This morning I had Banana Nut Chia Pudding for breakfast before heading off to teach a yoga class. I am not one to EVER skip breakfast because I am really hungry in the morning. This pudding kept me full for several hours… which for me, is amazing.
Do you eat the same thing every morning? I do. I’m a creature of habit. I usually eat the same thing for breakfast EVERY day…. EGGS. I love eggs. They are healthy, loaded with nutrients, and fill my growling belly. But sometimes I crave something different. Today I am sharing 2 recipes for chia pudding that are both perfect for an easy, quick breakfast that keeps you fueled up for hours. Both are loaded with nutrient-rich chia seeds. And did I mention both are gluten, grain, dairy, AND refined sugar-free?
Chia seeds are an amazing SUPERFOOD loaded with fiber, protein, and antioxidants. They are also an excellent source of Omega-3 oils. Two tablespoons of Chia contain 7 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein, and 5 grams of omega-3 . The consumption of chia seeds has been linked to improved heart health, weight loss, increased energy, blood sugar stabilization, anti-inflammatory properties, and much more. (source) These tiny, little seeds can soak up to 10 times their weight in water. Two tablespoons of chia seeds contain 18 percent of the daily recommended for calcium, 35 percent for phosphorus, 24 percent for magnesium and about 50 percent for manganese. (source)
To make chia pudding all you have to do is soak chia seeds overnight in some sort of tasty liquid.... and BAM!….It’s ready. Nothing to it. It’s nice to wake up and already have breakfast ready. It’s easy to store in individual glass containers to take with you on the go (or so you don’t eat the whole thing all at once.) And you can double the recipes here to make several days worth of easy snacking.
I made both of these with a combination of homemade coconut milk and homemade nut milk. Feel free to experiment to see what you like best. Also, feel free to add a bit more milk at the end if you prefer a less thick pudding. THIS
Enjoy!
Banana Nut Chia Pudding
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cup homemade coconut milk (my recipe) or nut milk (my recipe) (or store bought (like this))
- 2 bananas
- 4 dates, pitted (or 2 TBS honey (like this) or pure maple syrup (like this))
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- a pinch of cinnamon
- 4-6 TBS chia seeds
- TOPPINGS:
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 2 TBS raw cashews. roughly chopped
- 2 TBS raw almonds, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Place all topping ingredients into glass jar and cover with filtered water. Place in fridge or set on counter to soak overnight
- Place milk, dates (or sweetener of choice), bananas, cinnamon, and vanilla, into high powered blender
- Process until smooth and dates are all broken up and incorporated
- Pour into glass jar
- Add chia seeds and cover with tight fitting lid
- Shake until well incorporated
- Let sit in fridge overnight (or at least 4 hours)
- In the morning, drain TOPPINGS and rinse well. Pour over chia pudding
- Makes 2 servings….
- Enjoy
Vanilla Chia Pudding
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups homemade coconut or nut milk (or store bought)
- 2-3 TBS honey or pure maple syrup (depending on how sweet you want it)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4- 6 TBS chia seeds
- TOPPING:
- a couple handfuls of fresh berries of choice (I used strawberries and blueberries)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into glass jar and cover with tight fitting lid
- Shake until well combined (give it a good shake to avoid clumping)
- Place in fridge overnight (or at least 4 hours)
- In the morning, remove from fridge, top with fresh berries, and ENJOY!
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Great Idea! I have been wanting to try Chia seeds, this looks like something my kids would like too.
Thanks for stopping by. Chia pudding is great for kids. If they don’t like the “tapioca-like” texture, you can puree the chia seeds with the milk and dates and you will get a much smoother pudding. Love your site, BTW….. 🙂
So I think I’m just going to stop by every night to see what to make for breakfast the next day. 🙂 Love your take on Chia Pudding!
Sounds perfect for breakfast! Thanks for sharing this at Gluten-Free Wednesdays.
Such a great take on Chia Pudding! YUM Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
The party will be GREAT this week! We are giving away a tote full of goodies from Namaste Foods! The items are gluten free and allergy friendly! Can’t wait to see what you bring to the party!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
I made the vanilla recipe last night. I used raw milk and raw honey. I show it really well but noticed that most of the seeds still stated at the bottom. This morning it was still not gelled except the bottom where the seeds were. There are still big chunks of honey too. I stirred it with a whisk, but the honey is still in chunks. I’m not sure if it will gel up better now that I stirred it. Do you think using a Vitamix would be a better option for a thorough mix the night before? Would that affect the gelling action of the seeds? The taste is really good!!!
Not quite sure what happened with your attempt. I usually blend the milk, sweetener, and fruit in the blender until it is creamy smooth. I then add the chia seeds and give it a good shake. After sitting in the fridge all night, I give it another shake and it’s ready to go. The ratio is 1 cup of liquid to 2-3 TBS of chia seeds. Let me know if you figure it out. 🙂
I’ve been making coconut-chia seed pudding for about a year now and we all love it! I make a version similar to your second one: 1 can organic coconut milk (I use Thai Kitchen), 1/4 cup each of chia seeds, raw honey, and organic unsweetened shredded coconut (I use Tropical Traditions), 1 tsp vanilla extract, and a pinch of sea salt (I use Real Salt). I find that the pinch of salt really makes it taste better; like with everything else, a little bit doesn’t taste salty, rather it really enhances the flavored of the other ingredients.
I always achieved a creamy, uniform consistency with this pudding using canned coconut milk just using a whisk. But when I made my own coconut milk, I got similar results as Carlie. The seeds all clumped together in several solid masses and the rest was watery. I solved the problem by using my immersion stick blender on it after it was supposed to have set. I would love it if homemade coconut milk gave me the wonderful consistency that canned did with just the whisk, because it really was delicious. I’ve only made coconut milk once (got discouraged with that experience), but I’ll have to experiment and see if the problem was perhaps in my method of DIY coconut milk!
Not sure what is happening. I make this with homemade coconut milk all of the time. The only thing that I can think of is that you need more chia seeds. Try adding a bit more and see if it works better. Let me know 🙂
Anything you could recommend as a substitute for the bananas? I love them but they set my stomach on fire.
This recipe is super versatile. Just skip the banana and add whatever fruit you want. We often do blueberries or strawberries. You can even just do your milk of choice, some vanilla, and a sweetener of choice. Let me know if you come up with something that you like. 🙂
Thank you so much for the great recipes. I love Chia seeds as it is with yogurt but this will make it even more wonderful. Thanks again.
You are welcome. We love chia pudding around here. Working on a pumpkin pie chia pudding recipe as we speak. Thanks for stopping by!
I tried the banana one and it was amazing and very filling ! I’ll try the vanilla one next time! thank you so much!