Banana Nut Chia Pudding
This banana nut chia pudding takes 10 minutes to prep for an easy make ahead breakfast. Flavored like banana bread batter and packed with fiber to support your digestion.
If you’re getting tired of the same oats for breakfast (couldn’t be me), then may I suggest changing it up? I feel like throwing in some variety at breakfast really helps keep things from getting too monotonous. So for me, I like alternating a few days of the week to include some chia pudding. Best part, it’s easy enough to prep as an alternative go to for quick grab and go meals (or snacks).
Why You’ll Love This Banana Nut Chia Pudding
- Easy to make. You just need 10 minutes and a blender cup. Just blend the banana milk together then mix with the chia seeds.
- Customize to your liking. I’ve included a number of substitutions that you can use based on your preference. Mix it up to keep things interesting and enjoy!
- Packed with fiber. One serving of pudding provides at least 10 grams of fiber, and some of that fiber is the soluble kind that is good for digestion and reducing cholesterol.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chia Seeds: These seeds are rich in omega 3s. This ingredient is essential for this recipe to work.
- Banana: This is another essential ingredient for this recipe. However, you can absolutely change the flavor by blending in different fruit like ripe peaches or plums.
- Maple Syrup: Adjust sweetness to your preference. If your banana is sweet enough on its own, you can omit. Alternatively, if you have a good high speed blender, the maple syrup can be replaced with 1-2 dates. Just make sure the dates are soft. If not soft, soak in hot water to soften before blending with the other ingredients.
- Pecans: Used in the blended milk and crumble. If allergic to nuts, try swapping with pumpkin seeds or oats.
- Dates: Make sure you are using soft dates. You can also swap them with different dried fruit like dried apricots or raisins instead.
- Spices: I used a combo of cinnamon and a a pinch of cardamom. The cardamom is optional, but adds a lovely layer of complexity that pairs especially well with banana.
- Milk: I like using soy milk for the protein content, but feel free to use a different plant based milk you love.
- Yogurt: I used a plain, unsweetened plant-based yogurt, but use the variety you love. Personally, I most often use either soy yogurt or cashew yogurt.
How to Make Banana Nut Chia Pudding
To a blender cup, add the banana, milk, yogurt, maple syrup, pecans, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom and a pinch of salt. Blend everything until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender cup as needed.
To a large storage container, add the chia seeds then pour in the blended banana milk. Whisk the mixture together well, cover and let the mixture set for 5 minutes. Whisk again to help remove any clumps that may have formed then cover again and allow to refrigerate for at least an hour before using.
In a mini-food processor, add the dates, pecans, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Pulse the mixture together until it becomes crumbly to your liking.
To serve, layer a spoonful of the crumble in a small cup, then add the chia pudding on top. Top with another spoonful of the crumble mix and extra banana slices as desired.
Expert Tips
- Mix your chia pudding again before refrigerating. After initially mixing the banana milk and chia seeds together, I will let it sit for 5 minutes then give a final mix before placing in the fridge. This will help prevent massive clumps in your chia pudding.
- For more protein consider blending in your favorite protein powder into the banana milk mixture. Just note that you may need to add 1/4-1/2 cup extra milk to thin the milk out appropriately.
- Avoid over blending the nut crumble. Over blending will turn the mixture into a paste.
- When increasing fiber in your diet, make sure to drink enough water! Staying hydrated may help avoid issues like constipation on a high fiber diet.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a number of ways to make this higher in protein. If sticking to the main ingredients choose soy milk and soy yogurt as a way to up the protein. To up it further you can choose an even higher protein yogurt like Kite Hill or Siggi’s. And if you have a favorite protein powder, feel free to add it to the blended milk ingredients with extra milk as needed. Do note some protein powders are very absorbent so you may need to add an extra 1/4-1/2 cup milk to the recipe to compensate.
Place the chia pudding in airtight containers and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. The crumble can be stored separately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes! Try swapping the pecans for pumpkin seeds or rolled oats. The rolled oats work really well with the crumble as a quick alternative.
How to Serve
This is where you can get creative. I layered the chia pudding with a nut crumble and banana slices like a parfait. However, you can swap and layer with different fruit like berries, coconut flakes, or chocolate chips.
This can also be served as a snack or dessert. If you like a little extra sweetness, a nice drizzle of date syrup or maple syrup with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt adds a lovely touch at the end.
More Breakfast Ideas
- Easy Apple Pie Overnight Oats
- Fudgy Chocolate Baked Oats
- High Protein Basil Edamame Toast
- Smoky Shredded Tofu Breakfast Sandwich
- High Protein Breakfast Crumbles
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
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Banana Nut Chia Pudding
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: One Bowl
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This banana nut chia pudding takes 10 minutes to prep for an easy make ahead breakfast. Fiber packed to support your digestion.
Ingredients
- 1 banana
- 3/4 cup unsweetened plant-based milk (I used soy milk)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened plant-based yogurt (I used soy yogurt)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp raw pecans
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/3 cup chia seeds
Pecan Date Crumble
- 2 soft medjool dates, pitted
- 1/3 cup raw pecans
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Kosher salt
To serve: Extra banana slices, coconut flakes, etc.
Instructions
- To a blender cup, add the banana, milk, yogurt, maple syrup, pecans, vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom and a pinch of salt. Blend everything until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender cup as needed.
- To a large storage container, add the chia seeds then pour in the blended banana milk. Whisk the mixture together well, cover and let the mixture set for 5 minutes. Whisk again to help remove any clumps that may have formed then cover again and allow to refrigerate for at least an hour before using.
- In a mini-food processor, add the dates, pecans, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Pulse the mixture together until it becomes crumbly to your liking.
- To serve, layer a spoonful of the crumble in a small cup, then add the chia pudding on top. Top with another spoonful of the crumble mix and extra banana slices as desired.
Notes
Mix your chia pudding again before refrigerating. After initially mixing the banana milk and chia seeds together, I will let it sit for 5 minutes then give a final mix before placing in the fridge. This will help prevent massive clumps in your chia pudding.
For more protein consider blending in your favorite protein powder into the banana milk mixture. Just note that you may need to add 1/4-1/2 cup extra milk to thin the milk out appropriately.
Avoid over blending the nut crumble. Over blending will turn the mixture into a paste.
When increasing fiber in your diet, make sure to drink enough water! Staying hydrated may help avoid issues like constipation on a high fiber diet.
This post contains affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you purchase from those links. I only recommend and share products that I know, trust and personally use myself!
How many cups of the chia pudding is 1 serving? I know it’s three servings for the recipe, but I don’t know how many cups of pudding this yields overall. Thanks!
Taste is excellent. I added a dash of sea salt and used pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds in the toppings bc I didn’t have pecans.