Chunky Monkey Overnight Chia Pudding (Print version)

Luscious no-cook breakfast with creamy banana, cocoa, and peanut butter layers melding with chia seeds for a satisfying, nutrient-packed start to your day.

# What you’ll need:

→ Chia Pudding Base

01 - 4 tablespoons chia seeds
02 - 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
03 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
04 - 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Cocoa Layer

05 - 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
06 - 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup or honey

→ Peanut Butter Layer

07 - 2 tablespoons natural creamy peanut butter

→ Banana Layer and Toppings

08 - 1 large ripe banana, sliced
09 - 2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips or cacao nibs, optional
10 - 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts, optional

# Steps:

01 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together chia seeds, almond milk, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Set aside for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until mixture begins to thicken.
02 - Divide the thickened chia mixture equally into two bowls. To one portion, whisk in cocoa powder and 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup until fully combined.
03 - In two serving jars or glasses, layer as follows: spoon half of the plain chia pudding into the bottom of each jar, add a layer of banana slices over the chia, spread 1 tablespoon peanut butter over the bananas in each jar, add the cocoa chia pudding layer on top, and finish with remaining banana slices, chocolate chips or cacao nibs, and chopped walnuts if desired.
04 - Cover jars with lids and refrigerate overnight or for at least 6 hours until thickened and fully set.
05 - Remove from refrigerator and serve chilled. Stir before eating if desired.

# Cooking tips:

01 -
  • It's genuinely fun to eat—each spoonful hits you with different flavors and textures, so it never feels boring or overly healthy.
  • You prep it once and forget about it, which means you've basically outsourced your own breakfast motivation to the fridge.
  • The layering trick makes it look fancier than the ten minutes it took to assemble, which is always a win.
02 -
  • If your pudding doesn't thicken properly, you either used too much milk or didn't let it sit long enough—chia needs time to really do its thing, so patience genuinely matters here.
  • The moment you add banana slices to the pudding, they start to soften slightly, which is actually good because it melds everything together, but if you wait too long before eating, they can get a bit mushy.
03 -
  • Use a whisk when combining the cocoa into the base pudding—it breaks up clumps way better than a spoon and only adds about 30 seconds to the process.
  • Slice your banana the morning you assemble, not the night before; it makes a genuine difference in how fresh and vibrant the pudding tastes when you eat it.
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