Mango Chia Pudding Bowl (with Crispy Oats and Yogurt)
This mango chia pudding bowl is a delicious mango breakfast recipe combining protein-rich chia pudding with homemade mango yogurt, puree, and lightly spiced crispy oats. Ready in under 30 minutes (or less!), this recipe is gluten-free, refined-sugar-free, and can be made dairy-free/vegan!
Combine the chia seeds, milk, and vanilla in a bowl/container, mix well, and then set aside to thicken into a chia pudding for a minimum of 20 minutes. However, you could also prepare this the day before and leave it to thicken overnight in the fridge.I recommend giving the chia pudding one more stir after 5 minutes to break up any seed clumps in the mixture.
Once thickened, feel free to add a little sweetener to taste - though you may not need it with the sweetness of the mango and crispy oats.
Step 2: Prepare the crispy oats
In an oven-safe dish, combine the oats, spices, and coconut oil (melted) and mix. Then bake in a pre-heated oven at 350ºF/175ºC for 10 minutes, until the oats are golden and crispy.
Step 3: Prepare the mango
If you plan on using tinned mango pulp, then you can skip this step.First, peel and chop the mango. Mash it by hand with a fork for a slightly chunky texture, or throw it in a mini food processor/blender for a smooth mango puree.
Step 4: Assemble the mango chia pudding bowl
You can ‘layer’ this bowl a couple of ways, so feel free to do so how you please.In the bowl, first, add your yogurt of choice (natural/Greek yogurt or dairy-free coconut yogurt are my favorite options). Then mix a little of the mango puree into the yogurt to create homemade mango yogurt.Then, add the chia pudding over the yogurt, some extra mango puree, a few spoonfuls of the crispy/ crunchy oatmeal, and optionally some extra mango slices or other fruits and mint leaves. Enjoy!
How to Make Ahead and Store
Make ahead: all the elements for this mango chia pudding bowl can be made ahead for several days worth of delicious breakfasts. - Prepared chia pudding will last up to 5 days. - The mango puree can be kept safely in the refrigerator for three days. However, it’s freezer-friendly for up to 3 months - so you could simply leave a portion to thaw overnight whenever needed. - Lastly, the crispy oats can be prepared ahead and stored in an airtight container, ready to sprinkle over breakfast dishes. If they begin to lose their crispness - just pop them in a skillet or the oven for a few minutes to crisp back up again.Fridge: after assembling the mango chia pudding bowls, it’s best to enjoy it immediately, as the crispy oats will go soggy over time. However, the chia pudding, yogurt, and fruit puree mixture can be combined and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Top off with the crispy oats just before serving!
Notes
To make mango chia pudding: if you want mango-flavored chia pudding then, no worries. All you need to do is substitute half the milk in the chia pudding for mango pulp, mix, and allow to set. If you plan to use mango chia pudding, I recommend using plain yogurt or combining the yogurt with a different fruit puree like raspberries.
To sweeten the chia pudding: I recommend using maple, agave, or honey. The amount you need will depend on how sweet the mango pulp is. I recommend ½-1 tbsp per portion.
Serve in a jar: you can easily make layered mango chia pudding jars with this combination of ingredients. I recommend adding ⅓-½ of the chia pudding first, then some of the mango puree and yogurt, then repeating those layers and topping off with the crunchy toasted oats and any other toppings. That way, you get a bit of each element in every spoonful.
Using frozen mango: feel free to use frozen mango if preferred. Just make sure to thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before preparing the mango breakfast bowl.
If your chia pudding doesn’t thicken: this is likely due to using old chia seeds, which lose their absorbency over time.
Optional Add-ins & Variations:
Coconut: mango and coconut are a delicious combination. Feel free to sprinkle over some raw or lightly toasted shredded coconut or coconut flakes.
Other fruits: feel free to top the mango chia pudding bowl with extra fruits like raspberries, pineapple, blueberries, kiwi, etc. Passionfruit also works particularly well with mango.
Orange zest: adding a little orange zest to the chia pudding is a great way to increase flavor!
Lime: to add extra ‘brightness’ to the dish, you can add a squeeze or two of fresh lime juice to the mango puree and optionally top with a little grated lime zest.
Granola: swap out the crispy oats for granola instead.