Since I discovered chia pudding, my life has changed. If you've never heard about it, prepare to become slightly obsessed with this multi-faceted dish. Be it for a healthy breakfast, a quick snack, or even a refreshing dessert, chia pudding is easy to make and the perfect option for those who like to hit snooze from time to time. In this article you'll see four easy and creative ways you can pimp your chia pudding.
The best part of it all is the incredible nutritious advantages of chia seeds. They're considered a superfood, packed with fiber, protein, omega-3s, calcium, potassium and magnesium. Two tablespoons of chia seeds contain about 140 calories, 4 grams of protein, 11 grams of fiber, 7 grams of unsaturated fat. They are the richest plant source of omega-3 fatty acids. Chia seeds are a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids that cannot be made by the body.
What is Chia Pudding?
Chia pudding is basically the combination of chia seeds with some sort of milk [regular or plant based] in a 2 to 1 ratio. The real hack with chia pudding is that you can make a big batch overnight and then eat them through out the week trying out different flavors. If you need some inspiration, here's four ways to spice it up.
1. Lemon Raspberry
Ingredients: 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp. lemon zest, 1 tbsp. honey, 1 cup of raspberries (fresh or frozen)
Once you have your regular chia pudding ready, mix 1 cup of pudding with the lemon juice and lemon zest.
Serve the pudding mix layered with the raspberries and top it off with a drizzle of honey for a sweeter taste.
2. Chai Latte
For this one, you can choose to mix all the spices at the beginning and let them sit overnight or if you have leftover chia pudding just add the spices and mix everything.
Ingredients: 1 tsp. cinnamon, 2 tsp chai spice mix (can be homemade), 1 tbsp. almond butter, pecans for the topping
Mix all the spices with 1 cup of your pre-made chia pudding, top with pecans and drizzle some almond butter on top.
3. Piña Colada
This chia pudding can be a little more time consuming but totally worth it. You can use your make ahead chia pudding or make it fresh substituting almond milk for coconut cream.
Ingredients: 1 cup dices pineapple, 1/4 cup sweetened coconut shreds, 1 tbsp. butter, 1 tsp. brown sugar.
First toast the coconut with half of the butter in a pan, once the coconut is golden, add in the sugar, the remaining butter, and the pineapple chunks.
Serve the chia pudding in a glass or dish and top it off with the pineapple and coconut mixture.
4. Dark Chocolate
For this recipe you can either do it directly with chocolate almond milk or just add cocoa powder to the premade chia pudding.
It's very simple; the only ingredient is your choice of cocoa powder. Add 3 tbsps. for each 1/2 cup of chia pudding you use. You can top it off with more chocolate shaving or pieces.