How to Make Chia Seed Pudding in three easy steps using three basic ingredients. Serve it up with fresh fruit, almond butter or peanut butter, and enjoy this healthy treat!
It’s time we high tail it back to the basics and learn how to make superfood, super delicious, super awesome-for-breakfast-OR-dessert chia seed pudding! In three easy steps!
When I posted my first chia seed pudding recipe back in 2013, I thought I was very late to the chia performance. But as it turns out, good food is timeless. This creamy pudding has maintained trendiness over the years and the biggest takeaway is delicious chia seed pudding is here to stay.
Although I’ve posted several chia seed recipes, I figured I would go way back to the basics.
In case this is your first time learning about chia pudding, here is the gist. Chia seeds are combined with any type of milk and allowed to sit overnight, similar to overnight oats. The end result is a thicker pudding with little bursts of gelatinous chia seeds with tapioca-like texture.
There are so many delicious ways you can enjoy this super food pudding. Fresh fruit, fruit puree, dark chocolate, coconut flakes, and nut butters are just the tip of the iceberg for serving options.
With a few simple steps, a few minutes of prep time and three basic ingredients, you’ll have a delicious breakfast with creamy texture.
Let’s discuss some fun facts about chia seeds.
Health Benefits of Chia Seeds:
- Full of antioxidants
- Great source of dietary fiber
- Contains plant-based protein
- Infused with calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium
- Full of Omega-3 fatty acids (healthy fats).
- Absorb 10 times their weight in liquid
- When soaked, chia seeds form a thick gel (pudding) with a texture similar to tapioca
- Can be used as a replacement for eggs in vegan cooking
- Gluten Free & Paleo-Friendly
With all those fun facts stated, there’s recent research that suggests all those nutrients wrapped up in chia seeds actually stay trapped inside chia seeds…like your body can’t put them to good use.
Chia seeds contain phytate, which is an antinutrient that hinders the absorption of minerals, and the gel that forms around chia seeds when they come in contact with liquid actually makes them near impossible to digest.
Does this sell you on chia seed pudding? Regardless of the nutrition debate, chia pudding is a healthier option than a pudding made using dairy milk, egg yolks, and cane sugar. And hot damn, it tastes good!
We need 3 basic ingredients to make this easy chia pudding recipe. Let’s discuss!
Ingredients for Chia Seed Pudding:
Milk: Any type of milk you like works here. Coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk, cow’s milk, goat milk, hemp milk, flax milk, cashew milk, oat milk, etc.
I often use unsweetened Almond Breeze Almondmilk. Do note that if you use a milk that doesn’t contain emulsifiers like non-dairy milk, there can be a tendency for the chia seeds to clump up.
Chia Seeds: White chia seeds or black chia seeds work equally well for creamy chia pudding! You only need a small amount of these little seeds to make a ton of pudding.
Sweetener: Liquid natural sweeteners are the easiest to work with for chia pudding. Pure maple syrup, agave, and honey taste great! Note: if you use honey, you may need to heat it slightly so that it incorporates into the pudding without clumping up.
In addition to the above ingredients, you need a sealable container with an air-tight lid. I like using a big mason jar.
For the best results, I recommend preparing the full recipe in a large container (like a bowl, tupperware container or large jar) first. After the pudding has finished thickening up, you can divide it between individual jars for a grab and go breakfast or snack.
Without further ado, here’s how to make chia seed pudding in 3 easy steps.
How To Make Chia Seed Pudding:
Step 1: Pour
Grab a jar and pour your milk and sweetener of choice into it, along with your chia seeds. I like adding the liquids first, because if you add the chia seeds first, they’ll clump up at the bottom of the jar and will be harder to mix.
I use 2½ cups of liquid (unsweetened almond milk and canned full-fat coconut milk are my favorite), ½ cup of chia seeds, and 3 tablespoons maple syrup or agave.
Step 2: Shake
Seal that jar tightly and shake it like a polaroid picture. Shake it like a shake weight. Shake it off, T. Swift. I mean, just shake the thing vigorously. Give it a good shake. But only after sealing that jar!
Step 3: Refrigerate
Place your jar in the refrigerator overnight. The longer you let the pudding sit, the thicker and creamier it will be, and the softer the chia seeds will be. If possible, give the pudding a good stir every few hours to ensure the chia seeds don’t clump together.
While you can enjoy the pudding after a few hours, I think it’s best to wait at least 12 hours.
Bonus Step: Devour!
Now comes the fun part! Once your pudding has set up the next day, you can enjoy it in so many different ways!
Fresh berries, sliced banana, a little extra milk, and a drizzle of honey is my favorite way to enjoy chia pudding. Pick your favorite fruit and additional favorite toppings!
Serving Ideas For Chia Pudding:
Fresh raw fruit: Bananas and blueberries are my favorite because they’re easy to find any time of year, and they’re hard to beat flavor-wise. I also love getting a little tropical when mangoes and pineapples are in season. Check out my Coconut Chia Seed Pudding with mango for example!
Raw nuts and seeds: While chia pudding already has wonderful poppy texture, I love adding raw nuts. Check out my Maple Walnut Chia Seed Pudding for example. Nuts bring extra texture and extra healthy fats to the treat.
Chocolate: For a chocolate pudding, you’ll need to take an extra step by heating the milk with cacao powder until it is dissolved. If you don’t heat the cocoa powder (or cacao powder) with milk first, it will only clump up and won’t become chocolate-y goodness. Check out my Vegan Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding for example!
Nut butters: similar to adding chocolate to your chia recipe, you’ll need to heat any nut butters (such as almond butter, cashew butter, peanut butter, etc.) with the milk so that it gets incorporated into the pudding without clumping. Unless you want clumps of chia seeds, which would be delicious, too.
Booze: Making a boozy syrup such as the cinnamon bourbon syrup from my Banana Walnut Waffles post will make an insanely flavorful adult treat. Simply follow the instructions for the boozy syrup from that post and add desired amount to your pudding.
Cooked fruit: If you’re familiar with making fruit compote, feel free to whip up some stewed fruit. As you know, I love adding stewed/cooked fruit to my pancakes. You can do the same with chia seed pudding! How about some warm spiced apples? Follow the instructions for the spiced apples from my Apple Cinnamon Pancakes post.
Sky’s the limit!
You can mix in a little fresh lemon zest or orange zest for some citrusy flavor.
And that’s it! Everything you need to know about making the best chia pudding!
Make a big batch for meal prep so that you can enjoy some as a healthy snack throughout the week. Experiment with all sorts of amazing flavors for the perfect healthy breakfast.
Shake up some chia seed pudding tonight and have it for breakfast AND dessert tomorrow!
Check out these additional healthy chia pudding recipes!
My Favorite Chia Seed Pudding Recipes!
- Maple Chia Pudding with Caramelized Figs
- Banana Bread Chia Pudding
- Blackberry Smoothie Chia Seed Pudding Parfaits
- Caramelized Pear Chia Seed Pudding
- Bananas Foster Chia Seed Pudding
Let me know what you put on top of your superfood pudding in the comments below!
Easy Chia Seed Pudding
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2½ cups unsweetened almond milk *
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup **
- 2/3 cup chia seeds white or black will work
Instructions
- Add the almond milk and pure maple syrup to a large sealable jar. Pour in the chia seeds. Seal the jar tightly, and shake vigorously until ingredients are well-combined.
- Place jar in the refrigerator overnight (or at least 4 hours). If possible, stir the pudding occasionally to ensure the chia seeds are distributed evenly throughout and to avoid clumping.
- Serve chia seed pudding with your favorite toppings, such as fresh fruit, chopped nuts, a drizzle of pure maple syrup, and a dollop of almond butter.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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“Without further adieu” should read “without further ado” no French required here 🙂
Does it always have to white chia..because i used black ones and there is not change in the milk..its still runny.Also does the milk need to be warmed up while adding the seeds?
Hi i just bumped imto tjis recipe, my issue is that my pudding ended up quite solid and not running/soft. I used coconut milk???
Hi Parisa,
I’m sorry the recipe didn’t turn out as expected! Have you tried adding more liquid to get it to soften up? I would recommend adding coconut milk or almond milk in small amounts until the pudding reaches your desired consistency. Hope you have a great weekend!
i tried to make this last night but the chia seeds did not absorb the liquid. i used whole black chia seeds from Sprouts Farmers market, Silk almond milk and agave. i put the mixture in a mason jar and left it in the fridge for about 10 hours. checked on it this morning and it looked just like it did last night when i made it. Help! what did i do wrong?
Hi Cristina, I’m sorry to hear your chia pudding didn’t work out! My best guess is it could be the chia seeds you used. I’ve never had issues with chia seeds plumping up, and getting all thick and gooey in liquid, so I imagine the seeds may have been expired 🙁 I use Bob’s Red Mill’s chia seeds for my puddings and they work like a charm! Let me know if you try the recipe again! xo
I actually have had this happen with new Chia seeds. They started to coagulate but seemed to just get stuck together, so they stopped being able to absorb more liquid. I just pulsed it all in my blender a couple times to loosen everything up without actually making the mixture smooth, and then let it sit overnight. It was great in the morning.
Great idea, Ashley! thanks so much for the input 😀
@Cristina, I have the same problem. I tried it twice thinking I did something wrong. My seeds are not expired (brand..simply nature),nor my almond milk. I will try as someone suggested to pulse it. I hope it works.
Hi MJ, I find it’s usually an issue with the type of milk rather than the seeds. Do you know what brand of milk you used?
Chia! I’m suffering with this ingredient. While it very healthy i can hardly cook a proper dish with it. Hopefully this chia pudding will be a new hope for me. Thank you for sharing it.
This looks amazing, i love all your recipes! What a clear post of Chia pudding, i too have seen it alot on the internet and its so good to read a simple post about how to make it! Please take a look at my blog. Love and light. Amy xxx
Thanks so much for your sweet note, Amy! 😀
So if you blend the chia seeds like you suggest in your whiskey chocolate chia pudding recipe, will that take care of the nutrient absorption quandary?
I eat chia pudding EVERY DAY. It’s my favorite breakfast! I do remember when it got popular a few years ago, but then kind of died down. I’m so glad it’s back again!
Me too. Gotta keep a good thing going, right?!
Great tutorial! I actually haven’t tried chia seed pudding yet, (crazy, I know!) I wasn’t sure I would like the texture but you have convinced me to give it a go! 🙂
I eat pretty much like this six days a week and the seventh day my lunch is a cheat meal to eat whatever I want. I also drink a gallon of water throughout the day and take both a multi-vitamin and fish oil. I followed also this http://wp.me/p5NIsT-14/ which is designed to do just that. Yeah, I done it. I love it when people that I haven’t seen for ages, don’t even recognize me.
My wife and I are making it a point to eat at least 1 Tablespoon of chia a day. She is prone to high cholesterol and after 2 weeks it is better already! Our ideal time to let sit is just an hour. We did an overnight but it seems to have more of a crunch after only an hour. We just add in some yogurt to balance the thickness. Amazing food that can really go on anything due to the lack of flavor. Mixing with some chopped fruit makes a quick fruit spread too for pancakes!
Alright, you sold me. where’s that first recipe you mentioned?
It was my Maple Walnut Chia Seed Pudding 😉 I stuck a link to it near the end of the post, but here she be!: https://www.theroastedroot.net/maple-walnut-chia-seed-pudding/
I appreciate your sharing the basics for proportions for chia puddings and the instructions for adding cocoa. I really like using chia (I make overnight oats all the time using chia), and agree that the sky is the limit for ways to do it. I would usually add some whey powder to get the nutritional profile to where I want it. I’ll definitely check out your other chia recipes, too.
I never thought to add whey powder, and whipping up overnight chia oats is brilliant! Thanks for the input – I’ll definitely be trying both! Hope you had a great weekend, Susan!
I definitely agree that some of us spend 98% of the time guided by a sweet tooth! This looks so easy and versatile – would love to try it out with some stewed rhubarb to get a bit of the ol’ sweet and bitter combo going!
Steph – http://nourishmeclean.blogspot.com
I have made chia pudding in the past and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. When I open the lid to eat it, there is a fishy smell. Do you experience this? Are my seeds old? I keep them in the refrigerator. Suggestions?
Hi Bob, I’ve never noticed a fishy smell with chia pudding. I wouldn’t think it would be your seeds, as I’ve kept chia seeds in the pantry for 2 years and haven’t experienced a smell. My only thought could be the pudding absorbed a scent from the jar you used? Jars I’ve used for pickling tend to keep a strong scent, so that would be my best guess. Hope this helps and have a great weekend!
go on this website you can find some delicious chia pudding recipes http://chiaseedsrecipes.net/
Pour, shake, refrigerate! LOVE how you simplified the magnificently trendy cha-cha-cha-chia pudding here. I could devour about three bowl fulls at this very moment!!