Do you like the concept of a regular Chia pudding, but always felt that it lacked something – something that rounded it out? I think I may have found the missing piece – creamy almonds and dates!!
This creamy almond chia pudding is sweetened by dates, has zero refined sugar, and a perfect grain-free breakfast for your family. It has that slightly sweet taste that we crave in the morning yet it is rich in good fats, protein, and fiber!!
This is the perfect recipe for your family if:
- Your partner complains -‘why always carbs, carbs, carbs?’ whenever he sees rice, wheat, poha, basically – any Indian breakfast grain!!
- Your kids groan at a well-toiled over traditional breakfast of, say – pongal chutney, or upma sambar which involved multiple pressure cooking components, and a sink full of dishes; break your heart and ask for something sweet and store-bought like Cereal instead :(!!
- You have nuts, fruits and seeds in bulk supply in your house.
- Or you just appreciate a good fruit parfait recipe!!
Step by Step Pics
Soak almonds in water a few hours or overnight
Peel almonds
Blend (soaked and peeled) almonds, dates and water
Mix chia seeds to the almond-date blended liquid.
Set this mix aside in the refrigerator for chia seeds to expand and to chill the mix.
Meanwhile, chop up your favorite fruits
Remove the chia mix from the fridge. The chia seeds have thickened the pudding and made it creamy.
Top the pudding with fruits and serve!!
Recipe
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Creamy Almond Chia Pudding (Perfect Nut, Seed +Fruit Breakfast)
Course: BreakfastCuisine: Indian, AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutesThis creamy almond chia pudding is sweetened by dates, has zero refined sugar and a perfect grain-free breakfast for your family. It has that slightly sweet taste that we crave in the morning yet it is rich in good fats, protein and fiber!!
Ingredients
1 cup almonds
1 cup dates*
3 cups water
1/4 cup + 2tsp chia seeds*
1-2 cups chopped fruits – banana, mango etc.
Directions
- Soak almonds for a few hours or overnight.
- Drain the almonds. Peel the almonds. Yes, peeling is a little bit of pain, but this step will create a creamier and white pudding.
- Blend 1 cup soaked almonds, 1 cup dates and 3 cups water in a high powered blender until smooth.
- Add chia seeds to the blended mix. Stir well (do not let the seeds form clumps). Set it aside in the refrigerator to chill and for the chia seeds to expand (minimum 15 -30 minutes)
- Take the chilled pudding out and top it with your favorite chopped fruits.
Notes
- The dates I used for this recipe are soft and don’t need soaking. If your dates are hard, soak them in 1 cup of water when you soak the almonds and use the soaked dates and liquid.
- I have tried various proportions for chia seeds between 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup. At 1/3 cup level, the pudding gets too thick and needs to be diluted with some milk/plant milk. At 1/4 cup + 2 tsp, it comes out at a nice, creamy consistency.
- The sweetness from the dates and the fruits was sweet enough for our family. However, you can top it off with maple syrup if you want additional sweetness.
Conclusion
I developed this recipe when I took a wrong turn from trying to tweak the Italian classic – Almond Granita…but boy, I’m happy for the wonderful turn the recipe took!! I am pumped about this recipe for a few reasons:
1. This recipe is like a blank template. I wish to try the same format with cashews now instead of almonds. I was talking to my friend who follows the keto diet and she was excited about trying this recipe sans the dates, and using berries as the fruit topping. This is a great breakfast choice for vegans as well. The possibilities are endless.
2. I also like the fact that this recipe has quite a bit of water content. Most nut-based recipes are so concentrated that you feel that even eating a little bit has put you on calorie-surplus for the day. This one uses water (both for grinding and through the chopped fruits) generously to reduce the density that nuts typically bring to a dish.
3. I am a huge fan of the subtle sweetness that dates bring to this recipe. Frequent readers of the blog know my love for dates. Even very recently, a good friend tried the Wheat Laddu recipe from this blog and her husband could not believe that dates could bring that lovely sweetness to the recipe. Folks who are on the fence on whether to use dates in recipes, I encourage you to try it. You will be surprised at how much better (tastier) they are than sugar in certain recipes. Plus you get the fiber and micronutrients like iron as a bonus too!!
I hope you give this creamy almond chia pudding a try!! Please post your comments and feedback below!! I look forward to reading them!!
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This is a great recipe, thank you so much! I made it this morning, served with frozen strawberries I defrosted. You’re correct that the level of sweetness is perfectly fine as is. The date/almond base is so sublime. I’m excited about the possibilities and have started thinking about variations. Thank you for getting me to pay attention to the chia seeds getting old in the back of the pantry. Question: do I need to remove the almond skins? Is that simply an aesthetic thing?
Yay!! I am so glad you liked it, Val!!
I have made the pudding both ways now – with and without peeling the skin. The pudding without almond skins is smoother and whiter. Yes, it is partly aesthetic (the color contrast between the pudding and the fruits on top is more pleasing). But the other aspect of smoothness – will matter to kids, picky eaters, etc. But if you are making it for the health aspect, or want it in a jiffy, you will totally like the pudding with skins too.
Substituting with cashews, will make it creamy without needing to remove skin. But, the protein levels will be lower compared to the almond version.
That’s very helpful, thanks! I set aside a portion and added a teeny pinch of saffron plus some cardamom, and it was a great kheer alternative.
ooh…that’s clever!! Nice!!