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+ servings
A close up look at a cup filled with chia seed pudding topped with berries.
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5 from 1 vote

Vanilla Bean Chia Pudding

Master the basics of making chia pudding by understanding the ratio of chia seeds to liquid! Once you've made a Vanilla Bean Chia Pudding, get creative with additions, and make chocolate, lemon, mango or matcha chia pudding! Choose your favorite milk, sweetener, and toppings to suit your mood or nutritional needs.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time0 minutes
Chilling Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 5 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 147kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 cups milk almond, oat, coconut, or other milk of choice
  • 3 tablespoons sweetener honey, maple syrup, date syrup, coconut sugar, or monk fruit sweetener. Use stevia to taste.
  • 1 vanilla bean optional
  • 3/4 cup chia seeds

Topping Ideas

  • berries strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
  • fruit peaches, bananas, mango, etc.
  • nuts almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts
  • seeds pumpkin, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, etc.
  • nut butter almond, sunflower seed, or cashew butter
  • dark chocolate shaved or chopped

Instructions

  • Into a blender (or large mixing bowl), add milk of choice and sweetener. Add flavor additions if using (vanilla bean, vanilla extract, cacao powder, lemon juice, etc. See notes for amounts for flavorings.) Blend or whisk to fully combine.
  • Add the chia seeds, and pulse to combine (or whisk to combine). Allow the chia seeds to absorb liquid for about 10 minutes, then pulse or whisk again to mix the seeds throughout the milk. Repeat this process 3-4 times, until the seeds stay suspended in the liquid rather than sinking. This prevents the seeds from clumping and creates a more uniform/creamy pudding.
  • Allow the chia pudding to set by refrigerating it for at least 4 hours or longer. This allows the seeds to fully absorb the liquid and will take away the slight "crunchy" texture. Stir if the seeds settle.
  • If the pudding it too thick, thin it by adding about 1/4 cup more milk, and stirring well. If it's too thin, add about 1-2 tablespoons more seeds, and stir well to combine, then allow time for the seeds to absorb milk.

Video

Notes

*Nutrition facts are for a basic pudding using monk fruit sweetener and unsweetened almond milk.

Coconut Milk Chia Seed Pudding

If you like a rich, dessert-like pudding, use coconut milk as the milk in your pudding! I recommend buying Thai coconut milk in a paper carton, which is a lot sweetener than the canned coconut milk in grocery stores in North America.
  • 3 cups Coconut Milk (or make it less rich by using 1 1/2 cups coconut milk and 1 1/2 cups almond milk)
  • 3 tablespoons Sweetener (maple syrup, honey, or monk fruit sweetener)
  • 3/4 cup Chia Seeds
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla, or a vanilla bean
*Note: Coconut milk does not stay fresh for as long as almond milk. Consume Coconut Chia Pudding in 2-3 days.

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

  • 3 cups Almond Milk (or make more rich & creamy by using 1 1/2 cups coconut milk and 1 1/2 cups almond milk)
  • 1/4 cup Sweetener (maple syrup, honey, or monk fruit sweetener)
  • 1/4 cup Cacao Powder (or natural cocoa powder)
  • 2 teaspoons Vanilla (or use a vanilla bean)
  • 3/4 cup Chia Seeds

Berry Chia Seed Pudding

3 cups Almond Milk (can sub oat milk, or 1 1/2 cups almond milk + 1 1/2 cups coconut milk)
3 tablespoons Sweetener (maple syrup, honey, or monk fruit sweetener)
1 cup Berries (fresh or frozen blueberries, strawberries, raspberries or blackberries.)
2 teaspoons Vanilla (or use a vanilla bean)
3/4 cup Chia Seeds

Mango Chia Seed Pudding

2 cups Almond Milk (can sub oat milk, or 1 1/2 cups almond milk + 1 1/2 cups coconut milk)
2 tablespoons Sweetener (can omit based on taste, or use maple syrup, honey, or monk fruit sweetener)
2 cup Mango (fresh or frozen)
3/4 cup Chia Seeds

Banana Chia Seed Pudding

2 cups Almond Milk (can sub oat milk, or 1 1/2 cups almond milk + 1 1/2 cups coconut milk)
Sweetener, to taste (can omit based on taste, or use maple syrup, honey, or monk fruit sweetener)
2 Bananas
3/4 cup Chia Seeds

Matcha Chia Seed Pudding

3 cups Almond Milk (can sub oat milk, or 1 1/2 cups almond milk + 1 1/2 cups coconut milk)
3 tablespoons Sweetener (maple syrup, honey, or monk fruit sweetener)
3 teaspoons Matcha powder (mix Matcha with 1/4 cup almond milk using a hand blender prior to mixing with other ingredients to remove clumps.)
2 teaspoons Vanilla (or use a vanilla bean)
3/4 cup Chia Seeds

Nutrition

Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 199mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 14IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 341mg | Iron: 2mg