I recently discovered that chia pudding can be made on the spot, instead of just overnight, and this is a true game-changer!! I love chia pudding, but making it with the overnight method requires planning and foresight...but sometimes you want to eat some chia pudding now instead of tomorrow! I learned that you can use hot water to instantly make chia seeds “bloom” up, so I decided to try using hot tea to give it extra flavor. It worked great and this is a super easy and quick recipe.
I chose chai tea and later tried this with cinnamon tea as well, as both have great tastes that complement chia pudding. You could experiment with the tea flavor and play around with tea and pudding pairings - for example, maybe a peppermint tea with cocoa powder in the pudding for a mint chocolate chia pudding!
I am excited to have learned this technique of making chia pudding, and will definitely be trying more varieties. You can also vary the texture of your pudding by adding less milk to make it thicker, and vice versa. You can add chia pudding into oats, and it can be a great toast topper - especially if you make a thicker pudding.
For the milk, I used Califia Farm’s unsweetened probiotic plant-based yogurt beverage because adding probiotics is great for digestive health, and even has links to skin health as well! You can use any type of milk you like, or a yogurt as well for probiotics (if it is a thicker yogurt, you may need to add more). Once you have made your chia pudding, you can mix in other flavors and top with anything you like - I like berries and granola and nut butter! Adding in cocoa powder is also great, and I would also add chocolate chips for more chocolate!
Here’s how to make this:
Ingredients
Makes 1 serving
½ cup brewed very hot chai tea (or cinnamon tea, etc) - you will only use about ¼ cup, but it is good to have a bit extra
2-3 tbsp chia seeds
¼ cup milk, or less depending on how thick you want it
1 tsp vanilla extract
Dash of cinnamon
Toppings
Steps
1. Boil water and add your teabag/tea leaves to make your tea.
2. While the tea is hot, add to the chia seeds in a bowl, and stir. The seeds will gel right away!
3. Add milk, vanilla, and cinnamon, mix and refrigerate to further thicken while you assemble your toppings. If you are making a chocolate version, add cocoa powder here (I would recommend 1-2 tbsp).
4. Remove from the fridge, add toppings, and enjoy! You can drink the rest of your tea for the perfect beverage accompaniment!
