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Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding with Caramelized Pears

It’s that time of year again! You know, the time when all your favorite food bloggers start pushing nothing but pumpkin recipes for the next two months straight with absolutely no regard for whether or not you actually like pumpkin. Lucky you!

In that spirit, let’s kick things off with one of the coolest chia puddings I’ve ever made. This is a classic pumpkin pie flavored pudding at its core… but the bizarre addition of a caramelized pear on top takes things to a whole new level. The warm (almost melting) pear over the chilled pudding; the sweet caramely flavors and the pumpkin spice – it’s pretty amazing.

Pumpkin_Chia_Pear

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 3 tablespoons chia seeds (divided in half)
  • 1/4 cup+ pumpkin puree
  • 2 tablespoons rolled oats
  • 2-3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)
  • 1 ripe pear

Step One

In a blender, combine the almond milk, 1 1/2 tablespoons of chia seeds, pumpkin puree, rolled oats, some pumpkin pie spice, a splash of vanilla, and perhaps a drizzle of maple syrup (pumpkin can be bitter on its own) and blend until smooth. Give this a taste and adjust flavors as needed – more pumpkin? A little extra pumpkin pie spice? More sweetener? Add whatever it needs.

Step Two

When the flavors are solid, pour into a bowl and throw in 1 1/2 or 2 tablespoons whole chia seeds. I find that blending half the seeds (above) and stirring in half whole seeds (now) results in the perfect texture. Next, like with all chia puddings, this one needs to be made ahead of time and chilled in the fridge for at least two hours in order for the chia seeds to absorb the water and form the pudding-like consistency.

Step Three

After the pudding has set and you’re ready to serve, let’s broil a pear! To do this, turn your broiler on high and set an oven rack just below the flame. Peel a pear, slice in half, remove the seeds, lie both halves face down in a baking sheet and sprinkle with a little pumpkin pie spice. Add to the broiler and watch closely – this pear will cook through surprisingly quickly, about 6-8 minutes. Remove just before the outside is starting to blacken.

Step Four

Finally, plate by dividing the pudding into two bowls and sticking a warm pear into the center of each along with (what else!) a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice. Note that both parts can be made ahead of time, with the pudding served cold and the pears reheated in the microwave or oven.

Pumpkin_Chia_Top

12 Comments

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  1. Let the pumpkin haters stress. I hate hearing about roast turkey, chicken and ham recipes for the next few months.

    Thanks for your always awesome recipes. I look forward to trying this one out.

  2. it’s like you read my mind. i made a batch of Thug Kitchen’s pumpkin chili the other day and was wondering what to do with the leftover pumpkin ^_^ can’t wait to eat this for breakfast tomorrow!!

  3. Wow, this was so unusual and SO delicious! I loved it. I also learned something new… an amazing way to cook pears. I don’t think I’ve ever cooked them before. The flavors somehow worked so beautifully with the pumpkin pudding. Genius! Happy fall! (I just wish it felt a little more like fall outside where I live!)

  4. This was my first chia pudding. I love the flavor….but mine came out more like soup. Is the trick just using less almond milk? Or are all chia pudding soupy?

    • Ah sorry to hear that, Mark. Chia puddings should actually be quite thick, almost like Jello. There’s two reasons why it wouldn’t have been thick: not enough chia seeds or not enough time in the fridge to chill. The chia seeds are what thicken so next time try using less liquid / more chia and give it a few hours (overnight?) in the fridge to thicken.

  5. Love the other recipes of yours that I’ve made so far (and left good reviews!) but this one just didn’t work for me. It was too soupy, plus I only used 2 tsp of the pumpkin pie spice but it was way just way too overpowering of a flavor (IMO). I’d recommend to others making this, add 1/2 cup less milk if you like your chia pudding thick, and only 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Love the pear component though, definitely keeping that for future use!

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