Enjoy a hassle-free breakfast or snack with this quick and healthy strawberry chia pudding recipe. Made with fresh strawberries and creamy coconut milk, this make-ahead option will save you time in the mornings!
At this point you’ve probably come across or consumed chia seeds in at least one form or another; they’ve been the darling of the health food world for quite some time now. And while I don’t revolve my dietary choices around a food’s popularity, I have to admit the little seeds are pretty great.
A bag of chia seeds stashed in your fridge can make mornings a whole lot easier. If you’re short on time (like most of us are) having a batch of chia pudding ready to eat can be a real sanity saver. No more questioning, “What am I going to make for breakfast?” just open your fridge, grab a cup and breakfast is ready.
Not only is chia pudding is one of the easiest breakfasts you can make, it’s also a great make-ahead option. Simply prepare the pudding the night before and it will set up as it sits in the fridge overnight. You can prepare individual cups or just make a large jar and scoop out what you need throughout the week since it will stay good for a few days in the fridge.
What Does Chia Pudding Taste Like?
Chia seeds have a very mild flavor of their own and will instead take on the flavor of the liquid they are added to. So when added to milk they will have a light creamy taste similar to rice pudding but with a more jelly-like texture.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
Ingredient Notes:
(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Coconut Milk – You’ll light coconut milk or substitute the non-dairy milk of your choice.
- Strawberries - Use fresh not frozen strawberries for the pudding.
- Chia Seeds – I like to use white chia seeds for the color but any chia seeds will work.
- Maple Syrup - Use a light colored maple syrup or substitute with honey for a non-vegan version.
- Lemon Juice - Use fresh lemon juice.
How to Make Strawberry Chia Pudding:
- For this strawberry chia pudding I start by blending coconut milk and fresh strawberries to create a dairy-free strawberry milk to soak the seeds in overnight for extra flavor.
- The strawberries and milk are whizzed together in the blender then poured over the seeds and stirred together. You’ll want to let the mixture sit out for a few minutes and give it a couple stirs to make sure the seeds aren’t clumping before placing it in the fridge but other than that your pudding is ready.
- Next is the topping. I like to serve the pudding with a homemade strawberry sauce for double the strawberry flavor. It’s a quick sauce that takes just a matter of minutes on the stove but if you’re in a real hurry you can skip it and instead top your pudding with fresh strawberries.
- You make the sauce by combining the strawberries with the maple syrup and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook the mixture stirring occasionally until the strawberries have softened and released their juices. Let the sauce cool to room temperature and store in the fridge until needed.
- From this point you can either store the pudding and the sauce separately until you’re ready to serve or layer them together in cups so that they are ready to grab and go.
And that’s it, the next morning your puddings will be thickened and ready to eat! It really couldn’t be easier. Of course feel free to add in whatever fruit you’d like or top it with you favorite toppings.
Enjoy!
Variations:
- Instead of strawberry sauce stir the 2 Tablespoons of maple syrup into the pudding itself and top with fresh strawberries right before serving.
- For extra protein blend 1 scoop of your favorite unsweetened plain protein powder with the strawberries and coconut milk in the first step.
More Chia Recipes:
Strawberry Chia Pudding
Cool and creamy strawberry chia pudding is a quick and healthy breakfast or snack you can prepare in just minutes the night before.
Ingredients
- One 13.5oz/400ml can of light coconut milk
- 16 oz/ 453g fresh strawberries, hulled (divided use)
- ¼ cup/40g white chia seeds
- 2 Tablespoons/30 ml maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon/5ml fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Make the chia pudding:
- Place coconut milk and 8oz of the strawberries in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
Pour strawberry milk into a large mason jar and stir in chia seeds. Let stand 5- 10 minutes, stir again then cover and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours or overnight. Stir pudding again before serving.
Meanwhile make the strawberry sauce:
- Slice remaining 8oz of strawberries and combine with the maple syrup and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, reduce heat to low and cook stirring occasionally until strawberries have softened and released their juices (about 5 minutes). Continue to cook while stirring until sauce just starts to thicken and look glossy (about 2 more minutes) then remove from heat.
- Let cool to room temperature, and transfer to an airtight container and store in refrigerator overnight.
- To serve, place a spoonful of strawberry sauce in the bottom of a serving dish, layer with strawberry chia pudding and top with an additional spoonful of sauce. (Puddings can also be assembled, covered and refrigerated ahead of time.)
Notes
VARIATION:
If not using strawberry sauce stir the 2 Tablespoons of maple syrup into the pudding itself and top with fresh strawberries right before serving.
For extra protein blend 1 scoop of your favorite unsweetened plain protein powder with the strawberries and coconut milk in the first step.
STORAGE:
Pudding will keep in fridge for 4-5 days.
DIETARY INFO:
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, Egg-Free, Paleo
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 202Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 12mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 6gSugar: 18gProtein: 3g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
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