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All the cozy “cream pie” flavors—banana, chocolate, and a little crunch—layered into creamy chia puddings you can make ahead. One chocolatey and blended silky, one banana-vanilla with those pretty chia flecks. Finish with caramelized oat–buckwheat crumbs, dark chocolate, and fresh banana. Simple, no-bake, and so good.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- No-bake, make-ahead parfaits with real banana + dark chocolate flavor.
- Two textures in one jar: blended-silky chocolate and lightly speckled banana.
- Great for snacks, dessert, or brunch.
Ingredient Notes
- Chia seeds: Black or white both work; fresher seeds hydrate more evenly.
- Milk(s): Almond + coconut as written; full-fat coconut = richer set, lighter milks = softer set.
- Sweetener: Maple or honey to taste; keep language neutral
- Bananas: Use spotty-ripe for best flavor; slice just before layering to minimize browning.
- Cacao vs cocoa: Cacao is deeper and a touch more bitter; natural cocoa is milder.
- Crunch topping: Raw buckwheat + oats caramelized with maple and a pinch of salt; cool fully so it stays crisp.
- Edible dried roses (optional): Pretty, floral accent—note “food-grade.”
Recipe Inspiration
A major highlight for me this month was creating all these healthy recipes. I know I’ve already touched on this topic this week, but seriously, these have been some of my favorite recipes, and these banana and chocolate chia cream pie parfaits might just be one of my favorites.
They are literally what banana cream pie dreams are made of. Light, soft, fluffy, chocolatey perfection.
And then bonus – they’re healthy too! Actually, they’re more than healthy, they’re like superfood status healthy. Chia seeds, bananas, buckwheat, cacao, dark chocolate, oats and nut/coconut milk.
AND they are so simple! It does take a little chill time for those chia seeds to do their magic, but other than that, they’re quick, easy and simple. Oh and of course delicious!
If you’re unfamiliar with chia seeds, you should familiarize yourself with them now. They are an amazing, teensy tinsy little seed that really packs in the nutrients and creates one KILLER make-shift vegan pudding.When you add chia seeds to a liquid, they begin to soften, plump up and become gel like (but in a good way). Honestly, it’s like magic, AND chia seeds are packed full of protein and healthy O-mega 3’s. You see, pretty cool, right?
SO… to create this fun pudding parfait, I used chia seeds to thicken up the base. It works SO well. For the chocolate pudding, I blended the chia seeds into the pudding for a more creamy texture, but for the banana pudding I left them whole for a little texture variation… and because I love the look of the chia seeds in the white cream.
Chia pudding is really simple to make, you just mix all the ingredients (in today’s case almond milk, coconut milk, chia seeds, maple or honey and a little vanilla) in a bowl and let them chill in the fridge until they are thick and creamy. For best results I like to let the pudding sit overnight, but honestly, sometimes I only wait an hour and the pudding is already thick enough to eat…what? Hey, waiting is HARD.
To finish these parfaits, I caramelized some raw buckwheat groats and oats with a little maple, and a little salt. DELISH. They are the perfect toppings along with some fresh banana slices, chopped chocolate and dried roses. You don’t have to include the dried roses, but I personally love them, not only for looks, but they taste great crushed over top of the bananas.
Pretty, healthy and SO YUMM! 🙂
Yes, please! Here’s to healthy pudding and a Friday night snuggled up in blankets!!
Just to chat…
How is January already over?? Complete craziness, but I have to say it was a great month. Super busy, and super cold, but filled with yummy (HEALTHY) eats!
I know this may seem odd, but I feel a little more refreshed and inspired to keep chugging along now than I did a month ago. After Christmas, I think I was just BEAT, but something about this last month and all the colorful veggies…and dark chocolate, has me feeling kind of excited and energized. What about you guys? Are you ready to enter February? Ready for the Super Bowl? Excited for Valentine’s Day? Ready to be one month closer to spring?!?
Speaking of spring, have you guys started thinking about spring break yet? I am seriously thinking that after I get my wisdom teeth pulled at the end of March I may just need to get myself to Florida to bask in the sun for a little bit. My brother Kai really wants to go for his Spring Break, and I wouldn’t mind spending some time with my grandma, so I might try to see if that’s a possibility. But with 5 children and 16 grandchildren – 7 of them from our fam – my grandparents always have a lot a visitors around Easter, so they might just be BOOKED.
I LOVE Florida! What about you guys? Any fun plans yet??
And since we’re just chatting here, I’m really curious to know what the highlight of your month was? For me, it was getting to spend this last week with Asher. I mean, I got way less work done, but it was SO worth it. I don’t know why, but littler Asher was just so excited to get to hang out with me, and that is without a doubt the best feeling ever. I am so glad I made an effort to carve out time and do fun things with her. It really made me realize that I need to make a point to do this once a month or at least once every other month. Before I know it she’s only going to want to hang with her friends and she’ll think I’m totally lame. I dread that day. 🙁
In the meantime, I’ll make these treats for Asher in my kitchen!
My chia pudding didn’t set—what should it look like when ready?
It should be thick, glossy, and softly mound on a spoon. If it’s loose, give it more time to hydrate and stir again to redistribute the seeds.
Can I use cocoa powder instead of cacao?
Yes—natural cocoa will be a touch milder and sweeter-tasting. Adjust sweetness to taste after blending.
How do I keep bananas from browning?
Slice right before layering, or lightly toss in lemon water and pat dry. Add banana on top just before serving.
Can I make the crunch ahead?
Definitely. Toast, cool completely, and store airtight at room temp. Sprinkle on at the last minute so it stays crisp.
Banana and Chocolate Chia Cream Pie Parfaits.
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 558 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Chocolate Chia Pudding
- 2 cups almond/coconut milk or your favorite milk
- 1/3 cup chia seeds
- 1/4 cup cup cacao or cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup OR 4 pitted + chopped medjool dates
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Coconut Banana Cream
- 1 can full fat canned coconut milk
- 1/3 cup chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1/2 vanilla bean seeds removed
- 1 ripe banana mashed
- 2 ripe bananas sliced
Caramelized Buckwheat
- 1/2 cup raw buckwheat groats
- 1/2 cup raw oatmeal
- 1 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- salt
- chopped chocolate + dried roses for topping
Instructions
Chocolate Chia Pudding
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, stirring well to combine. Cover and let sit, preferably overnight, in the fridge or for at least 4 hours.
- Once the pudding has thickened, add it to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. The pudding will not be as thick as traditional pudding, but should not be soupy.
Coconut Cream
- Combine the coconut milk, chia seeds honey, vanilla and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour, stirring twice until thickened OR let sit in the fridge overnight until thickened and creamy.
Caramelized Buckwheat
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the buckwheat, oats, maple and coconut oil. Sprinkle with salt. Toss well to combine, making sure everything is evenly coated. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the buckwheat + oats are toasted.
To Assemble
- Divide the chocolate pudding between 5-4 serving glasses. If desired add a layer of mashed banana to each glass. Top with a layer of the coconut cream pudding. If not serving right away, cover and chill in the fridge for up to 3-4 days (if chilling this long, leave OUT the layer of mashed banana and swirl it in before serving). To serve, top with sliced banana, caramelized buckwheat, dries roses and chocolate. EAT.
FYI, that spoon…not even close to big enough. I switched to a soup spoon immediately after taking these shots. Love me some pudding!
This post was originally published on January 29, 2016
I absolutely loved these Tieghan & the best part is I felt so amazing & filled with energy after enjoying one! So delicious & so much nutrition!! I’ve been experimenting with some paleo & healthier things lately but honestly don’t trust most sites specific to a restrictive way of cooking, baking, and eating to deliver as far as taste is concerned. However, I can always count on you to know what good food should taste like! P.S. Would lovvvvvve to see a cashew granola recipe…and more like this one please!!❤️❤️
Thank you so much Gia! I am really glad you have been enjoying my recipes and I hope you continue to! This was so sweet to read! xTieghan
Where Do you buy Groats?
Hi Melissa,
Sorry I am confused about your question. Can you give me a little more info? xTieghan
I assume that you would need to add the banana to make the coconut banana cream? It does not mention adding the banana anywhere except adding more banana if desired when assembling the layers.
HI! The bananas are only used when assembling. If you add it to the pudding, it will brown. I am so sorry if that was confusing. I adjusted the recipe a bit! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
I loved these so much (chocolate and banana forever!) and would like to make them again soon! I’m looking to bump up my protein intake and am wondering if adding a little bit of chocolate protein powder to the chocolate chia pudding would work or if it would ruin the integrity? Love, love, love these so much already as they are, either way.
Hey Vanessa,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! I’ve never tried that, but I bet it might work for you. ?xxT
made it last night and had for breakfast today!! not tooo sure about the chocolate pudding but maybe it was because I used rice milk to make it so it ended up a biit soupy… But the chia coconut cream and he granola turned out amaziiing! great combination of flavours… I added the mashed banana layer in between and some chopped bananas, shredded coconut and dried rose petals <3
So awesome to hear that you loved it Dani!! Thank you!
Kate Muma, you can grind Chia into a powder, really any nut you can do that with, therefore skipping the grinding it with your teeth step. 😉
Hi there! My name is Kate and I just recently came across your blog, and I saw this recipe that included chia seeds! I was introduced to chia seeds through one of my aunts, about a year-and-a-half ago, and they’ve changed my life, especially with both breakfast, “healthy” desserts and smoothies! I stumbled upon your chocolate banana cream pudding recipe, and I noticed that one of the ingredients includes coconut milk and coconut oil, which is something that I’m not too crazy about eating, nor am I allowed by my dentist to eat hard nuts or seeds, like buckwheat!! What would be some alternative ingredients that you would suggest that I could use, instead! I’m really excited to give this recipe a go, and enjoy eating it either for breakfast or as a more “healthy” dessert option…Thanks for answering my questions!!
Thank you and have a great day!
Kate
Hey Kate! You can use whole milk in place of the coconut milk and either olive oil oil or butter in place of coconut oil. I would use old fashioned oats in place of the buckwheat. Let me know if you have any other questions. Hope to love this and thanks so much!!
These are amazing and you’re so creative. Thank you!
Glad you like them! Thanks Kelly!
Tried these today and they were a hit however I combined the cocoa and cacao powder and used agave rather than honey/maple syrup. Thanks for the recipe!! Will def be making these again
Perfect! That sounds like it worked well!! Thanks Lisa
Hey, I just wanted to drop a note and invite you to come join us at Sunday’s Simple Homemaker Link-Up. Would love to have you link-up!! http://www.prairiegalcookin.com/sundays-simple-homemaker-3rd-weekly-link-up/
Will definitely try this, what would be the calories for the chia pudding?
HI Diane,
I am sorry, I do not know the calories for this. Hope you love the recipe!
Yum! Never thought to blend chia pudding for a different consistency. Going to try this!
Thanks so much, Lisa! Hope you love this!
love this!!! thank you for an awesome recipe. can’t wait to try it 🙂
Hope you loved it!!! 🙂
the coconut banana cream turned out delicious!… but the chocolate pudding, not so much. i messed up so bad! lol it was too watery, i don’t think i added enough chia! i’ll have to give it another shot soon 🙂
OH NO!! So sorry it turned out watery, did you follow the recipe?
Making this recipe as I type. Just curious, for the coconut banana cream, you have bananas in the ingredients list, but in the directions, you don’t mention putting them in. Do they mix in with the over ingredients for overnight or are they only for swirling in the next morning?
Only for swirling in the morning. Sorry about that I will fix the recipe! Hope you love this!
Thanks! That’s what I ended up doing, glad I made the right choice 🙂 I absolutely loved the recipe, especially the coconut cream. The only thing I will change next time I make it is the amount of salt in the chocolate cream. Instead of 1/2 teaspoon, I might just throw in a tiny pinch. For me, it was so salty, I couldn’t eat the chocolate part. So glad I found your blog, I will keep following your recipes!