Chia Seed Pudding {4 Ingredients}

Quick, easy, no bake, vanilla chia pudding recipe, homemade with 4 simple ingredients. Rich, creamy, healthy. Great for dessert or breakfast.

You guys loved my Coconut Rice Pudding and Easy Rice Pudding as well as this Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding and I am hoping you would enjoy today's version too. This one can be enjoyed as breakfast or dessert. It's made with chia seeds, which don't really have a flavor or odor and work really well as a thickening agent.

Jump to:

• How to make chia seed pudding recipe from scratch?
• What is the ratio of chia seeds to liquid?
• How do you thicken overnight chia pudding? How to make it thinner?
• Variations
• Breakfast Pudding Topping Ideas
• Tips and Techniques
• Storage
• More Pudding Recipes
• Recipe

How to make chia seed pudding recipe from scratch?

1. Mix chia seeds, milk, honey, vanilla- Until combined.
2. Let it sit- For about 5 minutes.
3. Mix again- To prevent clumping.
4. Cover and refrigerate- Do this overnight to allow the chia seeds to absorb the milk and thicken.
5. Enjoy- Add toppings of your choice and dig in!

What is the ratio of chia seeds to liquid?

It's about 4 tablespoon chia seeds per 1 cup of liquid. You can also go as low as 3 tablespoon chia seeds to 1 cup of liquid. Anything lower would not create the pudding consistency.

How do you thicken overnight chia pudding? How to make it thinner?

When chia seeds are exposed to a liquid, they inflate and become gelatinous. This is what thickens the pudding without egg yolks or corn starch. The more seeds you add, the thicker the pudding will be. If you add less chia seeds, the pudding will be thinner. If it becomes too thick, you can easily add more milk.

Variations

• Add chocolate- Mix in some cocoa powder and top off with mini chocolate chips before serving. You can also use store-bought chocolate milk instead of plain milk.
• Matcha pudding- Mix in some matcha powder.
• Add Greek yogurt- Make it healthier, thicker and slightly tangier by mixing in some vanilla Greek yogurt.
• Make it healthy and vegan– Use dairy-free milk such as coconut milk, almond milk, cashew milk or oat milk.
• Add other extracts and zests- The classic choice is vanilla extract but you can try caramel, almond, butterscotch, coconut e.t.c. You can even add orange, lemon or lime zest.
• Try other sweeteners– Such as maple syrup, granulated sugar, brown sugar or agave syrup. Please note that this may change the overall flavor.

Breakfast Pudding Topping Ideas

• Nuts– Such as chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios for a bit of crunch. Add them as a topping, just before serving. You can also sprinkle Homemade Granola.
• Spices- Such as ground nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, cardamon. You can even use pumpkin pie spice.
• Sauces/ Syrups- Such as a drizzle of chocolate syrup, Homemade Caramel Sauce or Dulce de Leche.
• Dried fruits- Such as raisins, dried cranberries, dried mangoes, dried cherries, dried apricots.
• Fresh fruits– Such as fresh mangoes, bananas, blueberries, raspberries, pineapples, strawberries, shredded coconut. Frozen fruits can also be used.
• Jams and preserves- Such as Homemade Strawberry Jam or marmalade or raspberry preserves.
• Nut butters- Such as almond butter, peanut butter, Nutella. You can even try Crockpot Pumpkin Butter or Crockpot Apple Butter.
• Chocolate chips- Semisweet, dark or milk or even white chocolate chips can be used.

Tips and Techniques

• Use full fat milk- The higher the fat content, the creamier the pudding.
• Use bowls or mugs instead of mason jars- mason jars could be used for storage for later and will slow down the chia seeds from puffy up and avoid clumping easier.
• Black chia seeds vs. White chia seeds- Black chia seeds are typically used because they are more readily available. White ones can be used instead but the color will be different even though the flavor will be the same.
• Do you serve pudding hot or cold? It's typically served cold.
• How to make smoother pudding? Just blend the mixture in a blender until smooth.
• Add toppings just prior to serving- If you add them in the mixture, they tend to thin out the pudding.
• Make a big batch- Double all the ingredients to serve a crowd.
• Let it sit and then mix well- This is very important because it prevents the chia seeds from clumping together.

Storage

• Refrigerate– Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 
• Freeze- I don’t recommend freezing because the consistency of the pudding deteriorates as it thaws.

More Pudding Recipes

• Vegan Chocolate Pudding
• Chocolate Pudding Pots
• Homemade Banana Pudding

Recipe