Revised and updated. Originally posted June 19, 2015
When it’s strawberry season, we pick strawberries, buy flats of strawberries from our CSA (community supported agriculture) share, and make ALL THE THINGS with the strawberries. Some even make it to the freezer for later.
One of our annual favorite June recipes is Strawberry Dream Chia Pudding. It’s fresh, it’s delicious, and it keeps really well. This chia seed pudding was inspired by The Kitchn and is incredibly smooth and creamy. It is gluten free, dairy free, a quick and easy recipe to make, and is loaded with real food nutrition.
Start with fresh strawberries or frozen strawberries, just be sure they are organic if possible. Strawberries are heavily sprayed with pesticides and since you eat the whole thing, it’s important buy organic strawberries to get all the goodness without the chemicals.
Add some coconut milk or other milk. Did you know. . . light coconut milk is just diluted full fat coconut milk? Save your money and dilute it yourself to make this Strawberry Chia Pudding. Thick almond milk, oat milk, and other plant-based milks work well too, they just don’t end up quite as creamy.
To sweeten the strawberry chia pudding, add some honey or maple syrup. You can also skip the sweetener if you prefer. About 10 drops of liquid stevia also works well as long as you replace the missing water with either a milk of your choice or water. To keep the consistency great, be sure to use the ratio of liquid to chia seeds that’s in the recipe.
This is one of our favorite recipes to take on camping trips. It packs a potent nutritional punch for kids (and adults too) with plenty of healthy fats and protein to sustain energy when being active outside. We also really like to put a dollop of this Strawberry Chia Pudding on our rolled oats or steel cut oats in the morning. It’s also a great way to add some texture, flavor, and sweetness to plain yogurt. Top with a sprinkle of granola and you have a snack or breakfast you’ll want to make again and again.
Enjoy and leave a comment below if you make it or if you have a question.
Strawberry Dream Chia Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 cups strawberries hulled
- 1 can light coconut milk or 1/2 can full fat coconut milk plus 1/2 can water, or other milk like almond milk
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup, or skip and add 1/4 cup more milk or water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lime zest awesome but optional
- 1/2 cup chia seeds white or black
Instructions
- In a blender, add all ingredients except chia seeds. Blend for about 30 seconds or until mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Pour creamy strawberry mixture into a medium bowl and whisk in chia seeds.
- Let mixture rest for a few minutes, whisk again. Repeat this 2 to 3 times to prevent chia seeds from clumping.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to overnight to set up. The longer the pudding is in the fridge, the more it will thicken.
- Serve and enjoy! This chia pudding keeps well in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Notes
- Black chia seeds work well for this recipe but personally, I prefer the look of white chia seeds in this pudding. If you can't find white chia seeds locally, check out Nuts.com (that's where we get ours from).
- To skip a step or two and some dishes, after blending, you could also add the chia seeds right to the blender canister and give them a stir. After they are mixed up, pour the mixture right into a 1 quart jar to thicken up.
- This is one of my family's favorite camping snacks and topper for a warm bowl of oatmeal or steel cut oats.
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