Pumpkin Cheesecake Chia Pudding (vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free)
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This Pumpkin Cheesecake Chia Pudding is a beautifully layered treat with tangy vegan cheesecake cream and crunchy pumpkin spice granola for a healthy and sweet breakfast or dessert.
Chia pudding is so versatile. You can enjoy it for breakfast, as a snack or even dessert. This Pumpkin Cheesecake Chia Pudding is made with wholesome ingredients for a nourishing breakfast or any time of day treat. You can also prepare this chia pudding in individual jars to meal prep breakfast for the week or for a family.
It starts with a simple vanilla-spiced base of chia pudding, followed by a generous layer of pumpkin cheesecake cream and topping of Pumpkin Spice Granola. Every bit has the perfect balance of creamy, fluffy and crunchy and a ton of pumpkin spice flavour.
How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Chia Pudding
To make this layered vegan treat, you’ll need a blender. Simply blend the ingredients to make a fluffy mousse-like pumpkin cheesecake cream. Separately, whip up some simple vanilla chia pudding. And finally, top each serving with granola just before eating for ultimate crunch.
You will need to soak the cashews before blending, and your chia pudding needs some time to thicken up. But there’s minimal hands-on work to make this decadent recipe.
Ingredients
All of the ingredients in this chia pudding cheesecake parfait are whole-food ingredients that are vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, grain-free, oil-free and paleo*.
For the chia pudding base, you’ll need:
- Chia seeds
- Non-dairy milk of choice. You can use almond, coconut or oat. Any will work!
- Pumpkin purée. Make your own or use canned pumpkin (just not pumpkin pie filling)
- Pumpkin spice. You can make your own by combining cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice.
- Maple syrup. You can use another sweetener, but I love the caramel flavor notes of maple.
- Vanilla extract. Make sure you’re using the real stuff!
Next, to make the cheesecake cream, use:
- Raw cashews. These need to soak so they’re easy to blend into a fluffy cheesecake layer.
- Non-dairy milk of choice. Just use unsweetened so you can control the flavor of your cheesecake.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Pumpkin purée
- Pumpkin spice
- Cinnamon. For added warmth
- Maple syrup to sweeten
And to top these parfaiats, I like to sprinkle on some Pumpkin Spice Granola!
*To make the recipe paleo, use a paleo friendly granola instead.
Tips for Success
- Be sure to use pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling when making this recipe. You can also use homemade puréed pumpkin or butternut squash if you prefer, by roasting or steaming pumpkin or squash and puréeing.
- If you’re short on time to soak your cashews, you can use a little stovetop hack to soften them in a pinch. Bring the cashews and water to a low boil in a small saucepan, then remove the pot from the heat, cover and let sit for at least 15 minutes.
- This recipe makes roughly 2-3 servings, but servings are always tricky as it will always depend on your appetite. As a rule of thumb, I usually like to go with 1/4 cup of chia seeds per person, so feel free to adjust as needed.
- The hardest part of this recipe may be waiting for it to set, but it’s absolutely worth waiting because the chia seeds will bloom and create a really nice creamy “pudding”. The cheesecake cream also thickens up a little more and becomes like a mousse as well.
Make-Ahead Tips
You can make the cheesecake layer and chia pudding up to four days in advance. This is great for meal prep. Simply assemble layered jars and top with granola when you’re digging in.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
If you’re on a pumpkin kick like me, try these other vegan and gluten free seasonal recipes:
- Healthy High Protein Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Spice Granola
- Lentil Pumpkin Soup
- Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaf
- 10 Minute Pumpkin Tahini Pasta
- 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Gnocchi
If you try this recipe for pumpkin cheesecake chia pudding, tag me on Instagram @veggiekins so I can see your delicious re-creations and feature them! As always, I love when you share your reviews in the comments below, and if you make any fun substitutions, let me know how it worked out below too.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Chia Pudding (vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free)
Ingredients
- Chia pudding base
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 1 3/4 cups non-dairy milk of choice
- 1/4 cup pumpkin purée
- 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 tsp maple syrup to taste
- Pumpkin cheesecake cream
- 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked overnight or for at least 3 hours
- 1/4 cup pumpkin purée
- 1/3 cup non-dairy milk of choice
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together all chia pudding base ingredients except for chia seeds. Once the mixture is smooth, add the chia seeds, stir in well and set aside to bloom for 5 minutes. Stir again to break up any large clumps and then let sit for roughly 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Next prepare your cheesecake cream by adding all ingredients into a high speed blender. Blend until completely smooth, and adjust to taste, adding additional sweetener or spice as desired.
- Once chia pudding is ready, divide into individual cups or jars, then use a spoon or piping bag to layer cheesecake cream over the pudding.
- When ready to enjoy, sprinkle granola on top and dig in!
Video
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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