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This recipe pairs fresh mango with creamy coconut milk chia seed pudding for a fun breakfast or dessert that’s as delicious as it is healthy.
I’ve been on a chia pudding kick lately. I haven’t made it in a while, and I forgot how delicious it is, easy to customize, and simple to make. For this batch, I had a couple of perfectly ripe mangoes on my kitchen counter calling my name.
In this recipe, coconut milk pairs beautifully with the flavor of fresh mango for a tropical take on chia pud. But if coconut milk isn’t your thing, if you want a higher-protein option, or if you want it heavier on the mango, I give a few different substitution ideas in the recipe card below.
Mango chia pudding works well as a meal prep dessert, snack, or healthy dessert!
What I Love About This Recipe
- During mango season, this recipe provides yet another way to use fresh mango. If you’re lucky enough to have a mango tree, know someone who does, or can’t resist mangoes on sale at the market, this is for you.
- When the price of groceries continues to rise, it’s nice to have budget-friendly, nutritious food options. This recipe uses a handful of ordinary ingredients, nothing fancy and nothing expensive, and it makes a nourishing breakfast, snack, or dessert that works well for meal prep.
- It’s versatile and special-diet friendly. As written, this recipe is naturally gluten free. You can make vegan with one simple swap, and you can also make it low carb with just one easy change.
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Chia Pudding Ingredients
- Canned full-fat unsweetened coconut milk – Make sure it’s at room temperature and shake the can well before opening to help break up any lumps.
- Chia seeds – Chia seeds are a good source of fiber and healthy fat (in the form of omega-3 fatty acids), and they’re a complete protein as well. They’re also what makes our pudding thicken!
- Granulated keto sweetener – Regular granulated white sugar also works well here.
- Vanilla extract – For flavor and aroma.
- Salt – So the pudding isn’t bland.
Mango Layer Ingredients
- Champagne mangoes – Any kind of ripe mangoes will work well here. Alphonso mangoes are my favorite, but they’re hard to find where I live. Champagne mangoes are also delicious, and you’ll also sometimes see them called honey mangoes or Ataulfo mangoes.
- Honey – A touch of honey accentuates the syrupy sweet flavor of ripe mangoes.
- Vanilla extract – If you’ve never had vanilla paired with mango, I’m thrilled to put you on to it! It’s an exceptional pairing, both in terms of flavor and aroma. To me, it almost has a pastry-like smell.
- Salt – For the mango layer of our chia seed pudding, we’re macerating the fruit. This just means we’re combining the chopped mango with a sweetener and letting it sit to draw out the fruit’s liquid and create a syrupy texture. A little bit of salt enhances the flavor of the mango and also helps draw out its liquid.
How to Make Mango Chia Pudding
- Make the chia pudding. Shake the can of coconut milk to get rid of any lumps. Add the coconut milk, chia seeds, sweetener, vanilla, and salt to a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Let the pudding sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to thicken a bit while you make the mango layer, whisking a couple times every so often.
- Make the mango layer. Combine the diced mango, honey, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl and stir to coat the mango.
- Layer the puddings. Layer the thickened chia pudding and mango any way you like in 4 individual glasses. (TIP: If you want a layer of mango on top, wait until the pudding is fully set to add it.)
- Chill overnight. Cover each glass with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight so it can fully thicken. Enjoy!
How Can I Make This With Pureed Mango?
Omit the coconut milk and use 1 3/4 cups of mango puree. Or use any combination you like of mango puree and unsweetened full-fat coconut milk to get a total of 1 3/4 cups (for example, 3/4 cup coconut milk + 1 cup mango puree, etc.).
Another option is to layer chia pudding with mango puree. If you want to do this, let the pudding fully set (at least 2 hours in the fridge) before layering, and make sure you add a thick enough layer of mango puree so it doesn’t get swallowed up by the pudding.
Variations
- Vegan version – Use maple syrup, agave nectar, or sugar instead of the honey.
- Low carb version – Use keto sweetener instead of the honey.
Storage
Store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. It should stay good for up to 4 days, but the fruit’s texture will soften a bit more each day. I recommend eating it within the first 3 days or storing the mango separately and adding it right before eating instead of layering it into the pudding.
Tips For the Best Mango Chia Pudding
- If you only have frozen mango on hand, no worries, we can make it work! Here we dice fresh mango and macerate it with honey for a syrupy fruit sauce that’s layered into the coconut chia pudding. If you have frozen diced mango, let it thaw and do the same thing. And if you have frozen mango puree, you can use it in a 1:1 swap for coconut milk. A 13.66 ounce can of coconut milk contains about 1 3/4 cups, and you can substitute all or part of it for pureed mango. For example, you can use 1 3/4 cups of mango puree instead of the coconut milk, or use 1 cup of coconut milk + 3/4 cup of mango puree, etc.
- Don’t forget to shake the can of coconut milk! This gets rid of any lumps. Also, make sure your coconut milk is at room temperature (not chilled), so it combines well with the chia seeds.
- The pudding doesn’t need to be fully set when you layer it with the mango, but it does need to be thickened. I find that about 10 to 15 minutes is enough time to let it thicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can use either regular yogurt or Greek yogurt.
With regular yogurt, the ratio is 1.5 tablespoons of chia seeds per 1 cup of regular yogurt.
To make chia pudding with Greek yogurt, you’ll need 1 cup Greek yogurt + 3/4 cup milk + 4 tablespoons chia seeds.
Yes! If you want to use cow’s milk, you’ll need 2 cups milk + 6 tablespoons chia seeds. You can also use almond milk, soy milk, etc. with the same ratio of 3 tablespoons chia seeds per 1 cup of milk.
You can make a higher protein version of this either with or without protein powder. To increase the protein without protein powder, omit the coconut milk and instead add 3/4 cup of cow’s milk or your milk of choice (TIP: use Fairlife, which is high in protein compared to other brands of milk) and 1 cup plain Greek yogurt. You might want to bump up the sweetener just a little bit to balance the yogurt’s tangy flavor. To bump up the protein with protein powder, simply add 1 scoop of your favorite protein powder + 2 tablespoons of water to the mix.
More Recipes to Try If You Love Mango
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Mango Chia Pudding Recipe
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Ingredients
Chia Pudding:
- 13.66 ounces canned full-fat unsweetened coconut milk at room temperature (see Notes for substitutes)
- 4 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons granulated keto sweetener or granulated white sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/16 teaspoon salt
Mango Layer:
- 2 champagne mangoes peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make the chia pudding. Shake the can of coconut milk to get rid of any lumps. Add the coconut milk, chia seeds, sweetener, vanilla, and salt to a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Let the pudding sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to thicken a bit while you make the mango layer, whisking a couple times every so often.
- Make the mango layer. Combine the diced mango, honey, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl and stir to coat the mango.
- Layer the puddings. Layer the thickened chia pudding and mango any way you like in 4 individual glasses. (TIP: If you want a layer of mango on top, wait until the pudding is fully set to add it.)
- Chill overnight. Cover each glass with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight so it can fully thicken. Enjoy!
Notes
- Mango Puree: Use 1 3/4 cups of mango puree. Or use any combination you like of mango puree and unsweetened full-fat coconut milk to get a total of 1 3/4 cups (for example, 3/4 cup coconut milk + 1 cup mango puree, etc.).
- Regular Yogurt: Use 1 3/4 cups regular yogurt + 2 tablespoons chia seeds + 2 teaspoons chia seeds.
- Greek Yogurt: Use 1 cup Greek yogurt + 3/4 cup milk + 4 tablespoons chia seeds.
- Regular Milk (cow’s milk, almond milk, soy milk, etc.): Use 2 cups milk + 6 tablespoons chia seeds.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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