Chia seeds are pretty in right now - they're like almonds in the mid-2000s. In some regions of the internet, scientists estimate that chia seed pudding recipes outnumber cat photos. How will this blog stand apart from the myriad of chia seed pushing posts? Where's the Granola? is a blog that seeks to warn as well as inform. While other blogs cite the many health benefits of chia seeds, I will provide this cautionary tale: chia seeds have a lot of fiber. If you haven't eaten many chia seeds before, maybe don't start out with a full serving of pudding. You have been warned!
On to the recipe! I adapted this from something I found on the internet. The basic steps are soaking the chia seeds so they get super goopy. I found a really interesting discussion on reddit about why chia seeds gel up. Basically, chia seeds are made of ~40% fiber (see my warning above) and about half of that is soluble fiber and half is cellulose. Soluble fiber are known to gel up in water and the cellulose adds solidity to the gel. Basically, these fibers are hydrophilic and are creating long chains. The article also points out that adding acidic substances adds a ton of hydrogens that can also form hydrogen bonds and break up chains. This is important because if you add a ton of acidic fruit, your chia seed pudding can get less firm.
But I digress, below you can see the chia seeds after they have been soaking in a 1:4 ratio of seeds: liquid of about 2 hours. I used coconut beverage, which is sometimes called coconut milk, but I find that sort of confusing since it's not like the canned stuff you get for making curry.
Since coconut beverage already has some sugar and flavor you don't need to add too much. I added about 2 tbs of maple syrup for the whole 2.5 cup recipe, but it depends a bit on how sweet you want it to be.
After you've added the maple syrup, you can blend in your first fruit to 1/3 of the chia seeds. I chose frozen mango, which I think worked really well because it's got a nice solid texture and makes the chia seeds sort of smooth.
Once you've blended in the fruit, put the first layer in your waiting jars.
The second layer is just the next third of your chia seed mixture.
Finally, add your second fruit to the remaining third of chia seeds and blend. I used a combination of strawberries and mango in the third layer, but I think I added too many strawberries because it did get sort of watery (see comment above). I think a few raspberries might be a better bet because they have a more intense flavor and you could probably add fewer of them. You could also try something like banana if you really wanted a thicker pudding. The world is your oyster!
Finally, put that last layer on top and tah-dah chia seed parfait.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 2 cups coconut beverage - not the stuff in the can (or almond milk)
- 2 tbs (to taste) maple syrup
- 3/4 cup frozen mango chunks
- 1/4 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
Process
Place chia seeds in a large container with a salable lid. Add coconut beverage and maple syrup. Secure lid and shake vigorously to combine.
Place in fridge for two or more hours. It's sometimes worth giving the chia seeds a shake at the one hour point so you don't wind up with clumps. When the mixture is thick (sort of like tapioca pudding), you're good to go!
Remove the chia seeds from the refrigerator and place the first third in a food processor with 1/2 cup of frozen mango. Blend until smooth. Layer the mango chia in four 8oz jars.
On top of the mango chia, add a layer of plain chia.
Place the remaining third of your chia seeds in the food processor and add the last 1/4 of mango and 1/4 of raspberries. Blend until smooth layer on top of the plain chia.
Cover the jars (I used 8oz mason jars with plastic reusable lids. I find that if you leave the metal canning lids on in the refrigerator, they are very difficult to remove) and place refrigerate until you're ready to enjoy!
Surprise! Even though I actually remembered to take pictures this time, here's a beautiful iris I found growing wild on my run today.
