I'm crazy about this yogurt chia pudding - its ultra-creamy and you can customize it by using different yogurt flavors. After making this more times than I can count, the one thing that makes or breaks the texture is the double-stir - walk away for ten minutes, come back, stir again. Skip that step and you'll get clumps every time.
Get creative with this as a simple and easy foundation to add to. There are so many fun adventures to take this recipe on, as it carries a lot of different flavors, so pick out a few of your favorite toppings and go for it!
If you know my site, you can tell I'm a fan of chia seeds as I have a bunch of recipes for your to experiment with, such as my Salted Caramel Chia Pudding, Almond Milk Chia Pudding and Apple Chia Seed Pudding, so give them a whirl if you like.
Ingredients & substitution notes
- Milk of choice: unsweetened almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, non-dairy milk, or regular whole milk. My favorite is oat milk.
- Chia seeds: you could use white or black chia seeds, a combination of both is lovely.
- Yogurt: I love using coconut yogurt or thick Greek yogurt in my pudding. Choose a creamy, rich yogurt for the best results. Also feel free to try different flavors (vanilla is my favorite!)
- Maple syrup: you can swap this out for agave syrup, honey or any other sweetener of choice if you'd like; just be mindful of the level of sweetness in that case.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make chia pudding with yogurt
STEP 1: Add all the ingredients into a bowl, and stir them together until well combined.
STEP 2: Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes, and then stir it again to remove any lumps.
STEP 3: Cover the bowl or pour the mixture into a jar and seal it. Allow it to soak in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
STEP 4: Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Top tips
- Adjust consistency. If the pudding is a little thick, you can thin it back by adding a little more milk.
- Use fresh chia seeds. Stale seeds won't absorb liquid or plump up properly, so you'll end up with a grainy pudding no matter how long you soak them.
- Store chia seeds in the fridge. It keeps them fresher for longer and helps prevent them from going rancid - especially if you don't go through them quickly.
toppings & variations
Add these after soaking:
- Fresh fruit - berries, grapes, banana, or citrus
- Stewed fruit or baked apples with a dash of cinnamon (a favorite in winter)
- Nuts & seeds - toasted sunflower seeds or chopped nuts
- Granola for crunch - try our Applesauce Granola, Vanilla Almond Granola or Dark Chocolate Granola
- Dried fruit - cranberries, raisins, or goji berries
- Nut Butter - add a drizzle of cashew, peanut or Roasted Almond Butter onto the surface.
- Caramel Sauce: Try this 2-Ingredient Peanut Caramel as a topping! It tastes divine!
Mix these into the base:
- Protein-Packed - stir in a scoop of protein powder
- Chocolate - a teaspoon of cocoa powder
- Coffee - a teaspoon of cold espresso as per my French Press Cold Brew
- Vanilla extract
Storage
- To store: Your chia pudding will last in the fridge for around 4 days; you'll just need to make sure it's covered up in an airtight container. Store in the fridge without the toppings; these should be added before serving and eating.
FAQ
Chia seeds need some sort of liquid to be soaked in and expand. Adding them to yogurt alone won't result in a lovely and thick pudding texture so I recommend soaking them in milk and yogurt.
Give it the full soak time - at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. If it's still thin after that, you likely didn't use enough chia seeds relative to liquid.
This happens because when seeds first hit the liquid, some sit together in little clusters - the outside seeds start swelling and forming a gel coating that can trap dry seeds inside, and thick yogurt makes this more noticeable since seeds can't disperse as easily as they would in a thinner liquid. That's exactly why the double-stir works: stir everything thoroughly, let it sit 5-10 minutes, then stir again. The second stir breaks apart clusters before the pudding fully thickens, so the seeds stay evenly distributed instead of turning into those chia blobs.
This depends on the recipe but chia seeds are high in antioxidants, fiber and omega-3-fatty acids. You can read more about the health benefits of chia seeds here.
More chia seed recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Creamy Chia Pudding with Yogurt
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds
- ½ cup (115 ml) milk of choice *oat, almond, soy, regular whole milk...
- 2-3 tablespoon yogurt of choice *plain or flavored (I love vanilla)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup *or other sweetener of choice
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl or glass container and stir until well combined.2 tbsp chia seeds, ½ cup milk of choice, 2-3 tbsp yogurt of choice , 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Let sit for about 10 minutes, then stir again to break up any lumps.
- Seal with a lid and put in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Video
Notes
-
- Dairy-Free/ Vegan: use a good quality vegan yogurt and your favorite plant-based milk (I love oat milk!).
- Stir the mixture twice. It's essential to eliminate any lumps and bumps in your chia pudding mixture.
- Adjust consistency. If the pudding is a little thick, you can thin it back by adding a little more milk.
- Add toppings. While the base flavor is wonderful, toppings take this pudding to the next level.
- Play around with yogurt flavors. By doing this, you'll never get bored of this tasty treat. My favorite ones to use in this recipe are mango, blueberry or vanilla.
Anonymous says
Can you add protein powder for added protein or will
It alter the consistency?
Katie says
It will probably change the consistency and make it thicker but you could try adding a scoop of protein powder as well as 1/8 cup of milk. 🙂
MJ says
This is such a game changer recipe! I was having chai seed pudding with milk before but OMG adding greek yogurt to it is so delicious! It gave it such a creamy texture, I really felt I was eating some expensive cafe chai seed pudding! So good!
Katie Roux says
It is, isn't it? 🙂 Very happy to hear that you liked it 🙂
MJ says
This is such a game changer! I was making my chai seed pudding with just water but OMG adding greek yogurt gives it such nice creaminess!! I felt like I was eating some of expensive cafe level chai seed pudding! Delicious!
Wendy Campione says
So healthy, so easy, so tasty!
Katie says
Thanks a lot for your lovely feedback! 🥰
Ana Palafox says
Good morning, Katie 🌄. How are you? I'm fine. Today I tried creamy chia pudding with yogurt that I made. I added mixed berries 🫐🍓 and semi-sweet chocolate chips 🍫. Mmmmmm 👌! It turned out very delicious 😋, well-flavored, nutritious, pleasant, appealing, and heavenly 😇. I loved it 🥰. You're a magnificent chef ☺️.
Katie says
Hi Ana, thanks for your lovely feedback! Very happy to hear that you liked the recipe- it's one of my favorite breakfast recipes actually 🙂
Susan says
Tasty, so easy to make and healthy👍🏻
Katie says
Thanks Susan for your lovely feedback!