Pumpkin Pecan Latte Chia Pudding

I’m gonna get right to it and if you want to see the video, scroll down to watch!

Yield: About 8–10 dessert servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Chill Time: 4 hours to overnight

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Ingredients

Pumpkin Espresso Chia Pudding

• 2 cups ultra-filtered milk, divided

• 3 tablespoons espresso powder

• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

• ¼ cup mascarpone

• ⅓ cup pumpkin purée

• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

• Pinch of sea salt

• ½ cup chia seeds

• ½ cup chopped toasted pecans, plus more for serving

Maple-Spiced Mascarpone Cream

• 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream

• 1 cup mascarpone

• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

For Finishing

• Toasted chopped pecans

• Pumpkin pie spice, for dusting

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Instructions

1. Make the pumpkin espresso chia pudding

Warm a small portion of the milk until hot but not boiling. Add the espresso powder and whisk until completely dissolved.

Combine the espresso mixture with the remaining milk, maple syrup, mascarpone, pumpkin purée, pumpkin pie spice and a pinch of sea salt. Whisk until smooth and well combined.

Add the chia seeds and whisk again, making sure there are no dry pockets or clumps.

Cover and refrigerate.

2. Stir again after 30 minutes

This is the step I use with all chia puddings, and don’t skip it.

After about 30 minutes, the chia seeds will have started absorbing the liquid. Give the pudding a really thorough stir to redistribute the seeds and break up any clumps.

Fold in ½ cup chopped toasted pecans, cover again and return to the refrigerator.

Chill for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight, until thick and creamy.

3. Check the consistency

Once the pudding has fully set, give it another good stir.

Chia seeds can vary slightly in how much liquid they absorb, so use the texture—not just the clock—as your guide. You want a thick, spoonable pudding that will hold its own when layered with the mascarpone cream.

If it has become thicker than you like, loosen it with a small splash of milk.

4. Make the maple-spiced mascarpone cream

Add the cold heavy whipping cream, maple syrup, vanilla, sea salt and pumpkin pie spice to a large mixing bowl.

Using a hand mixer, whip until the cream begins to thicken and increase in volume but hasn’t reached stiff peaks yet.

Add the mascarpone.

Continue whipping just until the mixture is fluffy and holds soft peaks. Don’t overmix it—the goal is silky and spoonable, not stiff.

5. Layer it up

For maximum visual payoff, use a large clear serving bowl or individual clear glasses.

Layer in this order:

Pumpkin chia pudding → mascarpone cream → chia pudding → mascarpone cream

Smooth the final mascarpone layer across the top.

6. Make it pretty

Finish with a light dusting of pumpkin pie spice through a fine-mesh sieve, then scatter generously with toasted pecans.

And yes, the dramatic topping is necessary.

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A Few Notes

Toast your pecans.

It takes a few extra minutes and makes a huge difference. Toasting brings out their nuttiness and gives the pudding some much-needed crunch against all those creamy layers. You can also purchase pre-toasted pecan pieces, this is what I did!

Use pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling.

You want plain pumpkin so you can control the sweetness and spice yourself.

Don’t skip the 30-minute stir.

That second mix is what helps give chia pudding an even, creamy consistency instead of a layer of chia cement hiding at the bottom of the bowl.

Make it ahead.

The chia pudding actually benefits from an overnight rest, so this is a great dessert to prep the day before. I would make the mascarpone cream and assemble the final layers closer to serving for the prettiest presentation.

Individual portions work, too.

The giant glass bowl gives you the big dramatic reveal, but layering this into small jars or dessert glasses makes it easy to portion for meal prep, brunch or a dinner party.

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The Vibe

Coffee. Pumpkin. Maple. Mascarpone. Toasted pecans.

It has all the cozy pumpkin-spice energy without tasting like someone dumped a fall candle into your breakfast.

And between the chia seeds, ultra-filtered milk, mascarpone and pecans, it’s considerably more substantial than your average pumpkin dessert.

Is it breakfast? Dessert? An excuse to eat mascarpone with a spoon?

I’m not particularly interested in drawing that line.

Now, enjoy the video and go make it for yourself!