Dairy Free Orange Cream Chia Pudding

I’ve been making this orange cream chia pudding for over a 10 years, and it’s still one of the recipes my kids and I eat all the time. It's creamy, it's sweet (without any sugar), it's a dessert, but also breakfast, and made with only 6 basic ingredients. It’s quick to prep, easy to store, and perfect for busy mornings or afternoon snacks.

Prep Time 5

Chilling Time 4

Total Time 4 5

Serving Size servings

Equipment

high speed blender

Ingredients

¼ cup chia seeds (black or white)
4 oranges (medium sized, Cara Cara, or whatever is in season)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup raw cashews (pieces or whole)
6-9 pitted Deglet Noor dates , depending on sweetness preference (use half as many Medjool dates)
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Add the chia seeds to a large bowl or glass container and set aside.
Add all remaining ingredients to a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 60–90 seconds, until completely smooth and creamy.
Pour the orange mixture over the chia seeds. Use a whisk to stir well until the chia seeds are evenly distributed.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, until thickened.
Serve chilled as-is, or with your favorite toppings (see notes for suggestions).

Notes

A whisk does a much better job than a spoon for stirring the orange mixture with the chia seeds.
Make sure to mix the seeds and orange cream until the seeds are evenly distributed. You don’t want chunks of clumpy seeds in the pudding.
If you don’t have a high speed blender, soak your cashews and dates in very hot (almost boiling) water for about 30 minutes to soften. Drain and rinse, then add to the blender with the rest of the ingredients.
When you blend up the mixture, you should have about 3 cups of liquid, give or take a bit. If you have a lot less, add another orange. If you have a lot more, add a bit more chia seeds.
Store for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Highly recommend: Serve topped with vanilla yogurt (the unsweetened vanilla by Cocojune is insanely incredible with this pudding), coconut shreds and small bits of orange with the peel on. So good!