Chia Pudding

Chia pudding is easy and fun to make.  There is a multitude of varieties, colours and flavours  you can experiment with and it can be adjusted to suit many dietary needs, such as low calorie, high calorie, vegan, no added sugar and low fat.

Basic Instructions for making a chia pudding

Basically chia seeds work in puddings and desserts by turning gelatinous when they are soaked in a liquid.  Ground chia can also be used for thickening soups and stews, with the added bonus of being more nutritious than wheat or cornflour, and easier to use, although more expensive.

There are many ways and numerous ingredients you can use but the fundamental procedure is to take a deliciously tasting liquid and adding chia seeds to it - its that simple.

You will need approximately up to 5 tablespoons of chia seeds per 250ml of liquid

and this will vary according to how thick your liquid already is (thinking yoghurt or pureed fruit here) and how thick you want the result to be.

Do note however - if you don't like tapioca pudding because of the texture, you won't like chia pudding either

A few ideas for chia pudding

So, as I said above, to make a chia pudding you first need something tasty and liquid to add your chia seeds to

Here are some ideas:

Milky drinks

Plant based milky drink

Take some oats or nuts and soak them in water and then blend them. This is a far better way to make a chia pudding than with plant milks because you are eating the whole food with its fibre.

Yoghurt - and/or yoghurt  mixed with a little water or milk

Any chocolate drink

Fruit smoothies

Pureed fruit

Stewed and pureed fruit

I find that pureed and stewed fruit is better with some added water.  Apple gives by far the best texture and flavour.  Stew them with water and then blend, and if you use dessert apples, there really is no need to add sugar

Fruit juice can also be used if you like, but it is much healthier to have the whole fruit pureed.  In fact if you take some oats or nuts and soak them in water and then blend them, this again is a far better way to make a chia pudding than with plant milks because you are eating the whole food with its fibre.

Stewed apple makes an excellent base for a chia pudding and in my humble opinion its the best.  If you use dessert rather than cooking apples, you won't need to add any sugar.  I like to chop them and then cook them in the microwave oven with water before blending.  You can add to the mix any other fruits you fancy either stewed with the apple, or added whole or chopped after cooking

And finally - there's banana milk -and I don't mean flavoured sweetened cow's milk, but milk made from bananas - another super easy way to make a sweet chia pudding without adding sugar. but a banana chia pudding needs to be eaten quite soon before it turns brown from oxidation.  Although this is harmless and can be hidden by adding cocoa powder for a chocolate banana pudding

Banana Chia Pudding

Break up a banana and put it in a bowl with a little water

Blend the banana with the water

and make it up to roughly 1/4 pint or 120ml with extra water if needed

add about 3 tablespoons of chia seeds per 250 ml liquid

and mix them in well leaving them to swell up and become gelatinous. 

I also added a handful of frozen berries to mine

Layering your chia pudding

Make your pudding extra special by layering.  It's a bit much I think to have every layer containing chia, so make a choice.  you could add chia to creamy milky flavours and layer with colourful fruit purees, or try the other way round and make fruity chia layers alternating with yoghurts or other creamy stuff

you could also add some fruit sauce

Finds hundreds more ideas here 

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Please remember that the author of this website is not a professional.  All statements are opinions and not to be taken as advice.