Have you ever tried making chia pudding? This post is teaching you how to make chia pudding and how to customize it 5 ways so you never get tired of this delicious breakfast or dessert recipe!
If you would have asked me a couple of years ago what I thought the holy grail of healthy living was I probably would have said “meal prep”, without skipping a beat. If you dig back into the THM archives, you’ll find weekend recaps of me sharing the vast spread of food I whipped up for the week and meal plan suggestions for my fellow 9-to-5ers.
These days, I still find myself doing the occasional meal prep, but nowhere near the level of intensity that it used to be.
So why the change? Good question.
I think my newer, less extreme, version of meal prep took over for two reasons: 1) I no longer work a 9-to-5 and have a lot more flexibility in my life and 2) I just simply found a lot less value in spending hours in the kitchen on Sunday when I could be out doing something else.
That’s not to say that I think meal prep is bad, I just think it should be stressed that that same version of it doesn’t work for everyone. What worked for me 4 years ago, no longer works in my life now. And what works for you may not work for me. I’ve always said I wanted this space to empower YOU to create your own version of health, and I love that I can be a resource in helping you figure out what this is.
So let’s chat what meal prep looks like in my life now. I recognize the privilege of being able to work from home and set my own schedule, but that has obviously changed the way I meal prep. These days, I usually think through what meals I want to make that week (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and put together a grocery list using Wunderlist. From there, I’ll decide where to grocery shop that week. These days it’s a lot of online shopping to grab staples like Silk Almond, peanut butter, bananas and oats.
Once the groceries arrive I unpack them and usually do things like wash and chop the fruit and any vegetables that I use for dipping (i.e. carrots and celery). I may whip up some balls or bars and lately I’ve been making a big batch of chia pudding to eat for dessert and sometimes for breakfast.
And that’s it!
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I honestly don’t spend more than maybe 20-30 mins meal prepping for the week. I like not having a lot of things prepared so that I can just go with the flow. I used to be so uptight about planning, so I find that I can be a lot more flexible, enjoy my life more AND eat well when I give myself more freedom with just a little bit of prep.
Chia pudding is one of the best ways to spend less than 5 minutes prepping and still have the benefit of having a delicious recipe ready to go whenever you want it. I like that it doubles as dessert and breakfast and that once you get the basic recipe down, the skies the limit!
The Basic Chia Pudding Recipe
The basic recipe is simple: 1 cup of Silk to a 1/4 cup of chia seeds.
You can swap in whichever flavor you want, add your toppings and really personalize your chia pudding to your liking. And whether you’re a 4 minute meal prepper or a 4-hour meal prepper, you will definitely love this tutorial on how to make chia pudding. I can’t wait to see your own creative versions of it!
Don’t forget to use the hashtag #thehealthymaven when sharing your creations on Facebook or Instagram!
PrintHealthy Chia Pudding – 5 Ways!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 3-4
Ingredients
Simple Vanilla Chia Pudding::
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 2 cups Silk Unsweetened Almond
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (more or less to taste)
- top with fresh berries
Chai Chia Pudding::
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 2 cups Silk Unsweetened Almond
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (more or less to taste)
- 1 tsp chai spice
- top with chopped nuts and more chai spice
Tropical Chia Pudding::
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 2 cups Silk Unsweetened Coconut
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (more or less to taste)
- top with pineapple, kiwi and shredded coconut
Salted Chocolate Chia Pudding::
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 2 cups Silk Chocolate Almond
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (more or less to taste)
- top with chocolate chips and sea salt
Chocolate Peanut Butter Chia Pudding::
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 2 cups Silk Chocolate Almond
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (more or less to taste)
- top with creamy peanut butter
Instructions
For All Chia Puddings:
- Add chia seeds, almond/chocolate almond/coconut milk, maple syrup and all other non-toppings to a large bowl and stir well to combine
- Cover bowl or place in a sealed container and let sit in refrigerator overnight, or for at least 8 hours
- Place desired serving in a bowl and top with specified toppings
- Will keep in refrigerator for up to one week
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post written on behalf of Silk. I was compensated for my time, however all opinions expressed are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make THM possible!
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19 Comments
Juliette | Namastay Traveling
September 15, 2017 at 6:59 amYum! I was on a chia pudding kick a couple years ago and kind of forgot about it. These are the perfect recipes to hop back on the chia seed bandwagon!
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
September 19, 2017 at 10:13 amAmazing! Can’t wait to see which one you make!
Carrie this fit chick
September 15, 2017 at 8:47 amWhile these all sound delicious, I can’t get over the jello style taste of chia pudding! I tried it once, but any texture that is kind of gel like doesn’t sit well with me. My boyfriend however, is a jello fan so he would love this kind of healthy treat!
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
September 19, 2017 at 10:12 amI should probably admit that my favorite dessert as a kid was Jello! I still love jello haha. So maybe that’s why I love chia pudding!
Alicia @Bridges Through Life
September 15, 2017 at 11:56 amI meal prep on the weekend. Honestly spending time in the kitchen is very therapeutic for me and since I don’t have much time during the week between work, weightlifting and yoga, I love having my meals ready to go. Since I only prep for myself, I usually make one main recipe as usually recipes serve 4 so there are 4 dinners. I like to leave one flexible dinner and if I go to yoga straight from work, I usually just have a smoothie for dinner that I prep the night before. I make my lunches (salads) the night before and breakfast I always make in the morning. Since I only prep dinner and occasional snacks, my meal prep only takes maybe an hour out of my weekend, so it’s not bad. I haven’t tried chia pudding, but I love putting chia seeds in my oatmeal in the morning. I love all the variety of recipes to get me started out.
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
September 19, 2017 at 10:13 amThat’s not bad at all! Sounds like you’ve got it down and if it’s beneficial to you, that is SO awesome!
Tracie
September 15, 2017 at 3:04 pmYum, the salted chocolate and chocolate peanut butter sound delicious! I’m like Carrie and find the texture a little off putting. I’ve started blending my chia puddings, and it really helps! And I’m the same with meal prepping. I like to be more flexible and have options, rather than feel like I HAVE to eat something just because I prepped it. I’ll make stuff like overnight oats, chia seed puddings, and homemade snacks sometimes, but I definitely like to go with the flow a little more.
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
September 19, 2017 at 9:58 amSo interesting!! I would have never thought to blend it, but that totally makes sense! I’m the exact same way, I might prep one or two things but I value flexibility 😉
Eme
September 16, 2017 at 1:51 pmThe chocolate peanut butter chia pudding sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing these recipes, I can’t wait to try them.
Eme x
http://www.peoniesandpassionfruit.com
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
September 19, 2017 at 9:46 amOf course! Enjoy, Eme!
Cara Fiano
September 18, 2017 at 2:49 pmI just made chai chia pudding the other day and topped it with unsweetened vanilla coconut yogurt, mixed berries, and a drizzle of honey. It was soooo good I felt like I was eating dessert for breakfast. I’m excited to try out your versions as well!
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
September 19, 2017 at 9:42 amWonderful! I’m so happy to hear that!
Michelle@NaturallyEverAfter
September 28, 2017 at 10:51 amOoh I can’t wait to try the Tropical Chia Pudding! These all look amazing. Have you ever added protein powder to chia pudding? I used to make chocolate chia pudding that way and it was pretty yummy!
Nancy
September 28, 2017 at 1:12 pmI’m allergic to almonds. What dairy free milk would you suggest to make chia pudding?
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
September 28, 2017 at 1:14 pmCoconut milk! It’s wonderful 🙂
Nancy
September 29, 2017 at 12:47 pmCanned or the beverage?
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
September 29, 2017 at 7:51 pmEither works!
Olivia Grace
April 27, 2018 at 7:19 pmOoooh, what chai spice do you use? Is there a recipe for it you recommend?
Tenessa
January 29, 2019 at 11:07 amAre these recipes FP?