Vegan Chia Seed Pudding

I sometimes get stuck in a rut of having the same thing over and over again or I skip breakfast altogether.  Last year, I was searching the internet (mostly Pinterest) for healthy low-calorie vegan breakfast recipes and I noticed there were a lot of recipes for chia seed puddings.  I had tried to make them before, but didn’t get the results I was hoping to get.  The chia seeds weren’t expanding the way I had seen in on-line photos and yet I followed the recipes to a “T” … so I thought!  As it turned out, I was getting the ratio of chia seeds to liquid wrong. Once I figured out where I was going wrong, it all came together.  So hopefully, you can learn from my mistakes and have better results that won’t lead to ongoing frustration.

Let’s talk about how great chia seeds are for you first!  The best reason to me to eat chia seeds is that they are rich in Vitamin B12 which multiplies your red blood cells which in turn gives you more energy throughout the day, but they have so many other fantastic health benefits.  They are high in protein, stimulate weight loss and promote healthy digestion.  Studies share that you should have 20 grams of chia seeds, twice per day to help with digestion.  These are just a few of the many health benefits that come with chia seeds.

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Let’s get back to the Chia Seed Pudding because this has been a game changer for me.  Last year, during this crazy pandemic that we were going thru, I fell into the trap of gaining some unwanted pandemic weight and really wanted to lose it.  I found out how great chia seeds were for weight loss and I committed to tracking my calories until I hit my target weight, including eating chia seed pudding for breakfast every. single. day.  I ended up losing 24 lbs in 56 days and a total of 31 lbs over the previous eight months.  Maybe you’re wondering if I became bored of eating the same thing over and over again each morning??   The answer is no because once you have your base recipe put together and ready to serve, you can add any toppings you want, so it was easy for me to change the flavour from day to day.

So let’s get started.  This is truly such an easy recipe.  Preparing the night before is the best idea to a perfect chia seed pudding.  I prepare a batch of 4 at a time so it doesn’t take up too much room in the fridge.

I like to use organic ingredients where possible, but sometimes ingredients are not always available in-store (which happened a few times during the beginning half of the pandemic), so use whatever you can find.  The four main ingredients are chia seeds, non-dairy milk, vanilla and sweetener.  I compared labels of non-dairy milks and found out that almond milk had the least amount of calories per serving so I use almond milk since I try to watch my calories, but really it’s neither here nor there if you are just making the recipe to enjoy. I mentioned earlier that I had made chia seed pudding before, but did not have much success.  Here is where I went wrong and hopefully this helps you from making the same mistake.  The recipe measures the chia seeds in tablespoons.  I was using an actual cutlery tablespoon.  Do not do this!  Use a measuring tablespoon.  This will give you the consistency you are looking for.  You want the liquid to thicken and therefore you will need the proper ratio of chia seeds to liquid.

Vegan Chia Seed Pudding

This is truly such an easy recipe.  Preparing the night before is the best idea to a perfect chia seed pudding.  I prepare a batch of 4 at a time so it doesn’t take up too much room in the fridge.

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Prep Time 5 mins

Servings 1

Ingredients

  

• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I use almond milk)
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tsp pure maple syrup

Instructions

 

• Combine all ingredients together, mix well.
• Cover and let thicken in fridge for at least 20 minutes, (overnight is best).
• Add your favourite toppings and serve.

Notes

Topping Suggestions

• ½ banana sliced + 1 tbsp of peanut butter
• ½ banana sliced + ½ tsp of unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ banana sliced + 2 tbsp of strawberries, sliced
• 2 tbsp almonds, slivered + 1 tsp hemp seeds

Enjoy this Chia Seed Pudding Recipe with any toppings of your choice.  Prepare it the night before, to save time in the mornings. If you’d like to see more plant-based breakfast ideas, leave a comment and please subscribe to my mailing list so you will be sure to receive weekly updates.  Thank you!