Chia Pudding

The modern wellness classic born of an ancient seed: chia stirred into milk and left overnight to swell into a soft, tapioca-like pudding, layered with fruit and a drizzle of honey, the Aztec sage reborn as a global breakfast

Origin: Global (from Mexican chia, grown in Australia)

From the journey of Sage.

Chia pudding is the dish that carried an ancient Mexican seed into the breakfast bowls of the world. Chia (Salvia hispanica), a sage grown for its seeds and a staple of the Aztecs, was rediscovered at the turn of the twenty-first century as a nutritional marvel, rich in fibre, protein, and omega-3 oils, and the centre of its cultivation moved across the globe to the Kimberley of north-western Australia, now the largest producer on earth. The signature dish of this revival is chia pudding: the seeds stirred into milk and left to soak, where their soluble fibre swells each seed into a soft gel, so the mixture sets overnight into a thick, spoonable, tapioca-like pudding. Layered with fruit, nuts, and a little honey or maple syrup, it is the breakfast of the wellness kitchen from Sydney to London, a five-hundred-year-old seed in a thoroughly modern bowl.

Ingredients

Pudding

  • 6 tbsp chia seeds
  • 350 ml milk (dairy, or almond, oat, or coconut milk)
  • 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup, plus more to serve
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch salt

To serve

  • 200 g fresh fruit (berries, mango, or banana), to serve
  • 2 tbsp nuts or toasted coconut, to serve

Method

  1. In a bowl or jar, whisk together the chia seeds, milk, honey or maple syrup, vanilla, and salt until evenly combined with no clumps.
  2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, until the mixture has set into a thick, soft pudding.
  3. Stir the set pudding to loosen it, then check the consistency and sweetness, adding a little more milk or honey if needed.
  4. Spoon into glasses or bowls, layering with fresh fruit, and top with more fruit, nuts or toasted coconut, and a drizzle of honey.

Notes

The basic ratio is about 3 tablespoons of chia to 175ml of liquid per portion; adjust for a thicker or looser pudding. Coconut milk makes a particularly rich version; plant milks make it vegan. Flavour it however you like: cocoa, matcha, cinnamon, or fruit purées all work. This is a make-ahead dish at heart, designed to sit in the fridge until breakfast.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

Mapping Culinary History

To explore — select an ingredient below.

Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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