chia seed pudding
Monday, December 19, 2011 at 2:12PM | dessert // grain, seeds, legumes // vegan 
Maybe you're familiar with chia seeds. Maybe your not. Either way, I hoping after today they'll be a staple in your pantry.
Chia seeds go wayyy back. Back in time. Ancient time. However, they've only recently made a comeback. Over the past few years, health and beauty experts have been raving about chia seeds for the high amount of omega-3s that they carry along with a boat load of other health and diet benefits.
Some experts even say that when eaten regularly, chia seeds can help you have a more youthful glow and an abundance of energy. I'll take that!
But I am not going to bore you with the facts today. If you want to know more just google chia seeds and you'll find pages and pages of great information.
Today, I was to share my favorite little secret about these seeds.
These seeds have superpowers. Super transforming powers.
When placed in liquid, these little guys expand forming a gel-like substance. How cool is that. What's even cooler is that this gel-like substance is really really good for you. Ridiculously good.
Now, what if we can take this really cool, really healthy gel and turn it into a really yummy dessert or snack. We can and we will.
There are a lot of things you can do with chia seeds. I sprinkle them in my yogurt or oatmeal, I use them in baking, or throw them into a smoothie. However, my favorite thing to do with chia seeds is make chia seed pudding. It is such a treat, and it's the best way to enjoy the superseed in all it's glory.
This pudding has the taste and the texture of a tapioca or rice pudding, but with no guilt, and all the extra health benefits.
It is also easier to make and requires no stove or heating. Just assemble the ingredients, refrigerate and ta-da! Delicious super healthy pudding!
chia seed pudding
Serves
4
Ingredients
4 cups of almond milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1/4 cup of maple syrup
3/4 cup of chia seeds
cinnamon, for garnish
Directions
- In a large bowl, mix together the almond milk, vanilla extract, and maple syrup until combined. Then gently stir in the chia seeds. Pour the mixture into an 8"x11" baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours. Ideally it is best to have it sit overnight to allow the chia seeds to gel and firm up.
- Serve with a dusting of cinnamon on top.
Enjoy.
Reader Comments (14)
I love chia seeds. I can't wait to try this pudding.
Me too! This pudding is sooo good. I hope you enjoy :)
I absolutely love Chia seeds and this looks outstanding.
I will have to get the almond milk tomorrow, I HAVE to try this.
So glad I found your blog!
I've just put this in the fridge. Can't wait to try it tomorrow. Will let you know!
@redawna - Thank you so much! So happy you found your way here too :)
@alida - cannot wait to hear! I just made a batch today as well!
I've been making chia seed pudding lately after I found a recipe online from Organic Avenue. I love it! It is my new sweet treat. I use stevia instead of maple syrup though :) So good!
Just found your blog and I'm loving it! Keep up the good work!
I didn't have any almond milk, so used hemp milk instead. I left it in the fridge overnight and it's still liquid. Does the almond milk make that much difference?
Oh, good grief. What I have is clearly not Chia seeds. I got some to put in an oatmeal recipe I found. I found them in the bulk section of my grocery store. I tried it in the oatmeal recipe and boy howdy....not good. First...what I got are not seeds. It's more like bottom of the barrel bits and pieces and the texture is like dry grass. It has a super strong flavor, too. From what I'm reading about Chia seeds now, I am realizing my mistake. The bin was mislabeled, and me not really knowing what I was looking for other than the name....well.
I love the sound of this recipe. So now, I'll have to hunt down some REAL chia seeds. *sigh*
@Stancie - That is great to hear ... thank you so much! And - I love you're blog as well! It is fabulous!
I am making this tonight. I love chia and have been eating it for over a year. I put it in juice(i juice greens daily), sprinkle it on salads, pbj sandwiches etc. Chia is an amazing food!!
@ibgagirl - Chia is an amazing food! I hope you enjoy!
I made this with full fat milk and was still liquid in the morning. Wondering what went wrong?
I made this exactly how stated above. I let it sit in the fridge overnight and it still came out pretty runny. The flavor was good but it was far too runny to be considered pudding.