We started making chia puddings as part of our weekly meal prep for about 7 years now. And you know what? It’s still just as easy, and just as tasty! Combine that with the fact you can add whatever fruit topping you’d like to this creamy pudding, and it’s easy to see why this is a staple in our house. The inspiration for this pudding started with my Tropical Coconut Chia Pudding Jars I published around 7 years ago. This recipe has some similarities, because it’s sort of evolved over years and years of making that recipe without measuring. This version is also portioned out more for a snack/small breakfast size. I’ve also included our favorite fruit toppings below as well. This way you can customize your chia puddings depending on what you’re craving. Or simply top each pudding with a different fruit so you never get bored throughout the week. I’ve also been using 100% frozen fruit lately since the only fresh fruit we have around at the moment is apples. Our go-to favorites are what you see here with berries and mango. Although I have to say, I haven’t found a fruit that I don’t like with this pudding yet.
And so now it’s time for how-to make this Meal Prep Chia Pudding:
Add the coconut milk, maple syrup, water, vanilla extract, almond extract, ground cardamom, and sea salt to the blender. Blend until combined. This takes just seconds in a blender, but you can also whisk them together by hand. Then stir in the chia seeds by hand. Next it’s time to portion out the chia pudding into your choice of containers. I love using 1-cup Mason jars for this recipe. This allows for 1/2 cup pudding, some room for fruit, and a bit leftover for mixing it together. And finally it’s time to top your puddings with whatever fruit you’d like. Pictured here is local huckleberries, (wild blueberries are the closest thing I know for substitutions) strawberries, and mango.
Fruit toppings for chia pudding:
All the fruit I used here in the photos was frozen fruit, and I love how well it kept in the fridge. I have used fresh fruit in the past, but it’s really best to eat it within 2-3 days. Fresh berries especially tend to go bad easily, and I’ve noticed fresh mango turns brown where the frozen didn’t.Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce – we both love this one with this chia pudding!You’ll find a Triple Berry Sauce in my Fruit and Yogurt Cups recipe.Under my Mom’s No Bake Grain Free Cheesecake you’ll find a cherry sauce recipe.And finally there’s a recipe for a strawberry sauce in this crepe recipe.
More chia pudding inspiration:
Creamy Coconut Lime Chia PuddingSweet Cherry Almond Chia PuddingRaspberry Sherbet Chia PuddingMango Lime Chia PuddingTropical Coconut Chia Pudding Jars
In my book this makes chia pudding a great option for everything from breakfast to dessert. And it doesn’t hurt that this is so easy to meal prep to have on hand as well. I do hope you get a chance to make this soon! If you do make it, I’d love it if you’d leave me a comment/rating below. And I always love hearing from you here, and over on Instagram where you can tag me at #getinspiredeveryday with your photos. 5 from 1 review 1/4 cup Grade A amber maple syrup 1/2 cup water 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract 1/2 Teaspoon almond extract 1/2 Teaspoon ground cardamom, cinnamon is good for a variation Pinch of sea salt 1/2 cup chia seeds Toppings: 2 cups frozen berries and/or mango chunks, about 1/3 cup per jar Or 2 cups any fruit sauce recipe linked to in the post Stir in the chia seeds and portion out the pudding into containers of your choice. I like to use the 1-cup Mason jars and pour 1/2 cup pudding into each for a total of 6 jars. Then set the jars in the fridge to allow the chia seeds to thicken before adding the fruit on top, about 10 minutes. Top each jar with about 1/3 cup frozen fruit and place a lid on each container. Place the containers in the fridge and eat within 4-5 days.
