Chia Pudding

By Ashley Lonsdale

Updated January 28, 2026

Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
Ready In
8 hr
Rating
5(110)
Comments
Read comments

Cultivated and consumed since ancient times, chia seeds are lauded these days for their high concentrations of beneficial nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. The seeds become pleasantly gelatinous and pudding-like when soaked in liquid. A bowl of plumped chia seeds is a blank canvas; the tiny pearls are mildly earthy, which makes sweet and bright additions welcome. Prepare the pudding as written, for four portions, or scale up or down to suit your needs. 

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the Chia Pudding

  • ½ cup chia seeds

  • 2 cups preferred milk (such as cow’s, oat or soy)

  • 1 to 2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey

  • Pinch of salt 

Suggested Toppings

  • Cherries, granola and peanut butter

  • Sliced bananas, tahini and chocolate chips

  • Passion fruit, Greek yogurt and macadamia nuts 

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large bowl, whisk together the chia seeds, milk, maple syrup and pinch of salt. Cover and soak in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight, until thickened and pudding-like. 

  2. Step 2

    To serve, stir and add your favorite toppings like fresh fruit, nuts, seeds and yogurt. Store any leftover pudding in an airtight container — or divide into individual portions for to-go breakfasts — and consume within 5 days.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
110 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

James

I use one cup of soy, 2 tbs of chia seeds, 1 tbs of cacao powder and a touch of cinnamon and honey or maple syrup. Just combine in a mason jar and shake up every few hours. It’s my evening ice cream substitute.

Liz

Wish they’d print the nutritional values, even just the values of the macro nutrients would be nice. (Protein, carbs -sugars and fiber, calories.)

Bill

Mix with plain Greek yogurt and have this in the evening in lieu of ice cream. Sugar dropped 20 pts in the morning. Thank you for a sugar reduced dessert option.

JDR

eat it. its delicious

Paul

CHAT GPT (or any other AI) will calculate macros for this and any other recipe in a split second. Just copy the ingredients from the recipe and paste to AI

Lisa

You don't have to wait 8 hours to enjoy this delicious snack. I've been making this for a long time and typically eat it about an hour after the making.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.