Maybe I’m a bit late for pumpkin spice season? I don’t care – it’s a damn good flavor (scent) situation and should be available year round, right? Also, after the holiday baking season is over, all that canned pumpkin goes on sale – so actually now is actually the perfect time to stock up.
A few years ago I shifted my diet to a higher protein + higher fat vegan diet, and the biggest change was really at breakfast. No longer could my body function at its peak with a piece of toast or a pile of oatmeal. I found that eating higher protein in the morning led to a better focused, more productive day.
And chia pudding, which is really just dessert for breakfast, is my breakfast of choice most days. If you don’t yet know the health benefits of chia seeds, read more here about why these little seeds are POWERHOUSES of nutrition. And if you are green-thumbed, you might be interested in this article I wrote about how to grow chia, too!
But I digress: the recipe! I was inspired to make this based on the everything-pumpkin-spice featured refrigerator at my local Whole Foods. In this fridge there was pumpkin spiced nog, PSL plant-milks, spiced desserts, and this lovely looking pumpkin spice Noosa yogurt. I don’t eat dairy yogurt (but I do make my own super delish vegan yogurt with coconut milk), but the dark orange and creamy white concoction in the plastic tub looked truly divine, so I went home and created this version of it.
Pumpkin Spice Chia Bowls
This recipe is totally Instagram-ready, and you get extra foodie points for putting it into a mason jar. Sure, you can definitely just swirl it all together and skip the food photos, but why, really..? The pumpkin looks super dark in the photos because of the spices and the coconut sugar; to keep it super orange for aforementioned pictures, you could reduce the spice and use white sugar.
1 ¼ cup plant-based milk (coconut, almond, etc.)
¼ cup chia seeds
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder (optional)
Pinch sea salt
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar, or sucanat)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon each nutmeg and cardamom
½ – 1 cup vegan yogurt of choice, for serving
Granola, cacao nibs, hempseeds, fruit, or goji berries for topping
- To a pint-sized Mason jar, add milk, chia seeds, vanilla (if using), and salt.
- Cover and shake for about 15 seconds. Let rest, then shake again; rest, then shake one more time. It seems tedious, but this method works best to ensure the seeds are evenly distributed and that you don’t get a block of chia goo at the bottom.
- Move jar to refrigerator and allow to rest for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
- Next, make the pumpkin spice mix: stir together the pumpkin puree, sugar, and spices. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
- To serve: Scoop out chia pudding into a jar or bowl, then layer with pumpkin spice mix, then top with the yogurt. Add any garnishes to the top, take a picture for Insta, then enjoy!
This recipe makes enough for two generous portions, so please share :)
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