Warm Chia Pudding

Chia seed pudding has become a super popular breakfast in the last couple of years and I can see why. These little seeds are nutritious, high in healthy fats and fiber and really easy to prepare.

Chia seeds themselves have quite a neutral taste. However, combined with some fresh fruit or other delicious toppings they make a nutritious breakfast, snack or even healthy dessert that's packed with flavor. 

For more vegan chia pudding recipes check out Almond Milk Chia Pudding, Coconut Milk Chia Pudding, Vegan Salted Caramel Chia Pudding or Apple Cinnamon Chia Pudding.

What is warm chia pudding?

Chia seeds have the ability to absorb a lot of liquid compared to their size. When mixed together with milk (or water), they expand in size, and form a gel-like consistency. That's why it's called chia pudding. 

Chia seeds are really versatile because they don't have a strong taste on their own. Hence the flavor combinations you can create using chia seeds are endless!

While most chia pudding recipes are meant to soak overnight and served cold, chia seeds can also be heated resulting in a cozy bowl of warm chia pudding.

Ingredients & substitution notes

• Frozen Berries (OPTIONAL): I love adding frozen berries to my warm breakfast bowls. For this chia pudding recipe I used frozen mixed berries that consisted of blueberries, raspberries, red currant and blackberries. You can use any berries you like or omit them completely.
• Milk of Choice: You could use any dairy-free milk of your choice as well as regular dairy milk. For sweet recipes, I usually like unsweetened oat milk because it’s naturally sweeter. Alternatively, you could also use unsweetened almond milk, soy milk or cashew milk. Even coconut milk would work.
• Yogurt of Choice: adds a creamy consistency. I used unsweetened soy yogurt but you could use any yogurt of your choice. A berry yogurt would add some additional great flavor for example.
• Maple Syrup: I recommend using pure maple syrup without any additives. Instead of maple syrup you could also use agave, honey (not vegan) or any other preferred sweetener such as brown sugar or coconut sugar.

Flavor ideas

You could try adding more flavors by adding different spices and ingredients. Below you'll find a few suggestions:

• Cacao Powder: Berries and chocolate make an amazing flavor blend- you can't go wrong by adding a teaspoon of cacao powder. 
• Cinnamon: I love adding cinnamon to my breakfast bowls, especially during the colder months. Feel free to replace it with nutmeg or other winter flavors of your choice. Make sure to only add a tiny pinch though, the flavor shouldn't be overpowering!
• Vanilla Extract: Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract for some subtle vanilla flavors!
• Apple Puree: Could either be added additionally or also act as a natural sweetener instead of maple syrup. 
• Mashed Banana: Similar to the apple puree, if you're after a sugar-free breakfast, try adding some mashed banana instead of the syrup.

Topping ideas

Adding toppings is where the fun is and real flavor comes into play! Feel free to add any toppings of choice, we list a couple of our favorites below:

• Fresh Fruit: such as fresh berries, apples, oranges, kiwi or banana.
• Granola: Adds some amazing texture. Both store-bought and homemade work just fine. Check out this Applesauce Granola for a homemade recipe idea!
• Nuts & Seeds: Such as walnuts, brazil nuts or almonds are my go-to nuts. They taste amazing in combination with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
• Nut Butter: I love adding a big scoop of homemade almond butter to almost any breakfast bowl. It adds some additional protein and flavor. Alternatively, you could use peanut butter or any other nut butter of choice.
• Chocolate Chips: Is there any breakfast bowl that doesn’t benefit from adding chocolate chips? 😉 Choose vegan chocolate to keep this recipe vegan!
• Coconut Flakes: Toasted or raw, both would make a great topping!
• Dried Fruits: Try adding some dried raisins, cranberries or dried cherries