Note: For YouTube video, scroll to the bottom. If you are a YouTube subscriber looking for the Peanut Butter powder I used in the video, there is a link at the bottom of the post. 

I love pudding. Like…really, really love it. My answer to the “if you had to eat only one thing the rest of your life” question has always been chocolate pudding.

As a runner, though, I probably shouldn’t eat it day and night. So when I noticed on the internet a few years back this thing called chia seed pudding I looked into it.

My childhood was during the 70’s and 80’s, so I didn’t know that you could actually EAT chia seeds. They were just something you spread onto a dog or man’s head and made “fur” from .

Now, we know the benefits of eating chia seeds, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and also contain calcium, iron and magnesium. I am always looking for ways to get more calcium (I hate milk on its own) and iron.

I like to make the pudding with cashew milk, which is lower in calories than cow’s milk and also has calcium.

My base recipe is really simple…just the cashew milk, chia seeds and Sweet Drops Stevia. I bought this sample pack on Amazon and have tried this with the coconut flavor and chocolate flavor.

To the “base” I will add fruit, or sometimes a bit of melted dark chocolate. Strawberries and a bit of chocolate make a great combination! The pudding is thick enough that if I puree whatever fruit I am using I can swirl it in and then use it as a spread for toast or bagel.

I would never be able to eat the whole batch in one sitting, so I keep the base in a jar in the fridge and then scoop what I want and add to it. That way if I feel like blueberries one day for breakfast and chocolate the next as a snack it’s super easy to do.

If you don’t want the stevia drops, you can either leave the base as is or sweeten it with honey, maple syrup or sugar. I would make a simple syrup with half sugar and half water.

Another sweetener I have been using lately is the monk fruit sweetener. It has zero calories and really does taste just like sugar. I make my own Greek yogurt, and use that when I make whatever “jam” I use.

Chia Seed Pudding:

4 T. Chia Seeds

1 cup Cashew Milk

1/4 t. stevia sweet drops

Just mix all the ingredients together and let sit for at least 3 hours. You can add whatever you would like to the base…fruit, cocoa and a sweetener (I use half the base plus 1 teaspoon cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon monk fruit sweetener), nuts, etc.

This is very thick, so you can start out with 3 T. and see if that is pudding-like enough for you. It is really easy to add more seeds, even the next day, so if you don’t want it thick I would try that and add as you like.