How to Make the Easiest Chia Pudding

It should be no surprise that I love Chia Seeds! I mean, not only are Chia Seeds mini powerhouses, packing in more Calcium than Milk, more Antioxidants than Blueberries, and more Omega-3 than Salmon, they are also super versatile when it comes to how you eat them!

My favorite way? Chia Pudding! It’s the most decadent tasting dessert – and there’s literally no guilt to speak of! Oh, and did I mention that Chia Seeds also have abundance of Protein and Fiber, making them a one-stop-shop for all things good and healthy?!

With the uncanny ability to thicken and gel when added to a liquid, Chia Seeds really should be considered a household staple – whether you prefer to eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and/or dessert! Speaking of breakfast, I absolutely love having a container of Chia Pudding in the fridge so I can put some in a bowl, add in various toppings and mix-ins, and then have a tasty, simple and nutritious breakfast to enjoy at the drop of a hat!

So with all that said, I want to give you an easy version of my Chia Pudding Recipe, and then include some of my favorite mix-in ideas so you can literally have a different variety every day of the week – although you’ll only have to make the majority of it every 3 days or so (or maybe every other day if your kids are like mine and want to eat it multiple times throughout the day ;)!

The Easiest Chia Pudding Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups Dairy-free Milk of choice (I generally use Almond and/or Coconut Milk)
½ cup Chia Seeds
¼ cup Vanilla Protein Powder (I use this one, by Orgain: https://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&tag=heal0c6-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=c1eb639fb31cfb8af6b72e858969c915&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=grocery&keywords=Orgain%20Vegan%20Protein)
¼ cup Maple Syrup, or sweetener and amount of choice
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
½ tsp. Sea Salt

Directions:

For the traditional/whole-seed variety:

Blend all of your ingredients, except the Chia Seeds in a blender until smooth, and/or whisk them together with a fork.
Once thoroughly combined, whisk in the Chia Seeds.
Pour the mixture into a glass jar or container and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. (The longer you let them sit, the thicker and more pudding-like the consistency will get).
I like to take mine out every 5 minutes or so, and whisk it again, just to make sure everything gets thoroughly melded together and there aren’t clumps of Chia Seeds stuck together.
Enjoy!

If you prefer a smoother consistency:

Place all your ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 1-2 minutes until completely smooth.
As mentioned before, pour the mixture into a glass jar or container and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. (The longer you let them sit, the thicker and more pudding-like the consistency will get).
Or enjoy this way 🙂

Want to take it on-the-go?

This Chia Pudding can easily be put into sanitized baby food jars, small mason jars, or even squeezable pouches and can be eaten in the car or included in school lunches! The options truly are endless! (It can be pretty messy though when attached to clothing, fabrics, etc., so just keep that in mind).

NOTES:

My favorite thing about this recipe is that there are literally dozens of ways to customize it. Whether you want to switch up the flavor, texture, color, sweetener and/or nutritional profile – you can do anything with Chia Pudding! And as long as the mixes aren’t too funky, it’s practically impossible to mess it up!

Chia Seed Pudding Variations:

I like to add Cinnamon and Gelatinized Maca in mine (no matter what other additions I add), for a richer, caramel-like taste, as well as a good nutritional boost.
Use Stevia or a brand like Sweet Drops to replace the maple syrup and make this even lower in sugar (than it already is).
You could also easily substitute Dates or Banana in the blended version, or Honey in the whole chia seed version, for a different play on sweetness.

Toppings:

I top mine with everything from fresh fruit to nuts, seeds, coconut and pieces of bars (One of my favs: Square Organics – use my code healthyfitfabmoms for 20% OFF). https://www.squareorganics.com

Additional Mix-in Flavors:

Chocolate: Add ¼ cup Cacao Powder to the blended version of this recipe and/or add Chocolate Flavored Stevia.
Pinole: Add in ¼ cup of Pinole when blending the mixture (either with or without the Chia Seeds), together. Pinole has hints of Cacao, Cinnamon and Allspice – so it is a great complement to the other flavors already in this dish! (You can read MORE about Pinole here).
Strawberry: Add ½ cup fresh Strawberries to the blended recipe. Or, top with fresh Strawberries and just mix them in before serving.
PB&J: Add 3 Tablespoons each of Natural Peanut or Almond Butter and Jelly or Jam of choice. (Sunbutter is another favorite here!) Blend into recipe if using blended version. For Whole Chia Seed variation, blend the Peanut Butter and Jelly into the milk before mixing in the seeds.
Blue Majik: Add in ½-1 tsp. of Blue Majik to add a great nutritional boost and gorgeous blue color – my kids absolutely love this one!
Pecan Pie: Add ½ teaspoon of ground Cinnamon to the base recipe and an optional ½ teaspoon of Almond Extract. Mix ½ cup of chopped toasted Pecans into the finished pudding.
Matcha: Add 1 Tablespoon Matcha Green Tea Powder to the mix for a naturally bright green chia pudding.
Latte: Add in 2 Tablespoons of Cold Brew Coffee for an extra boost in the AM. My favorite: Kohana Coffee.
Chai: Add 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon and a pinch of Cardamon and Cloves for a Chai flavor.