Smooth and Simple Breakfast Pudding + Chia Seed Giveaway
By Gena Hamshaw on
May 15, 2010

Happy Saturday!

Meeting with cool clients? Check. Grocery shopping? Check. House cleaning/floor mopping? Check. Lunch with my wonderful cousin, who’s in town for the weekend? Check. Editing? Check. Plans to hang with a dear friend tonight? Check. Beautiful, sunny weather? Check.

In spite of a long week, this day has been a joy from start to finish. Not least because I got to play around with a cool new breakfast. During the week, when I’m rushing around and transporting breakfast to the office, I tend to stick to the tried and true. Raw options include fresh green juice from the juice bar near my office; avocado pudding (with or without sprouted bread); bananas with nut butter; or dehydrated buckwheat with almond milk. Cooked staples are my beloved oats or oat bran; leftover grains, reheated with nut milk; baked yams; and sprouted grain bread with nut butter. Simple, easy. (For more of my fave brekkies, check out this post).

On the weekends, when I have a more time and access to my juicer, blender, and stores of culinary creativity, I like to mix it up. I’ll often throw together a smoothie I’ve been meaning to try, a new juice combo, or something altogether new.

Today, I decided to try a blended chia pudding. I’ve shared some recipes for regular chia pudding with you all before; the idea this time was to blend the pudding, rather than leaving the chia seeds whole, which creates that tapioca effect you see below:

My game plan was simple: blend 1 oz chia seeds (this is about 3 tbsp) with 3/4 cup nutmilk and 2 tbsp of carob powder in my Vitamix. I quickly realized I was out of nutmilk, so I whipped up a hazelnut milk like so:

Hazelnut Milk (Yields at least 4 cups)

1 cup hazelnuts
4 cups water
1 tbsp coconut oil (an idea stolen from Sarma’s recipe for Brazil nut milk; helps to emulsify)
4 pitted dates
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Blend all ingredients on high for a minute or so. Strain through a cheesecloth or nutmilk bag, and serve. Will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.

True to the plan, I blended 3/4 cup of my (very tasty) hazelnut milk with the chia seeds and 2 tbsp of carob (but you could also use cocoa powder). I tasted the pudding, realized it needed a bit of sweetness, and added a few drops of stevia; if you have a sweet tooth, you could add agave, dates, or raw honey to this recipe!

The result was a simple, tasty chocolate pudding. Now, I have to warn you: this is not a super-sweet indulgent treat like my chocomole. I liked it a lot, but I would describe it as “plain” — not too vibrant in flavor. You could definitely add sweetness to it, or additional chocolate flavor; you could also spike it with peppermint or orange extract. But I enjoyed the simple, nutty taste just the way it was; it was a perfect, mellow flavor profile for breakfast.

Lately, my girl Angela has been whipping up some crazy cool breakfast parfaits in all sorts of charming glassware. Inspired by her efforts, I decided to serve my pudding as a parfait, layered with slices of my fave fruit. After dusting off a wine glass — those babies don’t get much use in this non-drinker’s apartment — I came up with this:

OK. So maybe this “parfait” wasn’t quite as perfect as one of Ange’s creations:

In fact, it was a bit of a hot mess:

But hey, I tried. And it tasted great.

My favorite thing about chia seeds? Calcium! 1 oz, my friends, contains about 180 mg calcium, which is about 18% of your daily recommendation. This is especially cool for those of us who don’t rely on dairy to meet our calcium needs. Chia seeds also boast Omega-3s (which I’ve written about here) and a ton of fiber, so they’re pretty worthy all around. No wonder that, when I recently gave away a shopping spree at iHerb, so many of you wrote in to say that chia seeds would be your purchase of choice.

Guess what? You’ve got another shot at getting some for free! The kind people at Chia Seeds Direct — who are my go-to source for chia seeds — have offered one of my readers a 2 lb bag of chia seeds. These seeds are high quality, inexpensive, and shipped quickly, so it’s my pleasure to support them with this giveaway! To enter, simply do one, or all, of the following:

  1. Leave a comment on this post, telling me what sort of chia recipe you’re dying to try
  2. Tweet this giveaway, and leave a new comment to tell me you did
  3. If you’re not following me on Twitter yet, please do, and then leave me an additional comment to say so.

Good luck! I’ll announce the winner next Saturday, the 22nd.

On that note, I’m off to enjoy the rest of my day. Have a great night!

xo

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    268 Comments

  5. After many weeks of research i have just started my new raw vegan lifestyle and after looking at all these delicious chia pudding recipes online i would LOVE to try to make some of my own!!!

    Reply

  7. I’d love to try chia seeds in oatmeal. I wonder if it will change the texture when cooked – make it creamier or more gel-like.

    Reply

  8. Do you blend before or after the chia seeds plump up? Does it matter?
    Anyway, I love chia seeds- usually in pudding, smoothies, or raw cookies/bars a la Averie. I’d love to try blended like this!

    Reply

  16. love chia pudding.. have been making this recently and it’s a nice mild dessert after dinner. 🙂 would love to try it with cacao powder too!

    Reply

  21. I want to try one of these blended chia recipes! I make chia pudding all the time, but I’ve never blended it before…. I’d love some more chia seeds to try that technique.

    Reply

  23. I’ve already tried the basic chia seed pudding, (I love the texture btw!) but I really want to play around with different variations.

    Reply

  28. That looks beautiful! I love to make chia seed puddings, but I’ve never thought of blending them up, so that’s definitely what I would try. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply

  30. Hi Gena!
    I tweeted about how I want to win your give away. I’ve been wanting to get some chia seeds, but I didn’t realize they were a good source of calcium. I found out recently that my bone mineral density is a bit low and that is why I have stress fracture in my hip so this is great news!!!

    Reply

  32. I HAVE to try that blended pudding now! I love to experiment when I am making new foods, whether it be raw, or cooked, but always vegan, so I would deffinately try to make some sort of cookie out of them… possibly a dehydrated one. I’d have to think of a recipe, but I think that’d be really fun!

    Thanks Gena!

    Reply

  34. I’ve had my eye on trying your chia pudding for quite some time, especially that chocolate peppermint holiday one. It looks so yummy! If I won I’d do what every kid dreams of – dessert for breakfast 🙂

    Reply

  35. I haven’t tried chia in anything but smoothies really. I always have some chia gel in the fridge that I toss in, and I don’t think I’d like the chia pudding texture. BUT, I bet I would LOVE it blended!

    Reply

  36. I’ve always wanted to try putting chia seeds in vegan overnight oats, like Angela does. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply

  37. I would love to win some chia seeds. Purchased a 1/4 pound at Whole Foods and the family loved them (gone real quick) in carob pudding. My little town doesn’t sell foods like this, so I would looooove to win some chia seed love.

    Thanks for all the awesome recipes!

    Reply

  38. Would love to try this in one of Ang’s banana smoothies.Gena,what would you suggest when trying to buy a juicer versus a blender(Vita)?I always thought that juicing would remove all the fiber but since you do suggest juices…was wondering hat you would do if you could buy just a juicer or a blender?

    Reply

  39. I love chia! Your dishes look so yummy. I could definitely eat with you. 😉

    I’d like to try making a chia pudding with strawberries or blueberries this summer. Yummy.

    Reply

  40. I just got into experimenting with chia seeds and would love to make this! Instead of using homemade nut milk, I’ll probably use what I have on hand. Do you think almond milk would work? Also, how did you make the pudding so think? Do you have to pop it in the fridge after blending to get it to a pudding consistency?

    I can’t wait to try it!

    Have a lovely day!
    xox

    Reply

  41. Cheee-ahhh! I love chia seeds and pretty much put them in everything. Smoothies, on oats, in chia seed pudding, to dip bananas in. I love their crunchy goodness!!! I actually have only ever had them raw, and wonder what they would be like to cook with!

    Reply

  46. i definitely want to try the chia seed parfait, im wondering if its possible to be made into an ice cream? make the bananas into a banana soft serve with the chia seed parfait pudding. MMM sounds like a dessert or a breakfast i could make. I like chia seeds because they are simple to use, and i am always eating breakfast on the go so i can throw chia seeds in a to go cup.
    They always seem to be out of the them at the whole foods by me so if i catch them its usually only for a day or so worth.
    Anyways, id make some parfaits and maybe some ice creams 😉

    Reply

  47. I bought a bag of carob for a recipe earlier this week and I had no idea what I was going to do with the rest. Problem solved. Thanks Gena!

    Reply

  55. This is great I’ve been wanting been wanting to try chia seeds for quite some time, and I haven’t gotten off my tush to buy some. I would add them to my smoothies and definitely try some chia pudding. Thanks for hosting this sweet giveaway!

    Reply

  56. I’ve been dying to try chia pudding with banana soft serve! I haven’t tried chia seeds, and I have been on the hunt to try them as a thickener!

    Reply

  58. Thanks for the recipe- I usually add chia seeds to my oatmeal or granola (with rice milk/ almond milk). I was getting bored of doing this- so will definitely try this yummy chia pudding recipe!!

    Reply

  59. i would try the chia pudding parfait, like the one you made up there! looks tasty!

    Reply

  60. I’ve seen so many recipes for chia pudding lately and I would love to experiment with different combinations… berry and cinnamon chia pudding, chocolate walnut chia pudding… there are so many options!

    Reply

  65. I would make chia chocolate pudding with almond milk and cacao powder! I made it one time with my 8-year-old brother and he loved it!

    By the way, I’m also following you on twitter. Added you about a week ago — nsanluis is my username 🙂

    thanks!
    natalie

    Reply

  66. I think your chia parfait looks divine. And I’m really liking the decadent hazelnut milk you seemed to so effortlessly create.

    Funny, I had chia today as well, in a fruity smoothie type breakfast. I’ve only ever had the black chia seeds, but from what I understand Salba are a white type chia seed. Are they the same thing?

    I would love to try a savory chia recipe. Hmmm, maybe in a salad dressing?

    Reply

  69. I’d like to mix chia seed in my oatmeal, but after looking at your chia seed pudding, I want to make that too!

    Reply

  70. I haven’t tried chia seeds yet. They are awfully expensive at the grocery stores in my area. But I love pudding, and the added calcium and omega 3 surely makes them very interesting on a nutritional point of view. I really wonder how it taste. By the way, your hazelnut milk recipe sounds delicious!

    Reply

  71. Chia! I love to sprinkle them on salads and I love them in Ani Phyo’s halva chia cookies, but I really want to experiment more with chia puddings like this one.

    Reply

  72. If I won the chia seeds, I would use them in a summery drink. Possibly a chia lemonade?

    Reply

  73. I would love to add them to my cooked millet I mix with sun warrior vanilla protein powder.

    Reply

  78. I love the chia seeds in vega bars and I’d love to try putting them in homemade granola and granola bars. Thanks for the great giveaway! also I recently made your zucchini dressing and loved it.

    Reply

  80. I love chia seeds! My fave way to have them is as chia pudding 🙂 though I’ve always had it tapioca style and never blended. Maybe I’ll try the blended if I win 🙂

    Reply

  82. dying to try kristin’s raw’s holiday chia pudding!!! i remember when she made this / ate this almost every day and since then, i’ve been chia-obsessed but never made anything at home.

    your recipe seems simpler though and less intimidating (in terms of ingredient commitment: ginger? lucuma, wa?) so it might be my first stab.

    hope you’re doing well and i too have been drooling over breakfast vegan oats…

    Reply

  83. Hi Gena ,
    I love your blog and have been visiting you since few days.I like this pudding with chia seeds.
    I have a quick question for you–Are chia seeds and Tukmaria seeds(available in Indian Stores)the same?
    I have tukmaria seeds at home and they too are tiny and once water is added to them they tend to form gel and plump up like the seeds in your pudding.We use them in falooda,lemonade etc during summer to cool the body.
    Please let me know if they are the same.
    Thank you ,
    Kiran

    Reply

  84. Hi Gina, my family and I put chia seeds in almost everything, leaving none lfetover for (un)baking. I would love to try some raw cake and ice cream recipe.

    Reply

  88. I’d definitely try this recipe!!! My mom’s been bugging me about trying chia seeds for ages – she sent me an article about how they’re the perfect “runner’s food.” My roommate and I just bought a blender this morning, too! I’d love to give it a spin with a yummy, healthy recipe like this 🙂

    Reply

  91. If I won the chia, I’d make our classic superthink coconut smoothie with them – the secret is soaking them in fresh young thai coconut water! 🙂

    Reply

  95. I’ve never tasted chia seeds but when I saw that your recipe had dates, nuts, and banana, it made my mouth water. I’m still new to doing green smoothies (about 3 months new to my Vitamix Blender) so I’m still experimenting and trying new things. Your recipe would be great, but I’d also like to try a”cream cheese” chia seed recipe that I found online:

    Cream Cheese Recipe- Blend the flesh of 3 avocadoes, 9 dates, juice of 1 or 2 lemons, big handful of dulse seaweed

    Reply

  96. wow this looks so good! I can’t wait to try this. Thank you for the link-back darling. Your creations are genius as always. Oh and if you want to see hot mess you should see my creations when the banana soft serve pours all down the side over my hands. lol. 😉

    Reply

  97. I’ve seen a couple of recipes that involve blending Chia seeds (like yours), and that would be up next to try. In the past I have made the tapioca style chia pudding and it is great!

    Reply

  98. the chia recipe i’ve been dying to try is a vegetarian chili that uses chia seeds to thicken up the sauce. sounds absolutely scrumptious!

    Reply

  99. looks great! i’m hoping to make a smoothie sometime with soaked chia seeds – not sure what other ingredients…

    Reply

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