how to make chia pudding with oat milk : pistachio almond

If you have been wondering how to make chia pudding with oat milk, this recipe is for you! Chia pudding is the perfect healthy snack or light vegan breakfast. You can even add a little extra sweetener and make it into a healthy, nutrient dense dessert! The best news? It’s incredibly easy to make.

You can make chia pudding with oat milk into an endless amounts of flavors, but one of my personal flavors of chia seed pudding is pistachio almond.

This creamy chia pudding is made with oat milk, chia seeds, maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt. It’s flavored with pistachios and almond extract. And it’s made green with fresh baby spinach! This adds a fun color and a little bit of extra nutrients!

This recipe can be prepped in under 5 minutes! Let is rest for 20 minutes in the fridge for the chia seeds to do their magic and turn oat milk into a pudding! Perfect recipe to prep in the evening and enjoy in the morning…or all week long.

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How to make chia pudding with oat milk

What are chia seeds

Chia seeds are seeds that come from the plant Salvia Hispanica, which is actually a member of the mint family. Up until recently, when most of us heard the word “chia”, our brains would automatically jump to those adorable, quirky chia pets…”cha cha cha chia”.

Turns out, chia seeds are actually an excellent addition to your diet! These babies are packed with omega-3 fatty acids. Chia seeds are also a great source of protein, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and fiber!

With their abundance of nutrients, including chia seeds in your daily routine is definitely a good idea. You can toss them on salads, blend them into smoothies, or sprinkle them over yogurt. But the funnest way to eat chia seeds is turning them in to chia pudding!

Perfect ratio for chia pudding with oat milk

Turing chia seeds into chia pudding is simple. It’s all about the ratio of liquid to chia seed. As a rule of thumb you want to combine 2 tbsp of chia seeds with 1/2 cup of liquid per serving. Simple! You will also add sweetener and flavor, but that will vary depending on preference.

How does chia seed pudding thicken

Adding chia seeds to liquid allows them to do their magic and turn liquid into pudding. Basically, when chia seeds are soaked in liquid they become very gelatinous. This allows chia seeds to thicken the liquid they are immersed in and will turn liquid into a pudding-like consistency.

How to make chia pudding with oat milk

Making chia pudding takes very little time and very little ingredients. For a basic, plain chia seed pudding simply combine 2 tablespoons of chia seeds with 1/2 cup oat milk, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract and a pinch of sea salt. Stir ingredients until evenly combined, pop it in the fridge and allow it to thicken. You can allow the chia pudding to thicken for as little as 20 minutes. However, if you allow it to sit for longer it will thicken more.

That’s it! That how to make chia seed pudding with oat milk!

Brand of oat milk for chia pudding

There are many brands of oat milk out there. But my go-to is always Oatly. This brand of oat milk is fantastic! The consistency and flavor are perfect. I usually go for the original, but any of their varieties will work for this chia pudding recipe with oat milk.

Oat milk alternatives for chia seed pudding

Not into oat milk or simply don’t have it? No problem!

For chia seed pudding with oat milk, you can substitute any plant-based milk you desire and it will yield similar results. Instead of oat milk, you can use rice milk, coconut milk, soy milk, unsweetened almond milk, or cashew milk. Just keep the ration of liquid to chia seed the same and your chia pudding will work!

How to flavor chia pudding

We’ve talked about the basic recipe of chia seed pudding. But turning into any flavor you can dream of it where things really get fun and personalized!

For this recipe you will be making one of my personal favorite flavors, pistachio almond. We are HUGE fans of pistachio ice cream in our house. So making a pistachio almond chia pudding was a no brainer.

Turning your chia seed pudding with oat milk into pistachio almond is super simple. Simply add almond extract and pistachios! See recipe below for exact measurements.

Adding veggies when you make chia seed pudding with oat milk

Psychologically I expect my pistachio flavors to be a shade of green. So this was the perfect opportunity to include a bit of baby spinach in my recipe. Blending a handful of baby spinach into your oat milk will give your chia pudding that beautiful green color you are looking for. It will not affect the flavor at all…but it will add a touch of extra nutrients.

Adding extra veggies to any recipe is always beneficial. You can also blend in cooked butternut squash or cooked carrots as well.

Sweeteners for chia seed pudding with oat milk

When it comes to making chia seed pudding, my sweetener of choice is usually maple syrup. I jus love the flavor or consistency of it. But the choice is yours! You can swap out maple syrup for agave syrup, stevia, or brown sugar. The liquid sugars have a bit of a better consistency, however. If you go with brown sugar, or any other type of granulated sugar, it may not break down as well and will add a bit of texture to your chia pudding.

Toppings for chia pudding recipe with oat milk

You can top your chia pudding with pretty much anything you desire. But here’s some ideas to get you started.

Top your oat milk chia pudding with granola

This is one of my favorite options for topping chia puddling. Granola adds a TON of flavor and texture to your chia pudding. It also helps bulk up your chia pudding and helps you keep fuller for longer.

Top your oat milk chia pudding with fruit

When it comes to fruit as a topping, you have a lot of options. You can go with fresh fruit or frozen fruit! I personally find fresh fruit the best, but certain times of the year, frozen just makes more sense. I personally love to top mine with berries to add a bit of a tart kick. I go with mangos or bananas when I’m looking for a sweeter topping.

Top your oat milk chia pudding with nuts, seeds, or nut butters

Nuts, seeds, and nut butters can be a perfect topping for chia pudding with oat milk. They will bring extra texture, flavor, nutrients, and healthy fats to your chia pudding. For this chia pudding recipe, you will go with the obvious choice, pistachios.

Top your oat milk chia pudding with vegan whipped cream

You can make you chia pudding with very little sweeteners OR you can add a bit more to it for a little fun! I love adding a little bit of vegan whipped cream to my chia pudding…even for breakfast. Vegan whipped cream adds very little sugar and calories, but it does make your chia pudding extra special!

How to chia pudding with oat milk a dessert

For this chia seed pudding recipe, you will add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup as your sweetener. If you are really looking to go light on sugar, you can always bring your maple syrup down to 1 teaspoon instead.

I feel like 1 tablespoon is perfect to balance most flavors of chia seed pudding with oat milk, but if you want to make your chia pudding to more of a dessert, add a bit more! Start with an extra 1/2 tablespoon of maple syrup and adjust if needed.

You can also turn your chia pudding into a dessert with the right toppings. I love topping my chia puddings off with vegan whipped cream, fresh fruit, toasted coconut, or even chocolate chips and sprinkles! Sky is the limit!

Chia pudding is perfect for meal prep

Chia pudding with oat milk makes the perfect grab-and-go breakfast and snack. You can make a nice batch of these and store them in your fridge for 3-5 days. You can freeze chia seed pudding for several weeks as well, making prepping ahead even easier!

How to store your chia pudding with oat milk

My personal favorite way to store chia pudding is in little mason jars. This is a simple, effective, and adorable way to store you chia pudding.

First of all it makes mixing your chia pudding easier. If you use a mason jar you can skip stirring and simply tightly seal the lid and shake your chia pudding until evenly distributed.

Mason jars allow you too have an air tight lid over your chia pudding, which will allow the batch to last longer.

If you don’t have mason jars you can use any container or cup of your choosing. Just do your best to seal your container for optimal freshness.