Piña Colada Chia Seed Pudding

A piña colada take on a chai seed pudding? Heck, yes!

This may actually end up being the easiest meal you will ever make. To sum it up, you flavor your coconut milk and add it to the chia seeds and let them hydrate. The chia seeds morph into a texture similar to miniature tapioca pearls with a “custard-like” binding.

The final result is a delicate “coconut pudding” with little bursts of texture in the form of the rehydrated chia seeds. Garnish with diced pineapple and fresh mint for a creative take on a piña colada cocktail by the beach.

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What are Chia Seeds?

Besides being very easy to prepare and the fact that this dish tastes delicious, there is also another aspect of this dish that might even be its best quality.

Chia seeds, which are the seeds from the plant Saliva Hispanica, a plant in the same family as mint and basil, are full of nutritional value! In a 28 gram/1 ounce serving of chia seeds, you can find 11 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein and many different vitamins and minerals. That is a lot of nutrition for just under 2 tablespoons of seeds. I suppose that is the reason the Aztecs and Mayans named the seeds “chia” or “strength”, which is the translation for chia.

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Ingredients for Piña Colada Chia Seed Pudding

Not only do we love chia seed pudding because it makes for a tasty and healthy breakfast but it's so easy to make and only requires a few ingredients. Here's your grocery list:

• Chia Seeds: Your base for this healthy breakfast "pudding".
• Coconut Milk: You can really use any kind of milk you would like as the pudding base. We prefer coconut milk for its nutritional value and subtle/complementary flavor profile but almond/oat/soy milk also works. You could even use chocolate milk!
• Complementary Flavors: While we love to use piña colada inspired flavors like lime, pineapple, and mint, you can feel free to mix it up and use whatever flavors you prefer. A tasty alternative is to use fresh peaches with vanilla extract, a splash of maple syrup  and candied pecans.

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Tips on making the most refreshing chia seed pudding

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1. Chia seed to coconut milk ratio: Play around with the chia seed-to-coconut milk ratio to achieve the perfect creamy consistency. Not all chia seeds absorb the same amounts of liquid so sometimes you may find that you need to add a little less chia seed or a little more liquid to prevent the pudding from being too thick or too watery.
2. Prepare overnight: Chia seed pudding is best when prepared overnight! This will allow the chia seed plenty of time to absorb the coconut milk and added flavors.
3. Use a bowl for mixing: While you can certainly mix everything directly into a jar for an easy preparation with no dirty dishes, we recommend you mix everything in a bowl first to avoid the chia seeds from clumping.
4. Get creative: Don’t be afraid to play with your own flavor combinations. As a rule-of-thumb, if the milk tastes good before adding the chia seeds, then the chia seed pudding will end up tasting pretty similar as a finished product. So taste the milk prior to adding the chia seeds and adjust the flavoring accordingly.

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This has been my go to breakfast and I hope you like it as much as we do! It's my best, refreshing breakfast to start my day with.

Cheers and eat well!