thanks for visiting my site.
Carolyn Dunn
I made the pudding today. I enjoy all of the ingredients so I firgured I would like this recipe. My only problem is, I think it is a little flat, not enough taste. I followed it to the T. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you, Carolyn
anjali
Hi Carolyn, the beauty of this pudding is that it’s flavors are meant to be very simple and mainly composed of coconut, chia seeds, and some vanilla – similar to a vanilla pudding almost. You can easily try to adjust the amount of sweetness by adding some additional maple syrup and/or fruit to see if that helps enhance the flavors! Also, did you use regular coconut milk or lite coconut milk? This pudding also works well with lite coconut milk, but if you feel like it needs more taste, definitely try using full-fat coconut milk. Hope one of those suggestions work, let me know what you think! Thanks for the comment and thanks for visiting my site.
Carolyn Dunn
Thank you for responding to my question. I used full, not lite, everything in the recipe. I added more Mango. I think some kind of liquid fruit or condiments might give the pudding a little more flavor, likeMango or Lemon juice, just bit.
anjali
You can easily make this into a chocolate chia pudding with some strawberries by adding cocoa powder. There are also many other flavors you can easily add to this pudding, as you suggested, to tweak it to your taste =) If you end up giving it another try, let me know what you come up with!
Carolyn Dunn
I am definitely going to try the Mango Pudding again. Thank you for the recipe. Carolyn
Crystal
Can you use regular milk instead of coconut? I want to make this recipe except I am allergic to coconuts so I was wondering if I could use regular milk instead.
anjali
Yes absolutely! I’ve added them to my overnight oats recipe and soaked in almond milk and they are delicious. You can use almost any liquid or even yogurt if you prefer. Let me know how it turns out!
Lisa
Hey there, great recipe, thank you! Wasn’t sure whether to use white or black chia seeds. Tried white. Pudding came out a grey colour 🙁 Tastes delicious but does not look very appealing. Think I’ll have to give it another go with the black seeds this time!
anjali
Black chia seeds is what I always have used in chia pudding…sorry about not specifying! I will edit the recipe so it is clear. Glad it still turned out delicious! Try it again with the black…it looks awesome! Thanks for the comment and visiting my site!
nell
should I shake the coconut can first or dump the opened can and mix everything together?
anjali
It honestly doesn’t matter…either way the entire contents of the coconut milk (cream and water) will be combined together in the mixture with the rest of the ingredients. Let me know how you like it!
nell
Wow! I had no idea it’d be this good. I tried a long time ago a slightly different version with almond milk, but this is way better! I thought the coconut milk would be very coconutty but it’s not. It’s very thick and cream that I bought another can just so that I could eat it out of the can! Would that be unhealthy for me if I had it for lunch? I loved the whole thing! thanks!
anjali
So great to hear that you enjoyed this! It’s one of my favorite healthier desserts to make…so easy and delicious. I will put the nutritional information on this recipe sometime soon so you know, but in general, it’s basically chia seeds and coconut milk with a little maple syrup (no refined sugar). You can definitely have it for the occasional breakfast (or even a modified version…check out my overnight oats recipe. I add chia seeds to that as well, and you can even easily modify it to use coconut milk and almond milk to make it a creamier version…so good!). As for having it for lunch…I think the occasional treat is fine, but not on a regular basis =) at least not for me since I consider it a breakfast or dessert or smaller portion as a snack. Thanks so much for the feedback! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Brenda
This is AMAZING!!!! I was sceptical of the maple syrup, but it was the perfect touch of sweetness this needed!! Thank you for this recipe!! I am beyond excited to try out some variations 😀
anjali
Lovely! So glad you enjoyed it! I started adding maple syrup more to sweeten things instead of refined sugar and actually started really enjoying the flavor of it. But just so you know, you can probably also add powdered sugar to sweeten it instead of maple syrup. I’ve made the chia pudding part (enough to fill an entire glass round pie dish), topped it entirely with chopped fresh mixed berries, and then sprinkled some chopped dark chocolate chips on top (I had posted a picture of it on my facebook and instagram feed). I actually brought it to a friends house for dinner as a dessert and everyone scooped and polished it off! It was a huge hit, not to mention really pretty and colorful! Try my chocolate overnight oats recipe =) I promise you will enjoy them…i also add a small amount of chia seeds to get that creamy texture. Thanks for following!
Jamie
None of us can get used to the flavor of maple syrup so I hate wasting $ on it. Have you tried this with honey?
anjali
Hi Jamie! You absolutely do not have to use maple syrup in this recipe…any sweetener will work just fine. I’ve never tried honey, but I’m sure it’ll work just fine. You can also do agave nectar, or any other sweetener of choice (if not using liquid then you you may need to make up for the liquid with more coconut milk). Hope that helps! This recipe is a huge hit and everyone LOVES it, so hopefully you will to!
mohammed
What is chia seeds call in Hindi?
anjali
I believe Chia is Sabja in Hindi…
Val
I am super excited to try your recipe! Also, to read through the rest of your blog! My litte brother also has Celiac and i can’t wait to see what else you have posted. He and his wife have actually gone vegan gluten free. Not an easy diet lol Anyways, thank you for the recipe and please keep up the great work! Wishing you and your family all the best!
anjali
Thank you so much Val! And thanks for reading through the rest of my site. Ah we both have that in common…a little brother who has Celiac. I’m always experimenting in my kitchen and finding ways to make things gluten-free when I can, especially if I’m cooking for my brother! He loves baked goods and food in general =) He is not vegan, but I can just imagine how difficult it is being gluten-free and vegan. My brother was diagnosed at a time where no one knew what gluten was, so it’s nice to see the great progress made since then on gluten-free diet, and am excited to see what the next 10 years holds for people with celiac. I actually just turned vegan a few weeks ago…haven’t officially announced anything, but it’s something I’ve been wanting to do for awhile now and am excited about the transition so far. It’s nice that both of them have changed their diet…having the support of someone else is nice. If you (or they) are ever looking for something in specific or have any questions on GF products/recipes, let me know! I’d love to help if I can. Excited for you to try out this recipe! My brother is addicted to it =) And if you don’t have mango, you can easily sub any other fruit such as berries in this recipe. Thanks again for following!
Mila
Hi Anjali! Can’t wait to try this recipe but impatient as I am I only found sago seeds and not chain seed. Hope it will work!! Do you know is there is any point me waiting for the Results? Lol
anjali
Haha…yes absolutely so the seeds can soak up. But I’ve never tried sago seeds…how did it turn out? This is one of my favorites!
Mila
Well well hahaha it’s was like a remix wich wasn’t that good. I actually forgot to warm.up the sago seeds before hand in the water so the seeds didn’t have that gely transparent look.. I’ve took it out of the coconut milk and put it back in the water but it was messed up lol!! Today new try!!! I’m sooooo desperate to try this recipe but once again couldn’t find bloody Chai seeds!! I’m.not giving up!!! I have another shop in mind let’s hope I have more luck hahah thank you for your reply!!
anjali
Oh no I’m so sorry about that! When the chia seeds are soaked in the coconut milk, they actually make the entire mixture thicker because the chia seeds absorb some of the liquid from the coconut milk, making it a thick pudding-like consistency. If you add the seeds in after they soak up, you may not get that thick pudding like texture. If you don’t mind me asking, where are you from? You can generally find chia seeds at most stores, but i know it depends on where you live.
MeishaLady
I use to make something similar to this for a local health restaurant where I lived and I found that if you let it sit over night and chill it seems to have a better consistency and it more like pudding. Maybe it was because I used coca powder to make it chocolate and at times it was just best to let it sit over night. But your idea never came across my mind. Pairing it with mangoes. I know that is delicious.
anjali
Chia Pudding (or Parfait in this case with the mango) is definitely best when it sits over night. The chia seeds have a chance to absorb and become gelatinous and form a pudding-like thick texture. I love Chia pudding, especially this recipe where it’s paired with shredded coconut and mango! I also have another recipe where I made chia pudding with fresh fruit. I’ve added cocoa powder myself as well, and it also tastes delicious! And yes…mangoes are a favorite of mine =) Let me know if you try it out! Thanks for visiting!
Devi
Made this for friends and everyone loved it! I make chia seed pudding all the time, but your recipe with coconut milk and shredded coconut elevates chia seed pudding to a true dessert! I used lite coconut milk, and a combination of mangoes and kiwi. Yum! Thanks for another great recipe!
P.S. It just so happened that I made this on your Dad’s birthday!
anjali
Aww…thank you so much! And yes…you did happen to make it on my Dad’s birthday <3
I'm excited that you and your guests loved it! It really is a true dessert...I can never seem to get enough. The mango and kiwi combination sounds awesome. Thanks for trying it out and always love the feedback!
Angela
Hi, I tried the recipe and it was delicious! However it came out too thick and didn’t have the liquidy consistency that I see in your picture. I followed the recipe as is, but it turned out super thick. Please advise. Thank you!
anjali
Awesome you tried out the recipe…it’s one of my favorite combinations. The consistency should be like a thick pudding, but if you thought it was too thick, then next time simply add a little less chia seeds. When you soak the chia seeds, it absorbs the liquid, expands, and becomes gel-like, making it thick. Hopefully that works for you! If not, let me know!
Sapna
I made this for Father’s day and it was a huge hit!! It’s so easy to make and healthy too! I added toasted slivered almonds to the layers ..thanks for this amazing recipe! !
anjali
So glad you liked the recipe! Thank you so much…I actually made this is memory of my Father, so really nice to hear you made it on Father’s Day =) Thank you for following! I’ll have to try adding almonds next time…love them on everything! BTW…did you see my most recent post on my Mango Mousse Parfait? It’s AMAZING!
Emmakale
This looks so good! I am going to try it, but I was wondering if you had any idea about how many calories were in it?
anjali
Thank you! It’s a favorite on my site and you will love it. I quickly calculated from the free site I use (see my ABOUT page for the link I use on nutritional information calculations), and it’s about 350 calories per serving listed (+ any mango you use), mainly coming from the coconut milk and chia seeds. Hope that helps! Let me know if you get a chance to make it!
Judy
I just mixed this up. I know we will love it when it’s ready to eat. Thanks for such an easy and quick recipe.
anjali
My pleasure! I’m excited for you to try it when it’s done! Let me know how it ended up turning out, and thanks for following!
Eden Passante
This looks amazing! Yum!
anjali
Thank you! This is an absolute favorite of mine, and I know many people who are addicted to it, especially around mango season. Hope you get a chance to try it out sometime!
Suzanna
can you use rice milk instead of coconut milk? i am allergic to coconut
anjali
Yes absolutely you can actually use any milk, the only thing that MAY be affected is the consistency. The amount of chia seeds was optimized for the consistency of coconut milk, although I’ve used both lite and regular coconut milk and the recipe works great, so I’m assuming rice milk should be just fine! Let me know how you like it!
Shway
Hello – For this mango chia recipe, do I use dry or fresh shredded coconut? Also, where can you buy this item?
Thanks!
anjali
You can use either one…fresh or dry! I’ve used unsweetened coconut threads that is more on the fresh side, or shredded coconut that comes in a bag at the grocery store. I’m not sure where you live, but you can buy shredded coconut at almost all grocery stores – it should be in the baking aisle! Hope that helps! You can also easily leave out the shredded coconut and it’ll still taste delicious.
Nicole
This sounds amazing! I read in one of the comments that it’s not very coconutty. Do you know how I can make it taste super coconutty? Even coconut flakes can be pretty tasteless so not sure what else I can do to strengthen the flavor?
anjali
Hi Nicole! It’s actually very coconutty in my opinion. The coconut milk is the main base of this parfait so the flavor of coconut comes mainly from that. Yes, totally agree that depending on the coconut flakes, they can either taste coconutty, or be pretty tasteless. If you want to strengthen the coconut flavor, the only other suggestion I can think of that would stay in line with the recipe is to use 1/2 teasp coconut extract and only 1/2 teasp vanilla extract (or sub the vanilla extract for coconut extract all-together). I’ve personally never tried it with this particular recipe so I’m not sure what the right amt is, but I’m sure it’ll still taste great and give it more of a coconutty flavor. I’ve used coconut extract in other recipes before and it’s great. Hope that helps! Let me know what you end up trying out!
Beatriz
Nicole, i just found you. I’m not clear with the chia seeds. For the coments you’ve received, I believe that I should use it dry into the coconut milk?????.
anjali
Hi Beatriz, this is Anjali from VG. Yes the chia seeds should be added dry into the coconut milk. Then when you allow them to soak for a few hours they will absorb the liquid and become gelatinous. Hope that helps! Let me know if you try it!
Thu
I just made this now without chilling and I find it was delicious!! although.. I think the kind of vanilla extract I have is strong.. It’s organic? Idk.. but overall I think it is great! I’m also not a sweets kind of gal and I think I will half the maple syrup! I used grade b which has much more flavor then grade a maple syrup (less refined!) thanks! 🙂
anjali
Thanks Thu! I’m sure different vanilla extracts are stronger than others, but I’m not sure since I typically only use one brand. I typically use the less refined maple syrup as well, but I also have a family that LOVES maple syrup haha! Thanks for trying out the recipe. Glad you enjoyed it!
Layla
Hi there! I really wanted to like this recipe but I’m having trouble making it. Can you please help? I love mangoes and coconut and I want to be able to make this because it’s so easy. I’m new to this kind of cooking and I am probably doing it wrong 🙂 the problem is, I can’t blend the milk properly. It’s full of clumps even if I blend it in my high speed blender for 15min. Nope. Won’t do it. Still full of clumps hovering on top. The recipe says full fat coconut milk, it means canned coconut milk, the one that when you put it in the fridge overnight will have the cream on top? Or do i need to get carton coconut milk made with rice or so? Please help. Thanks
anjali
Hi Layla, yes you’re right this recipe is super simple and delicious! By canned coconut milk, I mean the Thai Kitchen canned coconut milk (not the carton coconut milk). You can use full-fat or lite either will work just fine. I’m not sure why you are having problems with clumps remaining in the coconut milk. For this recipe, you do not have to place the can in the fridge, it actually is better if it’s in liquid form. Once you mix everything together, you simply put it in the fridge and allow the chia seeds to soak up the liquid and become gelatinous, mixing a few times in between with a spoon, and that’s it. The only issue I can think of with your coconut milk is perhaps the brand you are using? I know various different brands of coconut milk have different ingredients in them (less coconut, more other additives). I typically use thai kitchen or any other brand that has mainly coconut milk as the main ingredient. Hope that helps! Let me know what brand you are using…I find it odd that it has clumps, especially if you’re saying you put the coconut milk in the blender and it still contains clumps. Sounds like a problem with the actual coconut milk itself.
Rebekah
You recommended letting it sit overnight… how long would it be able to sit before it isn’t good anymore? Thank you!!
anjali
Hi Rebekah! It’s as long as coconut milk lasts…honestly i would probably eat it in 3-4 days max. especially since it has fruit in it. The coconut milk + chia may last a little longer without fruit.
Tawnia
I’ve recently added chia seeds to my diet and was thrilled to see this recipe. Made it for dessert tonight. I loved it! The Mr. Wasn’t impressed but he’s weird about textures, his loss! I added 1 tsp of raw honey and no vanilla. I won’t add any sweetener next time, for me it isn’t needed. Thank you for sharing this recipe, it’s a keeper! I’m thinking I’ll try kiwi next time!
anjali
Chia pudding definitely has a distinct texture…I love it, especially when the seeds absorb the liquid! Thanks for trying it out…i’ve had all sorts of versions of this and kiwi is one of my favs also. Check out my chocolate overnight oats recipe, the chia seeds in there make it amazing! Thanks again!
Meg W
Just made this for dessert and it was the bomb! Love the coconut flavor with the hint of maple syrup, and the mango was a perfect pop of flavor. I let the chia seed coconut milk mixture sit overnight and the consistency was perfect. Will definitely be making this again! Would be perfect in the summer or after a spicy meal.
anjali
Thanks Meg for the wonderful comment! So glad you loved it…you can get creative with chia pudding and parfait but this is my fav combination 🙂 I just picked up some mango from costco yesterday so you’ve inspired me to make this today!
Linda Keagle
thanks for this recipe….it came out delicious!
anjali
So glad you loved it! Thanks for trying!
Christa Della
What brand of coconut milk do you use?
anjali
I typically use either Thai Kitchen or the Trader Joe brand
Casidhe
The BEST chia seed pudding ever!!!!
I’ve made so many different kinds, but this recipe is by far the best.
I did half coconut milk + half almond milk. It was super creamy and delish!
Thanks for this!
anjali
Thank you!! That’s very exciting to hear! This is still by far one of my most popular recipes 🙂 glad you loved it, and nice to know it works with other nondairy milks. Thank you for the great review! Check out my chocolate chia pie as well…perfect for potlucks or brunch!
Liz
Do you know the calorie count?
anjali
Will get it in there TODAY! 🙂
Amanda R
I love this! I made a few modifications to make it Keto-friendly – hopefully others will find it useful, too:
1. Use full-fat (regular) coconut milk (“Thai” brand is best)
2. Use “Lakanto Syrup – Maple Flavor” for sugar substitute (Monk fruit sweetener, doesn’t raise blood sugar levels) – I get mine off amazon.
3. Sub strawberries for mangoes – lowest carb fruit out there, and it’s delish!
4. Top/sprinkle with Hemp Seeds and Cacao Nibs
Enjoy!
anjali
Thank you for this!!! I actually have been doing semi-keto here and there for the past few months (summer has me back to regular since i traveled a lot). So this is great. I have an overnight “oats” recipe coming to the blog minus the oats that’s super keto friendly! I used it on travel everywhere i went so posting it soon!
Cheryl Petersen
Has anyone tried this with frozen fruits?
anjali
Yes! This recipe absolutely will work with frozen fruits!
Mina
I love this recipe. What else could I put in this? My parents don’t usually buy fruit when they go to the store so I need some recommendations for something else to put in this.
anjali
Instead of fruit, you can top it with any assortments of nuts, chocolate, etc!
Ann
Love this recipe! Was my First one and have since tried others. Yum!
anjali
Thank you! This is a popular one!
Veronica
Hi, just wondering if the puddings can be assembled (layered with fruit) in small mason jars and stored that way for easy grab-and-go meals/snacks? I know the recipe says so assemble before eating but hoping you can confirm whether there’s a reason they can’t be assembled in advance. Thanks!
anjali
So sorry for the late delay in responding! Yes you can and seems like you already did this! Any chia pudding can be done this way. Have you tried my overnight oats recipes? They’re also awesome for grab and go brekafasts!
Veronica
Just made this in mason jars for meals/snacks, it’s absolutely delicious!!
anjali
Yay! So glad you liked them! And it’s a perfect grab and go meal or snack! Thanks!