These single serve chia seed pudding for babies 6 months and up is the perfect make ahead breakfast or snack that you can whip up in under 5 minutes! Simple, nutritious, and DELICIOUS, it’s sure to keep you and your family energized. I’m sharing the basic recipe as well as 6 fun flavors to tickle your taste buds.
If you love overnight oats or quinoa, you’re going to love chia pudding! It’s ridiculously simple to make with ENDLESS flavor combinations. You really can’t go wrong!
Health Benefits for Babies and Toddlers
- Chia seeds may be tiny but they sure do pack a nutritional punch! They contain many nutrients that help support young children’s rapid brain development and strengthen immune systems: omega-3s, iron, complete protein (contain all 9 essential amino acids), calcium, and soluble fiber to name a few.
- If battling constipation, these chia puddings may provide relief! They truly helped my son when he was a baby.
- You can simply sprinkle chia seeds on yogurt, oatmeal, toast, add to baked goods (baby and toddler muffins) or go a step further and make these chia puddings
- As you know, offering a variety of foods in the early years is so important for food acceptance, helping shape their food preferences, and much more. Chia seed pudding is an excellent vehicle for helping you to achieve that goal, thanks to its versatility. The sky is the limit when it comes to flavorings and toppings. Sharing some of our favorites below.
- When chia seeds combine with liquid, they form a gel-like consistency, making it a fun and unique texture to expose your baby to. The seeds “pop” inside the mouth.
- It’s a great dairy-free, egg-free breakfast option if your child has allergies
- If your child is underweight, this is a great way to make every bite count.
How much chia seeds can babies and toddlers eat?
There is no official recommended daily intake. Having said that you don’t want to go overboard, especially if your child isn’t used to having fiber. Add slowly (start with 1/2-1 teaspoon) and gradually increase.
Ingredients for the basic recipe
- Chia seeds
- Milk of choice. You can use breastmilk, dairy (whole fat recommended), or a plant-based alternative (here’s a blog post on the best milk for toddlers). Canned full-fat coconut milk is one of my favorites because it really makes the pudding extra thick and rich, and I love the flavor. Feel free to experiment!
- Optional add-ins:
- 1-2 teaspoons sweetener of choice: maple syrup, honey (do NOT serve if your child is under 12 months as it may cause botulism)
- 2-3 tablespoons mashed fruit: banana, berries, mango, unsweetened applesauce, etc.
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon spices (e.g. cinnamon, cardamom, pumpkin pie spice)
- Toppings (See below) – to be added right before eating
How to Make Chia Pudding
- Combine the chia seeds, liquid of choice, and optional add-ins in a small container. I like to use these mason jars (aff link). Stir well and let it sit for 5 minutes or so. Give it another stir, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight. You shouldn’t see any clumps so STIR STIR!
- You’ll see that the chia seeds will “ch-ch-ch-chia” expand and absorb the liquid, resulting in a pudding-like consistency, hence the name.
- Troubleshooting: If you want the pudding to be thicker, add a bit more chia (a teaspoon at a time). Refrigerate for an additional 30 minutes or until it becomes thick. If it’s too thick, you can add more milk.
- When ready to eat, give its good stir to break up any lumps
- Now top with whatever your heart desires!
How to Modify for Babies
- If you don’t like the texture of chia pudding, blend the chia seeds and milk before refrigerating. You’ll end up with a smoother and creamier pudding rather than one that’s tapioca-like. It will also set faster so you don’t have to wait as long to enjoy.
- While pre-soaked whole chia seeds can safely be offered to babies 6 months and up, if your child has difficulty swallowing, then follow the blended version of chia pudding.
- I purposefully developed these recipes so that they’re not too sweet (but plenty sweet for the baby). You can always top with more fruit before serving or add more to the base recipe, if you wish.
- When adding fruits as toppings for young babies (6-9 months), be sure to mash, flatten, or finely chop. As for nuts, finely grind or chop.
Toppings
Anything you add to oatmeal or yogurt will work here too!
- fruits
- nuts seeds
- shredded coconut
- nut butters
- yogurt
- lemon, lime, orange zest
How to Meal Prep
Purchase some small containers or mason jars (aff link) and double or triple any of these recipes. Then pour into the single-serving containers/jars.
You can also make more than one variation to rotate through since they keep in the fridge for several days. If you’re blending, just give the blender a rinse before proceeding with other flavors.
You can have several different flavored jars of chia pudding ready to go in under 15 minutes. Fun! Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Chia Pudding
Ingredients
The Basic Recipe
- 1/2 cup milk of choice (breastmilk, dairy, plant-based)
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
Optional
- 1-2 teaspoons sweetener of choice (e.g. maple syrup, honey, date syrup) or
- 2-3 tablespoons mashed or finely chopped fruit
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon spice (e.g. cinnamon, cardamom, pumpkin pie)
Toppings
- fruits, finely chopped nuts/seeds, shredded coconut, nut butter, yogurt, lemon zest
Instructions
- Combine the chia seeds and liquid of choice in a small container. I like to use a mason jar. Stir well and let it sit for 5 minutes or so. Give it another stir, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight. You shouldn’t see any clumps so stir stir.
- If you want the pudding to be thicker, add a bit more chia (a teaspoon at a time). Refrigerate for an additional 30 minutes or until it becomes thick.
- When ready to eat, give its good stir to break up any lumps
- Top with whatever your heart desires!
Notes
- If you don’t like the texture of chia pudding, blend the chia seeds and milk before refrigerating. You’ll end up with a smoother and creamier pudding rather than one that’s tapioca-like. It will also set faster so you don’t have to wait as long to enjoy.
- While pre-soaked whole chia seeds can safely be offered to babies 6 months and up, if your child has difficulty swallowing, then follow the blended version of chia pudding.
- I purposefully developed these recipes so that they’re not too sweet (but plenty sweet for the baby). You can always top with more sweetener or fruit before serving or add more to the base recipe, if you wish.
- When adding fruits as toppings, be sure to mash, flatten, or finely chop. As for nuts, finely grind or chop.
6 Fun Flavors
Peanut butter date Chia pudding
To the basic recipe, add 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter + 1/2 medjool date (soaked in hot water until soft, drained, and finely chopped) + 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Top with banana
Raspberry Tahini Chia Pudidng
To the basic recipe (canned full-fat coconut milk HIGHLY recommended!), add 1 tablespoon tahini + 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract + 2 tablespoons mashed raspberries. Top with chopped nuts, cereal, more raspberries.
Blueberry Lemon Chia Pudding
To the basic recipe, add 1 tablespoons mashed blueberries + 1 tablespoon mashed banana + 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest. Top with yogurt, more zest, blueberries, walnuts
Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding
To the basic recipe (canned full-fat coconut milk), add 1/4 cup pumpkin puree + 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Top with pecan and maple syrup
Carrot Cake Chia Pudding
To the basic recipe (canned full-fat coconut milk), add 1/4 cup finely grated carrots + 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/4 teaspoon cardamom. Top with yogurt, walnuts, unsweetened shredded coconut, optional: maple syrup or finely chopped raisins
Mango Avocado Chia Pudding
To the basic recipe (canned full-fat coconut milk), add 2 tablespoons finely minced mango. Top with mango, avocado, unsweetened shredded coconut
Hello, is it possible for lo to become constipated after having chia? I’ve noticed this several times in my lo and am not sure if it’s normal.
HI! Just linked. You can also search for “vegetable baby oatmeals”