Make-Ahead Chia Pudding Parfaits

from The College Vegan Cookbook by Heather Nicholds

Easy vegan, gluten-free, dorm-room-friendly make-ahead chia pudding parfaits, ideal for college students. This recipe is just one of many great ideas in The College Vegan Cookbook by Heather Nicholds. It’s designed with a variety of student needs in mind, including first-year college students with required school meal plans living in dorm rooms.

Eating Vegan on Campus

I’m glad more and more vegan options are becoming available on college campuses, yet it can still be tricky to eat 100% plant-based without leaning heavily on vegan junk food from the campus store or local market.

So for all of you college students out there who would like to eat well while you’re at school, this book’s for you. A great variety of easy, delicious recipes with tips on making the most of your school meal plan, kitchen tools worth having, navigating the grocery store, stocking up, and more.

Heather is a certified holistic nutritionist, and she has taken into account different types of cooking situations you will likely be in. Also, there are recipe options like allergy-friendly, dorm room-friendly, good for sharing, no-cook, one-pot, or save for later. Heather has also made sure the recipes are versatile, budget-friendly, healthy and filling, and with balanced nutrition, with most recipes able to be ready within 30 minutes. So dig in and rock your college years with this helpful cookbook by your side!

Make-Ahead Breakfast

What I love about these parfaits in particular is that it’s so quick and easy to throw a whole week’s worth of jarsfull together, and then all you have to do when it’s time to eat is reach in the fridge and grab one. You can use whichever fruit you find in the cafeteria, and if there’s granola there, you can use that, too. If you’re lucky enough to have a kitchen in your dorm (so many do now, thankfully), you can easily make a delicious batch of peanut butter chocolate chip granola, a recipe you'll also find in the book. It makes a big batch, so once you’ve filled your jars for the week, you can share it with friends or enjoy the extra granola as a snack.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Nondairy milk: Any type you like or can find works here.

Chia seeds: White or black seeds, either works well.

Maple syrup (optional): Sugar can be substituted. I prefer coconut, maple, or date sugar.

Berries: Any you can find, frozen or fresh. Other fruit cut into bite-sized pieces can be substituted.

Granola: See what you can find on campus or make the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip or Spiced Cranberry Almond options in the cookbook. These work great, too: Chocolate Berry Granola, Tropical Granola, Orange Pecan Granola.

Substitution Tip

Turn this chia pudding parfait into a different sort of parfait by swapping the chia pudding for mashed banana (use 1 per parfait) or nondairy yogurt (1⁄2 cup per parfait).

Instructions

After purchasing or making your granola, set it aside.

To 5 single-serve jars or containers, combine the milk, chia seeds, and maple syrup or sugar, if using. Stir to combine.

Layer fruit on top, followed by granola. Refrigerate a couple hours or overnight.

Serving and storing

While the recommendation is to let sit for at least a couple hours, in a pinch these can be eaten within 5 minutes of preparing. The chia pudding just won't be as thick.

Ready to eat right from the refrigerator. Just grab and go! They're nice and portable.

Each parfait will keep up to 5 days.

Related recipes

Here are more chia and college-friendly recipes.

The Recipe

Make-Ahead Chia Pudding Parfaits Recipe

from The College Vegan Cookbook by Heather Nicholds

Plant Diversity: Striving for 30 different plants per week for optimal gut health.

The number of plants in this recipe: At least 4 plants

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Lifestyle: Gluten Free, Vegan

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Chill Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 5

Fiber: 11.89g

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups nondairy milk any; I prefer oat
• 5 tablespoons chia seeds white or black
• 5 teaspoons maple syrup optional; or sugar such as coconut, maple, or date sugar
• 5 cups berries or other fruit cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 ½ cups granola any; Peanut Butter–Chocolate Chip or Spiced Cranberry Almond from the book; or see notes

Instructions

• In each of 5 single-serving jars or containers, combine 1⁄2 cup milk, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, and 1 teaspoon sugar (if using). Stir to combine.
• Layer 1 cup of fruit on top of each, followed by 1⁄2 cup granola.
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Grab it and go. Each parfait will keep for up to 5 days.

Notes

Author’s note: These breakfast cups make for a nourishing, balanced breakfast. Just mix them up at least 2 hours ahead to allow time for the pudding to set and chill. If you make them on a Sunday evening, you’ll be set for the coming week. Add 1⁄2 teaspoon matcha green tea powder to each chia pudding cup for a morning energy, brain, and metabolism boost. 

Substitution tip: Swap the chia pudding for mashed banana (use 1 per parfait) or nondairy yogurt (1⁄2 cup per parfait).

Reprinted with permission from the publisher, Callisto Media.

You can find more granola options by typing "granola" in the search bar at the top of this page.

If gluten-free is important, make sure your granola does not contain any gluten/wheat.

Tried this recipe?I'd love to see! On Instagram, mention @beautifulingredient and tag #beautifulingredient!

food safety

See guidelines at USDA.gov.