Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding
Older millennials, and people from previous generations, probably remember chia seeds as one thing: Chia Pets. (Ch-ch-ch-chia! Look it up, Gen Z.) It wasn’t until the early 2010s, when Instagram made sharing pics of our virtuous breakfasts so much easier, that we upped our ingestion of the seeds and cut back on growing little chia hedgehogs out of terra-cotta statues.
Of course, chia seeds existed long before camera phones and even before Chia Pets! They were an Aztec superfood, but for some reason the Aztecs didn’t take pictures of their chia smoothies and cereals, so most of us didn’t realize we could consume them until much later. A tasty way to eat chia seeds is in this dessert-for-breakfast pumpkin pie pudding. (It might be a little borderline on the virtuousness, but since chia seeds are loaded with antioxidants, fiber, omega-3s, and vitamin B, we’re going with it.) More than a decade after starting to make the social media rounds, chia seeds are still trending, with chia-related recipes on TikTok racking up a couple hundred million views and counting.
SERVES 1
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp. chia seeds
- 3 tbsp. pumpkin puree
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- ½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
- ¾ c. milk of choice
- Whipped cream, pecans, ground cinnamon, and cinnamon sticks for topping
Print Recipe
Instructions:
- Mix the chia seeds, pumpkin puree, syrup, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and milk in a serving glass or a mason jar until fully combined. Cover and refrigerate. After 10 minutes, stir to prevent clumping. Refrigerate until the chia seeds absorb the liquid and take on a gel-like texture, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Top with whipped cream, pecans, and ground cinnamon. Add a cinnamon stick, and relish the fact that you’re eating pudding for breakfast.
