This quick and easy breakfast or snack can be ready in just 5 minutes! It's a delicious, fun way to get your omega-3s while being vegan, gluten-free, whole food plant-based, and refined sugar-free!

When you know a bit of the tropics would lift your spirits, it's time for Tropical Chia Pudding! This quick and easy snack satisfies hunger as well as a longing for sunshine. It's sunshine in parfait form!

Quick Breakfast

We have a pretty solid routine in the morning, yet curveballs do get thrown once in awhile that interrupt the flow, giving me less time to get breakfasts together. That's when chia pudding saves the day. I love it because it's loaded with so many good things to help kids get through their busiest days, including omega-3s, protein, fiber, and calcium - with vitamins in the fruit to help absorb such important nutrients. The kids love it because it seems like dessert for breakfast. We all love it because it can be ready in 5 minutes or made the night before and placed in the fridge, waiting for the next person who could use a good boost.

Ingredients and Substitutions

We just need six ingredients for this recipe.

Chia seeds: The foundation of this breakfast! There really is no substitute.

Oat milk: You can really choose any plant-based milk, preferably one that is unsweetened. Vanilla flavored is great!

Mango: My favorite part of the pudding. That said, any tropical fruit will do.

Banana: This is optional; I like to include it because it is a nice creamy contrast to the brighter fruit.

Lime: A squeeze of this really brings the flavors together and helps them shine. If you don't have any, though, you can still enjoy this recipe.

Maple syrup: Adds an extra touch of sweetness. Date syrup is a good alternative. Can be omitted.

Instructions

We're just stirring the chia seeds with the milk and syrup. That's all it takes to make chia pudding! This can really happen in any kind of bowl or jar you'd like.

Hot Tip: It's a lot easier to mix the chia seeds with the liquids if you place the chia seeds into your bowl or jar first.

After that, add the fruit and you're good to go! If not serving right away, save the banana to prep right before serving. Otherwise, it can get tired-looking. If that isn't convenient, give the banana a good squeeze of lime before sealing your container - it helps keep the banana from turning brown.

Overview of mango, banana, lime-topped chia puddings

Make-Ahead Option

I like to make snack-sized jars of this delicious stuff to keep in the fridge for hangry moments. Mango can be included; banana, however, is best served immediately, so we cut those up and add them when we're ready to serve. Chia puddings travel well (as long as you have a secure lid and insulated bag) so they work for lunches, too.

A tropical chia pudding on a wooden tray with mango

More Chia Pudding Recipes

The Recipe

Two chia puddings on a wood tray topped with tropical ingredients

Tropical Chia Pudding

A delicious, fun way to get your omega-3s while being vegan, gluten-free, whole food plant-based, and refined sugar-free! So satisfying. Can be made ahead.

Plant Diversity: Striving for 30 different plants per week

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

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: vegan

Lifestyle: Gluten Free, Vegan

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 0

Total Time: 5

Servings: 2

Fiber: 11.95g

Ingredients

¼ cup chia seeds
1 cup oat milk or other unsweetened plant milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup or date syrup; add more if desired; optional
1 banana sliced, optional
1 mango chopped
½ lime cut into two wedges, optional

Instructions

Spoon the chia seeds into a 1 ½ cup jar or two 8-ounce jars.
Stir the milk and syrup into the seeds, making sure all the seeds get moist. Set aside to gel up while preparing the fruit, about 4-5 minutes.
Add the banana and mango pieces to the jar(s). If eating later, wait to prepare the banana until just before eating.
Squeeze the lime over the top.
Thoroughly enjoy now, or place in the fridge to be enjoyed later, within a few days. Leaving it to gel longer will create a thicker pudding.

Notes

With sliced banana, this chia pudding is best eaten right away. If you're packing it for later, the lime can help keep the banana from browning. Squeeze the lime over the top before sealing the container, making sure the lime juice gets to all the banana slices. Leave the piece of lime on top. Without the fruit, prepared chia seed pudding can be refrigerated for up to three days. Add the fruit right before eating.

Rough Nutrition Estimate provided by WPRM (based on generic ingredients and limited specification options)

Nutrition Facts

Tropical Chia Pudding

Amount per Serving

Calories

313.98

% Daily Value*

Fat

8.38

Saturated Fat

0.87

Trans Fat

0.03

Polyunsaturated Fat

5.16

Monounsaturated Fat

0.66

Sodium

62.93

Potassium

570.32

Carbohydrates

58.25

Fiber

11.95

Sugar

37.01

Protein

7.09

Vitamin A

1423.53

Vitamin C

48.02

Calcium

337.32

Iron

2.95

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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

This recipe goes great with Tropical Chia Pudding:

cashew milk recipe

Name: Tropical Chia Pudding
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup chia seeds; 1 cup oat milk (or other unsweetened plant milk); 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or date syrup; add more if desired; optional); 1 banana (sliced, optional); 1 mango (chopped); 1/2 lime (cut into two wedges, optional)