Chia seeds are a wonderful food, and healthy Chia Pudding is a fabulous breakfast, as well as a great snack! Rich in fatty acids, chia seeds contain more omega-3’s than any other vegetarian source. They are also quite high in anti-oxidants, minerals and fiber. Further, I find that they are quite soothing for my digestive system (and I’m always looking for a boost in that realm).
I got the idea for this smooth and tasty recipe from yoga teacher extraordinaire and raw foodie, Jess Price. I give her full credit for turning me on to both chia seeds and chia pudding.
Chia Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews, raw
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch celtic sea salt
- ¼ cup chia seeds
Instructions
- Place the cashews and water in a vitamix and blend on high speed until smooth
- Blend in the honey, vanilla, and salt
- Place the chia seeds in a large mason jar (½ gallon size), pour the cashew mixture into the jar and shake well (very well!)
- Place in the refrigerator overnight
- Serve
Equipment
When I have extra time I soak my cashews for several hours (be sure to discard the soaking water) which makes for an even richer, creamier treat. You can also experiment by adding cinnamon, vanilla beans, and other tasty enhancements to this recipe (in your desired quantity).
Don’t let the fancy presentation above fool you. This delicious, nutritious pudding is ridiculously easy to prepare. Throw a bit of chia pudding into a smaller mason jar and it makes the perfect driving snack –ideal for slurpping up on road trips.
If you venture into the land of chia seeds and healthy Chia Pudding please let us know how you like ’em!
Update: Per questions below, I have made this with a mixture of cashew and coconut milk and it is delicious. I have also used chia seeds to make my morning protein shakes more rich, creamy and nutritious. This chia pudding keeps in the fridge for 2-3 days. Enjoy!
Theresa Watson says
Ok — so this is my new favorite recipe. Lately, there are very few things that I can eat, but this is so soothing. Originally I gave up wheat and dairy and felt so much better, however, six months later and I am now sensitive to so many other things (beans, certain spices, corn, the list keeps growning).
I made this recipe again using 2 cups of unsweetened almond milk,1 cup of coconut milk, 3 tblsp agave, 1 tbls cinnamon (I love the combination of cocoa and cinnamon), 1 tblsp of cocoa, 1 tblsp vanilla and 1/4 cup chia seeds. It didn’t thicken like the original recipe but it made a wonderful thick shake lunch/snack. Very soothing and satisfying — keeps me full for several hours.
I am going to experiment with a pumpkin pie version this weekend. I will share my results next week.
Thank you for the original recipe which is also magnificent!!!
Elena, on a separate note, could you please share what vitamin/mineral supplements if any, you take. I am concerned that maybe I am not getting enough nutrients from my diet due to my recent restrictions, which keeps growing. I take several supplements but wonder if there is something specific that celiacs lack.
Thanks again for always answering all of our emails — you are a very busy lady and very inspiring as well,
Theresa Watson
Merritt Island, FL
Beatrice says
Emily, I found white chia seeds at Whole Foods last night – the stocker had to go in back to get them b/c there were none on the shelf – they were about $7 for 8 ounces. I am going to try them with almond milk, and, if it goes well, I’ll be looking for more chia seeds at Vitamin Cottage in the future…
elana says
Eva -Your comment made me laugh hysterically, the part about “animal shaped pottery thingies.” No, you did not do anything wrong, this happens to me sometimes and the way to remedy it is to shake more vigorously when you combine the chia with the liquid. Let me know if this helps in your quest for lumpless pudding.
Beth -Thanks for the chia news regarding the Power Bar recipe.
Emily -Great detective work. Yes, salba is a type of chia. By the way, I purchase mine at Vitamin Cottage for $1 per pound! Take care and keep up the good work.
Emily says
I think I am being tricked again! At Whole Foods I found “Salba” I looked at the bag and thought, aren’t these chia seeds? No where on the bag was the word chia but I remember from searching them online the name was the same, or so I thought. The bag was small, I can’t remember the weight (maybe 1 pound or less), but it cost $17!! Your linked chia seeds are $6.45!
So I wrote down the website and found this on their webpage:
http://www.salba.info/salba_vs_chia.html
Any thoughts? Think this is a marketing scam?
~M says
Beth – just to verify, when you make elana’s powerbars subbing chia, do you:
– use an equal amount of chia instead of flaxseeds?
– use the chia seeds dry (instead of soaking them)?
Do you grind the dry seeds in the blender/food processor or what?
Thanks!
Beth says
I made this last night and it is sitting in my fridge for my after work snack.
Can’t wait to try it.
The second time I made your power bar recipe, I was out of flax seeds, so I used the chia seeds instead. It turned out great, and now I use chia seeds all the time for that recipe.
Eva says
This was really wild that you put this recipe on the day that I got my nut milk bag in the mail. In that package was a sample of chia seeds. I just didn’t get what they were except to put them on one of those animal shaped pottery thingies. After I had made the almond milk (no cashews on board), and my son flat out rejected it, I decided I was the one that needed to consume it. I decided to follow your “tapioca” pudding recipe. I really enjoyed it, but the chia seeds stuck together in clumps. Did I do something wrong or is this normal? It didn’t matter either way because it was still great.
elana says
The Wind Attack -Thanks for your comment!
Erica -How funny!
Sherene -That’s a lovely coincidence, isn’t it? I’m glad you decided to make this recipe! Unfortunately, I do not have any coconut flour cake recipes that are vegan. Thanks for your feedback regarding my “cream cheese” frosting recipe!
~M -Thank you! I bet your coconut milk and cardamom additions would be delicious. This recipe serves 2-4 people.
Hayley -Thanks for commenting!
Emily -Thanks! I buy my chia seeds from my local health food store, Vitamin Cottage Natural Grocers. You can also buy them online
.
Stephanie -I’m happy to offer this recipe as an application for your
chia seeds :-)
Marie -Thanks for your comment. I don’t use tapioca pearls for this recipe. The “pearls” that you see in the photo are chia seeds.
VeggieGirl -Love your comments! Hope school is going well :-)
Ruth -You could try using almond milk with a splash of coconut milk. I’m not sure what the results would be so it would take a little experimentation. You could also try posting this question in my forums.
Shirley -Great article! I have been on a chia seed kick for a while now. Thanks!
Jess -There are some similarities in texture, however chia seeds offer more when it comes to nutrition.
Shannon -Chia! I hope you are able to try this recipe this weekend. Thanks!
Sherene -Thanks for sharing! I’m glad you and your daughter liked it. That IS so cute! :-)
derj -Thank you!
Christianne -That’s too bad :-( although, It is always nice to have connections overseas! I look forward to hearing about your results after making this recipe. The ‘raw’ reference in this post is purely coincidence, I swear! Thank you SO much for your comments. My first cookbook will be out this fall! If I need a translator I will be sure to contact you :-) xxoo
pjarvistx -You could definitely experiment and try adding chia seeds to my Power Bar recipe. Try posting in my forums as well. I don’t have any low carb, gluten free tortilla recipes, sorry. One of my regular readers did however respond to your inquiry above. Thanks for your comment.
~M -Thanks for the help.
Kristin -Awesome! Glad I could help!
Emily -Thanks for your suggestion! I will definitely consider posting a morning protein chia shake on my site.
Margo -I’m not sure I could answer this for you. It’s really dependent on your own diet/body. I use a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds every day or two, or whenever I’m in the mood to eat them.
Theresa -Your version sounds delicious! Yes, when using almond milk, omit the cashews. Right now I’m very into the raw chia (love the taste and more available nutrients, I think) though I have thought of using them for cookies and a couple of people here asked about adding them to the power bar recipe. There’s just something about soaking them though, that I prefer for now.
Theresa Watson says
I made this last night and just had some for lunch. I substituted one cup of the water with low fat coconut milk and added some pumpkin pie spice — it came out wonderful. The chia seeds are so wonderfully calming to my stomach — Thank you Thank you!!! I am definitely going to double the recipe next time. One question, if I use almond milk instead of the water should I omit the cashews?
Have you ever added the chia seeds to cookies or in any of your baking?
Can’t wait for your book to be released! Dying to get my hands on your scone recipes!!
Love & Laughter,
Theresa Watson
Merritt Island, Florida 75 degrees and sunny (sorry I couldn’t resist)
Thanks Elana for another wonderful recipe.
Margo says
How much chia per day do you need for it to be effective.
Thanks Margo