Flaxseed Pudding with Banana and Strawberries

Flaxseed pudding is a nutritious and delicious way to start your day or enjoy it as a healthy dessert.  With its creamy texture and nutty flavor, flaxseed pudding is an excellent alternative to chia pudding.

Not only is it vegan and gluten-free, but it’s also high in fiber, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids.  It’s made with simple ingredients including ground flaxseeds, dairy-free milk, maple syrup, ripe banana, and berries.  You can also add flavorings like cinnamon or vanilla extract to enhance the taste.  

Flaxseed pudding can be topped with fresh berries, nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, or granola with aquafaba for added texture and flavor. This versatile dish can be customized according to your preferences by adding different flavors like cocoa powder for chocolate lovers!  For more recipes with flax seeds try overnight oats with flaxseeds.

Jump to:

• Recipe features
• What is flaxseed pudding?
• Ingredient notes
• Strawberry substitutions
• Variations
• Serving Suggestions
• Tips
• Instructions
• Frequently asked questions
• Related recipes
• Recipe
• Comments

Recipe features

• It works great for meal prep!
• Ready in 1 hour.
• Customizable, add nut or seed butter, your favorite fruit, or try it with cocoa powder.

What is flaxseed pudding?

Flaxseed pudding is made from soaking ground flax seeds in milk (or a liquid).  The flaxseeds absorb the liquid and become gelatinous, giving a thick pudding-like texture. 

Ingredient notes

Please see the recipe card below for instructions and measurements.

Ground flaxseeds - The little seeds are the base of this recipe.  They become gelatinous once soaked in a liquid creating a thick gel; which is often used as an egg substitute. Brown or golden flaxseeds can be used, golden is a little milder than brown, but they do need to be ground.

Dairy-free milk - We use dairy-free milk to add creaminess and flavor to the flaxseed pudding. Any dairy-free milk will work.  Try oat, cashew, soy, or almond.

Ground cinnamon - Adds a lovely flavor that goes well with the nuttiness of flaxseeds. Instead of cinnamon, try it with pumpkin or apple pie spice.

Maple syrup - For a bit of sweetness to go with the nuttiness of the flaxseeds and spice of the ground cinnamon. The maple syrup can be substituted with agave or granulated sugar.

Ripe banana - This is optional to add sweetness and flavor to the ground flaxseeds.  If using, mash ½ of a ripe banana then add the seeds, milk, and the rest of the ingredients.  Give the pudding a good stir to incorporate. 

Strawberries - Thaw frozen berries and mash them to have a layer on the bottom.  Mix the pudding ingredients in a separate bowl then once combined add it to the top of the strawberries. 

Fresh berries can also be used but they don’t mash as well as frozen berries do.  So they can be added to the top of the pudding the night before or in the morning before consuming. 

Strawberry substitutions

• If you don’t care about the layer on the bottom, frozen berries can be added to the top of the pudding the night before and they’ll thaw overnight.  The berries can also be skipped.
• Frozen strawberries can be mealy when thawed so I wouldn’t add them to the top of the pudding to thaw.  They do work well when thawed and mashed, for fresh strawberries add a ½ tablespoon of lemon juice to help retain their color like in this recipe for strawberry overnight oats.
• Strawberries can be substituted with other berries.  Fresh raspberries work well but a ½ tablespoon lemon juice will help with retaining color if mashing them for a bottom layer.  Thawed raspberries don’t hold their shape well and will be soft if you add them to the top of the pudding to thaw overnight.  For more raspberry-inspired breakfast ideas try raspberry overnight oats.
• Thawed frozen blueberries work well to create the bottom layer, but fresh ones don’t mash well.  Fresh or frozen can be added to the top of the pudding.

Variations

• Layer the pudding with fruit preserves instead of thawed frozen berries.  
• Add ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract.
• Try mixing nut butter into the pudding for a pb&j flax seed pudding.  Skip the banana or leave it.
• Try it with chopped mango instead of berries and toasted shredded coconut, like my mango overnight oats.
• Skip the berries and banana, and opt to spoon in pumpkin puree with cinnamon, similar to vegan pumpkin overnight oats.  Adjust the maple syrup if needed.
• Add cocoa powder for a chocolatey flavor, use about 1 tablespoon.  You may need to increase the maple syrup due to the bitterness from the cocoa powder.  Also, increase the milk since cocoa powder soaks up more milk.
• For more inspiration check out overnight oats with frozen fruit for more ways to add fruit to flaxseed pudding.
• Add dairy-free yogurt to make it even creamier.
• For a dessert pudding try it with vegan chocolate sauce or coconut cream and berries.

Serving Suggestions

• Sprinkle on oil-free granola with aquafaba 
• Add chopped nuts or seeds for a little crunch
• Chocolate chips or cacao nibs
• Add a drizzle of nut or seed butter on top
• More fresh berries or chopped fruit on top
• Toasted coconut flakes

Tips

• The flaxseeds need to be ground for the pudding, flax seeds can be purchased pre-ground (or flax meal), or bought whole and grind them yourself.  Whole flax seeds will not make the pudding-like texture.
• The ripe banana can be skipped, add more maple syrup if needed to adjust for the sweetness.

Instructions

Grind the seeds if needed and thaw the strawberries if frozen.

Frozen berries have a softer texture once thawed and can be easily mashed. Layer the mashed berries on the bottom of a jar. 

In a separate bowl mash the banana.

Then mix in the ground flaxseeds, milk, maple syrup, and ground cinnamon. Stir well to combine. 

Carefully pour the banana flaxseed mixture on top of the mashed berries.  Let soak for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.

Frequently asked questions

Related recipes

• Basic overnight oats with flaxseeds
• Overnight oats with frozen fruit
• Vegan strawberry overnight oats
• Chocolate peanut butter overnight oats
• Cinnamon overnight oats
• Raspberry overnight oats

I hope you enjoy the recipe!  If you like it feel free to rate it and leave a comment.

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