Banana Chia Pudding

Why You Will Love This Recipe

You will love this banana chia seed pudding because:

• This is a healthy recipe that can be made with chia seeds or basil seeds, both are full of fiber, antioxidants, iron, and calcium.
• This no-cook recipe is so easy and can be put together in less than five minutes. 
• This recipe is versatile and can be made vegan, sugar-free, dairy-free, and allergy-free when made with ingredients to suit your diet, and is naturally gluten-free.
• No fancy equipment is needed to make this recipe.
• Great for meal prep because you can make this and store it in the fridge for up to four days.

Ingredients

Please note that below is a guide for some of the ingredients we used in the recipe. The printable recipe further down the page has the complete list of ingredients, including quantities and step-by-step instructions.

Milk - we used our homemade soya milk for this recipe, but you can use another of your choice, like almond milk, coconut milk, or dairy milk. 

Chia seeds - you can use white or black chia seeds. 

Sweetener - we used monk fruit sugar, but you can use your favorite sweetener. 

If you are using sweetened milk, you may not need to add a sweetener, so add it to taste.

Flavorings - vanilla extract, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, and salt. 

If you want to keep the recipe simple, you don't need to use these, but they add a great flavor to the pudding.

Bananas - the riper they are, the better they are for this recipe. We used two small ripe bananas in this recipe.

Instructions

Step 1 - Add the milk, chia (or basil) seeds, vanilla, sweetener, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, into a bowl and mix well. 

Taste for sweetness and adjust to taste by mixing in your choice of sweetener.

Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes, then give a good stir, repeat one more time stirring again after 30 minutes. 

Cover and store the pudding in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight before serving.

Step 2 - Before serving, peel and mash the bananas and mix them into the pudding. 

You can mash the bananas into a smooth paste or leave it slightly chunky for added texture.

Step 3 - Divide the mixture into two servings, and garnish with toppings of your choice. Serve chilled.

Recipe Tips

Add the sweetener to taste - this is especially important if you are using sweetened plant-based milk - this may already be sweet enough for you.

Stir the chia seeds - don't just add the seeds to the milk and leave it at that - stir the mixture several times in the first 30 - 60 minutes to avoid clumping.

Add the bananas just before serving - For a nice-looking pudding, mix in the bananas just before serving because if you add them too early, the pudding can turn grey and dark in color. 

Serving Size

This recipe makes about 470 grams (16.58 ounces, just over two cups) of banana chia pudding using two small ripe bananas and can serve two as a healthy breakfast or four as a dessert or snack.

Calories Per Serve

This banana chia pudding has about 152 calories in a 235 grams (8.29 ounces, 1 cup) or 75 calories in a 118 grams (4.16 ounces, ½ cup).

Serving Suggestions

Topping ideas

For this recipe, we topped the banana pudding with yogurt, toasted coconut flakes, banana slices, fresh strawberries, and grated dark chocolate.  

Or make your combination with these banana chia pudding topping ideas:

• Fresh fruits - blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, kiwi fruit, peaches, melon, and mango.
• Yogurt - flavored yogurts, dairy or plant-based.
• Stewed or pureed fruits - mango coulis, homemade strawberry compote, and unsweetened apple sauce or stewed prunes.
• Frozen fruit - we love to add these to the pudding in summer.
• Nuts - scatter on chopped toasted nuts.
• Dried fruit - sprinkle on roughly chopped dried fruit, like apricots, apples, raisins, papaya, or dates.
• Chocolate - grated or roughly chopped or melted.
• Nut butter - almond butter, cashew butter, peanut butter, or Nutella.

Make layers

Instead of having the toppings on top, you can use them to create layers.

For example, you could make a layer of banana chia pudding, then top it with a layer of yogurt, toasted coconut, and slices of banana or berries, then top with more pudding, and repeat, finishing with a final layer of topping.

Substitutions

Can't get chia seeds - use basil seeds (that is what we did for this recipe). Basil seeds are slightly larger than chia seeds but they a nutritionally similar.

Variations

Chocolate banana coconut chia pudding - use coconut milk instead of soy and mix in to taste 2-3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder.  

You could even mix in a teaspoonful or two of shredded toasted coconut.

Banana peanut butter chia pudding - blend ½ a cup of creamy peanut butter with the milk before mixing with the chia seeds.

Storage

Refrigeration – Store chia pudding in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freezing – Freeze portion-sized amounts of pudding in suitable freezer-safe containers. The puddings can be frozen for up to 2 months. 

When ready to eat, remove from the freezer and thaw the night before in the fridge.

FAQ

More Easy Recipes

• Vegan mascarpone substitute
• Sweetened condensed soy milk
• Non dairy custard