Make Your Morning Better With This Chia Breakfast Sundae

This super-healthy, crazy-delicious breakfast sundae comes from Fran Costigan, “the queen of vegan desserts.” Fran is an internationally recognized culinary instructor and author, and she’s all about making and eating delicious, healthy, organic, and minimally processed food. Naturally, she’s also a longtime Theo chocolate devotee.

Fran created this modern version of muesli just for us. Traditionally, muesli is a mixture of uncooked rolled oats, fruit, seeds, and nuts. Invented by a Swiss physician for his patients, it’s packed with iron, calcium, zinc, and other important nutrients. Nondairy milk keeps this recipe vegan, and it’s also gluten-free if you use certified gluten-free oats.

The pudding is rich and creamy but light in texture, and far more interesting than straight chia puddings. Fran also suggests using chocolate-flavored nondairy milk for a Sunday brunch–worthy extra-chocolaty breakfast pudding. This recipe scales up beautifully, so make enough to last a few days.

Fran Costigan’s Super-Healthy Nibby Chia Breakfast Sundae

Serves 2

1. To make the pudding, pour the nondairy milk into a glass jar or other container with a lid. Sprinkle the chia seeds on top, wait for about 1 minute, then stir with a fork. Set aside for 5 minutes, then stir again.

2. Stir in the oats and cocoa nibs. Cover the jar and refrigerate the pudding for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, until it’s creamy and thickened, stirring a few times if possible. The chia seeds will begin to soften and resemble small tapioca pearls very quickly, but it takes the oats a few hours to become creamy.

3. In the morning, stir in the maple syrup and serve with an assortment of toppings.

4. The pudding can be kept refrigerated for up to three days. Stir before eating. If you want to thin it after one or 2 days, you can add more nondairy milk.