Best Vanilla Chia Pudding (Easy 4 Ingredient Recipe)

Introducing one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever find for vanilla chia pudding. This can be a healthy breakfast that tastes like an indulgence, a filling snack, or even a dessert that everyone will love. This creamy chia pudding is a great way to pack in that plant-based protein with an extravagant taste. You’ve got to try it because you’re never going to believe this dreamy chia seed pudding recipe is good for you!

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Healthy: With its delightful gel-like consistency, you get a sweet and delicious chia seed pudding with all the health benefits of chia seeds.
• Easy recipe: This basic chia pudding recipe takes hardly any time at all to make. You can do it for a healthy, make-ahead breakfast!
• High fiber: When you make this chia pudding recipe, you’re getting 23 grams of fiber plus 15.5 grams of protein, both of which will really fill you up. 

Nutrition For Mental Health

Just two tablespoons of chia seeds contain 11.9 g of carbs (9.8 g of fiber), 8.7 g of fat (5 g of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), and 4.7 g of protein. They are rich in phosphorus and magnesium. Chia seeds are a good source of calcium, iron, zinc, thiamine, and niacin.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials found that supplementing with magnesium beneficially affects depression in adults with depressive disorder.

Ingredients + Notes

The best part is that all you’ll need are four simple ingredients to make this vanilla chia seed pudding. For meal prep or for tonight’s dessert, if this is your first time, I can assure you, it won’t be your last! 

• Chia seeds: Use black chia seeds, white chia seeds, or a mix of chia seeds for this recipe. 
• Vanilla Extract: The simple and warm sweetness of vanilla extract adds the perfect touch of flavor. 

A full list of ingredients with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Recipe Variations

You can try a few things with this vanilla chia seed pudding base recipe. Here are some ingredient substitution suggestions.

• Non-dairy milk: I used oat milk, but feel free to use unsweetened almond milk, unsweetened coconut milk, cashew milk, or hemp milk.
• Sweetener: If you don’t want to use maple syrup, opt for raw sugar, brown sugar, or agave. For a sugar-free alternative, you can use monk fruit sweetener or stevia.

How To Make Vanilla Chia Pudding

It literally takes just minutes to make chia seed pudding. All you need to do is be patient for about 10+ minutes. Alternatively, let it sit overnight for a breakfast you can’t wait to eat!

1. Pour all ingredients into a bowl or glass jar and thoroughly combine.

2. Let sit in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before eating. 

3. Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Servings Ideas

This easy chia seed pudding recipe is delightful. However, if you want to add a little bit more body or flavor to it, here are some ideas!

• Nut butter: Nut butters like cashew butter, almond butter, or peanut butter add even more great flavors and nutrition.
• Chocolate: For chocolate chia pudding, chocolate chips are an excellent way to make this chocolate version come to life. You can also do this with cocoa powder!
• Fruit: You can add your favorite fruit, such as fresh berries, to this recipe. 
• Add toppings: Toppings like coconut flakes and chocolate chips can make this vanilla chia seed pudding taste just like an Almond Joy!
• Muffins: If you are looking for a tasty pairing for this vanilla chia pudding recipe, then look no further! Try these Vegan Blueberry Muffins or Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins.

Storage Tips

Chia seed pudding is so easy to make, but if you can’t eat it all, you should know how to store it. Here’s what I recommend. 

• Fridge: Vanilla chia seed pudding is best the sooner you get to it. That said, you can enjoy it for up to 5 days from your fridge as long as it’s kept in an airtight container. 
• Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing chia pudding. Freezing vanilla chia seed pudding would take far longer than making it fresh.

If you tried this Vanilla Chia Pudding Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

Recipe

Reference

Moabedi, M., Aliakbari, M., Erfanian, S., & Milajerdi, A. (2023). Magnesium supplementation beneficially affects depression in adults with depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Frontiers in psychiatry, 14, 1333261. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1333261