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Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

Made with coconut milk, speckled with chia seeds, flavored with vanilla and sweetened with maple syrup, you’re going to devour this Creamy Chia Pudding. It’s a healthy make-ahead breakfast, snack or dessert like none other!

Healthy Homemade Vanilla Pudding with Chia Seeds

Sometimes I like to take a little break between dinner and dessert, but there are other nights where I crave something sweet immediately after finishing my meal. On those nights, I get super bummed if I can’t reach into my fridge and grab a cold cup of chia seed pudding. So I like to keep some on deck at all times!

Not only does chia pudding make a fabulous dessert, but it’s also healthy enough to serve for breakfast. No matter how much I snack on the stuff, I never seem to get tired of it! Whether I enjoy it with fresh fruit or a swirl of creamy nut butter, I tune out everything else until my cup is empty. Very few dishes can do that for a busy mom, and this pudding is definitely one of them.

Two glasses filled with vanilla chia seed pudding on a marble countertop

What Are Chia Seeds?

Chia seeds come from a flowering planted called Salvia Hispanica, which is native to Mexico and a member of the mint family. They have a mildly nutty flavor and are filled with good-for-you nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acids, iron, calcium and antioxidants. Chia seeds also have a ton of fiber, so they’re great for your digestive health and can help you lose weight because they make you feel full for longer. Chia seeds can be eaten raw, or added to liquids like in this pudding. When they are soaked in liquid they soften and take on a gel-like texture, which makes them perfect for creamy desserts and breakfasts.

What Does Chia Pudding Do For You?

Thanks to the chia seeds, this pudding is full of antioxidants, fiber and healthy omega-3 fats. In other words, it’s a dessert (or sweet breakfast) you can feel good about eating! It uses natural sweeteners and coconut cream, which keeps it dairy-free, vegan and refined sugar free. Even though it has a light and creamy pudding texture, it will keep you feeling satisfied and energized for hours.

Two cups of chia seed pudding on a countertop with a bowl of fresh strawberries and a few loose blueberries

Recipe Ingredients

Another amazing thing about this pudding? It’s made with just 4 ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Full-Fat Coconut Milk: Just scoop off the cream at the top of the can – you won’t need the liquid underneath it.
  • Chia Seeds: Make sure you mix them in well so that all of them are exposed to the coconut milk liquid.
  • Pure Maple Syrup: Added to taste.
  • Vanilla Extract: Be sure to use pure vanilla extract, not the fake stuff.
A bowl of chia seeds on a marble countertop with a copper tablespoon digging into it

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How to Make Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

Chia seed pudding couldn’t possibly be quicker or simpler. Just be sure to prepare it at least 2 hours before you plan to dig in.

Combine Ingredients: Add all of the pudding ingredients (coconut cream, chia seeds, maple syrup & vanilla) to a small bowl. Use a whisk to mix everything together until combined.

Cover & Chill: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, place it in the refrigerator and let it sit for 2 hours minimum.

Enjoy! Serve the pudding with a drizzle of honey if desired.

An overhead shot of a glass of chia seed pudding on a countertop beside another cup of pudding

Tips for Success

I recommend reviewing the tips and tricks below before you get started with this recipe. Perfect chia pudding is just around the corner!

  • Use Pure Maple Syrup: Artificial maple syrup will add unwanted ingredients to your pudding such as corn syrup. Go for 100% pure maple syrup to keep your pudding healthy as can be.
  • Let the Pudding Sit Overnight: Even though this pudding only takes 2 hours to thicken, I never eat mine that soon after making it. I prefer to chill it overnight so that the seeds get nice and soft.
  • Stir Before Serving: Be sure to give your pudding a good stir before you serve it. This breaks up any clumps of chia seeds that may have formed while the pudding was sitting around.
Two cups of creamy chia seed pudding sitting side by side on a wooden slab

Topping Ideas

There are plenty of yummy ways to finish off this silky chia pudding. I love layering it into a cup with any combination of the following items!

  • Fresh Berries
  • Nut Butter
  • Granola
  • Shredded Coconut
  • Banana Slices
  • Chopped Nuts
  • Cacao Nibs
  • Hemp or Sunflower Seeds
A glass of chia pudding garnished with a mint leaf in front of a second glass of pudding on a countertop

Storage and Freezing

As long as it’s kept well covered in the fridge, this pudding will stay fresh for up to 5 days. You can also store it in the freezer after it has thickened (for up to 2 months). If you doubled or tripled the recipe, just be sure to separate it into individual servings before freezing it.

Freeze each serving of chia pudding in a freezer-safe container with an inch or so of free space at the top. This extra room allows the pudding to expand as it freezes. Thaw out frozen chia pudding in the fridge overnight before enjoying it.

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Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.3 from 9 reviews
  • Author: Krista
  • Prep Time: 2 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 hours
  • Total Time: 12 hours 2 minutes
  • Yield: 1 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: No Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Made with coconut milk, speckled with chia seeds, flavored with vanilla and sweetened with maple syrup, you’re going to devour this Creamy Chia Pudding. It’s a healthy make-ahead breakfast, snack or dessert like none other!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups full fat coconut milk, just the cream at the top of can
  • 6 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 3 tablespoons of maple (or 4 tablespoons if you like it sweeter)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Add all the ingredients to a small bowl, using a whisk mix until combined.
  2. Cover with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator and let sit overnight. (you could eat in 2 hours but I think it tastes better if you let it sit overnight and let the chia seeds soften)
  3. Serve with fresh fruit, nuts, or honey.

Notes

  • To Store: Keep well covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
  • To Freeze: Freeze in a freezer-safe container, leaving an inch of free space at the top so the pudding can expand as it freezes. Enjoy within 2 months and thaw in the fridge overnight before enjoying.

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43 comments on “Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding”

      1. will it be as creamy as with coconut milk? cause i don’t like the flavor and so i wanted to use a substitute too

  1. Avatar photo
    Kymberly Brooks

    Where the heck do you get full fat canned coconut milk?! Ive never heard of this!!! Visuals help and is there organic available

    1. Hey Kim, you can find it in the international or asian food aisle. Goya has a can and so does Thai Kitchen brand, and yes they do have organic which is what I buy as well.

      1. Avatar photo
        Kymberly Brooks

        I bought the organic heavy coconut cream (says good for whipped cream) at natural grocers but not sure if this is correct. I see UNSWEETENED organic coconut milk in a can and its a green can but that doesnt say FULL FAT- and wouldnt unsweetened be a detriment to flavor? the ‘full fat’ is throwing me off as its not labeled on any can. When i go to add ingredients to list to see the product to Get an idea it doesn’t show canned milk that You speak of- it shows regular coconut milk you would find in the fridge area.
        Can you give me a specific organic canned name option to google?!

        1. Hey Kymberly, I think you’re overthinking it. It will not say full fat. I buy the Goya unsweetened coconut milk or the Thai Kitchen (which is organic) Coconut Milk, just make sure it’s not the lite version.

    2. Look in the international foods aisle. That’s where I got mine. Also check the baking aisle. If you go to Whole Foods I bet they have organic coconut milk in the can.

  2. The pudding was wonderful. But I’m confused on your nutrition count. I entered it in a recipe calculator and for 2 servings I got 300 calories per serving! I know it’s never an exact science but I’m wondering how there could be such a difference. What brands did you use?






    1. I have no idea. I just reran it and it came out like yours too. So I don’t know if I selected the wrong thing last time or not. But I just updated the info.

  3. Avatar photo
    NILE FITNESS

    LOOKING FORWARD TO MAKING IT SOMEDAY.
    I am pretty busy these days so i haven’t tried yet.

  4. Avatar photo
    Rima featherstone

    Hello,
    Can you tell me what brand coconut milk you use. I had a great supplier, but it went out of business, and it was the store brand!! Every other I have tried is thin with virtually no coconut fat on top. I need help!

    Thanks
    Rima

  5. I made this last night and this morning it wasn’t quite a pudding mixture. After reading the comments, I know my issue was that I didn’t use canned coconut milk. The coconut milk that I used was So Delicious culinary coconut milk. It was in a small carton. Do you think you think this was the reason why it wasn’t a pudding mixture this morning? I will be making this again.






    1. Yeah the so delicious brand is a little more watered down so it doesn’t work as well as the canned coconut milk. I hope it turns out next time Corliss!

  6. Avatar photo
    Tanya Subialdea

    Made this today, and it’s PERFECT! Slightly sweet, and also thick and creamy … I’ve just tried it straight up, with no fruit or toppings of any kind, and it’s delish! What a great treat!

    (P.S. I think anyone who’s not getting the thick and creamy consistency is probably using the coconut milk in the carton, like the almond milk equivalent, and not the can of coconut milk in the international food aisle).






  7. Please help! I have such bad luck with this pudding… I’ve made it several times, the same exact way. Once turned out lovely and delicious but so many failures in the form of “gritty” texture. Gross! I always let the coconut milk sit so it can separate. (is this correct?) and Thai Kitchen brand every time. I really love this recipe and wish I could make it right each time. Thank you






    1. Hey Greta, I’ve honestly found it depends on how much “coconut water” is in the can of coconut milk. If it’s really liquidity sometimes I need to add more chia seeds to my pudding. I’ve also use goya coconut milk before too. I’d say add another tablespoon of chia seed and give it a good stir. I’ve never had an issue with gritty texture so I’m not sure there. I hope this helps.

      1. Hello! I made this receipe last night and this morning the consistancy was rather chunky. I followed the receipe completely- could this have been from now mixing well enough? Can you tell me why this happened I would like to try it out again thank you!






        1. Yes, if you would have given it another stir it would have solved the problem. Sometimes you just need to give it a stir to redisperse everything. It will definitely do the trick next time. 🙂

  8. Well, now that I realize I’ve ruined my first batch by adding the liquid too, and not just the creamy stuff at the top of the can, let me get clarification on one more thing before I try it again. This does go in the refrigerator overnight, right? The recipe does not specify whether to leave it out or refrigerate it, but I assume it needs to stay chilled. Thanks for any clarification!

    1. Yes, it goes in the refrigerator over night. I just updated the recipe to clarify a few of those items as well. 🙂 Sorry about that!

  9. Made this last week and it was amazing. I let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and it set up perfectly.

  10. I made this last night and had it for breakfast it was very good and satisfied my appetite. I cut up a strawberry in it also.






  11. Hi – I see in another post, if you only use the solid part of the coconut milk, what do you do with the rest? I’m new to using it. Thanks.

    1. I usually just toss it because it’s like 1/4 cup. But you could save it and use it for something else if you’d like. 🙂

  12. Hi! I made this pudding last night and unfortunately when I took it out of the fridge in the morning, it remained in the liquid state. No pudding 🙁 That being said, the flavor was GREAT! Do you have any idea as to why this may have occurred? I’m definitely going to make it again…hopefully it will turn out with the thick consistency of a pudding! 🙂

    1. Hey Daphne, did you use full fat coconut milk from the can? If not, it will come out liquidity. One thing you could do is, stir it after an hour of sitting, just to move the chia seeds around and then put it back in the refrigerator overnight. Glad it still tasted good even though it was liquidity.

    2. I had the same problem as Daphne. I used canned coconut milk, but it was light instead of full fat. I suppose that’s the problem?
      I’ll keep trying, I really want to make this recipie properly! Thanks for sharing it Krista!






      1. Yup… get rid of that light stuff. Use the full fat and you should be good. If all else fails, add more chia seeds and let it sit a bit more and you should be good to go!

  13. YUM – I’ve only tried using Almond Milk to make chia pudding. I like how this looks thick and creamy (mine ends up much thinner). Will have to try using coconut milk and water next time… thanks!

    1. made this today and 12 hours later completely liquidy. I was looking forward to my healthy dessert tonite- hopefully tomorrow it will be pudding consistency

      1. oh bummer Lisa! did you use the canned coconut milk? You could always add more chia seeds to the mixture to make it thicken faster!