Chia seeds soaked in vanilla almond milk overnight then topped with granola and dried cranberries before serving. This vanilla chia pudding with granola is a delicious and healthy breakfast that requires very little time to prepare.
It’s officially spring!
But, to be honest, it doesn’t feel like spring, at least, not in SF. It’s cloudy and gray, rainy and wet, and super windy and cold. All signs of winter to me.
On the bright side, with the wintery weather, I can now try out my new clear bubble umbrella, which my sister gave to me as a present, and see if it can stand against strong winds. Has anyone tried one of these umbrellas? I feel like it would work better than regular umbrellas which flip when the winds are strong. I mean, what is the point of an umbrella if it can’t endure the rain and wind?
Anyway, I’ve been eating birthday cake for days, like literally, and I still have some left in the fridge, not that I’m complaining because they were sooo good, but I think I really need to start eating healthy again. No more cake, cupcakes, and macarons for me for awhile.
So, I thought we could start the week with a simple and healthy breakfast. This vanilla chia pudding.
You’re probably thinking, “What?! Pudding for breakfast?”
It’s so healthy and filling, you’ll want to start your day with it.
It’ll be best to prepare the pudding the night before and allow the chia seeds to absorb all the liquid and thicken until it becomes pudding like. But it’s super easy to put together. And you’ll be able to enjoy a simple yet delicious breakfast the following morning. I like to top mine with granola and dried cranberries, sometimes with nuts and a drizzle of honey or agave. If you haven’t noticed, granola, dried cranberries, and nuts are staple ingredients for toppings in my house. =)
I sort of wish that I got into using chia seeds earlier since they’re so healthy for you. These seeds are filled with omega 3 fatty acids, fiber, and protein as well as other nutrients. But for the longest time, every time I think of chia seeds, I think of chia pets. Do you remember those commercials? The ch-ch-ch-chia jingle was stuck in my head for the longest time.
You’ll want to use either a jar, a glass, or a bowl that can hold about 2 cups of anything. Or you can use smaller jars and divide the recipe in half. I used an old jar. Mason jars would be perfect for this.
Pour the vanilla almond milk (or almond milk, or soy milk, or regular milk) into the jar. Stir in the vanilla extract and granulated sugar.
Now, add the chia seeds. Stir until the chia seeds are completely soaked in the milk.
Place the jar in the fridge overnight. The chia seeds will thicken into tapioca consistency.
Once you’re ready to eat the vanilla chia pudding, remove the jar from the fridge and top with granola, dried fruits, nuts, and maybe even a drizzle of honey or agave. The vanilla chia pudding is lightly sweetened so you can definitely add more of your favorite sweetener and adjust to your taste.
Enjoy!
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- 1 ½ cup vanilla almond milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup chia seeds
- Granola
- Dried cranberries
- Honey or agave for drizzle
- In a jar or a bowl, add vanilla almond milk, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar. Stir until the vanilla extract is incorporated and the granulated sugar has dissolved.
- Add the chia seeds, and stir to incorporate the chia seeds in the milk.
- Refrigerate the vanilla chia pudding overnight.
- Top the vanilla chia pudding with granola, nuts, and dried cranberries. Drizzle honey or agave to desire sweetness.
- Serve the vanilla chia pudding with granola cold.
Beautiful photos and ideas. Thank you for sharing!
What a beautiful presentation!! No matter how hard I try I can’t get used to chia seeds myself, and they don’t really have much of a flavor, I guess it’s the texture that I don’t like. I must admit, I love your spoons, especially the one that says go ahead…no one’s looking, HA! I did see you have a peanut butter & jelly french toast now that’s right up my alley!!
We got about an inch of snow here on the east coast…first days of Spring huh!
Happy Birthday to you, hope your day was special…oh and by the way there are no calories in anything you eat on your birthday…it’s true! 😉 (I don’t know what happens for the days that follow it…)
I’ve heard that calories don’t count on your birthday too! The problem is there’s still tons of cake the days after. lol
Hmmmm… 😋
A very healthy and enchanting drink!
I’m going to have try this one in place of the raw oats & fruit that I have now – looks great!
I’m going to try this with some crystallized ginger and oats! 😀 thanks for sharing this.
I’ve never had crystallized ginger before, but it sounds like it’d be a great addition.
I don’t like the texture of tapioca pudding so didn’t think I would like chia seed pudding. But it is great!
This looks fantastic! Never seen this before and anything Vanilla commands my attention. I can drown in a pool of Vanilla. We are getting those winds in Vegas now, gusts to 50mph in the valley. My pool deck furniture was turned over in advance this time!
I can never tell what the weather will bring for us these days lol
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I tried soaking them in orange juice, but that didn’t work out really well. I may have not given them enough time, but it didn’t seem to change them at all. I’ll try again with milk one of these days.
Virtual hugs,
Judie
The chia seeds should start to thicken in about 15 minutes. But if you leave it overnight in milk, it’ll thicken to the consistency of pudding. Usually the ratio is 1/4 cup chia seeds to 1 cup liquid. Hope that helps, Judie! Let me know how it turns out for you if you try it!
Looks delicious!