Cooking with Kids: Chia Seed Pudding

This super food pudding is a healthy and dairy-free dessert or breakfast.

If you haven’t discovered chia seeds yet, the time is now. When these tiny seeds are soaked in liquid, they retain water and form a jelly-like protective layer around themselves. That means you can soak them in any kind of milk for an instant tapioca pudding that includes fiber, antioxidants, and healthy fats rather than starch. It’s an instant, healthy pudding that can be eaten for dessert, breakfast, or anything in between.

A chia pudding recipe is the ultimate in kid-friendly recipes: All you have to do is combine your chia, milk, and additional flavors (here we’re using vanilla, stevia, and blueberries), then refrigerate for four hours or more. That means that kids can pretty much do the whole thing themselves. Have them measure, pour, and stir—all you have to do is open the fridge.

Try swapping out different kinds of milks (you can use everything, from cow’s milk to rice milk to almond milk) and flavoring. Add fruit and herbs from the get-go, or layer later for a parfait-like treat. Here, a simple recipe for chia seed pudding.

Chia Seed Pudding
2 ½ c. coconut milk
½ c. chia seeds
1 ½ tsp vanilla
1 c. blueberries
Stevia, to taste

Add all ingredients to medium-sized bowl and whisk. Cover and put in the fridge. After two hours, stir, and then let sit another two hours at least.