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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Hello Katie, reading my mind as usual. I love Chia seed pudding at this one cafe in NYC they put mushed banana mango deliciousness on top! It’s awesome. xoxo
My recent chia pudding obsession is:
For two servings:
1 smashed banana
4 T chia seeds
1 cup chocolate almond milk
Mix well, leave in the fridge overnight. I like to top mine with strawberries or raspberries. We’ve had this for dessert almost every night for a week!
I’ll admit I’ve never tried chia, but this sounds like it could make a good, fast breakfast that can be eaten cold.
This post made me giggle because I have been obsessed with chia pudding lately. I’m actually eating my newest creation and this popped up in my email. 1c unsweetened almond milk, 3T chia seeds, juice and zest of 1 lemon and stevia to taste. Blend on high in vitamix and let sit in fridge overnight. Sometimes I’m not in the mood for the texture of chia, and this makes such a creamy pudding.
This was so good! It tasted kind of like tapioca pudding 😂. My first time trying a chia pudding recipe and I will make it again and again. Ten stars!
I love recipe that can be easily adapted to suit one’s cravings! One question, though: can I substitute chia seeds with grounded flax? I don’t have chia seeds where I live, unfortunately. 🙁 Thanks!
This is a little late of a reply. I had an idea though. If you substituted flax seed you might want to heat up the milk till it’s hot (not boiling). Then maybe it would work. 🙂
Flax can be estrogenic, so be careful!
Yes, flax is the highest natural source of estrogen. It gave me hot flashes and breast lumps! Not good for me!!
I avoid it too! Do you do fermented soy or soy sauce ?
Love the story about the invisible dog and the chia dog LOL Here, we have garden cress hedgehogs instead.
So far, I’ve only made chia chocolate pudding, but I already planned on trying it with vanilla and fruit. You got me here, I’m right off to throw some seeds and milk into a container. Yum.
Your photos with the raspberries are awesome, too!
Ahh this looks so good! I have been trying to perfect my chia pudding recipe for a while now, and I love that you don’t use agave or banana or anything– this sounds nice and light. And also, so funny but somehow I wound up on your mailing list twice so I get double emails every time you post! (I’m not complaining! Double the reminders of yummy foods I want to make.) Happy Monday! xo
This looks great! The cashew cream is a great idea and a fun alternative to the usual coconut milk. For people who do choose dairy, kefir works really well too.
Thank you for sharing!
How many servings is the nutrition facts based on, and which type of milk is used in the calculation? I have not really jumped on the chia-wagon since I find they yield a hefty dose of calories for a very small volume of food, and thus, they don’t fill me up… and not a big fan of the slippery texture. Doesn’t gross me out, but just doesn’t satisfy me…. I could make a bowl of oatmeal for twice the volume at the same calories!
Have you tried mixing the chia seeds with almond milk? I use Almond Breeze, which only has around 40 calories per cup. The chia seeds are around 70 calories per 2 tablespoons. You could also try blending the chia seeds up with the mixture after it has set? That should grind the seeds up and make it less ‘slippery’. I do this sometimes for a smoother texture. I’ve only tried it in my Vitamix, so not sure how it would work in a normal blender?
Yummy! This will be my breakfast tomorrow! 🙂