Chia Pudding

By Ashley Lonsdale

Updated January 28, 2026

  • Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
8 hr
Rating
5(223)
Comments
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Cultivated and consumed since ancient times, chia seeds are lauded these days for their high concentrations of beneficial nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. The seeds become pleasantly gelatinous and pudding-like when soaked in liquid. A bowl of plumped chia seeds is a blank canvas; the tiny pearls are mildly earthy, which makes sweet and bright additions welcome. Prepare the pudding as written, for four portions, or scale up or down to suit your needs. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the Chia Pudding

  • ½ cup chia seeds

  • 2 cups preferred milk (such as cow’s, oat or soy)

  • 1 to 2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey

  • Pinch of salt 

Suggested Toppings

  • Cherries, granola and peanut butter

  • Sliced bananas, tahini and chocolate chips

  • Passion fruit, Greek yogurt and macadamia nuts 

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large bowl, whisk together the chia seeds, milk, maple syrup and pinch of salt. Cover and soak in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight, until thickened and pudding-like. 

  2. Step 2

    To serve, stir and add your favorite toppings like fresh fruit, nuts, seeds and yogurt. Store any leftover pudding in an airtight container — or divide into individual portions for to-go breakfasts — and consume within 5 days.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
223 user ratings
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Comments

James

I use one cup of soy, 2 tbs of chia seeds, 1 tbs of cacao powder and a touch of cinnamon and honey or maple syrup. Just combine in a mason jar and shake up every few hours. It’s my evening ice cream substitute.

Liz

Wish they’d print the nutritional values, even just the values of the macro nutrients would be nice. (Protein, carbs -sugars and fiber, calories.)

Bill

Mix with plain Greek yogurt and have this in the evening in lieu of ice cream. Sugar dropped 20 pts in the morning. Thank you for a sugar reduced dessert option.

nv

On these hot summer days, I’ve been craving something cold and lightly sweet in the evenings for dessert. This is the perfect recipe. Stirred up a batch in just a few minutes, used honey as sweetener and soy milk/coconut milk combo (3:1 ratio, soy milk for protein/nutrition and canned coconut milk for silkiness/body/slight tropical flavor that reminds me of an excellent tapioca pudding I had in Hawaii…) From experience find that stirring every 30min in the hour after assembly (so stir twice more after placing in fridge) yields the most consistent and fully hydrated pudding the next day. Endlessly adaptable recipe but delicious just plain as well. Am thinking of frying some dates and scattering on top for a more luxurious version..

ID

This ratio left my mixture quite runny after 9 hours. Increase chia seeds by 3TBSP or decrease milk to 1 - 1.5 cups.

MPF

Go straight to Greek yogurt and substitute 1 tsp vanilla extract for the sweeteners

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