Blue foods are fun to eat—especially when they’re brimming with blueberries, protein, and fiber. Prep this easy chia pudding recipe for breakfast and expect a productive, hunger-free morning.
Instead of (or as a sidekick to) coffee, try it as a filling snack that fends off the mid-afternoon fatigue and keeps blood sugar levels steady. Chia seeds rank among the top ten most nutritious foods.
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What You'll Love About This Recipe
- Quick prep, just a handful of ingredients
- Stellar nutrition balanced between protein, carbs, healthy fats, and fiber
- No baking needed; a refrigerator recipe
- Steadies blood sugar, plus plenty of additional health benefits
Ingredients
- Blueberries - Use fresh or frozen (my favorite)
- Milk: Dairy or plant-based
- Greek yogurt: Dairy or plant-based (Kite Hill makes an excellent almond-milk Greek yogurt)
- Vanilla extract: (affiliate link) Boosts the mildly sweet flavor. Almond extract is also delicious.
- Chia seeds (affiliate link)
How to Make It
1️⃣ Wash your hands, lathering with soap and rinsing with running water for 20 seconds, before starting.
2️⃣Combine blueberries, milk, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract (or almond extract) in a tall, high-sided bowl or container.
Blend with an immersion (stick) blender (affiliate link). A regular blender works fine, too.
3️⃣Set the stick blender aside and pour the chia seeds into the blueberry base.
Whisk well with a wire whisk (affiliate link). Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, and then whisk again to break up any clumps.
4️⃣Pour the pudding into two or three cups for individual servings or into a medium bowl to serve family-style. Cover the cups or bowl with lids or plastic wrap and refrigerate at least two hours before digging in.
5️⃣Enjoy topped with extra blueberries, slivered almonds, coconut flakes, granola, or more yogurt.
Variations
🍋Lemon zest: Blueberry and lemon are a classic and tasty pairing.
🌰Almond extract: In place of vanilla, this delivers a slightly more sophisticated flavor profile. If you enjoy amaretti cookies, you'll love this!
Cinnamon: Warm and comforting.
Toppings: You can go wild here if you have the time! Try coconut flakes, slivered or sliced almonds, chopped pecans or walnuts, more blueberries, blackberries, sliced strawberries and bananas, and dried fruit (chopped if the pieces are large).
Parfait-style: Fill your serving dish halfway full of pudding, then add a layer of flavored or plain Greek yogurt and/or jam or fruit compote (try Blackberry Chia Jam). Fill the dish with more chia pudding and finish with a layer of yogurt.
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Storage and Prep Tips
❄️Chia pudding takes about two hours to fully set in the refrigerator. It will keep there for three to four days. You may need to stir it after a couple of days.
(Parfait-style puddings are best eaten within a day or two.)
After whisking in the chia seeds, be sure and wait a few minutes (5 to 10) and whisk again to prevent radical clumping. At this point the pudding can be made into parfaits, poured into individual serving dishes, or one larger bowl.
FAQ
Too much liquid, perhaps, or old chia seeds could be the culprit. A good ratio is three Tablespoons of chia to one cup of liquid. It's also important to stir a second time after whisking the seeds into the base.
This recipe uses more liquid for a softer consistency, and setting overnight, the chia seeds is barely noticeable, and the pudding takes on smoother texture.
Blending a couple of Tablespoons of protein powder into the pudding is an easy option. Also, your choice of milk can make a difference. Ultra-filtered milk has the highest amount of protein and it's lower in sugars.
Topping the pudding with nuts is another simple way to add a little protein.
Yes! Blending everything at once results in a very smooth texture, which is lovely. Just note that if storing blended pudding for more than two days, it may loosen up and need a good stir before eating.
The pudding is gluten-free and can be easily made vegan if plant-based dairy is used instead of cow's milk products.
Nutrition Notes
This pudding is packed with powerhouse nutrients from three sources: Chia seeds, blueberries, and dairy.
Chia seeds provide some protein, carbohydrate (most of which is fiber), and healthy fats. They are especially rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and most of their fiber is insoluble, the type that's particularly good for heart health and lowering cholesterol.
This combination of protein, fat, and fiber can also help with weight loss by promoting satiety and can keep blood sugar steady. The soluble fiber is a prebiotic supporting gut health.
These little seeds are also rich sources of minerals, including iron, zinc, copper, magnesium, phosphorous, and calcium. Plus, they have a good amount of the B vitamins thiamin (B1) and niacin (B3).
- 🫐Blueberries are another source of fiber and vitamins. Plus, they are rich in anthocyanin, an antioxidant, which helps fight inflammation. (Chia seeds are also a source of anti-inflammatory antioxidants like quercetin and chlorogenic acid.)
The vitamin C found in blueberries can boost mineral absorption, which makes them a nice pairing with chia seeds.
- 🥛Milk and yogurt round out the pudding with protein, vitamins, probiotics, and minerals, such as calcium—all excellent for muscle and bone health. If fortified with vitamin D, this strengthens bones even more.
Add the probiotics of the dairy to the prebiotic fiber of the chia and blueberries, and this pudding delivers impressive gut health benefits. It may even help with constipation, especially when paired with plenty of fluids. (Always a good idea!)
Related recipes...
Chia Banana Pudding is a more dessert-y pudding with a thicker consistency. It's a low-calorie, high-fiber treat that works beautifully as a sweet breakfast (or snack).
Granola with Chia Seeds (and Cherries) is an easy, delicious bake that's perfect spooned over yogurt for breakfast.
Frozen Blueberry Greek Yogurt with Mint is a creamy, healthy dessert for blueberry lovers. It's perfect on a hot summer day!
Cottage Cheese Blueberry Muffins—classic blueberry muffin flavor with healthy extras like protein and calcium.
Blueberry Chia Pudding
Equipment
- 1 Mini-food processor or blender or stick blender
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
- ¾ cup blueberries frozen or fresh
- ½ cup milk dairy or plant-based
- ½ cup Greek yogurt dairy or plant-based
- 1½ teaspoons maple syrup or sweetener of choice, such as honey, agave, date syrup or stevia
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract
- 3 Tablespoons chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest optional
Instructions Start Cooking
- Wash hands thoroughly before starting, lathering with soap and rinsing under running water.
- In a small blender or tall, high-sided container, combine the blueberries, milk Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth.¾ cup blueberries ½ cup milk ½ cup Greek yogurt ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add chia seeds and lemon zest (if using) to the blueberry mixture and whisk well. Let the pudding sit for about 10 minutes; then, whisk again and pour into two small containers or a medium bowl. 3 Tablespoons chia seeds ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- Refrigerate and allow to thicken for at least two hours or overnight. Chia pudding will keep for about four days.
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