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Chocolate banana chia pudding combines cooked mashed bananas, milk, melted milk chocolate, and Greek yogurt with chia seeds that soak up the moisture to form a thick, creamy pudding.

It’s a simple, make-ahead recipe perfect for a healthy breakfast or snack with a little chocolate indulgence.

Recipe Info

This recipe is:

Richly chocolatey with real chocolate. No cocoa powder in this one.
Simple to prepare. With just a few steps and common kitchen tools, you’ll have a batch ready in about 20 minutes.
Great for make-ahead breakfasts or snacks. Chill for at least 3 hours after prep and you’ll have a thick, pudding-like breakfast or snack.

Making chocolate banana chia pudding for the first time? Read the ingredients notes, step-by-step instructions, and tips. If you’re familiar with the recipe, feel free to jump to the recipe card.

Extra Learning

Before we jump in, here are a few handy resources to help you nail this recipe:

Chia pudding 101. Our go-to guide for swaps, toppings, troubleshooting, and everything in between.

Ingredients and Substitutes

Chia seeds. Absorb the liquid to create a thick, pudding-like texture while adding a subtle crunch.
Cinnamon. Bananas love cinnamon, so we add a bit.
Salt. Balances and enhances the sweetness and richness of the pudding.
Milk of choice. Acts as the liquid base to hydrate the chia seeds; you can use any dairy or plant-based milk.
No-fat Greek yogurt. Provides creaminess and thickness, plus a bit of protein.
Banana. Adds natural sweetness, creaminess, and a fruity flavor.
Milk chocolate. Introduces a rich, sweet chocolate flavor. You cna use regular chocolate (chopped) or chocolate chips.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Chocolate Banana Chia Pudding

Warm the milk and banana. Pour the milk into a small pot and heat it on medium until it’s just about to boil. Add the mashed banana to the milk and cook together for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from heat.

Heating the milk — Heat the milk until nearly boiling

Adding the mashed banana — Heat the milk until nearly boiling

Melt the chocolate. Add the milk chocolate to the warm milk and banana mixture. Let it sit for a minute, then stir gently until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is smooth. You can use an immersion blender for a smoother consistency.
Add spices. Stir in cinnamon and a pinch of salt to the chocolate mixture. Mix well, then let it cool down until it’s warm but not hot.

Adding the milk chocolate — Add the chocolate, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt to the mixture and mix well

Add yogurt. Once the mixture is warm but not hot, mix in the yogurt.

Adding the yogurt — Allow mixture to cool briefly

Mixing in the yogurt — Allow mixture to cool briefly

Mix in chia seeds. Add the chia seeds and stir thoroughly to make sure they’re evenly distributed throughout the pudding mixture.

Adding the chia seeds — Mix the chia seeds into the mixture until

Mixing in the chia seeds — Mix the chia seeds into the mixture until

Stir again. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes and stir it again. Repeat after another 5 minutes if needed.
Refrigerate to thicken. Cover the pudding and place it in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or longer if possible, to let it fully thicken and develop flavor.
Serve and enjoy. Once chilled and thickened, give the pudding a quick stir and serve. Add any toppings you like, such as sliced bananas, nuts, chocolate chips, or a drizzle of honey, for extra flavor.

Sweet chocolate banana chia pudding for two

Variations

Vegan

To make this pudding vegan-friendly, follow these simple swaps:

Use oat milk or coconut milk (the thin caron variety) instead of dairy milk.
Replace the Greek yogurt with a thick vegan plant-based yogurt.
Swap the milk chocolate for vegan-friendly dairy-free chocolate to keep it fully plant-based.

High Protein

Boost the protein content effectively with these ingredient tweaks:

Add a portion (usually 30 grams) of vanilla or chocolate protein powder to the mixture before chilling.
Reduce chocolate to half the original amount to balance sweetness and flavor.
Add an extra 1/2 tbsp chia seeds to make sure it comes out pudding-like in texture.

Option	Protein per serving (g)
Regular	15.7
High-protein	35.7

Homemade chocolate banana flavored chia pudding — Homemade chocolate-banana-flavored chia pudding

Tips

Don’t skip cooking the banana. Cooking the mashed banana with the milk enhances its natural sweetness and melds the flavors better with the chocolate, creating a richer, more harmonious taste. I tested both options and cooked banana is by far a better one.
Taste the liquid before adding yogurt. If it’s not chocolatey enough, stir in 1/2 tsp cocoa powder. The pudding will darken and look more like what you can see in the pics.
Add toppings before serving. Add crunchy toppings like nuts or granola right before serving to maintain their texture instead of letting them get soggy in the pudding.

Storage

Store the chocolate banana chia pudding in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 3 to 4 days.

Similar Recipes to Try

Looking for more? Check out the following recipes:

Love the flavor? Test these Chocolate Banana Overnight Oats.
Need more comfy options? Chocolate Chia Pudding and Peanut Butter Banana Chia Pudding are worth trying.
Want more chia pudding recipes? Here’s the list of chia pudding recipes I published.