You will love this 4 ingredient cherry chia pudding made with almond milk and macerated sweet cherries. It makes a healthy breakfast or mid-day snack or a delicious dessert.
This cherry chia seed pudding is vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free & sweetened with monk fruit. Believe me, It's a great recipe for breakfast meal planning.
The post contains helpful tips and tricks to make a successful recipe on your first attempt. Please use the link above to jump to the recipe card at the end if you want to skip.
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Why you will love this recipe
- Perfect dessert or snack- Chia seed pudding made with almond milk is low in calories and adding macerated cherries to it makes a great snack or dessert option for sweet cravings. It is far better than having a high-calorie sugary treat. I use monk fruit to macerate cherries.
- Healthy breakfast- Chia seeds are very healthy and studies have some proven benefits of consuming chia seeds. It is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and rich in fiber. They help with digestive issues and boosts energy. With the addition of fruits, they make a great healthy nutritious breakfast, snack, or dessert.
- Easy to make- Mix chia seeds in the preferred milk and keep it untouched overnight or a minimum of 30 min, this is all you need to do to make it. Top it with nuts or other fruits and consume. Check my topping ideas listed below.
Ingredients & notes
Please check the recipe card for the full ingredient list and measurements
- Chia seeds- The star ingredient of the recipe.
- Milk- I use unsweetened almond milk to make basic chia pudding to keep it low in calories. But any plant-based milk or coconut milk will work to make it. Use coconut milk to make keto-friendly chia pudding.
- Cherries- Sweet cherries taste great, but tart cherry is also good to use. Just adjust sweetness as per taste. I made macerated cherry sauce for the topping.
- Monk fruit- Since I am on a fat-loss journey, monk fruit is my favorite alternative to refined sugar. But honey, sugar, maple syrup, or stevia any will work.
- Vanilla essence (optional)- You can opt for 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence as well for extra flavors while soaking seeds. I did not use it.
Substitutions & Toppings
Below is the list of topping ideas and substitutions to experiment with basic cherry chia pudding.
- Make it keto-friendly by substituting almond milk with coconut milk.
- Protein packed by adding 1 scoop of your desired protein powder to make it protein chia pudding.
- Use Greek yogurt instead of almond milk. Cherry chia pudding with Greek yogurt taste absolutely amazing.
- Add chocolate powder or chocolate chips along with orange zest to make chocolate cherry chia pudding. Garnish with chocolate shaving.
- Top it with vegan yogurt.
- A layer of homemade granola for extra crunch and make chia parfaits.
- Garnish with other berries like strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry.
- Add a spoon of nut butter like almond butter, cashew butter, pecan butter, or peanut butter.
How To Make Cherry Chia Pudding
Soak chia seeds
At first, add chia seed, almond milk, and 1 teaspoon monk fruit together in a mixing bowl and whisk nicely.
Cover the mixture and keep it in the fridge for a minimum of 30 min to 1 hour. You can leave it overnight in the fridge as well.
Prepare macerated cherries
Meanwhile prepare for macerated cherries. Remove the seeds from the cherries and mix with 1 teaspoon monk fruit. Cover and keep it for 30 minutes.
Cherries will release the juice and mix with the sweetener to make sauce-like consistency.
You can microwave the mixture just before the serving for 30-45 seconds too to make the juicy macerated cherry sauce.
Combine & serve
After 30 minutes, combine chia seed mixture & macerated cherries to make cherry chia seed pudding. Divide the basic chia pudding into two parts and top it with macerated cherry sauce. Garnish with extra cherries or mint leaves and serve immediately.
Tips & FAQ's
- You can soak chia seeds a day before or overnight for the best results. However, 30 minutes to 1 hour is still good to soak.
- Looking for more creaminess with almond milk, then blend the soaked mixture and then combine with cherries. You will love how the texture looks more creamy as if using coconut milk to make chia pudding.
- Make sure you are drinking a good amount of water after consuming chia.
While on weight loss high-calorie food is restricted due to everyday calorie intake. Chia seed is a good source of omega-3, fiber, and healthy fats and contains 138 calories per ounce (28 grams).
Having said that, it is good to consume them in moderation and BEST to fit them in daily macros. Tracking seed intake will help you to maintain the calories for the rest of the day without deviating from a weight loss plan. Including healthy foods for weight loss nourishes the body and helps in losing weight in a healthy way.
You can add a variety of ingredients to make chia pudding taste better. Add your favorite fruits, a homemade granola layer, any nut butter or seed butter, vegan or dairy yogurt, chocolate powder or chocolate chips, and spices like pumpkin spice, gingerbread spice, and apple pie spice are a few ways to build up the taste. Do experiment and enjoy.
30 minutes is good enough to soak chia seeds before consuming. You can soak them overnight as well.
Chia seeds are good to consume after soaking. Soaking helps in sprouting that releases enzymes. These enzymes help in absorbing the nutrients from chia seeds. So to take the best advantage of taking chia seeds it is great to soak them first and then eat. Without soaking it may be an unpleasant experience as they stick inside the mouth.
Serving & Storing
Cherry chia seed pudding tastes BEST when served chilled. Top it with extra sweet cherries or any other topping and enjoy. Check adds on the list.
This is easy to mix up the breakfast recipe. You can store it for 5-6 days in the fridge easily. Just portion them into small containers and store them for further use. Small mason jars are good for this purpose. It is a great meal prep chia pudding recipe.
More Breakfast Recipes
If you like this vegan breakfast recipe then do check a few more as below.
Some more other breakfast recipes you may like
- Whole Wheat Waffles With Egg White
- Healthy Savory Vegetable Pancake With Oats
- Sheet Pan Eggs For Sandwiches
- No Mayo Masala Deviled Eggs
- Healthy Greek Yogurt Fruit Salad
Check What Pairs Well With Cherries.
If you try this recipe, please consider leaving a comment and a star rating. Don't forget to tag #fitmealideas20 on Instagram or @fitmealideas on Pinterest!
Recipe
Cherry Chia Pudding With Macerated Cherries (V+GF)
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk any preferred milk can be used.
- 3 tablespoon chia seed approx 35 grams chia seeds
- 1 cup cherry 20 cherries, approx 150gram
- 2 teaspoon monk fruit
Instructions
Soak chia seeds
- At first, add chia seed, almond milk, and 1 teaspoon monk fruit together in a mixing bowl and whisk nicely.Cover the mixture and keep it in the fridge for a minimum of 30 min to 1 hour. You can leave it overnight in the fridge as well.1 cup almond milk, 3 tablespoon chia seed, 2 teaspoon monk fruit
Prepare macerated cherries
- Meanwhile prepare for macerated cherries. Remove the seeds from the cherries and mix with 1 teaspoon monk fruit. Cover and keep it for 30 minutes.You can microwave the mixture just before the serving for 30-45 seconds too to make the juicy macerated cherry sauce.1 cup cherry
Combine & serve
- After 30 minutes, combine chia seed mixture & macerated cherries to make cherry chia seed pudding. Divide the basic chia pudding into two parts and top it with macerated cherry sauce. Garnish with extra cherries or mint leaves and serve immediately.
Notes
- Soak chia seeds a day before or overnight for the best results. However, 30 minutes to 1 hour is still good to soak.
- If looking for more creaminess with almond milk, then blend the soaked mixture and then combine with cherries.
- Make sure you are drinking a good amount of water after consuming chia.
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