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This High Protein Chia Pudding is packed with 18.5 grams of protein per serving for a filling breakfast or post-workout snack! It’s flexible, easy to make with or without protein powder, and perfect for meal prep. Vegan and Gluten-Free.
This Vegan Chia Pudding is creamy, lightly sweetened, and packed with protein thanks to soy milk and Greek-style vegan yogurt. No protein powder required! Enjoy it as a make-ahead breakfast or a filling afternoon snack, and have fun customizing it with extra add-ins and flavors.
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The Best Make-Ahead Protein Breakfast
Recently I’ve been trying to add more protein in my diet, but protein powders and other supplements can get really expensive. I enjoy them in moderation, but I also try to use whole foods instead of adding protein powder to everything! I’ll take my Crispy Lentil Wraps, these Apple Pie Energy Balls, and this High Protein Chia Seed Pudding over a chalky protein shake any day.
This recipe is similar to a classic vanilla chia pudding, but made with vegan protein yogurt, soy milk, and chia seeds to pack every serving with approximately 18.5 grams of plant protein. That’s right—the protein powder is optional here, but it would have even more protein per serve if you decide to add some in 😉
The texture of this chia pudding is thick and creamy, the fiber from the chia seeds keeps my digestive system happy, and the yogurt-soy milk combo keeps me full for hours. In other words, it’s everything I want in a quick breakfast or nourishing snack in between meals.
Ingredients for Chia Pudding
All you need are 7 basic ingredients to make this thick and creamy chia pudding:
- Chia Seeds: The seeds expand in the yogurt-milk mixture over time to thicken the pudding. They are a source of protein here, but are better known for their fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.
- Greek-Style Yogurt: A very thick and creamy Greek-style vegan yogurt (like Kite Hill unsweetened dairy-free yogurt) is one of the main sources of protein. If all you can find is sweetened protein yogurt, go ahead and use it, but omit the maple syrup from the recipe.
- Soy Milk: Unsweetened soy milk is the highest-protein plant milk option, adding another 12 grams of protein to the batch of chia pudding. You can swap it for another plant milk if you’d prefer, but the pudding may not be as filling.
- Maple Syrup: Real Grade A maple syrup gives the pudding just the right amount of sweetness. Feel free to use agave syrup or another liquid sweetener you like instead.
- Protein Powder: You can make the pudding with or without protein powder, depending on how filling you want it to be. I like using plain protein powder during those extra hungry days, but vanilla protein powder would also be good.
How to Make High Protein Chia Seed Pudding
- Whisk the yogurt, milk, sweetener, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Stir the chia seeds into the liquid mixture.
- Cover the bowl and chill the pudding for 1 hour or overnight.
- Mix again, then divide the pudding between bowls. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- The chia seeds will naturally clump together after soaking. You can either stir the pudding 30 minutes after finishing the recipe or just give it a quick stir before serving to break up the clumps.
- Is the pudding too thick or too thin? This is an easy fix. Stir in a small splash of milk to thin it out, or stir in extra chia seeds and set it aside to thicken for about 1 hour.
Serving Suggestions
Just like my many vegan overnight oats recipes, I love meal prepping chia seed pudding ahead of time. It stays creamy and fresh in the fridge for days, and I can just grab a jar whenever I need a quick breakfast or a satisfying afternoon snack.
The pudding is tasty on its own, but gets even better with toppings. Serve it with fresh or frozen berries, a dollop of jam, a drizzle of peanut butter, or some granola on top. My go-tos are fresh blueberries, hemp seeds, and this Easy Vegan Granola.
If you’re looking for more high-protein vegan recipes, you’ll also love this 25-Minute Smashed Cucumber Salad with Edamame, these Southwestern Vegan “Egg” Cups, and this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad!
How to Store Chia Pudding
The chia seed pudding will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can store it in one large sealed jar or container, but I prefer to divide it into 4 smaller jars for grab-and-go breakfasts or snacks. If you’re going the snack route you could even stretch this out into 6 to 8 servings!
Substitutions and Variations
- Add Protein Powder: Give the pudding a protein boost by stirring 1 scoop of your favorite protein powder and an extra 1/4 cup of milk into the liquid mixture. Is your protein powder already sweetened? Make sure you omit the sweetener from the recipe so the pudding doesn’t taste too sweet.
- Base Flavor Upgrades: Want to experiment with different flavors? Make the recipe as normal, but customize the base by stirring in a scoop of fruit jam, nut butter, chopped nuts, or chocolate chips.
- Chocolate Chia Pudding Option: I haven’t tested it, but stirring 1/2 cup of cocoa powder in with the liquid ingredients should give you a rich and chocolatey chia pudding.
Recipe FAQs
You can let it soak for a minimum of 1 hour before serving. For the creamiest results, leave it overnight.
The liquid-to-chia ratio is probably off. If the consistency is soupy or thin, stir in another 1 to 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, then set it aside to soak for 1 hour.
Chia pudding is technically freezer-friendly for 2 to 3 months; however, I find that it’s the creamiest when it’s stored in the fridge for a few days.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Easy High Protein Chia Pudding (No Protein Powder)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups greek-style unsweetened yogurt (I used dairy-free)
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk
- 1-3 tablespoons maple syrup agave, or other liquid sweetener*
- 1/2-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- Pinch of salt
- 9 tablespoons chia seeds
Instructions
- Liquid Ingredients: Add the yogurt, milk, sweetener, optional cinnamon and vanilla, and salt to a medium bowl or large 4-cup jar. Whisk well, until combined.
- Chia Seeds: Add the chia seeds to the bowl and mix again until combined.
- Thicken: Cover the bowl or jar and let sit and thicken in the refrigerator for at least one hour. I usually let mine sit overnight for the creamiest and most thick texture!
- Serve & Store: Mix again; you can choose to keep the chia pudding in the jar, or divide into 4 smaller jars to make single servings. Enjoy immediately, or store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I like to serve this chia pudding with fresh or frozen fruit, jam, or granola.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Sweetener: I usually use only 1 tablespoon of sweetener, which makes this chia pudding only lightly sweetened. If you prefer a medium sweetness I would use 2 tablespoons, and 3 for a sweeter treat.
- Yogurt: I use the Kite Hill unsweetened dairy-free yogurt in either plain or the vanilla unsweetened flavors. If you can’t find an unsweetened vegan protein yogurt you can also use a sweetened one and simply omit the additional sweetener!
- Want to Add Protein Powder? Add 1 scoop of your favorite protein powder to the recipe along with 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra dairy-free milk. If your protein powder is sweetened I recommend omitting the additional sweetener
how many servings is this recipe making? It says 1x but then there are 9 tbsp in the recipe. How can the nutrition calcs can’t be correct
Servings are listed just above that! This makes 4 servings 🙂
I will try your chia seed etc.I use sheep/goat yoghurt so look forward to trying your recipes.Many thanks,Shirley
Enjoy!