Wednesday, April 23, 2014

{chia seed pudding 3 ways}



I have been seeing dessert recipes using the incredibly healthy chia seeds popping up everywhere. The seeds are incredibly rich in antioxidants, protein and fiber which doesn't sound like a typical dessert ingredient, but I figured it was worth a shot to see what all the hype was about.  Since the prep time for a chia seed pudding is about 5 minutes I decided to try out multiple flavor combinations to see what I preferred.  The simple answer is that I prefer them all and chia seeds are surprisingly tasty with a texture similar to mini crunchy tapioca.  In other words...I get what all the hype is about.

Scroll down for the three different recipes for chia pudding that I tested out- my favorite was the simple and sweet vanilla coconut pudding, but the pistachio was a close runner up.  These recipes use either unsweetened almond milk or vanilla coconut milk, but you can substitute for any dairy you prefer such as regular 2% milk.  Regardless of which flavor chia pudding you chose to make, you will definitely need to add a small amount of sweetener to the mix.  For these recipes I experimented between maple syrup, honey or agave nectar as sweeteners and between the three I find that the agave nectar was my favorite.














Each recipe below makes two large servings.

Vanilla Coconut Chia Seed Pudding:
  • 1 cup vanilla coconut milk
  • 1/3 cup chia seeds
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Thoroughly combine all ingredients in a bowl then transfer to serving bowls.  Place in fridge to set for at least 2 hours or overnight.  Ideal garnish would be dried coconut chips although I tried it with shaved dark chocolate!


Raspberry Lemon Chia Seed Pudding:
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/3 cup chia seeds
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
  • lemon zest of 1/2 a lemon
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a food processor, combine raspberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, almond milk, honey & vanilla extract.  Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in chia seeds.  Place into desired serving bowls and let set in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.  Garnish with fresh raspberries & lemon zest!


Pistachio Chia Seeding Pudding:
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/3 cup chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
  • 1/4 cup agave nectar
In a food processor, combine almond milk, pistachios and agave nectar.  Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in chia seeds.  Place into desired serving bowls and let set in fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. Garnish with chopped pistachios!


3 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, these sound delicious!

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  2. Yum!! I love that these are dairy free too. I'll have to try them out.

    Champagne Lifestyle on a Beer Budget

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  3. I've recently gotten into chia seeds and have been looking for more recipes, so these are great! These magical seeds help make the best breakfasts...I too like adding some dark chocolate shavings!

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