Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

My everyday go-to vanilla chia pudding recipe! It’s creamy, so easy to make, and thickens up in just an hour thanks to an easy trick. This vegan, paleo and keto friendly recipe is the perfect breakfast or snack.

I’m a wee bit obsessed with chia pudding. It’s easy, delicious, customizable, and perfect all year long. Chia seeds are high in fiber, protein and healthy fats, making them a perfect ingredient in your breakfasts and snacks.

There are a TON of chia pudding recipes out there, including one of my favorite strawberry and coconut pudding, but mine’s a bit different than the rest!

I always found it annoying when the chia seeds would clump up in the jar so the bottom would be thick and the top still runny, so I found a new method that yields creamy, clump free chia pudding.

It involves using a blender, but you can 100% make this recipe without one. Both options are easy, delicious and take only 5 minutes of prep time. Try it with my banana bread granola on top!

Before we get started…

• You can make this recipe with or without a blender. I like using a blender so everything is well incorporated, but I have provided options for both!
• I like using canned coconut milk because it is so creamy and adds more flavor, but if you aren’t a fan or can’t have coconut, any other kind of milk will work- dairy or non-dairy.
• I love adding in a scoop of vanilla protein powder to enhance the vanilla flavor and add more protein, but this is optional!

How to make chia pudding

Shake up the can of coconut milk really well and measure out 1/2 cup. Add to a blender with the regular milk, vanilla and optional sweetener.

Add in the chia seeds and pulse 2-3 times in the blender to combine. Let it sit for a minute or two, then pulse again. You just want to combine the ingredients, you don’t want to fully blend the chia seeds.

After another minute, pulse again. This will help prevent any clumps of chia seeds from forming and will help the pudding thicken faster than simply mixing everything together in a jar.

After about 5 minutes of occasional pulsing, transfer to a bowl, container or jar and let sit in the fridge for about an hour to thicken.

Serve with yogurt, berries, granola & enjoy! You can make this recipe without a blender very easily.

Just add everything to a jar with a lid and shake well to combine. It helps to add the milks first, then the chia seeds on top so they don’t clump up at the bottom.

Give it a good shake every couple of minutes to prevent the chia seeds from settling at the bottom. After about 5 minutes, add to the fridge for about an hour to thicken, then serve!

Does it need to thicken overnight?

A lot of chia pudding recipes will tell you to let it thicken overnight, but I find with this blender method, it’s not necessary.

Very lightly blending the chia seeds with the milk helps to thicken the pudding faster, so it’s ready to go in about 30 minutes to an hour!

You definitely can make this at night and let it sit in the fridge until morning, but it’s not necessary.

If you aren’t going to use the blender method and opt to just shake everything up in a jar, you’ll want to let it thicken for about 1 hour before eating.

No matter the method you use, chia seeds really only need to soak in milk for about an hour, often less. The overnight method is just because it’s convenient and you have it ready to go first thing in the morning.

Ideal liquid ratio

For chia pudding, especially when using canned coconut milk, I suggest a chia to liquid ratio of 1 to 4. So for this recipe we’ll be using 1/4 cup of chia seeds and 1 cup of milk total.

If you prefer a thinner consistency, you can use a 1 to 5 ratio, or if you prefer it thicker, use a 1 to 3 ratio. It only gets thicker the longer it sits, so keep this in mind!

Serving suggestions

I generally have chia pudding for breakfast or a snack along with coconut yogurt, berries, almond butter and cinnamon.

You can mix it into oatmeal, use it on top of a smoothie bowl, or blend it right into a smoothie for extra fiber. You can also add some extra sweetener and top it of with whipped cream and berries for a lightened up dessert!

Different flavor ideas!

This recipe has a classic vanilla coconut flavor but there are so many ways to spruce it up if you like!

Chocolate. Simply blend or whisk in 1-2 tablespoons of cocoa or cacao powder to give this chia pudding a rich flavor. You may need a touch more sweetener to balance out the bitterness of the cocoa if you do this. You can also just add a scoop of chocolate protein powder for a chocolate flavor and added protein!

Peanut Butter. Just peanut butter or chocolate peanut butter! Add in 2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter with or without cocoa powder.

Pumpkin Pie. If you’re in the mood for some fall flavors, you can blend in 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree and about 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Delicious with sliced apples or my air fryer apples on top!

Berry. I love adding about 1/2 cup of frozen berries, particularly raspberries or wild blueberries and letting them thaw right into the mix. Adds such a great flavor!

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