Easy Chia Pudding
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Published Jan 30, 2024, Updated May 18, 2024
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This chia seed pudding recipe is the perfect breakfast or snack to meal prep for the week. It’s creamy, satisfying and loaded with protein and fiber.
If you haven’t tried chia seed pudding before, now is the time! It’s the perfect healthy breakfast or snack to meal prep for the week and it’s super easy to make.
There are a ton of chia seed recipes out there (and I have dozens posted here on EBF), but if you’re new to chia seeds, chia pudding is an awesome place to start because you’ll get a real sense of their absorption power, the gel-like texture chia seeds create and their ability to help keep you full.
Chia Seed Pudding Ingredients
To make chia seed pudding, you really only need two simple ingredients: chia seeds and milk, but there are some easy additions that will take the flavor up a notch.
- chia seeds – you can’t make chia pudding without chia seeds. Feel free to use white or black chia seeds, whichever variety you have on hand.
- milk – I like using non-dairy options like almond milk, oat milk or coconut milk, but any type of milk will work.
- maple syrup – I’m a big fan of adding a touch of sweetness with maple syrup, but honey is another great option. If you need a sugar-free option, just skip the sweeteners all together or use a sugar substitute like stevia or monk fruit.
- vanilla – this is optional, but I like adding a little vanilla for extra flavor.
How to Make Chia Pudding (2 Steps)
- The process of making chia pudding is so easy! The first step is to stir together your chia seeds and milk in a mason jar or bowl. I usually do 3-4 Tablespoons of chia seeds to 1 cup of liquid.
- Once the mixture is well combined, let it sit for 5 minutes, give it another stir/shake to break up any clumps of chia seeds, cover and put the mixture in the fridge to “set” for 1-2 hours or overnight.
Watch How to Make Chia Pudding
Chia Seed to Liquid Ratio for Chia Pudding
I’ve found the perfect chia pudding consistency is 3 or 4 Tablespoons of chia seeds to 1 cup of milk. I usually start with 3 Tablespoons of chia seeds to 1 cup of milk, but if you want a thicker pudding I recommend using 4 Tablespoons to 1 cup of milk.
The type of milk is up to you and will vary based on preference and dietary restrictions. I love using non-dairy milks like almond milk, oat milk and coconut milk. Unsweetened almond milk is the lowest in calories and sugar so if you want a simple, low calorie, low sugar chia pudding this is the best option to choose.
Full-fat canned coconut milk is great if you’re looking to increase the thickness and make a really filling breakfast, snack or dessert out of the chia pudding. It’s also a great option if you follow a low carb or keto diet.
How to Store and Meal Prep
Chia pudding is an awesome meal prep option because it will stay good in the fridge for 5-7 days. For meal prep, just place the pudding in airtight jars or meal prep containers and store in the fridge.
Chia Seed Pudding Troubleshooting
If you’re having trouble getting your chia pudding to set up or turn out correctly there could be a couple things going wrong. Here are a couple tips that might help!
- Make sure you’re using chia seeds and not some other type of seed! There are white and black chia seeds and both work for chia pudding, but no other seeds will work. Also, check that your chia seeds aren’t old and maybe try switching brands. I’ve heard complaints from several people that the Trader Joe’s chia seeds don’t absorb as much liquid as other brands. If you’re having trouble with chia seeds from Trader Joe’s, try buying another brand.
- Make sure you give your chia pudding a good stir about 5-10 minutes after you initially mix it together. This breaks up any clumps of seeds and helps ensure the mixture will set. If you don’t do this, sometimes all the chia seeds will clump at the bottom and you’ll be left with lots of liquid on top instead of a well combined, creamy pudding.
- If your chia pudding isn’t thick enough, just add more chia seeds to the mixture and let it sit a bit longer. You can also use a thicker milk. Full-fat canned coconut milk creates an ultra thick and creamy chia pudding.
- If you hate the texture of chia pudding, try blending it in a high powered blender like a Vitamix. Once blended, the mixture will be smooth and creamy like a regular pudding instead of a bit seedy like tapioca pudding.
Chia seeds have no flavor so the pudding will taste like whatever liquid and sweetener you’re using. If you want the pudding to have a bit of sweetness you can add sweet spices like cinnamon and cardamom, vanilla extract and your sweetener of choice.
The texture is similar to a thick, creamy tapioca pudding. If you’re looking for a smooth pudding texture you can blend the mixture in a high powdered blender until smooth. I do this for my chocolate chia mousse and my pumpkin pie chia mousse recipes.
The chia seeds start to absorb the liquid pretty quickly, but you do need to give the pudding a bit of time to build the gel-like consistency. I recommend 1-2 hours or overnight.
More Chia Pudding Recipes
- Chocolate Chia Pudding
- Strawberry Chia Pudding
- Pumpkin Chia Pudding
- Blueberry Chia Pudding
- Vanilla Chia Pudding
- Banana Chia Pudding
More Recipes with Chia Seeds
Love chia seeds? Be sure to check out all of my chia pudding recipes, as well as all of the chia seed recipes here on EBF.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Easy Chia Seed Pudding
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 cup almond milk
- ½ Tablespoon maple syrup, honey or sweetener of choice*
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- Toppings of choice: fresh berries or other fruit, granola, nut butter, etc
Instructions
- In a bowl or mason jar, stir together chia seeds, milk, maple syrup and vanilla, if using. If you’re using a mason jar, you can put the lid on and shake the mixture to combine everything.
- Once the chia pudding mixture is well combined, let it sit for 5 minutes, give it another stir/shake to break up any clumps of chia seeds, cover and put the mixture in the fridge to “set" for 1-2 hours or overnight. The chia pudding should be nice and thick, not liquidy. If it's not thick enough, just add more chia seeds (about 1 Tablespoon), stir and refrigerate for another 30 minutes or so.
- Chia pudding can be stored for up to 5-7 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
- Milk options: I like using almond milk, but whatever milk you have on hand will work. Dairy milk, almond milk or cashew milk will make a light, creamy chia pudding. Canned coconut milk will make for a rich and thick pudding.
- Low sugar: For a low-sugar version you can skip the sweetener or use a sugar substitute like monk fruit or stevia.
- Nutrition: Nutrition facts calculated with unsweetened almond milk and no toppings
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was so easy to make! Prepped it the night before and threw some berries on top on my way out the door. Remembered to pack a toothbrush for the chia seed smile after!
Yay! I am so glad that you found this recipe easy to make and delicious too! Thanks so much for your review & star rating, I appreciate it.
Good Evening!!
Just made a portion to have for breakfast tomorrow.
I will add fresh fruit to it then.
Good option for Diabetics as a snack or breakfast!!
Yay! Fresh fruit is such a great topping. I hope you love this recipe, Kerstin. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating. I so appreciate it.
Question just to be sure: if using a mixture to blend the chia seed versus leaving them whole, do you blend before or after they have soaked overnight? Thank you.
Hi Carol – You can blend them before putting them in the fridge to set. If you give this a try, I’d love to hear how it turns out.
Thank you for sharing this Chia Pudding, will love to try this one
I hope you enjoy this this recipe!
Hi! it’s strange i followed exactly the recipe and it’s soupy after over night in the fridge.
Hi Hillary – I am sorry to hear this recipe did not work out as you had hoped. I would recommend adding more chia seeds to the mixture. What type of milk did you use??
If the chia seeds are old it may stay soupy. It happened to me and once I bought a new batch it worked out fine.
AH, thank you for sharing, Ann!
Great recipe! As others have mentioned, it would have been helpful to know the serving size (ie 1 cup) but I was able to figure it out. The omega-3 benefits are amazing! This will be a staple in our home. Thank you!
Hi Renee – One serving is (1) 8oz jar (this recipe makes 2 jars). I am so glad that you are loving this recipe. Thank you so much for share your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
Gluten free and nut free here, so I use oat milk and top with blueberries and a little cinnamon. It’s chef’s kiss. Great recipe and so versatile! Thanks! 🙂
This is awesome! I am so excited to hear you are loving this recipe, Kaylee. Thank you so much for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
Serving information isn’t helpful. How much is a serving? 1 cup? 1.5. Have to divide it up on own to figure out so inconvenient. Also, the ads in this page will keep me from ever visiting this blog again, despite that the recipe was actually good. The ads are so distracting.
Hi Michelle – One serving is (1) 8oz jar (this recipe makes 2 jars). I am sorry that you ran into issues with the ads on our site. We will talk to our developer about this. Making our side user friendly is incredibly important to us. Hope you enjoy this recipe.
What is a serving for this calorie amount noted for nutrition facts?
Hi Jan – 1 serving has 170kcal. Enjoy!
Interesting…I have on my bag of chia seeds that 3 Tbsp equals 150 calories. So if there is 4 Tbsp it would be around 200 calories. Then add the 40 calories or so from the almond milk. May be more around 240 calories.
I added the ingredients to my fitness pal and 1/2 this recipe is 170 calories. I also saw the 2 jars in the picture so thought you meant this makes 2 servings per recipe batch.
Yes, this recipe makes 2 servings. The total calories for both servings is 340kcal. One serving is 170 calories. I hope this answers your question.
Is there anything you would suggest as a sweetener other than maple syrup?
Hi Linda – You could use honey or any other sweetener of choice! Enjoy!
loved this recipe. Quick, simple, and tasty!
YAY! I am happy to hear that you are loving this recipe, Mariah! Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!