This super delicious and healthy chia pudding recipe lets you try a new flavor for breakfast or snack every day of the week!
Chia pudding is the ultimate healthy dessert
If you’re new to chia seeds, this easy chia pudding recipe is a great starting point.
You simply stir everything together and refrigerate until thick. No fancy cooking gadgets, no whisking on the stovetop, and no baking required.
The resulting pudding is deliciously thick and creamy, with so many health benefits! It can be vegan, gluten free, raw, paleo, sugar free, oil free, nut free, low calorie, low carb, soy free, and keto friendly.
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I’ve posted the basic recipe below, along with some of my favorite flavor variations, each of which can be prepared in under 5 minutes.
And you can eat chia pudding for breakfast, snack, or a healthy dessert.
Why you should try chia pudding
1. High in fiber, protein, and calcium
It’s also high in B vitamins, iron, phosphorous, zinc, and magnesium.
2. Chia seeds are rich in Omega 3s
Just 2 tbsp of chia seeds have the same amount of heart-healthy Omega 3s as four ounces of salmon, so it’s a good vegetarian source of Omega 3s.
3. They’ve been shown to help you feel full
Chia seeds can expand up to 10 times their size by soaking up liquid, which can help keep you hydrated and aid in the digestion process. They are a great source of energy and can help in weight loss but are not strictly a diet food.
4. Natural alternative to cornstarch or heavy cream
The chia seeds naturally thicken the pudding, with no need to add any flour, starch, cream, eggs, or thickeners like xanthan gum, cornstarch, or carrageenan.
5. A new flavor idea for every day of the week
Try some of the flavor variations below, or have fun coming up with your own.
You can make chia seed pudding with almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk, yogurt, cashew cream, or even other liquids such as orange juice or coconut water.
Or make a breakfast chia parfait by layering the pudding with fresh berries, banana, coconut yogurt, graham cracker crumbs, or Vegan Brownies, Sweet Potato Brownies, or Black Bean Brownies.
Chia seed pudding flavors
Chocolate Chia Pudding: Add a spoonful of mini chocolate chips and 2 tbsp cocoa powder or your favorite chocolate protein powder to the base recipe below for a yummy chocolate fudge pudding variation.
Strawberry Coconut: Use canned or carton coconutmilk for the milk of choice in the base recipe, and garnish with chopped or sliced strawberries or layer the pudding in a glass between layers of fresh berries (as shown in the photo below with raspberries).
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough: Stir one or two tablespoons of peanut butter or powdered peanut butter into the base recipe. If desired, crumble a few Keto Peanut Butter Cookies or these Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies on top.
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: Stir in mini chocolate chips and 1/4 cup mashed banana for a banana chia pudding. I like to quickly heat the banana first so it caramelizes, adding natural sweetness.
Blueberry Pie Chia Pudding: Stir in 1/4 cup mashed or pureed blueberries or blueberry yogurt. Add a dash of cinnamon and tiny sprinkle of cardamom if desired.
Other flavor ideas for how to make chia pudding include mocha, pumpkin pie or sweet potato, matcha, pb&j, piña colada, chocolate chip cherry, cinnamon roll, orange vanilla, key lime pie, or coconut chocolate.
Or stir in a tablespoon each of cocoa powder and this Homemade Nutella Recipe.
How to make the recipe
Start by gathering all of your chia pudding ingredients, and take out a container with a lid that can be used to store the pudding once it’s made.
Whisk all ingredients together in the container until evenly combined. Cover the container, shake it up, and refrigerate overnight.
This recipe will keep 4-5 days in the fridge, so it’s great for meal prep.
Feel free to double or triple the recipe below if you want a larger batch, or make up a bigger version of the base and then portion individual servings into containers, turning each one into a different flavor so you can try a new flavor every day.
And if you’ve tried chia puddings in the past and weren’t a fan of the gel-like texture, simply blend all of the ingredients together before letting it sit overnight. The resulting pudding the next day will be thick and smooth.
What would be your dream flavor chia pudding?
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Above, watch the chia pudding recipe video
Chia Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk of choice or cashew cream
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- sweetener of choice, as desired
- scant 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- *Sweetener amount will depend on the type of milk and sweetener you use, as well as your tastes. Options include maple syrup, stevia, sugar, coconut sugar, date paste, etc.Chia Pudding Recipe: Whisk all ingredients in a container. If desired, you can blend everything together now, which will result in a smoother consistency the next day, but I actually love the taste and fun texture of leaving the seeds whole, so it's up to you. Cover, shake, then refrigerate overnight. The next day, it will be nice and thick. The pudding will keep 4-5 days refrigerated, so feel free to make a larger batch and portion into individual containers. I’ve included some flavor ideas earlier in this post, or have fun dreaming up your own!View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
Healthy Ways To Use Chia Seeds
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I found this by googling “chia pudding recipes” and have eaten it every day for a week now! I didn’t know of your blog before but am definitely going to try more recipes. Thank you for this one, it’s a keeper!
Oh man, I am in love with these chia puddings, and my toddler loves it too 😂
Hubby is not so convinced but we are working on him lolol
I do the banana chia pudding a lot. Question, can you make a peanut butter mousse chia pudding by layering your peanut butter coconut mousse recipe with this chia pudding, or would it all melt into one layer?
Wonderful recipe! Thank you!
Love all the variations. These were easy!
I made a strawberry chia pudding by layering strawberries and bananas in between the chia seed part. Delicious!
Ooooooh I want to make a coconut one!
I made a chocolate chip coconut chia pudding this morning and it honestly tasted like dessert. Great recipe, thanks for my new favorite breakfast 🙂
Perfect and the kids loved the pudding recipe too!
Great recipe, best chia pudding recipe I’ve found. Right ratio of ingredients. I made the chocolate version (sans mini chips, since I didn’t have any), sweetened with 1 T honey (added a 1/2 tsp at a time until I found what suited my taste). I prefer my chia seeds ground – so used my coffee grinder to make chia flour. Put all the ingredients in a 1 pint canning jar, shook it up and didn’t wait overnight to try it LOL. What I would do differently next time is mix everything together and taste for sweetness before adding the chia flour, which thickens the pudding much faster than using whole seeds. Easier to incorporate the sweetener before the pudding thickens. I think a lemon version of this would be lovely…<3
Thank you so much for making it and for such a kind comment 🙂