Matcha Chia Seed Pudding, for a Green Goddess Glow

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Matcha Chia Seed Pudding is a delicious way to get high power antioxidants and super nutrients of both matcha green tea and chia seeds into your diet! With only four ingredients, it's a fast and easy recipe, making Matcha Chia Seed Pudding a perfect breakfast or snack for busy days. Shall we?

Matcha Chia Seed Pudding is a matcha-infused vegan or vegetarian "pudding." 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. Depending on the type of liquid you use to make the pudding, Matcha Chia Seed Pudding is vegetarian, and can be 100% plant-based, suitable for vegans.

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 matcha powder for both the earthy flavor and antioxidant boost that comes from matcha.

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

Matcha is a Japanese green tea powder made from dried Camellia sinensis tea leaves, which are the same tea leaves used to make regular brewed green tea, white tea, and black teas. However, rather than brewing the dried leaves and drinking the liquid like regular tea, for matcha you whisk the fine powder into liquid and consume all of it. The matcha powder doesn't dissolve.

There are several factors that distinguish matcha from other teas made from the same plant. How the tea plants are grown, which leaves are harvested, when they are harvested, and how the leaves are dried and processed all determine whether tea will be matcha or regular tea. All of these details in the processing of matcha ensures that the vibrant green color is retained in the final product, but more importantly the health benefits.

Like most teas, matcha has a slightly bitter, tannic taste. Different types and styles of matcha can range in flavor from grassy and herbal to almost sweet.

If you're drinking matcha green tea for the antioxidants and eating chia seed pudding for the super macronutrient profile, why not combine them into one super superfood?

This is exactly part of the reason I started eating Matcha Chia Seed Pudding in the first place! I love the herbal, bitter taste of matcha, but admittedly, I don't love matcha green tea as a drink. And adding milk and tons of sweetener to matcha as a drink makes it even worse. However, something in my brain switches when you add things to matcha in a bowl and it turns into a food that you can chew. Hey, whatever it takes, right?

The extraordinary health benefits of matcha come from the

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

This recipe for Matcha Chia Seed Pudding is:

Only four ingredients are required for Matcha Chia Seed Pudding:

and to enhance the flavor, these are optional:

For this Matcha Chia Seed Pudding, the differences in taste among matcha powders will not be as noticeable, but color will. Generally, "ceremonial grade" matcha is the brightest green and will create the most vibrant pudding. However, it's more expensive. Culinary grade matcha is totally fine; the green will just be slightly less verdant.

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

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

Put all Matcha Chia Seed Pudding ingredients in a mixing bowl—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 Matcha 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!

Matcha Chia Seed Pudding is pretty delicious straight up on its own, 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:

Matcha is only one variation of endless possibilities of Chia Seed Pudding. You can use a different type of alternative milk, swap out the matcha 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 gorgeously green and grassy flavor of matcha, 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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