Chia Pudding
I’m sure you’ve heard of chia seeds from the famous chia pet ads many many years ago. Ch-ch-ch-chia! But did you know that chia seeds are a superfood?! They are an excellent source of Omega 3s, Omega 6s, fiber, and calcium. One tablespoon of chia seeds is similar to taking a fish oil supplement!
For those who have never used chia seeds before, they are smaller than sesame seeds. Similar to flax seeds, they are extremely good for you but be careful – when eaten raw they act slightly as a laxative given how high in fiber they are. You can sprinkle some raw seeds over your yogurt or salads to add some good fats. But the best thing about them (other than being super nutritious and very good for you) is that they can soak up more than 10x their weight in water!! The longer you allow the seed to soak up water, the more gelatinous they become.
So what does that mean? Paleo pudding!! I’ve included 3 recipes below to show how versatile chia seeds are. The texture and consistency will be similar to tapioca or rice pudding if you put less water (like the chocolate and vanilla pudding below). The more water you put, the less thick it will be (and soup-y like my Chia Fruit Fresca on the left in the picture). Chia is generally flavorless so it will absorb any liquid’s flavor for the most part. Try out any other flavors you want for our favorite pudding! My husband’s favorite is the paleo chocolate pudding. The great thing is that the ‘cooking’ part of this recipe is ridiculously easy and just involves mixing, so try it with your kids. They’ll love this recipe as a science experiment!
INGREDIENTS
Chia Chocolate Pudding
Makes 2 servings
1/4 cup chia seeds
3/4 cup almond milk (you can use water or regular milk as well)
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of honey (optional)
Chia Vanilla Pudding
Makes 2 servings
1/2 cup chia seeds
2 cups almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 dashes of cinnamon (to taste)
Chia Fruit Fresca
Makes 6 servings
1/2 cup of chia seeds
4 cups of water
1 cup of pineapple slices
1 cup of lychee fruit
Directions
Combine ingredients in a bowl. Stir very well for about 5 minutes until all of the chia seeds are covered and coated in your ingredients. Cover and set in refrigerator for 20 minutes. (You can leave in the fridge for as long as you want. The pudding will just get thicker as the time goes by). Serve and enjoy!
The fruit fresca and chocolate are ridiculous. They taste great, are guilt-free, easily tweaked and modified and offer a texture I have yet to find in our varied paleo meals. I made the chocolate pudding one myself, which means even a cloven hand baby could make this. It’s super quick too
Went to whole foods today for chia seeds and two employees bought chia seeds too once they heard the recipe.
That’s awesome! Let me know how you like using the chia seeds!
I am still standing in admiration that you got the tapioca consistency down pat.
after tasting these, i made the chocolate one and a watermelon/cantaloupe fruit blend this w/end. will be trying many more varieties with all the fruits i saw at the farmers’ market today. awesome stuff
I am very excited to try these and LOVE the photo – nicely done! Thank you for your website and inpiration.
Thanks Morgan!! Some people love this or hate it. But I grew up with chia seeds so I like the texture but some people have told me this isn’t their favorite. Try the chocolate and the fruit versions first and let me know what you think!
Not to trying to spoil the fun here, but I was reading the book The Paleo Answer, and it mentioned on page 124 that Chia seeds are one of the pseudo grains to avoid. “It contain numerous antinutrients that reduce their nutritional value. The high phosphorus concenrations found in chia seed is 948 (per 100 gram serving) which tells us that chia seeds are concentrated sources of phytate.”
On page 129, Dr. Loren Cordain’s Paleo Bottom Line is “Don’t eat grains, which include wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, sorghum, and millet. Avoid pseudo grains such as buckwheat, chia seeds, amaranth, and quinoa.