This thick and creamy dairy-free chia pudding, layered with sweet fresh mango puree, is the perfect grab-and-go healthy breakfast or snack.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you in partnership with my friends at Bob’s Red Mill. I used their Organic Whole Chia Seeds in this recipe. I love Bob’s Red Mill products and their core values as a company. Thank you for supporting the brands that help bring new content to Big Delicious Life!
I love chia pudding. It’s is easy to make, super good for you and fun to eat! All you need for this easy recipe is four simple ingredients and a little bit of patience. These chia puddings are a great option to meal prep and have on hand in the fridge for breakfast, a snack or even dessert. They’re sweet, creamy, full of tropical mango flavor and packed with nutrients.
What are chia seeds?
If the image of a terracotta figure sprouting green hair comes to mind, you’re not alone. I always think about Chia Pets when I use chia seeds and it makes me giggle. Chia seeds won’t make you sprout green hair. They are a nutritional powerhouse and super good for you. Chia seeds, also called Salba chia or Mexican chia, are the edible seeds of a flowering plant from the mint family. They are considered a superfood and an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids.
What is chia pudding?
If this is your first time making chia seed pudding, I’m so glad you’re here! Your life is about to change. The basic chia pudding recipe is just chia seeds and your favorite type of milk. Really, that’s it! The dry chia seeds absorb the liquid and develop a gel-like coating that gives the mixture a similar texture to tapioca pudding, rice pudding or overnight oats. The flavor of chia seeds is mild and earthy, making this pudding the perfect base for adding your favorite toppings and sweeteners. You’ll never run out of new flavor combinations!
Ingredients and substitutions
The best part about chia pudding is that the flavor variations are truly endless. This basic chia seed pudding recipe can be customized with whatever delicious flavors you can dream up.
- Chia seeds – I go with Bob’s Red Mill Whole Organic Chia Seeds.
- Mango – fresh or defrosted frozen.
- Milk – I use vanilla unsweetened almond milk in this recipe. You could use regular milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk or even light coconut milk for extra tropical flavor.
- Sweetener – A tablespoon of honey is what I prefer. You could also use agave or maple syrup.
- Other flavor variations – Keeping the chia pudding base recipe the same, you could change up your chia pudding flavors by layering with fresh berries, adding coconut flakes, cocoa powder, a drizzle of almond butter or peanut butter, fruit preserves or vanilla extract for more flavor.
How to make mango chia pudding
There are so many chia pudding flavor combinations to try but this mango version is one of my absolute favorite ways to enjoy it. This basic recipe could not be easier to make. All you need is four ingredients – chia seeds, mango, sweetener and your milk of choice.
When mangoes are in season, I love to use fresh mango. You can absolutely use frozen mango chunks. Simply thaw frozen mango in the refrigerator overnight or defrost in the microwave.
Start by making the pudding base. In a medium bowl, whisk together chia seeds, whatever kind of milk you’re using and sweetener. Pop that in the fridge to chill for a bit while you make the mango puree.
Add fresh or thawed frozen mango chunks to a blender and blend into a smooth puree. You may need to add a tablespoon of water to the mango to get it going.
After the chia and milk mixture has chilled for 15-30 minutes, take it out of the fridge and give it a good stir. You will see that it has thickened up quite a bit. You want to make sure that you stir it well as dry chia seeds have a tendency to clump together when first mixed with liquid.
Next, layer the chia seed pudding and mango puree into small, airtight containers. Be sure to start with chia pudding on the bottom and end with it on the top. I love to make these in a small mason jar because you can see the beautiful layers and then you can just pop the top on and easily grab from the fridge when you need it.
Let the pudding set in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight before enjoying!
More healthy breakfast ideas you will love
- Pumpkin Blended Baked Oats (No Banana)
- Vanilla Almond Granola
- Healthy Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
- Green Machine Smoothie
Mango Chia Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 large fresh mango or 1 heaping cup thawed frozen mango chunks
- ¼ cup whole chia seeds
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk or milk of your choice
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, chia seeds and honey until well combined. Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 15 minutes.
- While the chia pudding base is chilling. Add fresh mango flesh or defrosted mango chunks to a blender and blend until smooth. Add a tablespoon of water to the blender if necessary.
- After at least 15 minutes, remove the chia pudding from the fridge and give it a good stir.
- Layer chia pudding and mango puree into small mason jars or an airtight container. Start and end with chia pudding. Add more fresh fruit on top if desired.
- Place lids on containers and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight before enjoying.
Lori southerngirleats
This recipe Sounds so so fantastic and I know it’s going to be my favorite summer breakfast! Huge fan of Bob’s Red Mill products so going to grab me some of these chia seeds.
Thanks for the fantastic recipe !
Jessica
Thanks Lori! It’s so good and I love Bob’s Red Mill too!