This Gluten-Free Vegan Pitaya Dragon Fruit Chia Pudding is an easy and healthy recipe made with only 5 clean, real food ingredients and can be prepared in about 5 minutes!
Here's Why This Recipe Works
My top 3 favorite reasons:
- It Can Be Prepared in About 5 Minutes
- 100% Gluten-Free + Vegan
- Made With Clean, Real Food Ingredients
If a quick + easy breakfast is what you're looking for, then this recipe is for you!
It's perfect to make the night before to have ready in the morning for a healthy and nutrient-dense breakfast. It only takes about 5 minutes to prepare and then needs just a little time for the chia pudding to firm.
Some of my other favorite chia pudding recipes are Vegan Black Forest Chia Seed Pudding, Vanilla Bean and Blueberry Chia Pudding, or my Raspberry and Banana Chia Pudding.
I'm a big fan of pitaya (aka dragon fruit) because not only is this sweet superfruit beautiful, but it is a critical ingredient in healing the liver.
According to the book "Medical Medium®: Liver Rescue", pitaya helps your liver to produce cells to regenerate itself and slows down liver aging.
Once I learned this, I started incorporating pitaya into my daily meals, and it now makes a regular appearance in either a smoothie, smoothie bowl, or in chia pudding almost every morning!
"Feel good about what you eat..."
- Karielyn Tillman
Ingredients
Here are the clean, real food ingredients I used to make this recipe. Try to use organic if possible.
- Homemade Almond Milk
- Chia Seeds
- Vanilla Extract
- Pitaya (Dragon Fruit) Powder
- Banana
How To Make This Recipe | Step-by-Step Instructions
Making chia seed pudding is super easy!
There are two different ways to make chia seed pudding, and I use both methods, depending on how much time I have.
Method 1 - Using a Mason Jar:
- Add the ingredients for the chia pudding to a 64-ounce glass mason jar that has a lid.
- Close the lid tightly and vigorously shake the chia seed pudding until everything is well distributed or use a small whisk to combine everything together.
- Place the glass mason jar in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to firm. Try to stir it every 30 minutes or so to keep the chia seeds from settling on the bottom.
- Stir the mixture before serving to make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Method 2 - Using a Vitamix:
- Add the ingredients for the chia pudding to a Vitamix.
- Pulse the mixture 8-10 times to combine everything well but taking care to not over process.
- Wait 1-2 minutes then pulse again 8-10 times.
- Repeat steps 2 + 3 again a couple of times until the mixture thickens.
- Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes to continue firming.
- Stir the mixture before serving to make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Step 1
Add the non-dairy milk and chia seeds to a 64-ounce Mason jar.
Step 2
Use a small whisk to stir the milk and chia seeds together or place the lid on the Mason jar and shake vigorously until well combined. Place the Mason jar in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to firm, stirring every 30 minutes or so.
Step 3
Using a fork, mash the banana until it has a smooth paste-type texture and add the pitaya powder.
Step 4
Stir the mashed banana and pitaya powder together until well combined. Cover and place in the refrigerator until the chia pudding firms.
Substitutions
- Homemade Almond Milk: Feel free to use your favorite non-dairy milk in this recipe. For example, organic oat milk, organic coconut milk or organic cashew milk would all work well.
- Vanilla Extract: You can also use non-alcohol vanilla extract or even organic vanilla bean powder in the same amount. Keep in mind if you use vanilla bean extract, the chia pudding will be a little darker in color but will taste the same.
- Banana: I used as the sweetener to the dragon fruit layer, but you could omit it and add a ½-1 tablespoon of maple syrup or omit the banana if you don't want the chia pudding too sweet.
- Pitaya (Dragon Fruit): You can use either a frozen pitaya smoothie pack or pitaya powder
Frequently Asked Questions
You can buy either fresh or frozen pitaya or dragon fruit.
I like to buy frozen pitaya or dragon fruit smoothie packets from Whole Foods and have even found frozen pitaya or dragon fruit cubes at Target.
It's easy to keep a couple of packs in the freezer for a smoothie, smoothie bowls or chia pudding to use year-round when the fruit is not in season.
If you can't locate fresh or frozen, you can also buy organic pitaya powder.
In my opinion, yes!
Most S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) pudding or fruit yogurt recipes contain dairy, processed ingredients, and refined sugar. For example, let's look at the ingredient list for a popular store-bought fruit yogurt:
S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Dannon "Fruit on the Bottom" Strawberry Yogurt Ingredients
Ingredients: Cultured Grade A Low-Fat Milk, Strawberries, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Contains 1% of Pectin, Modified Corn Starch, Natural Flavors, Kosher Gelatin, Purple Carrot Juice Concentrate, Carmine and Turmeric (for color), Malic Acid, Calcium Phosphate. Contains active yogurt cultures including L. Acidophilus.
My Gluten-Free Vegan Pitaya Dragon Fruit Chia Pudding is made with only 5 clean, real food ingredients and is also raw, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, paleo-friendly, contains no refined sugar, and Medical Medium® Compliant.
Yes! "Pitaya" and "Dragon Fruit" are the same thing.
This fruit originates from Central/South America and there are two different varieties, white and the vibrant fuchsia pink color that I used in this recipe.
Gluten-Free Vegan Pitaya Dragon Fruit Chia Pudding
Equipment
- Vitamix or high-speed blender
Ingredients
For the chia pudding:
- 2 cups homemade almond milk
- ½ cup organic chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
For the dragon fruit layer:
- 1 tablespoon organic pitaya (dragon fruit) powder (or 1 frozen organic pitaya (dragon fruit) smoothie pack
- 1 organic banana
Instructions
Prepare the chia pudding:
- Add all ingredients for the chia pudding to a 64-ounce Mason jar (or jar with lid) and stir with a small whisk or add the lid and vigorously shake until all ingredients are well distributed.
- Put the lid on the jar and place it in the refrigerator for approximately 1-2 hours or until the chia pudding is firm to your preference (overnight is best).
Prepare the dragon fruit layer (using pitaya powder)
- Add a banana to a small mixing bowl and mash it with a fork until it has a smooth paste-type texture.
- Add the pitaya powder and stir until well combined. Cover and place in the refrigerator while the chia pudding is firming.
Prepare the dragon fruit layer (using frozen pitaya):
- After the chia pudding has firmed and right before serving, add all the ingredients for the dragon fruit layer to a Vitamix, or high-speed blender, and blend until well combined and smooth.
Assembly:
- Remove the chia pudding from the refrigerator and stir to make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Option 1: Layer the chia pudding with the dragon fruit mixture by evenly dividing it between your serving dishes.
- Option 2: Add the dragon fruit layer to the jar of chia pudding and stir it together.
- Optional: Garnish with organic unsweetened shredded coconut.
- Store in an air-tight BPA-free container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Copyright Notice
The notes, instructions, and photographs for this recipe are copyrighted material and are protected under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA). They cannot be used legally without my written permission.
Karielyn Tillman
Hi, I'm Karielyn! I'm the published cookbook author of CLEAN DESSERTS, creator of Real Food Vegan™ Programs, and content creator of The Healthy Family and Home™ website since 2012.
I specialize in creating easy, healthy plant-based recipes that are gluten-free + vegan and made with clean, real food ingredients that you can feel good about eating.
Aleksandra Žarak says
Dear Karielyn, I did not make this recipe yet, but prompted by your Celery juice protocol I downloaded the book Liver rescue on my Kindle. I am still in the process of reading it, but I made my first dose of celery juice for tomorrow. Thanks for a great recommendation. I am practically devouring the book. Otherwise, I have been following your blog for ages and made quite a few recipes, all delicious. So, I am looking forward to your new discoveries.
Karielyn says
Hi there Aleksandra! I am SO excited that you got the Medical Medium: Liver Rescue book!! There is so much information in the book to take in, I am reading through it again for a second time.
My focus going forward will be recipes made with the Medical Medium healing foods - so be on the lookout for more to help you along on your health journey.
I sincerely appreciate your support and am glad you are part of the THFH community 🙂