I try to pack all the pumpkin I can into the Fall season because it’s a fav ingredient of mine. This pumpkin chia pudding is no exception- it’s got all the best things about Fall and food packed into an adorable jar. It’s a super cute addition to your Fall Festival spread yet can also be easily tossed into a bag for a sweet treat while on the go. A healthy pumpkin pudding recipe? Yes, please…
Table of Contents
How to Make Pumpkin Chia Pudding
You could call this recipe a 1-bowl creation, as you can mix everything together right in the jar you wanna use, then scoop half out into a 2nd jar for later. Here’s how to whip up your own healthy pumpkin pudding:
- Combine almond milk, chia seeds, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, sea salt and spices together. Divide the mixture between 2 jars. I like using a pint sized jar so I’ve got room for toppings, yet you can do a smaller container too.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes, or until ready to eat. Make pumpkin chia pudding up to a week in advance (shout out to the meal planners/preppers out there!).
- Stir before serving and top with pecans + pears.
I told you this was an easy recipe! I added spices separately, yet feel free to just use a pumpkin spice mix instead. This snack is great because it boasts 10 grams of protein, 23 grams of healthy fat, and 20 grams of fiber!
Toppings
My pumpkin chia pudding is topped with pecans and a diced pear. Swap the pear with a diced apple if you prefer. Healthy granola is another great topping, dried fruit (or freeze dried fruit) works great, any kind of nut + seed combo you want… go crazy. Hemp hearts add a bit of nutty flavor, pumpkin seeds are highly nutritious… and also festive.
To turn this into a sweeter dessert drizzle maple syrup on top before serving. Mixing vanilla in before refrigerating also adds a lovely flavor. I’ve also got a rich Chocolate Chia Pudding if you want a natural energy boost!
Pumpkin Pudding FAQs
It can be! Eating snacks like my pumpkin chia pudding will fill you up and keep you full between meals. That can help cut back on mindless eating, and fuel your body with nutrients and not empty calories.
Diet culture tells us all fat is bad and if we want to lose weight, we have to cut out fat. Yet that’s not true! Healthy fat is necessary for a balanced diet, and your body NEEDS fat to breakdown food and turn it into energy. Chia seeds are loaded with healthy fat and are a great way to add fat into your diet.
Even superfoods should be consumed in moderation. Include them in 1 meal or snack per day and look for other superfoods to eat as well! Your diet should have a variety of nutritious foods in it to give you well rounded vitamins + minerals.
Plant-Powered Ingredients
Snacks can be both good and good for you, and this pumpkin chia pudding is no exception. I originally created it for my Winter Cleanse. The snacks in this Seasonal Cleanse are supercharged to give your body the nutrients it needs while help you also reset for the season.
The Power of Chia Seeds
It’s no secret that I LOVE chia seeds. Heck I even put them in my protein powder recipe. They’re a superfood, and for good reason. They are the perfect addition to smoothies, pumpkin chia pudding and, well, anything.
Chia seeds provide impressive amounts of fiber, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, protein, and antioxidants. These super tiny seeds hold all that goodness! I typically find them in white, black, brown, or mixed; choose whichever kind you want.
Chia seeds are easily added to oatmeal, chia pudding, smoothies, baked goods, yogurt, and salads.
Nutrient-Dense Pumpkin
Pumpkins aren’t just lovely decorations; they’re loaded with nutrients. 1 cup of cooked pumpkin contains 3 grams of fiber and 245% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A as well as a good amount of vitamin C, potassium, copper, manganese, vitamin B12, vitamin E and Iron.
Not only is the pumpkin flesh healthy, the seeds are quite nutritious too.
A word of caution on buying canned pumpkin: READ THE LABEL. I know I always tell you to read labels, yet did you know that many brands of canned pumpkin are actually filled with not pumpkin? They use a variety of squash and sweet potatoes along with the pumpkin, plus sugar and preservatives. I always look for ones that say 100% pumpkin.
Fall Recipes with Pumpkin
Since this healthy pumpkin chia pudding won’t use a whole can of pumpkin puree, you’ll have some left over for more Autumn recipes! Here are a few of my fav to inspire you:
- Pumpkin spice smoothie
- Vegan pumpkin soup
- Soothing pumpkin smoothie
- Pumpkin pancakes
- Maple pumpkin smoothie
‘Tis the season for pumpkin! What are some of your fav pumpkin recipes? I’d love to know about them 🙂
Would you please rate + review this recipe once you’ve tried it? I love getting your feedback!
Pumpkin Chia Pudding
Equipment
- pint-sized jars
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond milk unsweetened
- ½ cup chia seeds
- 2 tbsp pumpkin puree
- 1 ⅓ tbsp maple syrup divided
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
- ⅛ tsp ginger ground
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg ground
For Topping
- 2 tbsp raw pecans chopped
- 1 pear diced
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients together, except for the pecans and diced pears. Divide the mixture equally between 2 jars.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to eat (at least 15 minutes). The mixture will thicken as it stands. Mixture is ready after 15 minutes, but can also be prepped up to a week in advance.
- Stir before serving and top with pecans and diced pears.
Notes
- You can swap almond milk with another kind of unsweetened plant milk. Oat milk, cashew milk and refrigerated coconut milk are all great options.
- If this isn’t sweet enough for you, add more maple syrup to taste.
- The chia seeds turn into a gel when they come into contact with liquid, so letting the pudding ‘set’ for 15 minutes in the fridge before consuming allows this process to happen.
- Feel free to top with your fav spices/nuts/seeds/fruit. I love adding in pumpkin seeds or granola as well.
- Instead of individual spices, you can use a pumpkin pie spice blend.
Hi,
How long do you have to soak chia seeds prior to adding them to a smoothie? I think to try them out I want to soak them first. Thanks!
Hey Adrienne. I would suggest at least 20 minutes. 🙂
I never used chia seeds in cooking and I find chia seeds are very helpful to the digestive tract. I will definitely use these in my future green smoothies.
Cheers, Desiree. Enjoy chia seeds blended into your smoothie or sprinkled on top. 🙂
If chia seeds are rich in calcium, does that mean that adding them to my green smoothie will inhibit the absorption of iron from the leafy greens?
Looks like my question fell through the cracks. Would love to get a response. Thanks!
Hello Sarah! Great question. We will need to ask Angela Stanford who holds her MBA, RD, RYT of Vital Nutrition & Wellness. All the best to you. 🙂
This is Great information ! I am consulting and working with a large Bakery Co-packer on the west coast and am marketing a Chia Cinnamon roll directed at Educational K through 12, Health Care , and “Healthier Eating” categories. The brand is ” Great Earth Products” Packed and owned by MaryAnns Bakery in Sacramento California.
My dad got onto the chia seed bandwagon last year and he convinced several of us to eat chia seeds regularly. However, I found that when I had the requisite 2 Tablespoons in 12 oz glass of juice, I ended up with fairly serious digestive trouble (as in, I had to RUN for the bathroom). I couldn’t believe that it was the chia seeds and ran several “studies” to be certain that they were the culprit. Do you know if this is at all a common problem? My family thinks I’m nuts.
Hmm… We haven’t experienced it, Dawney, nor have we heard many others talk about it. Anyone else have this issue?
My sister has IBS or UC and cannot eat anything with fiber. May warrent a chat with a doctor.
Yes, please consult your doctor or healthcare provider. 🙂
I am a newbie to green smoothies and find that I’m really enjoying these! I had chia seeds before and just didn’t like the soaked texture or the seeds in my beverages. From reading these posts, my question was answered. Now I know I can add the chia seeds with my smoothie ingredients, I’ll try that, maybe enjoy them more.
I just joined the 30 day challenge, although I’m about a week into my own adventure with smoothies. I’m excited!
Glad you found your answer! Yep, we add them dry all the time 🙂
Hello,
I was wondering if you recommend buying organic chia seeds. I had heard that chia seeds are often grown without the use of pesticides since insects do not like them so it’s not necessary to go organic?
Thanks!
That choice is up to you. These are our favorite kind to get (they are organic):
Hi, I was just wondering about grinding flax seeds? I bought a fairly large bag of them and just read where I should be having ground flax seed to get all of the goodies out of them. Can I grind them in my blender or what do you recommend??
Thanks!
Hmm… That’s a great question, Angel! We have always bought already ground flax seed, so you may want to research that one more. We’ll be looking for an answer, too!
Is the cocoa powder in the Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding sweetened or unsweetened?
Unsweetened 🙂
I love green smoothies and I love Chia seeds but I just want to share my experience with them. I started eating about 2 tablespoons a day and got nauseous and dizzy. I actually thought I was pregnant as the symptoms were all the same. After a few days of wondering what was going on I stopped eating the Chia seeds and my symptoms all vanished. I waited 2 weeks then started introducing them again. I discovered I can not have more than a half teaspoon a day or I get sick and dizzy again. It’s very rare to have this reaction but after a bit of googling I found others with the same thing. I’m very dissapointed I can’t eat much of them 🙁
Just wanted to put it out there in case anyone else has the same mysterious symptoms. Some people I read about had it for years before they figured it out and had just resigned themselves to unrelenting nausea and vertigo. So hopefully it will help someone 🙂
Amanda,
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us! It is always good to hear other perspectives, and hopefully anyone else who has this issue can find what you said useful!
What is the difference (if any) between black and white Chia seeds? If there is a difference, please explain. Thanks!
There is no significant nutrient difference 🙂
Hi,
I have serious digestive issues. For example, much of the food I eat comes through just as it went in: chewed up, and that’s all. Because of this I was afraid that my chia seeds would go through undigested. To avoid this happening, I put my chia seeds into my blender with whatever liquid I’m using and whiz them up until they’re all ground. Then I add my other ingredients. It gives the smoothie a really rich, creamy texture. Is there any downside to doing it this way? Also, I see in the recipes above you use only non-dairy milk. Is there some reason it would be bad to use milk, especially raw milk?
Thanks!
So I just got a pack of chia seeds (they were hanging out on an end cap with all of the Spanish seasonings at Publix) and I’m not sure the best way to incorporate them. I sprinkled some in our last smoothie, but after a bit of reading, it seems like they need to be soaked first? Any tips?
I have those same ones Jenni! You can use chia seeds either way to get the nutritional punch— sometimes I blend then straight into the smoothie without soaking and other times I soak first. If you soak them first and then add to the smoothie it will thicken it up. Just depends how thick you want your green smoothie. My kids won’t touch it when it gets that thick, just saying….
I was told to soak chia seeds because of the way they absorb water, the logic being if you consume them dry, they’ll pull water from the nearest source – your body – and dehydrate you. Not sure how true this is, as I don’t know how chia reacts in high (body) temperature liquid, but I’ve always soaked them first, just in case. 🙂
I’ve heard the same thing. But I have an aversion to the texture after it’s soaked. Any suggestions on what to replace them with in order to get same nutritional value.
I have been going to zumba on and off for the last year and just recently started about 2 months ago experimenting with smoothies. And I came across a similar article for chia seeds. I ordered them off Amazon and started adding them to my smoothies right away. I drink them after my workouts at night instead of a full blown meal. I’m just not hungry after an intense workout plus the smoothie really stays with me through the night. I feel a lot better since dropping 50 lbs and eating healthier. And I don’t have problems with acid reflux or IBS anymore. Go green people. It really works. Plus when you put veggies and fruit in a smoothie it doesn’t irritate your stomach. Benefits all the way around. Glad I found your website and can’t wait to try your recipes.
Thanks so much for sharing your journey Patty! Glad to have you here.
Agree! Chia seeds are good in so many things.
Hi! How much chia seeds (or other seeds such as hemp or pumpkin) should I put in my smoothie? I want the benefits but dont want to put too much in.
Thanks!
I know I’m on the right track…this a.m. I added chia for the first time to my smoothie, and tonite I receive this email….helping me better understand the benefits of chia seeds. I’ve enjoyed the smoothie challenge and have shared with many of my family/friends. After trying the basic smoothie, my oldest brother surprised me this week with a call requesting more information on how to make smoothies–he had purchased a blender. I was so elated!! Healthy living is contagious….I said I wasn’t going to tell anyone, but I can’t keep it to myself and besides…I’m showing, glowing & feeling GRAND!!
Oh, I love stories like this! When we can get others on board with this simple green smoothie lifestyle, it just makes me do the happy dance! Glad you are enjoying the changes and inspiring others, Toni. Cheers to our health!