Can I use fresh cherries instead of frozen ones?

I didn’t test with fresh cherries, so I can’t say for sure. I think they should work fine as long as they are ripe and sweet.

Can I use ground chia seeds?

I didn’t test with ground chia seeds, so I can’t say for sure whether they would work well.

Do I have to let them soak overnight?

I tested with three different brands and not all of them gelled well. One brand thickened almost immediately, another one didn’t thicken until after 3 hours of being in the refrigerator, while another brand wasn’t thick until the following morning. So it depends on your chia seeds.

My chia pudding is too thin?

Be sure to use whole chia seeds, not ground, and stir after letting the pudding set for 10 minutes. If the chia seeds are still clumping, you may need to let them set for at least 30 minutes to an hour and then stir again. If the seeds form clumps, they won’t soak up the liquid as well, so stir to break up the clumps. If you’ve stirred the pudding a couple of times to remove clumps and the following morning it’s still too thin, try adding more whole chia seeds and letting them gel for a couple more hours to thicken.

My chia pudding is too thick?

Add a splash of milk to thin out.

Cherry Chia Pudding - Three Little Chickpeas

Description

A flavorful cherry chia pudding with maple syrup and almond extract for a simple, creamy, and healthy breakfast. It’s vegan, dairy-free, plant-based, and oil-free.

Ingredients

Scale

1/2 cup (70 g) frozen cherries
1/2 cup ( 125 ml) dairy-free milk
2 teaspoons maple syrup, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon almond extract, or to taste
3 tablespoons (30 g) whole chia seeds

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Instructions

To a blender, add the frozen cherries, milk, maple syrup, and almond extract. Then, blend until smooth. A small personal blender works best for small single-serving portions.
Add the cherry milk to a jar or container, then stir in the whole chia seeds.
Let the chia pudding sit for about 10 minutes, then stir again to separate any clumps.
Cover and refrigerate overnight. I suggest overnight because some brands I tested with didn’t thicken until the next morning. If your brand gelled quickly, then you may only need to give the pudding a few hours to set.
Before enjoying, stir the chia pudding. If the chia pudding isn't sweet enough, add more maple syrup, then add any toppings.

Notes

No need to thaw the frozen cherries.

A small personal blender (like a Nutribullet) works best for small single-serving portions.

I tested different brands of frozen cherries, and some brands created a more vibrant color, while others were more gray. I also tested using lemon juice to help retain the color; it did slightly, but it overpowered the almond flavor.

My frozen cherries are sweet, not sour. I didn’t test with sour cherries, so I don’t know how well the recipe would turn out.

Use whole chia seeds, not ground.

Measure the almond extract to make sure you don’t add too much; it can be overpowering.

My bag of frozen cherries weighs 1/2 cup as 70 grams. To get 70 grams, the 1/2 cup is not leveled and is overflowing.

Some brands also thicken more so than others, with one brand, 1/2 cup of milk was a little too thin for my liking, but with another brand, 1/2 cup of milk was perfect. You may need to reduce the milk to 1/3 cup if your brand of chia seeds doesn’t gel as much to have a thicker pudding.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
soak time: 8 hours
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Category: breakfast
Method: blender
Cuisine: american