Chia seed pudding help please

dasher602014

I had a look and with high fibre, chia seeds mixed with almond milk or cream seem to be on a LCHF diet. I was looking for a dessert that would be OK for guests and us too.

But I cannot seem to "get" the making of it. No matter what I do, the seeds become a lump at the bottom of whatever container I use and the liquid floats on top. I have stirred, stirred after it sits a few minutes (already a lump, and it only breaks up into smaller lumps) etc.

Silly problem but can anyone help me make chia seed pudding or suggest another 'guest like' dessert? I am lactose intolerant so the obvious cheese dessert are off my list.

Thanks

KarlaYP

I have never made chia pudding, so I can't help you there, but I have made my own version of chocolate mousse:
Heavy whipping cream (amount varies depending on servings, I give two tbsp per serving)
Unsweetened cocoa (I like the Ghirardelli brand)
Whip into a mousse after combining, until you see peaks from. Then I will add some milk chocolate (yep, I've done this twice), chips (just enough to give it a sweetness for the guests, just a serving or two in the recipe isn't many carbs when divided out and served. I do not recommended this as an everyday thing, for obvious reasons, but was a hit among guests! I will shave a bit of chocolate on the top of each serving, mainly for decoration, but helps with the unsweetened bite too.

Without the milk chocolate it tastes sweet to me. Some add sweeteners to it. I don't for personal preference, and let the milk chocolate do the sweetening. Other than some digestive issues the milk chocolate doesn't affect me the way sucralose (splenda) does.

SamandaIndia

Use a fork to stir with. 1 part chia to 3 or 4 parts fluid. I add cinnamon and use coconut milk to give sweetness. I am going to try with cocoa soon. I stir the mix then zap it in microwave for 30 secs and stir rigorously with a fork again, like beating eggs. I find the chia seeds bulk up faster that way and blend together easier than doing it chilled. You can serve warm or chill for later use. Hope that helps.

Ie 10gram chia seed 30 mls coconut milk

PS alternate is leave the seeds soak for an hour and they behave much better too. No need to microwave

DrawnToScale

I've had good luck with chia seed pudding, and have made it multiple times. I use ~1/3 cup of chia seeds, and fill the rest of a 2-cup container with liquid (almond milk, coconut cream, canned pumpkin, etc) and flavoring (sucralose, cinnamon/nutmeg, cocoa, or coconut extract, etc). Texture varies with seed-to-liquid ratio, but my ratio seems to work. Texture also varies depending how I mix. Sometimes I seal the container and shake for a minute (seeds are preserved), and sometimes I use an immersion blender (seeds break up a bit and texture is more consistent). Good luck!

dasher602014

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the feedback. The chocolate mousse sounds wonderful.

I did not know about cooking chia seeds or that they could be soaked first.

dasher602014

SamandaIndia wrote: »

Use a fork to stir with. 1 part chia to 3 or 4 parts fluid. I add cinnamon and use coconut milk to give sweetness. I am going to try with cocoa soon. I stir the mix then zap it in microwave for 30 secs and stir rigorously with a fork again, like beating eggs. I find the chia seeds bulk up faster that way and blend together easier than doing it chilled. You can serve warm or chill for later use. Hope that helps.

Ie 10gram chia seed 30 mls coconut milk

PS alternate is leave the seeds soak for an hour and they behave much better too. No need to microwave

Worked perfectly. Thanks

SamandaIndia

dasher602014 wrote: »

SamandaIndia wrote: »

Use a fork to stir with. 1 part chia to 3 or 4 parts fluid. I add cinnamon and use coconut milk to give sweetness. I am going to try with cocoa soon. I stir the mix then zap it in microwave for 30 secs and stir rigorously with a fork again, like beating eggs. I find the chia seeds bulk up faster that way and blend together easier than doing it chilled. You can serve warm or chill for later use. Hope that helps.

Ie 10gram chia seed 30 mls coconut milk

PS alternate is leave the seeds soak for an hour and they behave much better too. No need to microwave

Worked perfectly. Thanks

Brilliant. Great to hear.

kirkor

Does this work with only water as the liquid? I've tried a few times and the seeds never seem to plump up.

SamandaIndia

@kirkor yes water works. Not as tasty but works. Stir vigourously, wait a few mins n stir again. If impatient, try boiling water. Just did an experiment: 10 g chia seeds out of fridge with 30 ml boiling water. Stir 30 secs and it is quite gloopy, by 1 min it is getting difficult to stir. Let it rest and wait a few more mins and it gets even more solid. Good luck. Cinnamon or cocoa are worth stirring in as flavourings. BtW 50 mins later it is even more solid. Can refridgerate and serve cold.

kirkor

@SamandaIndia those proportions worked! I used hot water as well, but ya, I think in the past I was just using toooo much water. Thanks!

Christine_72

I've finally perfected my chia pudding

80g chia seeds
500ml almond milk
15-20g chocolate PB2 or cocoa

Sets perfect and thick every time.

ETA; This makes 2 servings

JessicaLCHF

dasher602014 wrote: »

I had a look and with high fibre, chia seeds mixed with almond milk or cream seem to be on a LCHF diet. I was looking for a dessert that would be OK for guests and us too.

But I cannot seem to "get" the making of it. No matter what I do, the seeds become a lump at the bottom of whatever container I use and the liquid floats on top. I have stirred, stirred after it sits a few minutes (already a lump, and it only breaks up into smaller lumps) etc.

Silly problem but can anyone help me make chia seed pudding or suggest another 'guest like' dessert? I am lactose intolerant so the obvious cheese dessert are off my list.

Thanks

Do you let it chill for 8 hours? How I make mine is (for thick) 2 Tbsp seeds to one cup liquid (for thin double the liquid, which makes it kinda like cream of wheat). Also, you can add other things to your liquid to make it more solid, like cream cheese, sour cream or heavy cream. So I whisk it together really well. Let it chill fifteen mins. Then whisk it again. This is key for no lumps. Then I chill it overnight, covered.

dasher602014

Thanks for all the help and the recipes. I have gone chia mad and now have a number of puddings to call upon. Helps with fiber.

AshleyC1023

I love those things! I use a whisk to break up the lumps. Mixed reviews with the kids, I have 1 that won't touch it because of the texture but the rest like it!

pedroepaz

@SamandaIndia I've never tried using coconut milk, that's sounds so good I'm actually about to do it right now lol

Christine_72

When you guys say coconut milk, do you mean the thick stuff in a can or the one in a carton like Almond milk?

pedroepaz

@Christine_72 I took it as the high fat canned milk! All that fat has to make the chia pudding all that much better! Lol

dasher602014

The can is what I use. The other is called coconut water and I want the higher fat. Yummmm

Christine_72

yum. Thanks guys

SamandaIndia

@pedroepaz and @Christine_72 I use the coconut milk by Alpro that is packaged like almond milk in a 1 litre box. In NL I am yet to find the semi solid coconut cream in a can, otherwise I would try that. The thick stuff here comes solidified in blocks (surprised it was in packs in a box!). Good luck n love to hear what you invent.

BalmyD

I made chia seed pudding with the thick stuff from a can and it turned out way too thick and dry. I must have used too many chia seeds.

dasher602014

There is coconut cream, coconut milk, both in a can usually and coconut water, usually in a box, here. I use coconut milk (added water if I think really too thick) but I usually use 10% or HWC. Just right.

bermeoa

I used chia seeds as a thickener for sugar free mixed berry jam. It came out perfect. Now I can add fruit jam to my cream cheese pancakes

carlsoda

bermeoa wrote: »

I used chia seeds as a thickener for sugar free mixed berry jam. It came out perfect. Now I can add fruit jam to my cream cheese pancakes

I am interested in trying chia pudding and when I read this post, is there any reason why you couldn't add it to sugar free jello? I used to drink many years ago chia mama bottled drinks and they were so yummy, I wonder if I can get a similar taste with the jello? Hmmm now I wonder, when can I buy chia seeds...I have never looked before