By Laura Coffee, Marketing & Owner Services Manager, Co-op Owner
(You can see the video here.)
Chia seeds are a really interesting little seed packed with fiber, protein, and antioxidants that soaks up tons of water/milk/juice to form a gel. One of the many uses for this gel is a tasty dish people refer to as Chia Pudding. When using whole chia seeds, the finished texture is similar to tapioca. What follows is a basic vanilla recipe and four simple add-in combos. Feel free to experiment with different flavors and let us know what works (or doesn’t) in the comments!
Basic Vanilla Pudding
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk*
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients, except chia seeds, in a jar or container and stir until well combined. Add chia seeds and stir or shake to incorporate. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 5 hours. Stir well and top with fruit, nuts, nut butter, or chocolate chips if desired. (Tip: For a creamy pudding, simply combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 5 hours.)
For each of the variations below, begin with the classic vanilla recipe and mix in additional ingredients as listed.
Matcha Green Pudding
- 1/2 Tbsp Matcha powder
- Top with fresh berries or toasted almonds if desired.
Dark Chocolate Pudding
- 2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
- Top with fresh fruit and/or whipped cream if desired.
Tahini Cinnamon Pudding
- 1 Tbsp Tahini
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Top with fresh berries or orange slices if desired.
Mango Pudding**
- 1/2 cup chopped mango
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- Top with coconut, banana slices, or chocolate chips if desired.
*You can use regular dairy milk or and unsweetened dairy alternative as well. If you use an “original” or vanilla non-dairy milk, you may want to reduce the amount of sweetener just a bit to compensate for the additional sugar in the milk.
**I created these recipes and then realized afterwards that we were out of mango! Mango has an intense fruit flavor but with a tangy kick, so I substituted frozen raspberries for the chopped mango. It turned out really well. Raspberry variation is shown in the image above.