Overnight Chia Pudding

 

I’ve been trying to switch up my breakfast routine instead of just having cereal every morning.  To make it super convenient, I’ve been trying different overnight oatmeal and pudding recipes so I wake up and my food is all prepared for me! 

Chia seeds can absorb up to 12 times their weight in liquid, so if you put them in milk overnight, it turns into a thicker pudding that is really energizing and fills you up for hours.  (You can read this post for more health benefits of chia).  

It only took a few minutes to prepare the night before.  It’s a mix of a bunch of recipes I found online.  You can feel free to adapt the pudding with whatever mix-ins you like best! 

Overnight Chia Pudding (serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 6 T chia seeds
• 2 cups almond milk (I used regular milk, but I think the almond would give it more flavor)
• ½ t vanilla
• ½ cup mixed berries
• 2 T pomegranates
• 2 T coconut, toasted
• 2 T raw pistachios, chopped
• ½ t cinnamon
• ¼ t cardamom
• ¼ t ground ginger
• Dash of salt

Directions:

1.  Toast your coconut ahead of time (careful to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn)

 

2. The night before, prepare the pudding.  Blend the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger & salt in a blender on the lowest speed. 

 

3.  Slowly pour in your chia seeds and blend for 2-3 minutes.  Add ¼ cup of the berries to blend them into the mixture (I saved the rest to top the pudding in the morning).   

4. Pour into mason jars or any covered container and refrigerate at least 6 hours. 

5.  In the morning, stir your mixture and top with the remaining berries, pomegranates, pistachios, and coconut (I forgot my coconut unfortunately!)

 

I did a similar breakfast with overnight oatmeal as well.  It’s the same concept, but you just refrigerate ¼ cup uncooked oats, 1/3 cup milk, ¼ cup Greek yogurt, 1½ T chia seeds, ¼ t vanilla, and fruit in a jar overnight and enjoy the next day!   

 

 

I think it would actually taste best to combine the two recipes and add a bit of oatmeal to the chia pudding overnight.  The pudding was pretty liquidy, so if you like a thicker breakfast, reduce the milk quantity or add a bit of oatmeal to the jar.