Blackberry Chia Pudding

with smooth option

This blackberry chia pudding recipe requires just four ingredients and only 5 minutes of prep time. It is a delicious summertime recipe that can be made year round with frozen berries. It makes a wonderful breakfast, snack, or dessert.

This recipe is vegan, quick, easy, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, oil-free, and grain-free, and satisfies a whole food plant-based lifestyle.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, blackberries are actually thought of as invasive weeds. The prickly vines do tend to fill any void in the landscape, which leads to lots of grumbling around these parts - and yet I haven’t met many people who don’t appreciate the juicy berries themselves. This dark jewel of a fruit has a deeper flavor compared to other berries, adding a whole new dimension to both sweet and savory dishes.

When blackberries are finally ripe and it’s time to collect ours, we end up with so many that it’s hard to know what to do with them. Chia pudding is a great solution.

You can find more summertime recipes here.

What you'll love about this chia pudding

Chia puddings are so quick and easy to make, no matter how big your batch is. It just takes a few minutes to blend the ingredients and stir the chia pudding and you’re done! So nice for busy mornings.

Omega-3s, protein, iron, magnesium, calcium, fiber and more are provided by those powerful little chia seeds.

The blackberries in this chia pudding add a good dose of vitamin C, which helps absorb the iron. Plus, they make the chia pudding a lovely purple, which is extra fun!

While I love chia puddings in the summertime with fresh berries, they certainly can be enjoyed year-round. Simply thaw frozen blackberries to make this recipe any time of year.

These puddings make a nice cool breakfast, snack, or dessert.

Ingredients and substitutions

Just four ingredients are required for this recipe:

Blackberries are the star, so this chia pudding is a wonderful treat when they're in season in the summertime. However, if you have frozen blackberries you can make this recipe anytime of year. Simply thaw the berries first overnight in the fridge or in the microwave.

Plant-based milk is the liquid base of this recipe. You can use any unsweetened plain or vanilla plant milk you like. I usually use oat milk. If you want to make sure there's no oil in this recipe, use a milk that doesn't have oil in its ingredients.

Maple syrup adds a little more sweetness. If you'd prefer to leave it out and have the pudding be a little less sweet, you do you.

Salt is completely optional, though I find just a touch enhances the flavors.

Chia seeds thicken up in the liquid, turning the mixture into a pudding. While many people like the texture they bring, some people don't. I've included an option to smooth the pudding once it's made.

Instructions

Once the blackberries are thawed (if using frozen), washed (if fresh), place all the ingredients except the chia seeds into a blender and blend until smooth.

In a bowl or jar, stir a small amount of the blended mixture into the chia seeds until well combined, then add the rest of the blended mix and stir the chia seeds throughout.

Chill for about 30 minutes while the pudding sets, then give it a stir and serve. If you'd like the pudding to be smooth, place it all in the blender and blend until smooth.

Serve on its own or with toppings of your choice.

Note: If you have a lot of berries, you can simply x5 this recipe to use up five cups of berries, which will provide enough to feed a family of four breakfast through the work week. One and done. Remember, too, that you can garnish the pudding with even more berries!

Serving

You can design your chia pudding any way you'd like, whether for breakfast, a snack, or dessert. Parfaits are pretty, with neat layers of toppings added. Or you can stir the layers together, or just have the pudding by itself. Laying the pudding on a plate with toppings all around it is another nice way. Make it as fancy or as simple as you'd like!

Storing

Keep chia pudding in the fridge for up to five days. Jars are an easy way to store them.

More chia pudding recipes

The Recipe