I’ve gotten a lot of questions on Instagram about how to make chia pudding, so I thought I’d put my thoughts together here. Chia pudding is a great, filling breakfast or snack, especially now that the weather is warming up all over. Try making your own for a boost of antioxidants, fiber, calcium, and omega-3’s. This recipe great because it’s so customizable to anyone’s tastes, vegan (if you want it to be), gluten-free, and still so simple to make! Below find the recipe for one serving, but you can feel free to scale it up. I usually make a big batch at the beginning of the week, and aliquot it out as needed for breakfast or dessert.
Basic Chia Pudding Recipe
(Serves 1)
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 1 tbsp sweetener of choice (optional)
Instructions:
- Combine 3 tbsp chia seeds, 1 cup milk of choice, and 1 tbsp sweetener of choice (if using) making sure to break up any clumps of seeds.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 min, or overnight, and enjoy!
- For a smooth, not seedy consistency, you may also blend your chia pudding until smooth.
Now that’s a pretty boring recipe! The key to this is to spice it up with whatever you have on hand. Use different milks! Different toppings! Blend it together with brightly colored fruits and layer it in a jar. It’s a blank canvas, and a great excuse to eat all that summer time produce. Some milks and sweeteners I like to use are:
Milks:
- coconut milk (the most decadent)
- almond milk
- soy milk
- cashew milk
- skim milk
Sweeteners:
- agave nectar
- honey
- maple syrup
- turbinado sugar
Of course if the milk you’re using is already sweetened you’ll want to skip adding a sweetener on top. I like to mix full fat coconut milk 50/50 with unsweetened almond milk to combine the rich coconut flavor with a nice nuttiness.
I also like to mix in nuts, either chopped cashews or ground almonds, to boost the nutty-flavor while also helping the pudding consistency. If I’m using coconut milk I’ll also add fresh chopped coconut flesh, or chopped dried coconut flesh to boost the coconut flavor even more. I always eat my chia pudding with fruit, with summer almost here I’ll be enjoying it with a lot more fresh produce, but don’t let the expense or limited availability of produce stop you. Frozen berries can be layered just like fresh fruit and provide just as much flavor.
How do you enjoy your chia pudding? Let me know in the comments!
apriljackeats 