Chia Pudding
Chia seeds left in milk overnight until they swell into a set, tapioca-like pudding. Two ingredients, five minutes of work, and it does the rest of the job while you sleep.
Photograph credit: Free colorful chia pudding coconut · CC0 1.0 · Rawpixel
Chia seeds absorb roughly ten times their weight in liquid, forming a gel around each seed — the ratio of about one part seed to five parts liquid is what gives a spoonable set rather than a soup or a solid block. Stirring twice in the first half hour prevents the seeds clumping into lumps that never hydrate.
What People Ask
How long does Chia Pudding take to make?
8 minutes of preparation and of cooking, plus 4 hours 20 minutes of chilling, so allow 4 hours 28 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 2.
The Method for Chia Pudding
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Whisk the milk, maple syrup, vanilla and salt together in a bowl or jar until the syrup has dissolved.
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Whisk in any flavouring — cocoa, lemon or cinnamon — until completely smooth.
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Add the chia seeds and whisk hard for 30 seconds so they are fully dispersed and not clumping.
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Leave for 10 minutes, then whisk again. This second stir is what prevents lumps.
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Leave another 20 minutes and stir a third time.
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Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
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In the morning, check the set: it should hold a spoon shape. Loosen with a splash of milk if it is too stiff, or add a teaspoon more chia and wait an hour if too loose.
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Stir in the yoghurt if using for a creamier texture.
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Divide between glasses or jars, and top with fruit, nuts, nut butter and granola just before eating.
Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Ingredient substitutions.
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A Few Pointers
- Stir at least twice in the first half hour, or you will find clumps of dry seed in the middle.
- One part seeds to five parts liquid by volume is the reliable ratio to remember.
- Make five jars on Sunday and breakfast is settled for the week.
Changing the Recipe
- If coconut is a problem, a cooking cream (dairy or plant-based) can stand in for the coconut milk in a sauce; the dish will lose the coconut flavour and taste noticeably different.
Serve It With
Coffee or green tea · Fresh fruit · A handful of toasted nuts
Keeping and Reheating
Refrigerate up to 5 days, covered. Add toppings only when serving so they stay crisp. Do not freeze.
Chia Pudding Nutrition
No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.
Vegan when made with maple syrup rather than honey and made without the greek yoghurt. Dairy-free when made without the greek yoghurt.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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