dessert paleo pudding snacks vegan

5 Healthy Chia Pudding Recipes

January 5, 2023

Have you ever tried making chia pudding? This post is teaching you how to make chia pudding and how to customize it with 5 healthy recipes so you never get tired of this delicious breakfast or dessert recipe! A delicious gluten-free snack as well!

Have you ever tried making chia pudding? This post is teaching you my basic healthy chia pudding recipe and how to customize it 5 ways so you never get tired of this healthy breakfast or dessert recipe!

I feel like chia seeds get a bad rap. I know they get stuck on your teeth but otherwise they make for a pretty amazing base for so many delicious recipes! They’re an incredible source of fiber, protein, healthy fats (including omega-3s!) and when used in chia pudding they make for the perfect snack or breakfast (or even dessert!).

It’s all about knowing how to get the right balance of chia seeds to liquid and then toppings in order the perfect your chia seed perfect. I’m here to teach you how to make chia pudding so you can master the texture and consistency and start experimenting with your own flavors!

The Basic Chia Pudding Recipe

The basic recipe is simple: 1 cup of almond milk to a 1/4 cup of chia seeds.

That’s it! Now you’ll want to add some kind of sweetener (honey, maple syrup etc..) if your milk isn’t sweetened but making chia pudding really is that simple.

That being said, you’ll probably want to get a bit more creative with your toppings and mixings so you don’t get bored. Here are some great 5 easy and healthy chia pudding recipes…

Healthy Chia Pudding Recipes:

Simple Vanilla Chia Pudding:

  • 1/2 cup chia seeds
  • 2 cups almond milk
  • 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 unsweetened almond milk
  • 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 coconut milk
  • 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 chocolate almond milk
  • 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 chocolate almond milk
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup (more or less to taste)
  • top with creamy peanut butter

How to Make Chia Pudding

Making chia pudding is fairly simple and can be done in two easy steps:

STEP 1: Mix Chia Seeds + Milk

In a large bowl whisk chia seeds, milk and sweetener. Cover bowl or place in a large covered jar or mason jar and let sit overnight in the fridge or for at least 6 hours.

STEP 2: Add Toppings

Remove desired portion and top with toppings based off desired recipe. Enjoy!

Toppings for Chia Pudding

These guys 5 healthy chia pudding recipes are just a few ides but honestly, the toppings are endless. Here’s a few more ideas:

  • Spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger are all great. Check out this gingerbread chia pudding!
  • Fresh fruit – bananas, mango, or really any fresh fruit
  • Nut butter – peanut butter is great but you can really use any kind of nut butter e.g. almond butter, cashew butter etc…
  • Cocoa powder – if you don’t want to buy a whole carton of chocolate milk you can always add 1-2 tsp of cocoa powder to your recipe to give it a chocolatey taste.
  • Swap out milks – you can use dairy milk or non-dairy milks in all of these recipes. Great options include almond, coconut and oat milk or cashew milk! Regular whole milk works well too.

More Chia Pudding Recipes

Print

Healthy Chia Pudding

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!

  • Author: Davida Lederle
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 6 hours
  • Yield: 3-4 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Raw
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale

Simple Vanilla Chia Pudding:

  • 1/2 cup chia seeds
  • 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 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 unsweetened almond milk
  • 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 unsweetened coconut milk
  • 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 chocolate almond milk
  • 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 chocolate almond milk
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup (more or less to taste)
  • top with creamy peanut butter

Instructions

For All Chia Puddings:

  1. Add chia seeds, almond/chocolate almond/coconut milk, maple syrup and all other non-toppings to a large bowl and stir well to combine
  2. Cover bowl or place in a sealed container and let sit in refrigerator overnight, or for at least 8 hours
  3. Place desired serving in a bowl and top with specified toppings
  4. Will keep in refrigerator for up to one week

Keywords: chia pudding, how to make chia pudding, healthy chia pudding, chia pudding recipe

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  • Reply
    Karen
    March 29, 2021 at 5:21 am

    Would you mind sharing where the maple syrup fits in with THM? I love the idea because the Sweeteners hurt my tummy. Thank-you for the fabulous looking recipes.

  • Reply
    Tenessa
    January 29, 2019 at 11:07 am

    Are these recipes FP?

  • Reply
    Olivia Grace
    April 27, 2018 at 7:19 pm

    Ooooh, what chai spice do you use? Is there a recipe for it you recommend?

  • Reply
    Nancy
    September 29, 2017 at 12:47 pm

    Canned or the beverage?

    • Reply
      Davida @ The Healthy Maven
      September 29, 2017 at 7:51 pm

      Either works!

  • Reply
    Nancy
    September 28, 2017 at 1:12 pm

    I’m allergic to almonds. What dairy free milk would you suggest to make chia pudding?

    • Reply
      Davida @ The Healthy Maven
      September 28, 2017 at 1:14 pm

      Coconut milk! It’s wonderful 🙂

  • Reply
    [email protected]
    September 28, 2017 at 10:51 am

    Ooh 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!

  • Reply
    Cara Fiano
    September 18, 2017 at 2:49 pm

    I 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!

    • Reply
      Davida @ The Healthy Maven
      September 19, 2017 at 9:42 am

      Wonderful! I’m so happy to hear that!

  • Reply
    Eme
    September 16, 2017 at 1:51 pm

    The 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

    • Reply
      Davida @ The Healthy Maven
      September 19, 2017 at 9:46 am

      Of course! Enjoy, Eme!

  • Reply
    Tracie
    September 15, 2017 at 3:04 pm

    Yum, 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.

    • Reply
      Davida @ The Healthy Maven
      September 19, 2017 at 9:58 am

      So 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 😉

  • Reply
    Alicia @Bridges Through Life
    September 15, 2017 at 11:56 am

    I 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.

    • Reply
      Davida @ The Healthy Maven
      September 19, 2017 at 10:13 am

      That’s not bad at all! Sounds like you’ve got it down and if it’s beneficial to you, that is SO awesome!

  • Reply
    Carrie this fit chick
    September 15, 2017 at 8:47 am

    While 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!

    • Reply
      Davida @ The Healthy Maven
      September 19, 2017 at 10:12 am

      I 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!

  • Reply
    Juliette | Namastay Traveling
    September 15, 2017 at 6:59 am

    Yum! 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!

    • Reply
      Davida @ The Healthy Maven
      September 19, 2017 at 10:13 am

      Amazing! Can’t wait to see which one you make!

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