This chocolate protein chia pudding is a close relative of my blended chocolate chia pudding. I wanted to dedicate a space to it in it’s entirety, though, because there are a few things we need to change and discuss. With that all said, this is my absolute favourite way to get protein in at the same time as fibre (while it tastes like a treat, no less).

Chocolate protein chia pudding

This chocolate protein chia pudding is flavoured with cocoa and sweetened with maple syrup. Unlike a number of protein chia puddings, this one is blended. Why? it gives your pudding a literal pudding like texture and makes it taste like far more of a treat. Honestly (protein brand dependent) this tricks me into thinking I have had a little lunch dessert.

The pudding (with the ingredients I have used, more on this below) contains approximately 37g protein and 8.5g fibre per serve. I don’t count calories but you can input the ingredients into My Fitness Pal if that is something of interest.

There are plenty of ways to up the protein content and adjust this pudding to your needs. It is gluten free and low FODMAP (more below) but can also be dairy free/vegan and nut free.

A side on image of a jar of chocolate protein blended chia pudding on a white marble table. The pudding is topped with high protein yoghurt and a sprinkling of chocolate shards — I topped these puddings with Chobani Fit high protein lactose free yoghurt and some dark chocolate chunks

Dietary notes and substitution options

Monash says that chia seeds (black and white) are low FODMAP in 24g (2 tablespoon) serves. They currently don’t list an upper FODMAP limit. However, Monash used to specify that chia seeds became high FODMAP in 48g (4 tablespoon) serves. So, if you’re not comfortable you can use 90gish chia seeds instead of 100g. Note that some people with FODMAP constraints don’t agree with chia seeds; it’s not necessarily the gram amount but the food itself.
Make sure you choose a low FODMAP protein powder and milk to keep the pudding low FODMAP.
Use plant based milk and protein to make a dairy free/vegan option. I have a post on low FODMAP protein powders that goes into the plant based varieties.
If you need the pudding to be nut free, ensure you use a nut free protein and milk.
The cocoa is what disguises the protein flavour and makes this taste like such a treat. I don’t have a version without it at the moment.

An aerial sunlit image of a blended chocolate chia pudding in a glass jar atop an olive green backdrop. The chia pudding is surrounded by sunlit glasses of water

An important note on protein and sweetener

The only thing that requires some thought when it comes to this recipe is the protein you’re using and how sweet it is. I use Bare Blends Vanilla WPI in my daily life and in the majority of my protein recipes (like my Protein Ninja Creami e-book). This isn’t sponsored, I just love the protein and the short ingredients list.

The protein I use is only sweetened with stevia. Because of this, I can use around 75g of maple syrup in my pudding. This is enough for a nice and sweet pudding without going overboard.

How sweet your protein powder is is (whether that be regular or artificial sweetener) determines how much maple syrup you can add (if any!). For example, I find Macro Mike vegan proteins to be very sweet. I would recommend adding NO maple syrup to this pudding and then blending it. Once it’s blended, taste and add maple syrup if needed. You may need a little bit or you may not need any.

The first time you make this pudding, I recommend following the above method. It will ensure you’re getting a pudding that isn’t too sweet and works nicely for your tastes and your protein powder.

An aerial sunlit view of a scoop of peanut protein on a white speckled ceramic plate. A spoon digs into the protein and the scoop sits empty above the powder.

A note on how much protein to add

I figured that serving sizes differ from brand to brand when it comes to protein, so I thought this would be worth including. I have used 30g per person (this recipe serves four) because that is a serving size of my WPI protein powder.

If your protein serving size is less, you can use less. If you just simply want to use less, use less! Because this recipe is based on my chocolate chia pudding (it only has protein added, the liquid content hasn’t changed) you can easily lessen the protein if that’s what you’d like to do.

On this note, another thing to keep in mind is that the protein content of protein powders differs. Bare blends WPI vanilla flavour (which is what I use) contains 26.2g protein per serve. If you use a protein with a higher or lower protein content than this, the total protein for the pudding will differ (obviously!). This also goes for plant based milk.

Adding more protein or adjusting according to your needs

To add more protein, you can look into using a high protein milk. You could also experiment with a Rokeby farms type protein milk, although you will need to adjust the sugar content to taste. I can’t say whether the chocolate one would be too much chocolate as I haven’t tried it in this recipe.
You could add some hemp seeds to up the protein content but I don’t know whether the pudding texture would be impacted a little. Perhaps something to try if you have a high speed food processor.
To make the pudding lower in calories, use light milk. I’m not experienced in sugar substitutes or maple syrup substitutes, but this is also something you can look into.

An aerial image of two glass jars of protein chocolate chia pudding on a white marble table in bright sunlight.

Recipe tips for your chocolate protein chia pudding

Some protein powders really taste like protein and will be tangible in the pudding. If you can, try to choose one that is subtle (like whey protein isolate, which has a subtle milky taste and is also low FODMAP).
You can experiment with using less water or milk if you prefer. I like the level of milk in the pudding as it creates a pudding like texture, but the recipe is very amenable to alterations.
I haven’t tested this recipe with flavoured proteins. If you intend to, I would recommend a chocolate protein powder or maybe a caramel. Mint might also make a fun choc mint flavour.
I have tested adding some peppermint extract myself to make a mint flavour. 10/10 would recommend. I used 1 1/2 teaspoons of cheap peppermint oil cut with vegetable oil (use less if you’re using pure).
Read the above information to ensure your pudding isn’t too sweet.
This recipe works with black and white chia seeds. It also works with any type of cocoa (not a sweetened drinking one though, just pure cocoa).
You will need a food processor that is high powered. I use my cheap and cheerful NutriBullet. Anything less won’t be able to blend up the chia seeds and you’ll be left with whole chia seeds (which is fine, but takes away some of the desserty vibe).

An aerial close up of a chocolate protein chia pudding topped with high protein yoghurt and shavings of dark chocolate. The jar sits atop a white marble table.

More high protein gluten free recipes