Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding, like a Superfood Powered PSL

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Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding is a delicious way to get high power antioxidants and super nutrients of both chia seeds as well as the anti-inflammatory spices like cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric into your diet! With only four ingredients, it's a fast and easy recipe, making Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding a perfect breakfast or snack for busy back-to-school Fall days. Shall we?

Pumpkin Spice Chia Seed Pudding is a "pudding" that's infused with all the familiar flavors of fall—warm cinnamon-y, ginger-y spices and actual pumpkin puree. But unlike traditional pudding that relies on eggs, regular dairy, and even starch thickeners, chia seed pudding gets its rich, custardy texture from the natural gel that forms from chia seeds. This makes Pumpkin Spice Chia Seed Pudding 100% plant-based, suitable for vegans or vegetarian, depending on the type of plant-based or regular milk you use to make the pudding.

If you already know of, make, and eat chia seed pudding, then you take your usual chia seed pudding made with your favorite alternative or regular milk, then add a dollop of pumpkin puree plus an aromatic mix of spices for both the earthy flavor and antioxidant boost that comes from cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric.

Even though it looks and sounds like dessert especially when garnished with colorful toppings, this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Chia Seed Pudding has no refined sugar.

Though the name has the word "pumpkin" in it, there is no actual pumpkin in Pumpkin Spice. The "pumpkin" part refers to the fact that we normally incorporate these warm spices into pumpkin-based recipes like Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Bread. The spice mix includes cinnamon as the largest proportion and smaller ratios of ginger and nutmeg. Oftentimes, a pinch of cloves will make an appearance, and sometimes allspice and mace.

Grocery stores and other retailers sell a pre-made spice mix called Pumpkin Spice or Pumpkin Pie Spice, but you can also just toss together your own blend starting with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Then, add allspice, cloves and mace if you'd like. I highly recommend going down the DIY spice blend route.

Personally, I almost always add a dash of turmeric and finely ground black pepper to anything involving Pumpkin Spice, and you'll see why!

The Pumpkin Spice Chia Seed Pudding recipe below includes amounts for individual spices as well the option for using a commercial pre-made Pumpkin Spice blend.

One 1-ounce serving of chia seeds, which is about two tablespoons of dry chia seeds, provides:

This recipe for Pumpkin Spice Chia Seed Pudding is:

Only four ingredients are required for Pumpkin Spice Chia Seed Pudding:

and to enhance the flavor, these are optional:

Pumpkin Spice Chia Seed Pudding requires nothing more to do than mixing all the ingredients together.

The most "difficult" step of making Pumpkin Spice Chia Seed Pudding is waiting for it to gel.

Put all Pumpkin Spice Chia Seed Pudding ingredients in a mixing bowl or container with air-tight lid—there is no specific order. Vigorously whisk or stir together all of the ingredients together in a bowl that you can cover with a lid, plastic wrap, or even just a small plate over the top!

Cover the container of Pumpkin Spice Chia Seed Pudding. It will begin to "gel" within 15 minutes. For a firmer texture, set in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, up to overnight.

Once the Chia Seed Pudding is set, it's ready to eat! You can, of course, zhouzh with garnishes and healthy toppings. Keep reading!

Pumpkin Spice Chia Seed Pudding is pretty delicious straight up on its own because of the spices, but if you, like me, must always "zhuzh" everything, toppings and garnishes are actually a great opportunity to add even more nutrients to your life! Here's a list of some nutrient-dense chia seed pudding toppings that are available during Pumpkin Spice season:

Pumpkin Spice is only one variation of endless possibilities of Chia Seed Pudding. You can use a different type of alternative milk, swap out the pumpkin and spices for another type of spice or flavoring, and substitute maple syrup with any number of natural, unrefined sweeteners. Here are some favorite variations:

Chia Pudding is perfect for advance prep and storage. Store Chia Pudding in air-tight containers—glass mason jars with air-tight lids are perfect for this!—in the refrigerator for up to five days. In fact, portioning out single serving-size portions into small 8-ounce glass jars or containers makes it super easy to grab n go from the fridge throughout the week!

Chia Pudding does not store well in the freezer.

Use whichever chia seeds are available and affordable for you. There are two types of chia seeds you will see most often on store shelves, black and white. There is a slight nutritional difference between the two, but the difference is so small, they're virtually identical. Black chia seeds have marginally more protein content and white chia seeds have more plant-based omega3 fatty acids in the form of ALA.

To make your Chia Seed Pudding smoother, blend chia seeds into a powder before mixing with the remaining ingredients, or you can blend all of the ingredients together. I have had smoother results when I blend the chia seeds first.

Chia seeds can begin to set in as little as 15 minutes, but can take up to two hours, depending on the seeds and the type of liquid.

Couple reasons chia seeds may not be setting into a gel. 1) If there is too little liquid, the chia seeds won't be able to absorb and create the gel. 2) If there is too much liquid, the chia seeds might have gelled, but didn't absorb the extra liquid, making the entire thing seem runny. Try to stick to a ratio of 1:3 or 1:4 chia seeds:liquid.It is also possible that the chia seeds are past their prime. Though chia seeds can last for 4-5 years even without refrigeration, make sure your chia seeds aren't too far beyond their "best by" date when making chia seed pudding.

Matcha Chia Seed Pudding will keep up to five days in an air-tight container up to five (5) days.

Chia seeds last for 4-5 years without refrigeration in a cool, dry area.

No, chia seeds do not have to be ground into a meal or powder for maximum benefits, unlike other seeds like flaxseeds. However, you can grind chia seeds in a high-power blender to make a smoother Chia Seed Pudding.

If you're here for the wonderfully warm flavor of pumpkin spice, try these recipes:

If you're here for the outstanding health benefits of chia and other "super seeds," try these recipes:

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