This simple and delicious dairy-free recipe for Mason Jar Chia Seed Pudding comes together in a flash and is packed with fiber and protein. It’s the perfect recipe to prep ahead for a simple weekday breakfast or snack and can easily be customized with your favorite flavors and toppings.
This recipe came together out of laziness… or, um, convenience. That sounds better, right? Soon after Ryder was born, I found myself reaching for the easiest snacks I could find to help satisfy my raging hunger. Breastfeeding hunger is REAL and I often find myself desperate for something to eat numerous times a day.
After a couple of weeks of snacks that looked like handfuls of chocolate chips, gummy candies and endless scoops of peanut butter, I figured I should probably pay a tiny bit of attention to the foods I was using to fuel my body, especially since dealing with afternoon sugar crashes on top of the usual postpartum exhaustion started to get a little old. And even though sour gummy worms are delicious, they’re far from satiating. (One of life’s little bummers.)
As you guys may remember, back in May I read How Not To Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease (yes, the title is super intense and a bit click-baity), and the author of the book, Dr. Michael Greger, touted the nutritional benefits of chia seeds. (A quick refresher: They’re packed with fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and important vitamins and minerals including potassium, calcium and magnesium.) While I’ve loved chia seed pudding for years, after reading this book, I began making a more concerted effort to regularly incorporate them into my diet.
And then I had a baby and forgot everything I learned.
But, in the midst of the newborn haze, I opened up my pantry and saw my big jar of chia seeds and realized chia seed pudding is one of the easiest snacks ever and something I could prep ahead of time to have on hand when the nursing hunger beast rears its ravenous head.
And then because I’m lazy — ahem, resourceful — I figured I could make chia seed pudding even EASIER. I’m all about shortcuts when it comes to healthy eating and turned to the stash of mason jars I have stored in our kitchen cabinet to make this snack as simple as possible.
I simply dump all of the ingredients for the pudding into a mason jar, shake it up and put it in the fridge overnight. The next day I have breakfast or a nutritious snack ready and waiting for me and whatever toppings I choose to use that day. It’s so darn simple and also the kind of recipe you can quite literally grab and eat on the run.
This pudding is one of those wonderfully adaptable recipes. I’ve switched up the kind of milk, spices and (optional) natural sweeteners and loved every single variation but today I’m sharing my most basic version so you can use it as a starting point for your own creative chia seed pudding concoction!
Mason Jar Chia Seed Pudding
Print
Mason Jar Chia Seed Pudding
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: At least four hours or overnight
- Total Time: 4 hours or overnight
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Category: snack, breakfast, dairy-free, gluten-free, Paleo
Description
This simple and delicious dairy-free recipe for Mason Jar Chia Seed Pudding comes together in a flash and is packed with fiber, protein and flavor. The perfect recipe to prep ahead for easy weekday breakfasts or snacks!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I love unsweetened vanilla almond milk or light coconut milk from a can)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons collagen hydrolysate (optional)
- pinch of salt
- 1–2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey (optional)
- Optional toppings: Fresh berries, nut butter, unsweetened coconut flakes, etc.
Instructions
- Combine chia seeds, flaxseed, milk, cinnamon, collagen, salt and desired sweetener in a mason jar.
- Shake everything up and refrigerate for at least an hour (ideally 2+) or overnight. If you are awake and around, shaking the pudding periodically will greatly help evenly disperse the chia seeds and improve the texture of the pudding. (I like to give it a shake about 30-45 minutes after I initially put it in the fridge. If possible, don’t skip this step because it absolutely makes a difference!)
- Top chia seed pudding with desired toppings and enjoy!
Notes
I LOVE making a chocolate version of this recipe and will often omit the cinnamon and add in 1/2 tablespoon of cocoa powder before shaking everything up. I also love throwing in some cacao nibs for some crunch and an extra punch of chocolate flavor!
The collagen in this recipe is optional and can easily be omitted without altering the flavor or texture but I like including it to get the benefits of collagen as well as a boost of protein.
If you’re looking for a punch of sweetness but don’t want to use honey or maple syrup in your chia pudding, mashing some fresh berries and adding them in before shaking everything up works well! I love using mashed raspberries or strawberries.
While this recipe calls for non-dairy milk, you may also use dairy milk though I prefer the silky, nutty flavor of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, cashew milk or macadamia nut milk or the rich, creamy flavor of coconut milk in this recipe. Just make sure you use a milk you love to ensure you enjoy the flavor of the pudding.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mason jar pudding
- Calories: 308
- Sugar: 0g
- Sodium: 215mg
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 18g
- Protein: 23g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
(Note: Nutritional information was calculated using unsweetened vanilla almond milk and none of the optional honey or maple syrup.)
If you give this recipe a try, please let me know what you think! And I’d love to hear about any variations you create at home that you think taste extra delicious!
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I adore chia pudding!
I do a very similar method as you and I usually top mine with some almond butter, banana and coconut.
coconut is one of my all-time favorite toppings! so good!
Great idea. I was wondering what the hell to do with chia seeds thx
Ha! Hope this gives you a way to use up a bunch of them at once! 🙂
Here’s a weird question – what does this actually taste like and what’s the texture like? I’m looking for healthy snacks to satisfy my pregnancy hunger and am intrigued, but hesitant about whether I’d actually enjoy it haha!
It actually tastes a lot like whatever milk you use to make it but with a slightly nuttier taste from the flaxseed and chia seeds. Definitely don’t forget the cinnamon since that really helps the flavor and a splash of maple syrup for sweetness if you’re at all worried about not liking something not-so-sweet!
Yum, yum, yum!! I love chia seeds. I actually just had a little jar of this stuff yesterday! I topped mine with almond butter, blueberries, cinnamon and pecans and it was the perfect pick-me-up after my comedy class! – Kaitlyn | IG: @kaitlynmcquin
your combo sounds right up my alley!
What brand of chia seed to you recommend? Thanks!
I’m honestly not picky! Lately I’ve been buying my chia seeds from ALDI, Thrive Market and Whole Foods!
Mmmm I’m thinking some pumpkin spice with some baked mashed butternut squash….. Maybe some almond slivers
Oooh! Genius!! Such a great seasonal flavor idea!
Thanks for posting, I’ve been looking for quick breakfast recipes and I’m sick of oatmeal!
Yay! Hope you enjoy it!
Tried this today and I loved it! It’ll definitely my in my snack rotation going forward,
I’m so happy to hear it! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment back here and let me know!
I always add 1/4 tsp almond extract to chia pudding to give it extra flavor!
FYI, the multiple rounds of shaking are definitely needed for the jar version. I have always made mine in a bowl and the texture works out fine, but I tried to make this in a jar right before I went to bed and only shook it once- the texture was not right the next morning and I had to pour it into a bowl and let it sit a few more hours.
so good!
hey looks delish 🙂 could you confirm the size of these jars?
thanks!
Nav
I’ve been on the hunt to find something that keeps things… moving 😀 this pregnancy. Combination of baby growing and having to be on extra hormones this time around has slowed things down A LOT. This is perfect. Thank you!
Wow, what a delightful recipe for Mason Jar Chia Seed Pudding! I absolutely loved how easy it was to follow along with your clear instructions. The step-by-step photos were a lifesaver and really helped me get the perfect texture for my pudding. The flavor combinations you suggested are spot-on; I especially enjoyed the coconut almond version. Thank you for sharing such a delicious and nutritious recipe—I can’t wait to explore more of your blog for tasty treats like this!