An easy way to use up frozen fruit that isn’t smoothies! Frozen blueberries, chia seeds, cinnamon and ground ginger, plus dairy free milk come together to create this delicious Blueberry Spice Chia Pudding. It’s Whole30 & paleo friendly, and perfect for your breakfast meal prep rotation!
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Egg-free breakfasts are hard to come by on Whole30, but I think I’ve found the perfect addition. While rummaging through my freezer, taking stock of our supplies, I remembered: there’s frozen fruit in there.
Smoothies are off limits, but based on my research, chia pudding is okay for Whole30 as long as you don’t sweeten it up with any added sugar or *too many* dates.
(I say too many because… Let’s just say I started with four times the amount of dates in the recipe and it tasted so deliciously wrong! Stick with one or even zero dates when you’re on Whole30!)
Enter this Blueberry Spice Chia Pudding! It’s a similar version to my Chia Pudding Breakfast Parfaits, except the blueberries are blended right in to flavor and slightly sweeten the pudding.
What is chia pudding made of?
It’s not really pudding, but it looks a little like it. The basic idea of chia pudding is to combine chia seeds with a liquid of choice and let them sit anywhere from 20 minutes to overnight as the texture changes from a seedy liquid to a gelatinous pudding texture.
The “pudding” can have additions such as sweeteners, fruit juices, hemp hearts, or flax seeds to change the flavors and textures of the chia pudding even more.
For Whole30 purposes, you should not use any added sugars such as maple syrup or honey to sweeten.
What are the ingredients in this blueberry spice chia pudding?
Here are the ingredients in the Blueberry Spice Chia Pudding:
- unsweetened coconut milk – Started using this because it was leftover, but it makes the chia pudding super creamy and adds some extra good fat calories. Make sure to use a brand that is Whole30 compliant if that matters for you!
- unsweetened almond milk – The base liquid in my chia pudding recipes. Great because it’s low calorie. Make sure to use a brand that is Whole30 compliant if that matters for you!
- blueberries – You can use FRESH or FROZEN for this recipe! Great recipe year round, even if it’s not blueberry season.
- date – The date adds a hint of caramel, cookie, vanilla, spice, and sweetness (or is it just me?!) to this pudding. I’m okay with adding one date to the Blueberry Spice Chia Pudding even on Whole30 🙂
- ground cinnamon – One of my favorite spices. The blueberry & cinnamon combo is unreal! I also really love it in this PB Blueberry Cinnamon Smoothie!
- ground ginger – Adds an extra depth of flavor and spice to this otherwise somewhat flat breakfast “pudding”. Don’t skip! But you can if you have to. If you need to substitute real ginger, try a small teaspoon worth first, then go from there.
- chia seeds – The important part. The magic ingredient. These little seeds absorb an incredible amount of moisture and turn gelatinous when they come in contact with liquid. Plus, they’re full of fiber and even have a decent amount of protein for a plant.
What’s the best chia to liquid ratio for chia pudding?
The basic, easy to remember ratio for making chia pudding is 1 part chia seeds to 4 parts liquid. If you like a thicker pudding, use less liquid, and for a thinner pudding, use more liquid. With this ratio you can make as many servings as you’d like and adjust for your preferred thickness.
In this Blueberry Spice Chia Pudding recipe, you might notice there’s only 1 and 3/4 cups liquid to 1/2 cup chia seeds. This is because the additional 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries will provide the required liquid to make up the difference.
What equipment do I need to make this Blueberry Spice Chia Pudding?
There’s only one piece of equipment I would strongly recommend for this recipe: a blender of any kind!!
In the photos here, I am using a Cuisinart Smart Stick Immersion Blender (affiliate link!) in a wide mouth glass mason jar to blend up my milks and spices.
You really can use any kind of blender – I also have a Vitamix 780 blender (affiliate link!) and a Nutribullet High Speed Blender (affiliate link!), and I think they would all do the job just fine.
PS: I have no idea why the color changes after the chia pudding is refrigerated. Does anyone have the answer?! It’s like the chia seeds absorb all the color!
How do you make chia pudding?
For this recipe, you’re going to need to use a blender to crush up the blueberries and get all the chunks out of the coconut milk. I personally use an immersion blender, but any will work.
Add everything except the chia seeds to the blender or immersion blender safe container. Blend for about 30 seconds until nearly smooth then add chia seeds and stir with a spoon until they’re dispersed.
Put a lid on the container and let it sit in the fridge for at least 6 hours for thickest consistency. Give it a good shake part way through to make sure the chia seeds are well dispersed.
After the chia pudding has thickened up, you may choose to divide it up into four single serving containers.
I use these Half Pint Wide Mouth Mason Jars (affiliate link!) for that purpose! Enjoy with fresh blueberries and extra spices on top, or just eat it plain!
Is this Blueberry Spice Chia Pudding Whole30 approved?
Yes! This Blueberry Spice Chia Pudding is Whole30 friendly, as long as you do not add the optional maple syrup.
Additionally, it might be important for you to stick with only one date. This will act as more of a *flavor* addition than a *sweetness* addition. Ultimately, this recipe works out to 1/4 of a date per serving, so for me, it’s okay.
If it flares up your sugar dragon, feel free to leave all the dates out. You can add extra ginger for more flavor instead.
How long does this Blueberry Spice Chia Pudding last?
This Blueberry Spice Chia Pudding lasts up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight, sealed container (or divided into multiple single serving containers).
Can you freeze chia pudding?
I have never tried freezing chia pudding, so I honestly have no idea how it would turn out.
Have you tried it? Please let me know in the comments below!
More easy breakfast recipes from Project Meal Plan:
Blueberry Spice Chia Pudding
Frozen blueberries, chia seeds, cinnamon and ground ginger, plus dairy free milk come together to create these adorable Blueberry Spice Chia Pudding cups. They’re Whole30 & paleo friendly, and perfect for your breakfast meal prep rotation!
- Total Time6 hours 10 minutes
- Yield4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1 soft date, pitted (can sub 1–2 TB maple syrup if not Whole30)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
Instructions
- Prep: Add everything except the chia seeds to a blender or immersion blender safe container. Blend for about 30 seconds until smooth and no blueberry chunks remain. Add chia seeds and stir with a spoon until they’re dispersed.
- Chill & enjoy: Put a lid on the container and place it in the fridge for at least 6 hours for thickest consistency. Give it a good shake after about 1 hour to mix chia seeds again. After the chia pudding has thickened up, you may choose to divide it up into four single serving containers. Enjoy with fresh blueberries on top, or eat it plain. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Equipment
Half Pint Wide Mouth Mason Jars
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Cuisinart Smart Stick Immersion Blender
Buy Now →(affiliate link!)
Notes
Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal. For Whole30, be sure to confirm that your coconut milk and almond milks are compliant, and do not use maple syrup.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Breakfasts
- Method: Refrigerated
Nutrition
- Serving Size: about 1/2 cup
- Calories: 228
- Sugar: 5g
- Fat: 14g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 10g
- Protein: 5g
Did you make this Blueberry Spice Chia Pudding? I’d like to see how it turned out for you! Tag @projectmealplan on Instagram and use the hashtag #projectmealplan so I can see how you made this chia pudding your own!
