This vanilla chia pudding is delicious enough to have for dessert, but wholesome enough that you can eat it for breakfast. It mixes up in minutes!
Chia seeds are a miraculous little ingredient. For one, they make great house pets. And second, they make even better pudding. (And chia jam too!) This vanilla chia pudding is creamy and delicious, but it’s also packed with fiber and healthy fats. Whether you need a quick breakfast, an easy snack, or a healthy dessert, this super duper, crazy delicious vegan chia pudding is perfection.
Why Everyone Needs This Back-Pocket Chia Pudding Recipe
When I first started seeing chia pudding popping up on Pinterest, I thought it was a fad. And here we are, more than a decade later, and it’s still going strong. Here’s what makes this vanilla chia pudding recipe timeless.
- Quick and easy. Just stir everything together and let it set. So much easier than traditional pudding!
- Naturally sweetened. If you try to avoid lots of sugar in your desserts, you’ll appreciate that this vanilla chia pudding is only lightly sweetened with maple syrup.
- Perfect for meal prep. Because chia pudding needs time to set, it’s made for meal prepping. I love making a big batch and enjoying pudding over the next several days.
- Endlessly customizable. Add your favorite toppings or make your chia pudding into parfaits.
What You’ll Need
Here’s everything you need to make this vanilla chia pudding.
- Chia seeds – Chia seeds can be white or black; either option works.
- Maple syrup – Date syrup or honey are great natural sweeteners too, or you can use liquid stevia.
- Vanilla extract – For that signature vanilla pudding flavor!
- Milk of choice – Almond, oat, coconut, or dairy milk, just make sure it’s unflavored and unsweetened.
How To Make Vanilla Chia Pudding
This recipe couldn’t be easier. Here’s what you’ll need to do.
- Mix everything together. Add the chia seeds, maple syrup, vanilla, and milk to a small bowl. Stir well to combine.
- Let it thicken. Leave the mixture at room temperature for about 15 minutes, or place it in the fridge overnight.
- Stir again. Once thickened, give the pudding another stir to break up any clumps. Add a splash of milk if needed to reach your desired consistency.
- Add toppings and enjoy. Top with fruit, nuts, granola, or anything you love.
Tips For Perfect Chia Pudding
A few simple tips will help you get the best texture.
- Stir twice. Stir once when mixing and again after a few minutes to break up any clumps of seeds.
- Adjust the thickness. Add more milk if it’s too thick or more chia seeds if it’s too thin.
- Let it rest. This is non-negotiable! It helps the seeds absorb the liquid properly. The pudding gets a lot thicker the longer it sits, so if you want it super thick, pop it in the fridge overnight.
Variations
- Berry. Add mashed berries or jam, either stirred right into the pudding or layered at the bottom of the jar.
- Chocolate. Stir in cocoa powder. For crunch, you can garnish with cacao nibs too.
- Tropical. Use coconut milk and top with mango and coconut flakes.
- Protein. Add a scoop of vanilla protein powder; you may need to add a little extra milk too. I also like to add hemp hearts for a protein boost.
- Matcha. Stir in matcha powder.
Storage
Store vanilla chia pudding in an airtight container or sealed jar for up to 4 days. Stir well before serving.
More Chia Pudding Recipes
Vanilla Chia Pudding
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup milk of choice
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Leave on the counter at room temperature to thicken, about 15 minutes. Alternately, if you're making this the night before, you can pop it in the fridge overnight. I find it sets quicker at room temperature, but you'll get the same consistency if you do an overnight rest.
- Once thick, stir together again and add a splash of extra milk if needed.
- Stir in your favorite toppings/flavors and enjoy!
Nutrition
I’ve been using this recipe for years, but the ingredients list is now missing the Quinoa, Hemp hearts, and Cinnamon. Can you please correct it?
So when I plug this into MyFitnessPal it only comes out to 12g protein. Where are you getting the 18g?
Is the quinoa pre cooked?
yes
Hi – i am trying to track cals/protein/fiber / carbs. Can you give me the breakdown of this? I only see cals listed. Thanks so much!
Hi Lisa 🙂 there is a breakdown of the nutrition information below the instructions
This is fantastic! The pudding is really filling. I have it for breakfast, and I am still completely satisfied by lunchtime. I have been doubling the recipe, but only using 1 tablespoon of maple syrup for twice the recipe provided here, and It’s plenty sweet for me with the reduced proportion. I just love this. Thank you so much. .
Awesome!! That’s one of the things I LOVE about chia pudding!!
Thank you for the high protein Chia seed pudding recipe, just curious how does it go to being 13 g of protein in the nutritional breakdown from the 18 new “in the article ? Xxxx
It wasn’t pulling correctly! It’s updated now 🙂
Hello Alyssa. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I am planning to make it today.
I have to ask, how did you calculate the carbohydrates for the finished product? I noticed that you listed 13 grams for one serving.
The quinoa I purchased from Trader Joe’s is listed as 30 grams of carbs per quarter cup.
Thanks for your help 🙂
Can’t wait to hear what you think!
That’s because they’re calculating for DRY quinoa which actually makes 1 cup of cooked quinoa. We’re using cooked quinoa, so it’s less 🙂
Made this yesterday and it is still really thin … no pudding! Ideas? Maybe more chia seeds??
Hmmm weird! Mine is never thin. How long did you let it sit? Overnight? Yes, I’d say more chia seeds will help.
Do you think this is 2 servings?
Yes 🙂
Could I use quinoa flakes instead if I don’t have the time to cook quinoa grains?
Vanilla powder – is that vanilla protein powder?
It’s actually ground vanilla bean powder 🙂 You could also use extract I just don’t love the alcohol flavor in non-baked goodies!
The Nutrition Facts insert on your recipe shows only 13 grams of protein although you mention 18 grams in your write-up. Why the disparity??
My nutrition plugin must be pulling things a tiny bit different than the one I used to calculate!
I never tried this with quinoa, thanks for sharing as this will be on the menu this week.
Excited to hear how it turns out!
Can you tell me the exact calorie count and nutrional value of this recipe?
I don’t currently have that calculated, but you can use this tool: https://www.caloriecount.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
Can you eat this for a late night snack?
Oh yes, absolutely!
Hi there – can you tell me the calories, protein, carbo content for this pudding?
I don’t have that info calculated, but you can use this tool to find it out: https://www.caloriecount.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
How many points WW would this chia pudding amount too?
Hi Ginette, I’m not sure! I don’t use WW points on my site, but you can plug in the ingredients to any online calculator and it should give you that info 🙂
What is the calorie count on this pudding?
I don’t have that information, but you can certainly plug in the ingredient list to a recipe calculator and it will come up!
You call for 1/4 tsp of vanilla powder? is this protein powder, or what. Would like to make this today.
Vanilla powder is actually just ground vanilla bean – a spice not a protein powder. You could either leave it out or you could try vanilla extract but it might give it a little of a bitter aftertaste since the extract is uncooked.
Were do you get vanilla powder? Whole Foods? Trader Joe’s?
If you have a store that sells spices in bulk, that would be your best bet. If not, I’d say Whole Foods over TJs–look in the spice aisle. If you can’t find it there, I know they sell it on Amazon! (I buy the one from Frontier Spices) xo
Thanks for the awesome recipe. Just for reference for anyone who reads this in the future, I always use the extract and have never noticed a bitter aftertaste. It’s the same thing with cookie dough, it’s so disbursed, the bitterness is gone and the vanilliey-goodness is all there, unless you use too much.
Thank you so much for the feedback and note on the vanilla! xox
Oooh! I’m excited to try this! Does it keep in the fridge for a few days? Could I potentially make a week’s worth of breakfast ahead of time?
I am also wondering this. Thinking about making 5 single servings on Sunday to eat Mon-Fri. Do you know if it would stay good in fridge that long? Can it be frozen?
I think they would…! I suggest only 2 – 3, but I don’t think they’d go bad in the fridge as long as you have them sealed up nicely. And I haven’t tried freezing, so I’m not sure about that one.
One note about the hemp hearts, some people test positive on a UA while eating them. My brother lost a job over it.
Why vanilla powder? Protein powder?
Great recipe!!! What kind of vanilla powder do you use?
I am all about Chia pudding! The addition of Hemp hearts is excellent! Great recipe!
totally something id love to eat for breakfast. looks delicious
Gorgeous! I’m loving hemp hearts right now!
Same! I’ve seriously fallen in love with them. So good!
This looks so good! I’ve never actually tried hemp heart but I see them in recipes all the time. Where can you find them at a grocery store?
they might be a little tricky to find at a regular grocery store, but if you have access to a place like Whole Foods or another natural grocer, they’re usually found where the chia seeds are. My Whole Foods here in the city has them in bulk!
I saw them for sale at Costco at one point, if you have one of those around. ????
Thanks for sharing! xo
WOW! That is one power packed dessert! Love it! Great for me at this point in marathon training! I love that you made it vanilla too, so simple, but one of my favorite flavors 🙂
Thanks Tina! This would be an awesome dessert for you – and it’s so easy to make too 🙂
I wonder if they ever had hemp heart pets?! Lol! Jk! And um…. Yum! And whoops, I signed in with my husbands Disqus account. Just FYI it’s really Lindsay here. Haha
LOL 🙂 And I would probably buy one if they did!
Oh my goodness, so much seedy protein and nutrition in this – I love it!
Thanks!!
I love my quinoa breakfast puddings, but I have never tried the cold method – will be trying this next time!
Oh you must! It’s so tasty. Plus it reminds me of dessert so there’s always that 😉
This looks delicious! Love that you made this high protein so it makes it a nice healthy dessert 🙂
Any excuse to eat more dessert is fine by me 😉
I’m all for recipes that fall into that dessert for breakfast theme!
Amen sista! It’s the best, isn’t it!?
Second chia pudding I’ve seen this morning…..I still need to make it and I think this might be the one! I like that it’s much more “filling” than just chia seeds!
You HAVE to! It’s so easy, so filling and SO tasty! I actually just had some of this for lunch/dessert – yumm-o!