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 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.
- Coconut milk or almond milk – I like to use light coconut milk in this recipe because it makes the pudding extra-rich and creamy, but if you don’t have any on hand, don’t worry! Almond milk is also a great choice.
- Maple syrup – I mix some into the chia seed pudding to sweeten it naturally. When I eat, I drizzle more maple syrup on top!
- Cinnamon – For warm depth of flavor.
- And sea 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. It should be fairly large; look for one with a volume of 3 to 4 cups.
- 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 overnight.
In the morning, your chia seed pudding will be ready to eat!
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. Honey works too!
Load up your chia seed pudding for a healthy breakfast or snack! Store any leftovers in the covered jar or an airtight container for up to 5 days. If the pudding becomes too thick, loosen it with a little extra milk. Wait to add the toppings until right before you eat.
More Favorite Breakfast and Snack Recipes
If you love this chia pudding recipe, try one of these yummy breakfasts or snacks next:
- Overnight Oats
- Berry Superfood Smoothie Bowl
- Strawberry Muffins
- Healthy Banana Muffins
- Carrot Cake Cookies
- Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
- Mini Frittata Muffins
- Or any of these 60 Healthy Breakfast Ideas or 47 Best Healthy Snacks!
Chia Seed Pudding
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups light coconut milk or homemade almond milk
- 6 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Optional toppings
- Tart cherries, (I usually get them frozen)
- Blueberries
- Chopped nuts or granola
- Coconut flakes
- Maple syrup
Instructions
- In a lidded 3- to 4-cup jar, combine the milk, chia seeds, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Cover and shake to combine. Chill for a few hours, then give it a good stir to loosen any clumps. Continue chilling for 12 to 18 hours for the pudding to set.
- Serve with fruit, nuts, coconut flakes, and maple syrup as desired.
Great recipe! Very versatile in terms of add-Ins. Go ahead and experiment with adding a dash of nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla essence, almond essence etc etc. In reading through some of the past reviews, I just want to point out that store-bought milks have a thinner consistency compared with homemade milks. Use 2tbspn chia seeds to 1/2cup (instead of 2/3cup, as per the recipe) store-bought alternative milks. The pudding sets perfectly. I love Three Sisters and Malk milks.
Are your tablespoons 15ml or 20ml? I’m used to 15ml but here in Australia it’s 20ml. I always have to check😀
1 US tablespoon is about 15ml. Hope this helps!
This is so delicious! I have never made or eaten chia pudding before this but now I am obsessed! Make sure to stir it after a few hours since most of the seeds will be at the bottom of the jar. This is crucial for it to set up properly! I can’t wait to get creative and try other flavors. I used vanilla almond milk and it worked great.
I’m so glad you loved the recipe!
I love the Chia seed pudding, Easy healthy and delicious. If it lasted more than one day In the fridge I’m surprised. definitely five star.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this pudding for my sewing group and it was great. We used mini chocolate chips, coconut, and almonds as add-ins.
Reading further, I learned that chia seeds shouldn’t go down the drain. Is there a special way to clean containers/bowls that have
dried chia seeds on them?
Hi Lynne, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I’d use a spoon to transfer dried seeds to the compost or trash, then rinse the dishes in the sink. If a few seeds end up going down the drain, it should be ok. Hope this helps!
Hi! This looks like a wonderful recipe! …Wondering what the nutritional breakdown looks like?
In the pics I see individual glass jars and, if Im not mistaken, the recipe seems to use a much larger bowl. Is this right? How would you ensure you get enough chis seeds and milk in the individual containers? Im confused.
Hi Deborah, I like to make it in one large jar so that I can stir it well. Once it sits overnight and it’s done, you can transfer to smaller portions.
Easy to make and very yummy!!😊
Which cookbook is this recipe from. I would like to purchase cookbook. Thx!
Hi! This looks amazing! Just one question that might be a little bit out of context. Where did you get those oval kinda shape glass jars? They are so pretty! Lol I’ve been looking for quite sometimes. Would you be able to share?
Thanks
Hi Sep, they’re the Weck Tulip jars, I lined them right underneath the recipe. I love them!
Quick question: can you use this pudding in smoothies instead of frozen banana?
Hi Dj – yes, that would be great.
The Cinnamon is the absolute game changer; Delicious!!
This recipe is simple to make, easy to store, and versatile when serving!! Perfect!
What kind of light coconut milk do you use (canned or tetra pack). As well as which brand. I tried a couple but they didn’t come out great.
Thanks
Hi Swati, coconut milk, the beverage from the carton works well for this. I like Califia’s Coconut Almondmilk. Or I use the 365 brand canned coconut milk.
Thanks so much. Will check out both suggestions.
The best is coconut dream
For some reason, Chia Seed pudding used to kind of gross me out until I tried it. OMG, I absolutely love chia seed pudding!
Great recipe! I really like the addition of berries and will have to try that.
Can i use oat milk ?
Yes you can. I use soy milk for mine and it works.
Loved it! I used store bought almond milk and found it to be not quite set after overnight chilling so after seeing the other comments I added another tablespoon of seeds and waited another hour and the consistency was good. Topped with berries and honey and it was delicious! Thank you for this recipe!
So yummy and so easy! I just had a bowl for breakfast with fresh strawberries and almond granola….I could eat another! Lol…mmmmm
Oh, and I used a can of regular coconut milk cuz it’s what I had and some vanilla creamer. Set up fine
Can I use honey in place of maple syrup?
yep!
I often make Chia pudding with regular plain yogurt. With yogurt it always has a putting thickness.
Can you use organic whole milk?
that should be fine!
I made this with store-bought almond milk (not homemade), but after 24 hours it hasn’t set. Still chia seeds in liquid. Should I have used less almond milk? Assuming it may be a bit thinner than the light coconut milk?
Hi Maura, homemade almond and/or coconut milks are both a bit thicker. I’d stir in a bit more chia and let it sit again to thicken. Hope that helps!
I made this last night with the lite coconut milk exactly as written and mine never set either! I used black chia seeds but didn’t think it’d make a difference. Weird.
Hi Lauren, that shouldn’t make a difference, I’ve used black and white chia seeds interchangeably. We just increased the amount of chia – it’s possible that the milk I use is just thicker.
Thanks for responding Jeanine! I ended up adding more chia seeds and let it sit again overnight. It’s a much better consistency today. I think I ended up using about 8 tbsp of chia seeds. Just tried it though and it’s very good!
Love this recipe! Do you have the calories/ protein for this?
I’m sorry we don’t calculate nutritional info. Sites like myfitnesspal let you plug in the ingredients.