This Chia Pudding Post is a contribution from our son, Eric.

Seldom do we have dessert, but when we do, it’s usually during a weekend. One of the simplest desserts to make is Chia Pudding. It requires soaking of the Chia seeds, with no baking or cooking and takes less than five minutes to prepare – just mix and chill.

The Chia seed is a species of flowering plant in the mint family. It is native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala and centuries ago, it was important as maize as a food crop. People in South and Central America use ground or whole chia seeds for nutritious drinks and as a food source. Chia is rich in omega-3 fatty and linolenic acids. It is also a rich source of B vitamins. We use Chia seeds in our smoothies and granola bars. 

The Chia seed is tiny and crunchy, therefore, it should be soaked for a few hours, overnight preferably, in order to become gelatinous. If you want to eat some Chia pudding on Saturday, be sure to soak the seeds in milk Friday night.  We’ve tried a variety of milk, but like the taste of coconut milk. Almond milk is also tasty, but if you decide to use Organic coconut milk, use the brand below in the photo or another brand that contains no artificial ingredients or guar gum which is used to thicken it. You can use any kind of coconut milk, but we prefer this brand. The can we bought had 13.5 ounces of coconut milk and added 2.5 ounces of almond milk to make 2 cups. Sweeten it to taste – we use 100 percent organic maple syrup, but you can use any sweetener you like.  If any left over Chia Pudding, it can be used in smoothies, but this stuff is so good, rarely do we have leftovers.

You can serve it plain as in the photo below, or add a topping of your choice – fresh berries, chopped nuts, for example. We added some home-made fig jam in this recipe. If you add a sweet topping, decrease the maple syrup or sweetener in your recipe. Try it – we’re sure you’ll like it!

Ingredients for Chia Pudding
16 ounces of milk of your choice (if you use the coconut milk suggested, you will have to add additional coconut milk to make 16 ounces) add eight tablespoons of organic Chia seeds and maple syrup or your sweetener of choice to taste.