Chia seed pudding is one of my favorite things to make for breakfast or to have as a snack because it’s nutrient-dense, simple, unprocessed, and it only takes a few minutes to make. If you can remember to prepare it the night before, breakfast will be ready-to-eat in the morning.
When you hear the word chia you may hear this little tune in your head “cha cha cha chia.” But when you were spreading chia seeds on your chia pet did you ever think that those little black seeds might be super healthy for you?
Chia seeds are amazing little seeds, packed with nutrients, high in omega 3 fatty acids, rich in fiber, and they form a gel when soaked in water, which is great for making puddings or using as a replacement for eggs in recipes.
Read how to use chia seeds to replace eggs –> Chia seeds to replace eggs in desserts
In your body, chia seed gel slows the breakdown of carbohydrates into simple sugars and helps to slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream. Promising research shows that this may help some people with diabetes control their blood sugar. Makes total sense if the gel is acting to slow down the breakdown of carbohydrates and the slow the release of sugar into the blood.
There are a ton of variations for making chia seed pudding. Just type in “chia seed pudding” on google and you’ll see. I stick to using a 1:4 ratio of chia seeds to vanilla almond milk.
Makes 1-2 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup vanilla almond milk
1/2 banana, mashed
1 tbsp. nut butter (I used peanut butter)
cinnamon
Simply combine the chia seeds, almond milk, peanut butter and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Mash 1/2 of a banana and stir it into the chia seed mixture.
Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes. Give it a good stir and then let sit for an additional 10 minutes (this is why it’s convenient to make the night before!). You’ll notice that the chia seeds will form a gel.
Enjoy!
If you haven’t entered the Simply Sugar & Gluten Free cookbook giveaway click here –> Simply Sugar & Gluten Free Giveaway, ends 6/17/11.
Have you had chia seed pudding before? If so, how do you prepare it?
♥ Lisa @ Healthful Sense
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Tweet from @VeggieNextDoor about the chia pudding!!
Just made @HealthfulSense‘s Chia Pudding for my whole family and it got “Mmmms” all around – even from the picky eaters! http://t.co/fZA9NDX
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Tags: almond milk, Amazon, breakfast, chia seeds, dessert, diabetes, gluten-free, protein, recipe, snack, vegan
I’ve been eating chia pudding non-stop lately. Maybe because it’s so hot and I am craving the hydration-factor?
The cool thing is that you can put any fruit in it to change up the flavors! The best one I’ve made so far has been with a mushed up peach instead of the banana and cinnamon.
Yuuum! That sounds really good!
I’ve never tried chia seeds as they’re not readily available in the UK. What are they like?
Hi Maria! They are tiny seeds with not much of any flavor. They remind me of poppy seeds. Soaked in water they form a plain, unflavored gel.
Can you believe I have never tried this!? I need to get with the program!
looks good must confess never tried it thanks for kind words on ebook hugs Rebecca
chia is SO amazing. I think I need to try another chia pudding recipe. I’ve tried it once and was really turned off. It was just so slimy! I like to add granola to chia pudding to help lessen the sliminess haha
It is slimy but I kinda like it … weird huh?! Maybe adding some oats to the pudding would help. Sounds good
Got these questions from Cherie on facebook and thought it would be beneficial to post the answers here:
“Lisa..If I put oatmeal bran from TJ’s in my shake is it the same as eating oatmeal and if so how much should i put in…I Also put Chia Seeds in, how much of that a day do I need to be effective…last thing is ground flaxseed or flaxseed oil better for you…”
Hi Cherie. Oatbran is the edible outer layer of the oat grain and is very high in fiber. Oatmeal is the whole oat. If you compare the two (same volume), oatbran is higher in fiber and protein. Whole grain Oatmeal is going to have nutrients that are not in oatbran because oatmeal is the “whole oat grain.” Both are very healthy. I would continue to use oatbran in shakes because of the smooth texture.
1-2 tbsp. of chia seeds per day is a common amount when used as a supplement.
Both ground flax seed and flax oil contain omega 3′s but the oil doesn’t have the fiber that the seeds have.
I have been curious about chia pudding, will give this a whirl. Thank you for the recipe.
Let me know how you like it!!
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Bought my first bag of chia seeds yesterday… now just figuring out first thing to use them in. You were my inspiration to purchase
Awwwww! That is awesome Regan. They are so versatile. Besides making pudding you can add them to almost anything.
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I love my chia seed pudding. I eat it every day religiously. My problem is that every time I make it I end up with clumps. I put the almond milk in a mason jar and then add the seeds and stir immediately. Then I will continue to shake the mason jar periodically for the next 15 minutes or so. The next day I open it to enjoy and there are always several clumps
Do you have any advice?
Hi Kelly! The best advice I can give you is to keep stirring and make sure all the chia seeds are coated with almond milk (they tend to float). About 10-15 minutes into soaking them in almond milk stir them really good, pushing the ones that float down into the almond milk. Then wait 10 minutes and stir again. Hopefully there won’t be clumps after that.
I saw this recipe in your guest post on fitness health and food and couldn’t wait to try it! Now It’s definitely a new favorite of mine! I was sulking the past few days bc we are all out of bananas so I couldn’t make more.
Yea!!! That’s awesome. It’s a fav of mine too. You can’t go wrong. Delicious and healthy!! I hate it too when I run out of nanas!
Great recipe! I love chia seeds but I only use them in my smoothies. Gonna definitely try this.
I recently wrote an article on the health benefits of chia seeds, check it out and let me know what do you think about it, I would really appreciate it!
http://www.theironyou.com/2011.....rfood.html
Peace
Mike @TheIronYou
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This recipe sounds AWESOME!!! I have come to love raw Chia seed pudding, but have not tried adding the banana…….. Thanks for sharing!
Welcome =) The banana is a perfect natural sweetener for the pudding! Love it!
Hi Maria! Delicious and healthy!! chia is SO amazing.
I used coconut milk instead of almond milk. I might add some honey next time. Delish! Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome =) I have yet to try coconut milk in the chia pudding… sounds delish =)
I like chia with oatmeal and blueberries or blackberries. Blueberries are my favorite though.
I just mix half a cup of quick oats, hot water, and 2 Tablespoons of chia seed. I usually use some sweetner in it too. It’s been an every day breakfast for three weeks and I’ve lost 12 lbs so far. I’ve also been using portion control and cutting out junk food. I’m feeling great.
Congratulations =)
That’s great!!
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