This Banana Chia Pudding is naturally sweetened, paleo, vegan, whole30 approved, and is seriously delicious!
Banana Chia Pudding
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.
If you put them in liquid and let them sit for a couple of hours 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-3’s, 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!
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 1/2 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 Tbsp which isn’t terrible.
If you want more protein, however, you could always add some unflavored or vanilla collagen peptides or other whole-30 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.
Easy Steps
Blend together 2 cups of non-dairy, unsweetened milk, 2 medium-sized ripe bananas, pure vanilla, and some cinnamon.
Pour the mixture into a large mason jar or container. Add some whole chia seeds and shake well.
Try to make sure there are no clumps of chia seeds and they are well distributed.
Allow to sit in the fridge for 2 hours to overnight to thicken.
Serve with sliced banana and cinnamon.
Expert Tips
- 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.
Looking for more pudding recipes? Check out The Detoxinista’s Overnight Chocolate Chia Pudding. Or if you’re not into the chia pudding thing, you may enjoy my Paleo Vanilla Pudding or my Easy Paleo Chocolate Pudding – and both are egg-free!
If you’ve tried this Banana Chia Pudding or any other recipe on the blog please let me know in the comments below!
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Banana Chia Pudding {Whole30, Paleo, Vegan}
Ingredients
- 2 cups Unsweetened, Non-Dairy Milk
- 2 Ripe Bananas + more for garnish
- 1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon + more for garnish
- 1 tsp. Pure Vanilla or vanilla powder for the Whole30 purist
- 1/3 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.
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.
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary.
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.
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!