Banana Chia Pudding

This amazing banana chia pudding is a healthy, creamy pudding recipe made without eggs or dairy. It’s so tasty and colorful, you’ll want to make it time and time again.

If you’re into healthy, vegan desserts, check out my Chocolate Banana Brownies recipe. Or if you’re in the mood for lovely, how about Vegan Cherry Jello Shots.

Two serving bowls with vegan banana chia pudding has blackberry sauce on top and fresh blackberries and sliced almonds.

Banana chia seed pudding uses the magic of chia seeds to make a deliciously thick pudding topped with a tasty blackberry sauce. We love vegan desserts here, but it’s good to also have some healthy dessert options, too.

There are plenty of ways to have sweets in your life without refined sugars. Take, for example, my Vegan Date Caramel Sauce. Serve that over some N’ice Cream and that’s one sweet, little dessert.

Why is This the Best Recipe?

  • No refined sugars means this is a healthy snack any time of day
  • The blackberry topping adds flavor and color, important ingredients for any snack
  • Chia seeds are full of important nutrients we need in our diet

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • Blackberries — You can use fresh or frozen. Substitute your favorite berries, like raspberries or blueberries.
  • Sweetener — I use a zero-calorie sweetener to keep this recipe low in sugar, but you can substitute maple syrup or your favorite sweetener.
  • Chia Seeds — This star ingredient is chia seeds. I buy these regularly on my vegan shopping trips at Costco!
  • Plant-based milk — Use your favorite plant-based milk, such as soy milk or almond milk. I recommend vanilla-flavored.
  • Ripe banana — Use ripe bananas for this recipe.
  • Vanilla
  • Garnishes — Add some protein granola, sliced almonds, or coconut flakes on top.

Ingredient Spotlight

A bunch of 3 very ripe bananas sit on a white counter.

What Bananas are Best?

Use ripe bananas with lots of brown spots, but still some texture. Once the bananas turn too brown or are too mushy, their flavor will be too strong.

For an extra dramatic flair, add some Vegan Whipped Cream on top.

Including recipes that use less refined sugars is a good idea. Look, we all could use reducing our refined sugar consumption.

Frequently-Asked Questions

Do you eat chia pudding hot or cold?

You can serve chia pudding either hot or cold, depending on your preferences. Serving it cold with whipped cream on top is great in the summer. But a warm chia pudding in the winter is amazing!

Are chia seeds healthy?

Remember those chia pets? What was that, the 90s? I’m not sure, but we’ve learned in the meantime that chia seeds do a whole lot more than making clay animal pots sprout fur. Chia seeds are from Mexico and the word chia means oily. The chia plant is an herb in the mint family. But we’re talking about the seeds here.

Chia Seeds Nutrition

Chia seeds are a great source for the following:

  • Thiamine, basically Vitamin B1, an essential nutrient
  • Niacin, basically Vitamin B3, another essential nutrient, a lack of which can reduce metabolism and cause intolerance to cold
  • Omega-3s, an essential fatty acid considered necessary for human health
  • A variety of other nutrients such as folate, calcium, iron, and more

Chia seeds create a gel-like substance we exposed to liquids. That’s why we use it to make chia eggs or pudding. You can use whole seeds or for an even smoother pudding experience, learn how to grind chia seeds to create a powder.

A bowl of chia seeds is surrounded by fresh blackberries.

Marly’s Tips

  • For a smoother pudding, allow the chia seeds to sit for 5 minutes in the banana pudding sauce and then pulse again.
  • Use creamy cashew milk to make cashew milk chia pudding
  • Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the pudding to make chocolate banana chia pudding
  • Sprinkle a little bit of freshly grated nutmeg on top.

More Pudding Recipes

If you love creamy vegan desserts, this dairy-free creme brulee recipe is for you. Here are more chia recipes you can use to make even more creamy puddings:

A close-up of vegan banana chia pudding is topped with blueberry sauce and has fresh blueberries around it.
Vegan Banana Chia Pudding with Blackberry Sauce in a serving dish with another dish behind it and fresh blackberries around it.

Banana Chia Seed Pudding

Enjoy this creamy, delicious, and gorgeous banana chia seed pudding with blackberry sauce. It's made with only a few ingredients but lots of flavor.
4.75 from 4 votes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 2
Calories: 302kcal

Ingredients

For the Blackberry Topping

  • ½ cup blackberries
  • ½ teaspoon sweetener*
  • ½ teaspoon chia seeds

For the Banana Pudding

  • 1 ½ cup plant-based milk vanilla
  • 1 moderately ripe banana
  • 1 teaspoon sweetener*
  • cup chia seeds
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • Additional optional toppings: Granola sliced almonds, coconut flakes

Instructions

  • Place the blackberries in a bowl. Mash with a fork. Add the sweetener. Stir to combine. Add the ½ teaspoon chia seeds. Stir to combine. Set aside.
  • In a food processor or blender, add the banana pudding ingredients. Pulse until smooth. For a more smooth pudding, let it sit for 5 minutes and then pulse again to break up the chia seeds. Pour into a lidded container.
  • Cover and refrigerate the pudding and toppings at least 45 minutes or overnight. It will thicken more the longer it sits, so if you prefer a firmer pudding, refrigerate overnight.
  • When you're ready to serve, pour equal amounts into two serving dishes. Top with equal amounts of blackberry sauce. Add almond slivers, granola or coconut flakes for garnish.

Recommended Equipment

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Notes

* For sweetener, I prefer maple syrup, agave, or a zero-calorie sweetener like stevia.
Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 609mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 490IU | Vitamin C: 13.1mg | Calcium: 421mg | Iron: 3.4mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Valentine’s Day Food Celebration

Now, on to the Valentine’s Day Food Celebration. Below you’ll find cookies, bars and desserts, all themed around Valentine’s Day:

Cookies and Bars:

Cakes and More

This post was originally published in 2019 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.

15 Responses to Banana Chia Pudding

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyCamtasia Studio Crack Reply

    5 stars
    I needed to thank you for this awesome read!! I unquestionably getting a charge out of each and every piece of it I have you bookmarked to look at new stuff you post.

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMichelle Hunze Reply

    4 stars
    great job thanks for the recipe i ll try it soon..

  3. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlySerena Reply

    Love Chia pudding! This looks delish! So glad to be working with such great bloggers for this event.

  4. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyDenise Reply

    5 stars
    I can just about see your expression when he told you that. 🙂 This recipe looks so amazing and sounds very flavorful. I have never cooked with Chia seeds but am inspired now. Happy Valentine’s Day.

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Haha. Add a little “deer in the headlight” expression and that pretty sums it up. 🙂 I was hesitant on the chia seeds, but now I’m an enthusiast!

  5. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyKathleen @ Fearlessly Creative Mammas Reply

    Those blackberries look so big and delicious. A great recipe for sure.

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      I’m so into blackberries right now. Maybe because they are big and delicious. 🙂

  6. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyJulie Blanner Reply

    Wow! Stunning! Thanks for sharing your recipe. Excited to work with you to raise awareness for such a great cause!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thanks, Julie. You too!

  7. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlySue@itsokaytoeatthecupcake Reply

    This is so pretty! HI’m happy to be participating in this great event with you.

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thanks, Sue. You too!

  8. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyJulieD Reply

    I love chia pudding! Marly, this looks fantastic!!! Thank you so much for participating and helping us raise money for C4KC!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thanks Julie, for your work in putting this event together for such a great cause!

  9. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyGwynn Reply

    Hi Marly! My mouth is watering for this recipe and I can’t wait to make it! I’m so happy to be participating in the Cookies For Kids Bloggers’ Valentine’s Event with you! And I have to tell you that I absolutely love your podcast. Thank you for keeping me company while I’m driving! Have a delicious day! Gwynn at Swirls of Flavor

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Oh, thanks Gwynn. I’m so glad you’re loving the Chopped Podcast. It is a joy to put it together for you. 🙂

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