Chia pudding is an easy make-ahead breakfast that you can stir together in just minutes. It’s a great alternative to a bowl of oatmeal, and will keep you feeling full for hours!
Similar to overnight oats, chia seed pudding requires just a few simple ingredients that you can stir together quickly. There’s no cooking required, and it’s perfect for meal prep, if you want to make several jars at the same time.
I’ve included 6 easy flavors below, so you can enjoy different variations throughout the week.
Chocolate Chia Pudding and Pumpkin Chia Pudding are two more healthy chia pudding recipes to try, especially if you’re getting used to the flavor of chia seeds. They taste like dessert!
Why You’ll Love Chia Seeds
• They are a great source of fiber. One ounce of chia seeds contains nearly 10 grams of fiber, and most of that is soluble fiber, which can help keep you feeling full.
• They contain omega-3 fatty acids. Chia seeds contain alpha linolenic acid, which has been linked to a lowering risk factors for heart disease.
• They are gluten-free. This is any easy breakfast for anyone following a gluten-free diet. When you use a non-dairy milk to make it, this recipe is also dairy-free and vegan.
• They may improve blood sugar levels. Animal studies suggest that eating chia seeds may help to improve insulin sensitivity.
• They are high in antioxidants. This includes quercetin and kaempferol, which may help to neutralize free radicals.
• They contain plant-based protein. Chia seeds have a 20% protein content, which is higher than what is found in cereal grains, like oats and barey.
How to Make Chia Pudding
1. Mix.
To make chia pudding, you’ll whisk together chia seeds, milk, and your favorite sweetener, like maple syrup or honey. I tend to use almond milk for this, but oat milk, soy milk, hemp milk, or most any other variety of milk will work just fine!
I would caution against using full fat canned coconut milk, however, as it thickens up too much when chilled.
What’s the proper ratio of chia seeds to liquid?
I find that 1 tablespoon of chia seeds requires a 1/4 cup milk. For a filling breakfast, I recommend using 3 tablespoons of chia seeds to 3/4 cup milk. You can always add more liquid later, if needed, to thin out the pudding.
For a more snack-size portion, use just 2 tablespoons of chia seeds mixed with a 1/2 cup milk.
I find a whisk is helpful for breaking up any clumps in the chia pudding, but you can also prepare this in a mason jar with a secure lid, and shake well to combine the ingredients.
2. Add toppings.
Customize each jar you make with a different topping or flavor. Check out the 6 ideas below, if you want to change up the flavors each day.
Feel free to double or triple the recipe, to make as many flavors as you’ll consume in the next 4 days.
3. Chill.
Once you’ve mixed the chia pudding together, secure a lid on each serving and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to enjoy it. It takes roughly 30 minutes for the chia pudding to thicken up, but you can store it for up to 5 days in the fridge, if you’d like to make several jars in advance.
You can even store chia pudding in the freezer, if you want to make more! Simply place a jar in the fridge overnight to thaw, before you plan on enjoying it.
Chia Seed Pudding Flavors
Try one of these easy variations, to change up your week.
Start with this base recipe:
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 3/4 cup milk of choice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, or other sweetener
Then add in any extras below, to change it up!
1. Chocolate Peanut Butter
To the base recipe add:
- 1 tablespoon cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
Whisk well; the cacao powder will eventually blend in as you stir. For this variation, you may want to add an extra 1/2 tablespoon of maple syrup, to help counteract the bitterness of the chocolate. Garnish with a few chocolate chips, if you like.
You can swap the peanut butter for almond butter, cashew butter, or any other nut butter you prefer.
2. Lemon Blueberry
To the base recipe add:
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- the zest of half a lemon
Mix well, and then store the jar in the fridge. The blueberries will thaw overnight in the fridge.
3. Vanilla Chia Pudding
To the base recipe add:
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix well, and then add any toppings you love. This classic flavor is particularly nice with fresh strawberries, or frozen berries on top.
4. Carrot Cake
To the base recipe add:
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- Pinch of cloves
Just like carrot cake oatmeal, you can top this pudding with shredded coconut, walnuts, sliced pineapple, or any other additions you love.
5. Zucchini Bread
To the base recipe add:
- 1/2 cup shredded zucchini (no need to peel)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
Mix well, and add any toppings you enjoy, like chopped walnuts or pecans.
6. Peanut Butter & Jelly
To the base recipe add:
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1/2 cup frozen raspberries (or 1 tablespoon raspberry jam)
This combination is one of my favorites! The frozen raspberries will thaw overnight in the fridge, and add the perfect “jelly” flavor without added sugar. Or try using chia seed jam, which is fast to prepare and naturally sweetened, too.
The flavor ideas are endless! You can add in mashed banana for a “banana bread” flavor, pumpkin puree for a pumpkin flavor, or any other fresh or froze fruit you love.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does chia pudding taste like? Chia seeds have a relatively neutral, slightly earthy flavor. I find their crunch more noticable in this pudding recipe, almost like you’re eating tapioca pudding. When you add sweetener and a flavoring, like vanilla extract or fruit, the chia pudding taste is quite pleasant.
Can you blend it? If you don’t care for the texture of chia seeds, you can blend this pudding instead. Just add the ingredients to a blender, along with an extra 1/4 cup of liquid, to help with blending.
Keep in mind that blended chia seeds taste more bitter than whole chia seeds do, so you may need to add more sweetness to the blended version.
Chia Pudding
Equipment
Ingredients
Chia Pudding (Base Recipe)
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 3/4 cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Carrot Cake
- 1/2 cup shredded carrot
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons walnuts
- 2 tablespoons raisins
Chocolate Peanut Butter
- 1 tablespoon cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
Lemon Blueberry
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
PB&J
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
Zucchini Bread
- 1/2 cup shredded zucchini
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons walnuts
Vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the chia seed pudding base by combining the chia seeds, almond millk, and maple syrup in a small bowl or glass jar. (I recommend using a jar 14 ounces or larger.) Whisk well, to help prevent the chia seeds from clumping together.
- Add in one of the flavoring options listed above, for a flavored chia pudding. For example, to make the PB&J flavor, you'll add a tablespoon of peanut butter and a 1/2 cup of frozen raspberries to the jar. Whisk well again, then secure the lid and place the jar in the fridge.
- The chia seeds will gel together and thicken up in as little as 30 minutes, but you can let this sit overnight in the fridge for an easy make ahead breakfast. (The frozen fruit will thaw overnight, as well!) When you're ready to eat, remove the lid and give the chia seed pudding a stir. You can thin it out by adding additional liquid, if desired, or make it slightly sweeter by adding an extra splash of maple syrup.
- Chia seed pudding will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days, so feel free to double or triple this recipe to make several jars at once. You can also freeze chia seed pudding, for a longer shelf life. To thaw, place a frozen jar in the fridge the night before you plan on eating it.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this chia seed pudding recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it!
I just had this for the first time and love it!! I added a dash of nutmeg and am making a second batch already!:)
@Donna – I make a non wheat Malt-o-meal that’s great. I just cook up almond meal/flour with water on the stove the same as Malt-o-meal! I usually add some maple syrup and blueberries. I hope this helps.
For those of you trying to do low carb this is not for you. Looking up the carbs for the seeds and syrup it was 31 carbs. I was really disappointed as I was looking for a good breakfast and don’t like eggs.
Most of the carbs come from the maple syrup, substitute with stevia or another sugar substitute and these are the nutritional values:
214 calories
11.5g fat, 1g saturated
156.2mg sodium
15.6g carbs
11g fiber
NET Carbs = 4.6g
1.6g sugar
5g protein
Yum, this recipe is amazingly dreamy! It felt and smelled and tasted exactly the way I imagined it would upon looking at the pictures, and I love how the specks from the blended chia seeds resemble vanilla bean specks! The only change I made was to add a tiny sprinkle of pink Himalayan sea salt to mine before blending . . . oh so delicious! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
I just stirred up this chia pudding and can’t wait to try it tomorrow. It’s so easy. I love your recipes!
This was a “no go” for my son and I. We could not tolerate the texture, even Vitamixed. Barf
How bad is the maple syrup if you suspect you might have a candida-problem? I want to try this so bad! Hate doing my breakfast in the morning.
this recipe was awesome! I subbed agave for the maple and blended the ingredients with a frozen banana to thicken it up. I will definitely make this again.
hi,i have been using chia seeds for several months and i must say i am pleased to have been introduced to them
Thanks for sharing ! I made this today and it was delicious . I used almond vanilla and agave nectar .
I added frozen cherries and used almond extract instead of vanilla. Delicious!
Delish!!
I am so glad I found your site!!! I just made this and it is delicious. I used half coconut milk and half water and I didn’t blend mine. I think my kids and hubby will love this. I made a double batch for them to try when they get home.
Made it a few times and loved it. Never thought to blend first in vita mix. I will try that for sure.
This is such an awesome, easy breakfast. I have made this three times now and have experimented with a chocolate flavor. I also got my friends hooked on chia seeds because of this recipe. So good!
This is deliciious. Because I eat high fat, low carb, I switched the milk out with heavy cream and added sugar free syrup instead of regular syrup. It was heavenly but because of the cream, it was very rich so you couldn’t eat much at one time. That is okay though because I use it as dessert. The second time I made it, I put in stevia instead of syrup and it was equally as good. Love it with cinnamon sprinkled on top. I think it would be good with berries in it also.
Best recipe so far!!!! Delicious!!!
Love this recipe and found a modified one to this that may be more amazing!! Very similar but adding the banana first makes such a difference 🙂 Love all your recipes, hope you don’t mind me adding in this one!
It’s by Yum.Gluten Free Magazine:
hia seed breakfast pudding ( recipe from launch issue)
Serves 2
Ingredients:
I banana
¼ cup chia seeds (black or white)
I cup coconut milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
pinch cinnamon
Toppings:
You can vary the fresh fruit and combine with nuts and coconut. I used blueberries, strawberries, flaked almonds and toasted coconut
Method:
Mash the banana in a bowl. Add Chia seeds and cinnamon and then stir in the milk. Chill the bowl to let it set for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Divide between 2 bowls and add your choice of toppings.
Can you make this recipe using chia powder. Have a bag in my pantry and don’t know what to use it for? Any ideas?
I’m actually eating some right now! Made it last night before bed and it set perfectly. Topped it with sliced berries and bananas. YUM!
I just purchased my first bag of chia seeds today. I had a similar recipe chilling overnight in my fridge now, so hopefully it turns out well! I used two tablespoons of chia seeds, 3oz of chocolate almond milk, and 3oz of vanilla milk. Fingers crossed! I plan on adding some banana/other sweeteners come morning. The bag recommended this recipe so I played it safe.
Can’t wait to further experiment with chia!
What is the consistency of this? I’ve never blended my chia puddings before – does it still “set” the same? Thanks!
Yes, the chia seeds still “set” making for a thicker, gel-like pudding. It gets even thicker if you keep it in the fridge overnight!
If I heat this a little, ,not bring it to a boil of course, do you think it’lll destroy the omegas?
Seed oils are very susceptible to light, air, and heat, which is why most people recommend storing raw seeds and their oils in the fridge. I would assume that heat would damage the omegas, so for the best benefit I’d enjoy this raw– either chilled or at room temperature. The friction from blending might actually warm it up gently, too!
I love this recipe — have been using something similar to this for a while but using banana and no maple syrup. Now that the weather getting warmer, I like to put the mixture into a little container and freeze it for an hour, making a wonderful high-protein but sweet afternoon treat. Enjoy!
This sounds awesome! Thank you for sharing!
just to let you know I make this and blend a banana first then make it with almond milk and I absolutely love it…I will try the different ways that were suggested here….
Holy crap, thank you so much for posting this! It is gonna help me when I research Chia Seeds at the store! Awesome!
So, I read all about chia seed and the different pudding recipes. Lots of health benefits, but also some caution should be taken; I, as one with low blood pressure (but I am not on medication), would probably not eat this on a daily basis, or at least moderate how much I would consume. I also read some about possible link to prostate cancer? I went with this recipe as it was a good one to start out with as a one serving recipe. I did use coconut almond milk. Definitely different. Wouldn’t eat it alone. I am having mine right now with raspberries and strawberries. My husband had some this morning and liked the “crunchiness” to it. As for the “serves 1”, we can definitely makes this a four serving. I am interested in trying it with cocoa, and adding some coconut to it!!
This looks great. I’m starting to incorporate gelatin into my diet. Would that work with this? If so, how much should I add? I use Great Lakes. Thank you!
IHATED chia seed pudding the first time I tried it….but this one was delicious!
I’ve just made a batch of this for tomorrow morning’s breakfast using light soy milk as I didn’t have anything else. I tasted it and wow…all I could think of was ice cream! I will let you know how it goes as I’ve never made anything like this before. I may even try a few variations in the future if I really like it.
Thanks again for the great recipe!
The chia pudding I made was absolutely delicious. I whizzed chia seeds with low fat soy milk, pure maple syrup and vanilla essence (because its what I had)on hand. I’m not eating a lot these days as I’m recovering from an illness so I found half a cup of pudding topped with a handful of dried cranberries just the perfect size for breakfast.
Thanks again for a great recipe!
This looks delicious! Can I just stir the all the ingredients(whole chia seeds, etc) or do I have to blend the ingredients.
Thanks,Joyce
You can stir them together without using a blender, but you might want to try to use a whisk to help prevent the chia seeds from clumping together.
some chia seeds need to be rinsed really well if they have not been rinsed prior to packaging… they will be bitter if not rinsed… look on the box or bag for PRE RINSED.. or no rinsing needed…. use a very fine strainer and rinsed them swirling them around until the water runs very clear to remove the bitter coating.
I had never had chia pudding before but I’m so glad I was brave enough to try. I made it last night and had it for breakfast with a little of the pumpkin seed trail mix (recipe from your site). It was delicious! The only thing I did different was I didn’t put it in the blender and I used stevia to sweeten it. My husband liked it too. My daughter didn’t though. I think it was the texture of it. Next time I’ll blend it. Do you have any other variations/flavored I can try?
Can I heat them up or add hot milk/water to make a warm breakfast? I don’t like cold cereal. But I don’t now if you can heat up chia seeds.
Thank you! <3
Yes you can heat them up and make porridge
Chia is still new for me. Just wondering if chia powder works the same as the seeds. Thanks.
I tried this twice, blended the first time and I didn’t care for it that way. Today I tried it again not blended and without the vanilla and I added some old fashioned oats to it overnight. I loved it! Thank you for the recipe!!
I have been following your blog for 3 years now. My sister sent me your book and I am overjoyed creating new, simple recipes! Especially since I have a 1 year old. I just had this chia pudding for the first time and loved it. I have been an avid oatmeal person in the mornings, but am trying to give proper food combining a try! I topped my pudding with 1 tbsp. of almond butter, a handful of your Paleo crunch cereal, and one banana. Thank you for this recipe, and all the rest of your helpful nutrition information.
If I were to make this, how much and what type of Stevia could I substitute for the maple syrup?
I finally figured out how to make this perfectly (and so that my 5 year old and 3 year old eat it enthusiastically) … use half whole fat coconut milk and half water, blend with frozen bananas and add cinnamon. Thank you, Megan!
I’m so glad they both love it!
Replace the maple syrup with stevia or lakanto and you have a Body Ecology breakfast! This is so exciting. Thank-you so much for the recipe. I’ve been trying to find BED foods that I can enjoy for breakfast and I think I finally found one. Plus, it’ll help suppress the sugar cravings! I probably wont have such a stressful morning avoiding my beloved fruity pebbles now lol. Thanks again.
I add chia seeds to oats for ‘overnight oats’…love the texture they add. I may have to try this too! Looks delicious!
This is delicious! For those having a hard time blending, try using chia powder!
Just stuck this in the fridge for the morning! I used half a banana in place of the syrup and also threw in some protein powder. I’ve never blended it so I’m excited to try it!
For almond milk, I’ve been getting store-bought forever and recently tried making my own. The most cost effective (and great-tasting) version I’ve found is to blend 6 cups of water with 1/3 cup of natural almond butter. Throw in some cinnamon and honey and it tastes like the real thing (not as thick, however).
Thanks so much for the recipe!
I’m allergic to almonds- do you think this would work with another type of milk?
Yes, I think any milk will work in this recipe.
I tried the chia pudding, used a maple syrup awaken Farms no calories per a 1/4 of a cup. This pudding is delicious.
I wanted a thicker texture, so I did as the recipe suggests and mixed all the ingredients and let chill overnight. I used soy instead of almond milk and brown sugar instead of maple syrup. In the morning, it tasted good, but was way too runny, so I added about two tablespoons of tapioca starch and heated it on the stove in a saucepan constantly stirring over medium heat until it was the consistency I wanted and…. SHAZAM! It turned into an amazing tapioca pudding. 😁 I know I made a lot of changes, but I wouldn’t have known where to start without this recipe, so thank you thank you thank you for the new breakfast staple!
If you want to use chia powder instead of seeds, how much powder would the recipe require?
I never thought to put veggies in chia pudding. That is brilliant! I can’t wait to try these!