Yes, I’m still using up the last of my Thanksgiving leftovers. Am I totally bored with them? No way. The only thing I’ve got left is my homemade cranberry sauce, and you had better believe with my crazy imaginative brain/never-ending list of random recipes going on up there I’m not just eating leftover turkey with the stuff. My newest creation: Cranberry Chia Pudding.
Does homemade cranberry sauce ever really go bad? I mean, before you start to see any mold on it, obviously. I’m not really sure. I made a batch about a week before Thanksgiving and still have a bunch left…still tastes amazing to me! And I’m going to keep using it in SO many recipes until it’s gone. Because that Zingy Ginger Cranberry sauce of mine is freaking off the charts. Just sayin’.
So about this Cranberry Chia Pudding. I was getting kind of bored using the cranberry sauce in savory ways (although to be honest, I could never get bored of my Turkey Burgers with Cranberry Aioli and Sweet Potato Buns) and so I set out to create some kind of sweet recipe with it. Sure, I could’ve made something super creative like cranberry orange muffins, pancakes, etc. But I’m lazy sometimes. And chia pudding is probably the easiest thing to make. ever. And who would’ve guessed mixing cranberry sauce in there would not only look super fancy, but also taste totally amazing, AND use up your cranberry sauce leftovers?!
High five. Cranberry Chia Pudding for the win.
So, about chia pudding. I know I said it’s basically the easiest thing to make…because you can’t really screw it up. Honestly, when I make it I don’t really use measurements at all. I just pour some liquid (either almond or coconut milk) in a glass jar, dump some chia seeds in, mix it up, and let it sit in the fridge. If it’s too liquidy after an hour or so, you add more seeds and let it sit some more. If it’s more like rock solid peanut butter at the bottom of the jar that you can’t get up and less like a pudding, you stir in a little liquid and call it a day. See? Fool-proof. I would say idiot-proof, but you never know.
But you know me. I could never leave a recipe so simple as that. So I totally jacked up and fancy-fied one of my puddings with some extra Paleo Carrot Soufflé I had been saving for just this purpose. I figured, the cranberry sauce and soufflé tasted fantastic together when I ate them for Thanksgiving dinner, so why not in a Chia Pudding? WOAH, you guys. #tastebudgasm. Trust me on this one.
Know what else would be awesome? Think of the cranberry sauce as jelly, and stir in some nut butter with that chia pudding. Like sunflower seed butter, almond butter, peanut butter, whichever nut or seed suits your fancy. Chia pudding + cranberry sauce + nut butter = like a creamy, dreamy PB&J in a jar.
Plus, they look like cute little parfaits if you take the 30 seconds of extra effort to make layers, which are super fun to eat! And in the words of Donkey from Shrek, “Have you ever met a person, you say, “Let’s get some parfait,” they say, “Hell no, I don’t like no parfait.”? Parfaits are delicious! Parfaits might be the most delicious thing on the whole. damn. planet!”
Another great thing about this recipe? You don’t even need any added sweetener to the chia pudding itself, since the cranberry sauce is just sweet enough. But you could always add a teaspoon or two of maple syrup for a extra kick if you like 🙂 Or maybe a dollop of coconut whipped cream on top? Oh you fancy, huh.
- 1 cup almond milk (or light coconut milk)
- 3 Tbsp chia seeds
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup homemade cranberry sauce
- paleo carrot soufflé
- nut butter: sunflower, almond, peanut
- coconut whipped cream
- Combine all ingredients for the chia pudding in a mason jar and stir (or shake, with the top on) until well-mixed. Refrigerate for at half an hour before serving.
- Check for consistency - if it’s too thick, add a little more liquid. If it’s too thin, add a teaspoon or two of extra chia seeds, stir it up, and let it sit back in the refrigerator for about half an hour.
- To make the parfaits, start by scooping ¼ cup chia pudding on the bottom of a jar, then add 2 Tbsp cranberry sauce. Then repeat with another ¼ cup chia pudding and 2 Tbsp cranberry sauce. Do the same thing in another jar.
- If you want to get fancy, stick a layer of leftover carrot soufflé in the middle there, or a drizzle of nut butter, or pop some coconut whipped cream on top!
I just made chia pudding for the first time this morning… I added a mashed banana to mine and it was delicious. Cranberry sauce isn’t really my favorite though.
Yum! I love adding banana to mine. I used to hate cranberry sauce until I made this one! The regular stuff is way too sweet for me!
This looks amazing! And it gorgeous 🙂
Do you used canned coconut milk or the kind in a carton? I have tried using canned before and never know if I need to use the thick or thin part – it always comes out lumpy no matter what!! Maybe the carton kind is better? Would love to know what you use to get that smooth consistency!
Hi Susan! Thanks so much 🙂 I usually use canned coconut milk. If it’s separated in the can, I’ll blend it with an immersion blender to get all the clumps out before I make the pudding. I’m not a huge fan of the coconut milk beverage in the carton (a lot of them I find have weird ingredients I can’t pronounce!), but it would work the same way as almond milk – so yes, that would work in this recipe. You could also use light canned coconut milk. Hope that helps!
– D
Thank you so much for the reply. That’s very helpful – I imagine the canned milk is richer/thicker, so I will definitely be trying the immersion blender when I make this next. Can’t wait! Thanks again!!
Of course! You’re so welcome 🙂