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Whenever I think of chia seeds I think of my last year of high school, when they had just become all the rage. Going to an all-girls school it was almost normal to see girls walking around with water bottles full of ridiculous things like cucumber slices and lemon rind.
But when do chia seeds start being added as well? For about six months, I honestly thought they were fish eggs. I thought they were the grossest thing ever. Like umami plums or quinoa, I associated them with superfood fads, mud face masks, and beautiful people like Miranda Kerr.
I never wanted to try them in any shape or form if I could avoid it.
But these pesky little seeds are everywhere! Blended into smoothies, sprinkled on porridge, used as vegan eggs, and added to bread, muffins, and cakes, they are literally taking over the world. I kept reading about chia pudding in places like here, and it actually sounded kind of cool.
More than just that, I couldn’t believe anything would be that easy to make and not taste like…well fish eggs mixed into the milk. I couldn’t find the source of the chia pudding idea, but I first read about it on Pastry Affair and used that as an idea starter. For the first pudding I made I got a bit obsessed with the chia seeds.
I stirred in one tablespoon to half a cup of milk and waited. Then I poured in another one, waited about 30 minutes, poured in another one, poured in a teaspoon more, and then left it overnight.
People, I overdid the chia seeds. They still tasted okay, if a little thick, but about half an hour after I ate them, the seeds expanded in my stomach, and I literally couldn’t get off the floor. I was rolling around, moaning, for about an hour.
Don’t eat too many chia seeds! They can absorb 9 times their weight in liquid and lemmee tell you that’s like your whole stomach.
If you haven’t heard of them before, chia seeds have some pretty impressive credentials. They are super high in dietary fiber and things like Vitamin C and Iron. They turn into a gel when mixed with liquid, which makes them ideal for making pudding because you don’t need any heat, gelatine, or eggs to thicken it.
They are naturally gluten-free and can be used to make vegan and dairy-free recipes.
They have literally no taste at all which is kind of unnerving…but also good. When dry they’re kind of gross to eat, even though they are a famous sprinkle for cereal and porridge because they get stuck in your teeth and start absorbing your saliva!
But soaked, they become most similar to tapioca pudding.
Today’s pudding is a really simple strawberry chia pudding. It’s more of a starting point for whatever direction you want to take it. Lots of people seem to like this for breakfast so there isn’t any sugar in the beginning recipe, but depending on how sweet your fruit is you might want to blend in some honey or maple syrup (or sugar, of course).
You could also get creative with the milk.
Strawberry Chia Pudding Cups
Gluten-free, sugar-free and vegan.
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy milk (or almond, coconut, or actual milk)
- 450g (1 pound, 2 punnets) washed and hulled strawberries
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (good quality, you’ll be able to taste it clearly)
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
Instructions
- Blend strawberries, vanilla, and milk until completely smooth and chunk-free.
- Stir in the chia seeds well. Pour into 2-4 cups, depending on the serving portion, and chill overnight.
- Stir after about an hour well to break up clumps, and again before serving.
- Serve with a drizzle of honey or more cut-up fruit.
Coconut milk would go well with blended banana or berries, or almond milk could make a lighter alternative. Some people stir in melted chocolate, cocoa powder, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, and fruit compote, as you can see there are many different ways to make this pudding.
Just remember to be patient, and not stir in three more tablespoons than directed.
