This Banana Chia Pudding is naturally sweetened, paleo, vegan, whole30 approved - and is seriously delicious!
If you're not familiar with cha-cha-cha-chia seeds (I couldn't help myself, we sing that all the time around here!), they're amazing.
All you have to do is put them in liquid and let them sit for a couple of hours. Then, they soak up the liquid to make a thick, creamy, tapioca-like pudding. It's a great way to get chia seeds into your diet.
They have protein, omega-3s, calcium, fiber, minerals, and antioxidants - these little seeds pack a punch!
Made with a touch of vanilla, non-dairy milk, and bananas - this is a healthy breakfast or snack you can feel good about eating!
And if you're looking for more whole30 recipes, I think you'll love these spaghetti squash carbonara and stuffed peppers recipes. Or see all of my whole30 recipes!
Or if you're looking for non-whole30 recipes, check out these Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies from Food Doodles and this Chia Coconut Pudding from Low-Carb No Carb because they look pretty amazing too!
Whole30 and post-workout
I've made chia seed puddings in the past but didn't start making them regularly until starting the Whole30. The Whole30 book recommends eating right after your workout (or pretty close to it), which I never do.
I usually wait for at least 1 ½ to 2 hours then I'm STARVING and eat all the things. Totally not good! So I started making chia seed pudding as a post-workout snack.
Even though chia seeds don't have tons of protein, which is needed after a workout, they have 3 grams per tablespoon which aren't terrible.
If you want more protein, however, you could always add some unflavored or vanilla collagen peptides or other whole30-approved protein powder.
Snack, breakfast, or treat
This isn't just an after-workout snack though! It can be made the night before for breakfast the next morning (my daughter's favorite), eaten as a mid-day snack, or you could make it in the morning for a simple pre-made treat at the end of the day.
It's naturally sweetened, healthy, seriously delicious, and easy.
Ingredients
Here are the simple banana chia seed pudding ingredients:
- Unsweetened, Non-Dairy Milk - Be sure the dairy-free milk is unsweetened and whole30-compliant! I usually use unsweetened almond milk.
- Ripe Bananas - Naturally sweetness and flavor.
- Ground Cinnamon - For flavor, + more for garnish.
- Pure Vanilla - Or vanilla powder for the Whole30 purist.
- Whole Chia Seeds - Thickener and texture.
Easy steps
Step #1: Blend together the unsweetened non-dairy milk, ripe bananas, pure vanilla, and cinnamon.
Step #2: Pour the mixture into a large mason jar or container. Add some whole chia seeds and shake well.
💭Tip: Try to make sure there are no clumps of chia seeds and that they are well distributed.
Step #3: Allow to sit in the fridge for 2 hours to overnight to thicken.
Serve the whole30 chia seed pudding with sliced banana and cinnamon.
Storage
Store leftover pudding in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Substitutions and variations
- To make the whole30 chia pudding extra creamy: For half of the non-dairy milk use full-fat canned coconut milk. I recommend Thai Kitchen, Sprouts, or Native Forest Brands. Other brands may leave an aftertaste.
- If you're not doing a whole30 and prefer your pudding sweeter, feel free to add honey, maple syrup, or liquid vanilla stevia to taste.
Other flavor combinations
The sky's the limit in terms of flavor options so experiment and have fun! You can add various sweeteners, extracts, cocoa powder (for chocolate chia pudding!), spices, fruit, nuts, seeds, and on and on.
I especially love bananas and toasted coconut for a coconut cream pie flavor 🥧
If you have any great flavor combos let me know in the comment section!
💭 Top tips
- All you have to remember when making chia pudding is to use 3 Tbsp. of whole chia seeds per cup of liquid.
- The riper the bananas, the sweeter your pudding will be.
If you’ve tried this Paleo, Vegan, & Whole30 Banana Chia Pudding or any other recipe on the blog please let me know in the comments below!
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📖 Recipe
Whole30 Banana Chia Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 cups Unsweetened, Non-Dairy Milk
- 2 Ripe Bananas - + more for garnish
- ½ tsp. Ground Cinnamon - + more for garnish
- 1 tsp. Pure Vanilla - or vanilla powder for the Whole30 purist
- ⅓ Cup + 1 Tbsp. Whole Chia Seeds
Instructions
- Place non-dairy milk, bananas, cinnamon, and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Blend until well combined.
- Pour the mixture into a large mason jar or container.
- Add the chia seeds, put on the lid, and shake to combine. Make sure there are no lumps and the chia seeds are evenly distributed.
- Place in fridge for 2+ hours to overnight, or until thickened.
- Serve garnished with banana slices and cinnamon. Or garnish with bananas and toasted coconut for coconut cream pie flavor 🙂
- Store covered in fridge. Stays fresh up to two days.
Add Your Own Notes
Notes
- All you have to remember when making chia pudding is to use 3 Tbsp. of whole chia seeds per cup of liquid, then the sky's the limit in terms of flavor options so experiment and have fun! You can add various sweeteners, extracts, cocoa powder, spices, fruit, nuts, seeds, and on and on. If you have any great flavor combos let me know in the comment section!
- Store leftover pudding in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
- To make the pudding extra creamy: For half of the non-dairy milk use full-fat canned coconut milk. I recommend Thai Kitchen, Sprouts, or Native Forest Brands. Other brands may leave an aftertaste.
- If you're not doing a whole30 and prefer your pudding sweeter, feel free to add honey, maple syrup, or liquid vanilla stevia to taste
- The riper the bananas, the sweeter the pudding will be.
Nutrition
NET CARBS = Total Carbs - Fiber
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary. Sugar alcohols are included in the total carbs and fiber.
Looking for more information on the keto diet? Check out my
Amy says
Awesome recipe, especially when I’m tired of eggs for breakfast! If you haven’t tried AROY-D brand coconut milk, you should: it’s the best I’ve ever had! It is 100% coconut milk, is super creamy and comes in a recycled box (kinda like an old lunch milk carton) So it’s easy to store. Just FYI. Thanks for the recipe!
Cassidy Stauffer says
I'm so happy you liked the recipe Amy! ...and thanks for the tip, I'll have to try it!!!
-Cassidy
Ricki says
I've read the recipe over 3 times and I can't figure out what I did wrong. Is it supposed to thicken? Mine is very runny.😟
Cassidy Stauffer says
Hi Ricki, I'm sorry your pudding was runny!! A few things ...did you use whole chia seeds? Did you measure everything correctly? Did you mix it well enough so that there were no clumps? And did you let it sit in the fridge long enough to thicken? Also, chia seeds do go bad. Have you had your chia seeds for over a year?
Let me know so we can figure out what happened!
XO,
Cassidy
Ricki says
Yes I did the recipe correctly, but my chia seeds were old. I'll try again. Thank you😊
Holly says
This pudding is soooo delicious! I thought I wouldn’t like the texture, but it doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve been looking for protein alternatives because I feel bad eating so much meat while on the whole30 and this recipe helps a lot! Thank you so much.
Marla says
Cassidy,
This banana pudding sound delicious. I love using chia seeds to make pudding - it such a wonderful super food. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & tweeted!