This easy chia seed pudding recipe is a perfect healthy breakfast or snack! It tastes like dessert, but it's filled with fiber, protein, and healthy fats.
Now that the weather’s warming up, this chia seed pudding recipe has become my go-to breakfast/afternoon snack. It’s cool, creamy, and lightly sweet, with warm depth of flavor from a pinch of cinnamon. Topped off with fresh fruit, homemade granola, and a drizzle of maple syrup, it tastes like dessert, but it’s packed with fiber, protein, and healthy fats.
Another reason I love this chia pudding? It’s super easy to make, and it keeps in the fridge for about 5 days. So if you’re a big fan of meal prepping, this recipe is for you. Make a batch of chia seed pudding on the weekend, and portion it into individual jars or containers. You’ll have a quick, healthy breakfast ready for every day of the week!
Chia Pudding Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy chia pudding recipe:
- Chia seeds, of course! I used white chia seeds on the day I took these photos, but black chia seeds will work here too.
- Almond milk – Or any milk you like! If I don’t have almond milk on hand, I often make this recipe with other non-dairy milks. Light coconut milk and oat milk are both great. Regular milk also works.
- Maple syrup – I mix some into the chia seed pudding to sweeten it naturally. When I eat, I drizzle more maple syrup on top!
- And cinnamon – For warm depth of flavor.
Optional, but delicious: Add a pinch of salt to make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Chia Pudding
This chia pudding recipe couldn’t be simpler to make! Here’s how it goes:
- First, combine the ingredients in lidded Mason jar. If you don’t have a jar, use another small airtight container, or whisk together the ingredients in a bowl.
- Next, shake! Secure the lid on the top of the jar, and vigorously shake to combine the ingredients.
- Then, chill. Pop the pudding in the fridge for a few hours.
- An hour or two later, stir. This step is crucial for breaking up any seed clumps within the pudding. If the chia seeds stay bunched together, they won’t absorb the liquid in the jar, making for a lumpy, crunchy chia seed pudding. No, thanks!
- Then, chill again. After stirring, cover the jar, and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Your chia seed pudding is ready to eat when it has a creamy, pudding-like texture. Just add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Troubleshooting
I find that a ratio of 2 tablespoons chia seeds to 1/2 cup almond milk yields a creamy texture that I love.
But on occasion, I hear from readers whose pudding hasn’t set up properly. Here are my best tips for making perfect chia seed pudding every time:
It’s important that you stir the chia pudding after it’s chilled for a few hours. By stirring it, you’ll break up any clumps of chia seeds in the milk or at the bottom of the jar. If the chia seeds are clumped, they won’t absorb as much liquid, which will result in a thinner pudding.
If your chia pudding is too thin after it chills overnight, add more chia seeds, stir well, and chill it for another few hours. The extra chia seeds will absorb the excess liquid.
Chia Seed Pudding Serving Suggestions
On its own, chia pudding is creamy, rich, and lightly sweet. But let’s be honest: the best part of any chia seed pudding recipe is the toppings! Here are some of my favorites:
- Fresh fruit. I love piling berries and tart cherries on chia seed pudding. Use fresh ones in the summer and thawed frozen ones for the rest of the year.
- Something crunchy, like coconut flakes, chopped nuts, or homemade granola.
- Something sweet. Add an extra drizzle of maple syrup or honey. Chocolate chips are delicious too!
Load up your chia seed pudding for a healthy breakfast or snack! If you’re meal prepping this chia pudding recipe, wait to add the toppings until right before you eat.
How to Store
Store chia pudding in a covered jar or other airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If the pudding becomes too thick, loosen it with a little extra milk before adding your desired toppings and digging in.
Tip:Â Scale up this recipe if you’re making it for meal prep!
What are the best chia pudding jars?
I love using these small clear jars from Le Parfait for chilling and storing chia seed pudding. They come in a pack of 6 and have a cute and minimalist design. The airtight jars have an 11-ounce capacity, which leaves plenty of space for toppings like granola and fresh fruit.
More Favorite Breakfast and Snack Recipes
If you love this chia pudding recipe, try one of these yummy breakfasts or snacks next:
- Overnight Oats
- Strawberry Muffins
- Healthy Banana Muffins
- Carrot Cake Cookies
- Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
- Or any of these 60 Healthy Breakfast Ideas or 49 Best Healthy Snacks!
Chia Seed Pudding
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup
- â…› teaspoon cinnamon
Optional toppings
- Tart cherries
- Blueberries
- Chopped nuts or granola
- Coconut flakes
- Maple syrup
Instructions
- In a lidded jar, combine the almond milk, chia seeds, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Cover and shake to combine. Chill for a few hours, then give it a good stir to loosen any clumps. Continue chilling for 8 hours or overnight for the pudding to set.
- Serve with toppings like fruit, nuts, coconut flakes, and maple syrup as desired.
Beautiful texture but such a light/bland flavor that it just felt like a vehicle for the toppings, even after adding vanilla and honey. I’m a “BIG flavors” type of girl so I might experiment with adding more flavor – maybe cardamom and rosewater or lemon extract.
Chia seeds are full of nutrients, which is beneficial for both men and women. For further nutritional facts, you can reach out to theseedsinfo.com
There is something wrong with this recipe. I accidentally made this recipe, which is not my normal go to. This one is way too runny. The measurements are incorrect. Boo. Waste of ingredients.
Like others have said, there is an error in the recipe. It doesn’t set properly, as the ratio of chia seeds to liquid is wrong. The taste is nice though, if you can fix the ratio issue!
would oat milk work?
Can regular while milk be used in place of the coconut/ almond?
I LOVE this and have made it a few times now, thank you! Perfect summer breakfast!
There is an error in the recipe. It should only be 1.5 cups of coconut milk/almond milk. Because there is too much milk it didn’t set properly.
Hi Mary, sorry to hear you weren’t happy with the pudding consistency! We’ve never had an issue with it not setting up using these ratios, but if you’d like to make yours thicker at this point, you could stir in more chia seeds and let it chill longer. Hope this helps!
Absolutely divine and simple to make.
So glad you loved it, Yvette!
Can’t wait to try this recipe. I have made your brownies 3 or 4 times now and I won’t be going and to boxed anytime soon
Ha, I’m so glad you’ve loved the brownies!
It sounds interesting. I’m gonna try it!
Didn’t set.
For me either. Any tips, anyone? It’s just basically milk with chia seeds in it. Not what I was going for.
The photo and equipment list indicates individual serving jars but your recipe calls for preparing in a large jar. Do you transfer to individual jars after setting or can you divide before the setting process?
Hi Catherine, I transfer into smaller jars after setting – it’s easiest to do the second stir in a large batch.
Thank you for the quick response! Can’t wait to try your recipe.
I’ve got a dumb question. Are you using canned light coconut milk or in a carton?
Canned light coconut milk – but coconut milk in a carton will work fine too.
Excited to try this! Can I use full fat coconut milk?
Hi Kristen, I’ve never tried this recipe with full-fat coconut milk, but I think it would work! You may want to thin the milk with a little water so that it doesn’t get too thick as it chills.
While the flavour was amazing, ours was runny still in the morning? We used unsweetened coconut milk. Did everything as instructed. Not sure why it’s not the pudding thickness we’re used to?
Hi Diane, hmm, maybe our milk was thicker. If you stir in a little more chia (and let it sit), it’ll thicken up.
I make a recipe similar to this using a block of drained tofu and adding a few squares of melted dark chocolate. I process it till smooth. That should thicken it for you and it makes bland but nutritious tofu taste good. You can still add the ingredients from this recipe.
I see that this recipe has 3-4 servings, what is the serving size measurement? 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup?
Hi Addie, it’s roughly 1/2 cup if 4 servings.
Thank you
This is my new go-to recipe. It’s unbelievable!! Topped with a rhubarb & berry compote I made – highly recommend
Hi Jacqueline, I’m so glad you love the recipe! It would be SO good with the rhubarb compote.
This is my go-to recipe. After sitting overnight, it is the perfect consistency…just trust the process… don’t forget to stir after a couple of hours. I make after dinner, then stir before bed, and it’s ready for breakfast.
Its my opinion that you need 8 tablespoons of chia seeds to achieve a thick enough consistency. I accidentally used this recipe and realized later that I had been using a different one. I adjusted the amount of chia seeds accordingly. I appreciate that this recipe includes salt, which many others don’t. I also like to add vanilla extract as well.