Chia Seed Pudding

Chia Seed Pudding

I’m sure you’re the same as me – there’s that one thing you’ve been meaning to try to make for a long time but have never got around to it.  For me, this is a Chia Seed Pudding.  I saw a close friend feed them years ago to her toddler while we were on holiday; they’ve popped up many a time in my Instagram feed, or on health-related Facebook pages I follow; and recently my mother-in-law made some for my son and he loved them.

But, I’ve just never got round to making one myself!

Asking around, I found there are a few in the same boat – why does this amazing looking dish seem to elude us?  We know it’s meant to be easy to make and with only a few ingredients.  Maybe it’s the fact that there is a waiting time involved? Nonetheless, I bit the bullet and made some time this weekend to make a few variations of this healthy breakfast dish, in the hope that we could cater to my family’s different tastes..

Ingredients

Two cups of coconut, almond or your choice of milk

Six tablespoons of chia seeds

Possible flavours:

One teaspoon of vanilla extract

AND/OR

One tablespoon of cacao

Possible sweeteners:

One tablespoon of honey

OR

One tablespoon of maple syrup

Possible toppings:

Berries

Banana

Seeds

Crushed nuts

Method

Mix the milk and chia seeds together in a bowl or container

with a favourite flavour and sweetener

Leave for twenty minutes minimum but ideally overnight for the

chia seeds to soak up the milk

If you are not a fan of the texture of chia seeds you may want to blend the mixture before serving in a short glass

Add your favourite fruit, crushed nuts and seed toppings before serving

The beauty of the chia seed pudding is that you can easily prepare them the night before and save yourself a lot of hassle in the morning, something many of us late risers relish!

From the research I’ve done, they are best eaten the first or second morning after you’ve prepared them but can last for up to four days in the fridge.

The verdict was about even in the end.  My husband loved the vanilla one, I liked the chocolate one, as did one of my kids.  The others weren’t convinced.  I think I’ll try it again as a parfait next time with a full layer of fruit and muesli.

Make a few in advance for breaky, a healthy snack or even dessert for after dinner.  Have a play around with the above flavours and toppings (obviously the possibilities are endless once you introduce different fruits and spices) and if you are a chia pudding fan from way back, let us know, what’s your go to combination?