Pudding really isn’t my thing. Or so I thought until I started playing around with chia seed puddings. These three chia seed puddings – chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla – will provide an excellent starting point to experimenting with the whole range of possibilities in the chia seed pudding world! You can layer them with fruits, yogurt, nuts, peanut butter, granola, or whatever else your heart desires (and your pantry provides).
In order to understand why I was so doubtful about chia seed pudding, you must understand a key thing about me. I love almost all foods except for a couple very specific things, one of which is oatmeal. I just cannot bring myself to eat more than two bites of oatmeal before my body and mind says “STOP IT.” It’s a texture thing. And pudding is dangerously close to oatmeal. On the other end of the spectrum is chocolate. I love chocolate. So, what better way to ease myself into the chia pudding craze than with chocolate chia seed pudding? And then I layered it with peanut butter and bananas to distract myself from the fact that there was pudding. It totally worked. I ate it all and wanted more.
Next came the strawberry chia seed pudding. I thought why only layer the chia seeding pudding with fruit when the fruit could be in the pudding. I threw a couple strawberries into the blender with some almond milk, which formed the base for the pudding. I didn’t even need to add anything else to this one!
Then came the vanilla chia seed pudding. By the third pudding, I really needed to mix it up. So this one was layered with honey greek yogurt. Yum. The chia seed pudding and yogurt became one magical union. Apple chunks gave it a little crunch.
Besides making tasty treats, chia seeds are a great source of fiber, omega-3, and protein. I love enjoying my chia seed pudding as a post-workout snack, an alternative to ice cream in the evenings as dessert, or as a grab-and-go breakfast. These puddings will leave you feeling full, satisfied, and happy that you treated your body well. Enjoy!
P.S. I’m eating more chia seed pudding as I write this 🙂
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 Tbsp. chia seeds
- 1 tsp. sweetener (honey, agave, maple syrup, or 1 packet of stevia)
- Chocolate chia seed pudding: In a jar, mix the basic chia seed pudding ingredients (almond milk, chia seeds, and sweetener) with 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder . Shake, shake, shake it up. Place the jar in the fridge overnight. In the morning, layer the chocolate chia seed pudding with a thin layer of peanut butter and banana slices. Add a dollop of peanut butter on top!
- Strawberry chia seed pudding: In a blender, combine almond milk and sweetener with 3 large fresh or frozen strawberries . Pour the strawberry milk into a jar and add the chia seeds. Shake, shake, shake it up. Place in the fridge overnight and enjoy in the morning!
- Vanilla chia seed pudding: In a jar, add basic chia seed pudding ingredients (almond milk, chia seeds, and sweetener) along with 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract. Shake, shake, shake it up. Place in fridge overnight. In the morning, layer chia seed pudding with honey greek yogurt and a layer of diced apples. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon on top, or a drizzle of honey!
- Chia seed pudding should be refridgerated for at least 6 hours to set. Keep in the fridge up to 24 hours, but it will start to separate if left longer.
- Get creative! Let me know your favorite chia seed pudding parfait recipes.