Chia seed pudding is gratifyingly simple to make and incredibly versatile when it comes to flavouring. You’ll want to keep this basic recipe for Fruit Chia Seed Pudding in your back pocket (or in your recipe box or bookmarked on your phone … covering all the contingencies here).

The Goodness of Chia

Chia seeds may be tiny, but they’re nutritional powerhouses. Chia seeds are high in dietary protein, omega-3 fat, fibre and calcium, among other good things.

In addition, chia seeds have gelatinous or mucilaginous properties, so they, ahem, help keep things moving along and aid in digestive health. If you’re not a fan of the texture of the whole seeds once they’ve swelled, you can grind them instead.

A Blank Canvas for Flavour

Chia seeds themselves are quite neutral in flavour, so they provide the perfect canvas for whatever flavour profile you’d like to paint. Chocolate always makes for a delectable treat, as this pudding proves. If you like, you could leave out any additional flavourings for a simple vanilla pudding (if you don’t mind its greyish colour … hmmm).

But fruit chia seed pudding is my favourite, and I generally make it with raspberries or strawberries. I love the contrast of the sweet tartness of the fruit with the creamy vanilla base of the pudding. You could use fresh fruit in season, but I usually use frozen. The possibilities are many, including combinations of the suggestions below:

• Strawberry
• Rhubarb
• Peach or nectarine
• Blueberry
• Cherry
• Mango
• Pineapple
• … insert your imagination here …

My basic recipe uses vanilla extract, but some fruits, such as cherries, are complemented by a touch of almond extract. If you’re a fan of chocolate and fruit combinations, why not try one of those? Chocolate raspberry pudding would get my attention.

Using a variety of sweeteners is another way to change up the flavour of your pudding. Maple syrup is my go-to, but you could use cane sugar, coconut sugar, regular white sugar or even sugar substitutes.

Finally, think about the milk you’ll be using … dairy (skim or full fat? up to you!) or nut milks like my homemade almond milk come first to mind for me, but I’ve seen many recipes that use coconut milk.

Preparing the Fruit

If using frozen berries or other fruit, I let them thaw for a time while the pudding is starting to thicken up in the fridge. Finely chop the fruit or mash it with a fork. You could even purée it. Personally, I prefer the fruit to have some texture, but you, of course, will be making the pudding to suit your preferences, not mine.

Letting the Chia Work Its Magic

Once you’ve stirred together the base mixture of chia seeds, milk, sweetener and flavouring extract, cover and refrigerate it. It may take several hours for the seeds to absorb the liquid and the setting process to take effect. Stir the pudding after the first hour or so. Often the seeds clump together at the bottom and need to be distributed more evenly. This is when I usually add the prepared fruit, but you could do so at the beginning as well. You may need to stir it once or twice more … I find it’s a bit of a playing it by ear situation.

Dessert or Breakfast: Your Call

One of the things I like so much about a chia seed pudding is that it makes for a fine dessert that can be presented with flair. But it’s equally adept at providing a good-for-you breakfast. You decide! (And who says you can’t have it both ways?)

Let’s Make Fruit Chia Seed Pudding!

Other Puddings to Enjoy

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I’ve always loved creamy, puddingy (yup, new word) treats, so here are a few for you to enjoy: Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding, Lemon Posset and Strawberry Panna Cotta. And for something a little different, here’s a recipe-less story about a chia seed pudding experiment and being the neighbourhood oddball.