Chia pudding: five minutes at night, breakfast ready in the morning
Chia seeds can absorb up to ten times their own weight in liquid, wrapping themselves in a clear gel as they go. That is the whole dessert — nothing is cooked, there is no gelatine or starch, the seeds simply turn milk into pudding. Two things spoil it most often: the wrong ratio (too few seeds and you have speckled milk) and skipping the second stir after ten minutes, which leaves half the seeds clumped at the bottom.
Your own work in that: 15 min.
- Mixing 10 min
- Swelling 240 min
- Serving 5 min
Step by step
0 / 4 doneKeep to the ratio
In a jug stir the milk with the honey, vanilla sugar and a pinch of salt. Add the chia and whisk 30 seconds. Remember the ratio: 2 level tablespoons (20 g) of chia per 150 ml of milk — less gives a thin suspension, more a dense, gritty mass.
Ingredients: 80 g chia seeds · 600 ml milk · 3 tbsp honey · 1 tbsp vanilla sugar · 1 pinch salt
TipA pinch of salt in a sweet pudding is hard to taste, but without it the whole thing is bland. The same goes for other milk desserts.
Two tablespoons of chia per 150 ml of milkStir a second time after ten minutes
Leave it 10 minutes, then stir again, thoroughly, scraping the bottom. This is the crucial moment: the seeds are starting to stick, and without a second stir they settle into a solid layer with plain milk above.
TipIf lumps form anyway, break them with a fork now. Once fully swollen they will not disperse again.
Stirred again after ten minutesDivide into jars and chill
Pour into four jars, seal and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. It thickens to a firm pudding; a spoon stood in the finished jar should hold upright for a moment.
Four hours, or a whole night in the fridgeAdd the fruit only in the morning
Stir the pudding before eating and add raspberries, sliced banana and toasted almonds. Add the fruit just before serving — left overnight it weeps and waters down the top layer.
Ingredients: 200 g raspberries · 1 pcs banana · 40 g almonds · 200 g Greek yogurt
TipFor a layered look, alternate the pudding with Greek yogurt and fruit purée in a clear jar. It looks like a café dessert and is the same mixture.
Fruit in the morning, never overnight
Before you start
Chocolate version
Two tablespoons of cocoa whisked into the milk before the chia, and one more spoon of honey. Cocoa absorbs liquid, so add 50 ml more milk too.
How long it keeps
Up to 4–5 days in a sealed jar in the fridge. It can be even better on the second day, once the seeds have softened completely and stopped crunching.
No lumps, ever
You can also blend the whole thing smooth once it has swollen. That gives a silky mousse with no seed texture — a good answer for children who object to the texture.
For training
Chia is mostly fibre and omega-3 fats, so the pudding is filling but low in protein. A scoop of protein powder or 200 g of Greek yogurt stirred into the base raises it noticeably.
