Easy Chia and Flaxseed Pudding

An easy and highly nutritious healthy breakfast, this chia and flaxseed pudding is packed with plant-based protein and healthy fats. You only need 4 simple ingredients to make this, and you can choose any of your favorite toppings. You can make this ahead of time for a quick breakfast for busy mornings. 

Jump to:

• What are the health benefits of flaxseed? 
• What makes chia seed pudding so great? 
• What You'll Need
• Equipment
• How to make it
• Substitutions & Variations
• Storage
• Recipe tip
• FAQ's
• Other Breakfast ideas
• Recipe
• Comments

What are the health benefits of flaxseed? 

•  Chia seeds and flaxseed are two of the best plant-based sources of omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fats are essential for brain health and development.
•  Both are a great source of dietary fiber. And fiber is an essential nutrient for maintaining a healthy gut. Fiber can improve heart health, reduce cholesterol levels, help regulate blood sugars and promote intestinal health. Fiber takes longer to digest and makes you feel satisfied longer, which is how it can also help with weight loss, and decrease your risk of developing diabetes or heart disease.
• The chia seeds and flax seeds are vegan, high in antioxidants, they reduce inflammation, and they also reduce blood pressure. 

What makes chia seed pudding so great? 

• You can have a variety of different flavor combinations with this recipe. 
• Both chia seeds and flaxseed have a gelatinous texture when soaked in a liquid. When you add milk to the seeds, it creates a delicious creamy texture and pudding-like consistency. 
• It's a low cost recipe, and great for all members of the family. 

What You'll Need

Ingredients

• Plant-based Milk - You can use any plant-based milk, we choose to use unsweetened soy milk in this recipe but we often just use whatever we have in the fridge. Alternatively, we have a cashew milk recipe if you'd like to make your own.
• Chia Seeds - Living up to it's name as a Superfood, it contains a lot of antioxidants, high amounts of calcium, and is a well known plant based source of omega 3 fatty acids. In fact, about 75% of the fats in chia seeds are omega 3's.
• Ground Flaxseed - Pre-ground flaxseeds can also be known as flaxmeal, flaxseed meal, milled flaxseed, milled linseed and ground linseed. Either way, you don't want to use the whole seeds in your pudding. Whole flaxseeds aren't as easily digestible because their outer shell can't be broken down in our gut. We therefore don't absorb the nutrients as efficiently unless they've been ground. You can however make your own flaxseed meal, by putting whole seeds in to a food processor or coffee grinder, and blitzing until you have a fine meal. 
• Maple Syrup - This can be subbed out for date or agave syrup. Or if you're looking for a sugar free version, you can leave the maple syrup out and use mashed banana instead. One banana would be sufficient for this recipe. Using mashed banana would be a great sugar free option for babies and toddlers. 

Equipment

• Glass Bowl
• Whisk or fork
• Mason jar or bowl for serving

How to make it

Combine all of the ingredients in a glass bowl. Then stir them together using a whisk until fully combined. Leave to set in the fridge for 30 minutes, until the mixture has thickened to a pudding-like consistency. Give the pudding another whisk after it's had about 15 minutes in the fridge (if you don't, it can be a little harder to fully mix together after the full 30 minutes).

To serve, you can layer up the pudding with your chosen toppings, in individual servings, in mason jars or similar. Or you can have it in a bowl with your favorite toppings. We have layered ours with our raspberry chia jam, almond butter and then topped it with some homemade granola. 

Substitutions & Variations

You can get creative with your toppings, including fresh fruit, nuts and seeds. Below are a few suggestions: 

• Autumnal - Chopped apple, cinnamon, almond butter and pumpkin seeds. 
• Chocolate - Cocoa powder, or cacao powder, chocolate chips and pecans. 
• PBJ - Strawberry jam and peanut butter. 
• Tropical - Mango, pineapple, canned coconut milk and passion fruit. 
• Nutty - Peanut butter stirred through the pudding for a nuttier flavor, and topped with sliced banana and chopped peanuts.

Type of milk - You can use any unsweetened almond milk, oat milk, soy milk or homemade milk. 

If you're looking for a sugar free version, you can leave the maple syrup out and use mashed banana instead. One banana would be sufficient for this recipe. Using mashed banana would be a great sugar free option for babies and toddlers. 

If you like this recipe, then you'll also enjoy our flaxseed pudding, pictured above.

Storage

You can make this like you would overnight oats, by making it before you head to bed, and letting it rest in the fridge overnight in an airtight container. This is a great idea for a quick breakfast. Soaked chia and flaxseed can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, so you can make a big batch at the start of the week as meal prep.

We wouldn't recommend freezing this pudding.

Recipe tip

Once set in the fridge, if you find that your pudding is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of plant milk and mix well. Or if you find that its a little too runny, add in another 1-2 tablespoons of chia seeds, stir well, and place back in the fridge to set for a further 10 minutes. 

FAQ's

Other Breakfast ideas

For a more leisurely breakfast how about Banana Pancakes or Hashbrowns? For a breakfast before work or school you could try our Flaxseed Pudding or a Weetabix Medley. For those mornings when it's breakfast on the run, then maybe our Banana and Pecan Muffins. Take a look and see, they're all recipes that we love and all of them are tried, tested and enjoyed by our whole family.

Recipe