Healthy Key Lime Chia Pudding - Dairy-free, Gluten-free (2024)

Creamy and tart, Key Lime Chia Seed Pudding blends the zesty flavor of key lime with the nutty richness of chia seeds. Its smooth texture is accented by the slight crunch of the seeds, creating a delightful treat for your tastebuds. This refreshing recipe is perfect for breakfast, a snack, or a sweet treat during the day and the best news is it is gluten-free, dairy-free, and can easily be made Whole30-friendly!

Chia seed pudding is such an easy breakfast and is super healthy for our guts. It can easily be customized with fruit or with spices and is great for meal prepping, too!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Delightfully Sweet: This recipe is perfectly sweet but not so sweet that it can't be for breakfast. An overly sweet breakfast can cause cravings or crashes later on in the day and this definitely won't do that, but instead will leave you feeling fueled all day long!

Easy to Make: This chia seed pudding only requires a few ingredients and is perfect for meal prepping for the entire week.

Ingredients You Will Need

Chia Seeds: are tiny powerhouses packed with fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and various vitamins and minerals. When mixed with liquid, they form a gel-like consistency, making them a versatile ingredient for adding nutritional value to smoothies, puddings, and baked goods.

Almond Milk: a dairy-free alternative made from ground almonds and water, typically fortified with vitamins and minerals like calcium and vitamin D. It's low in calories and saturated fat while offering a creamy texture and a subtle nutty flavor.

Key Lime Juice: a tart and citrusy liquid derived from the small, tangy key limes. It's rich in vitamin C, offering a zesty flavor and a burst of freshness to beverages, desserts, and savory dishes. Fresh key limes are hard to find in Colorado, so I buy juice. Nelly and Joe's is my absolute favorite.

Coconut Butter: is ground-up coconut meat, similar to nut butter. My favorite coconut butter is from Artisana Market.

Maple Syrup: a natural sweetener made from the sap of maple trees, containing various antioxidants and minerals like manganese and zinc. While it's high in sugar, it's a better alternative to refined sugars due to its lower glycemic index and is gut-friendly due to all the prebiotics in it! It is still best enjoyed in moderation

Instructions

Mix the ingredients: Combine all the ingredients into a jar and mix for about 30 seconds.

Refrigerate: Place in the refrigeratorfor at least 20 minutes to let the chia seeds gel.

Add toppings: Add your favorite toppings (I really like chopped nuts and shredded coconut) and enjoy!

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Getting the right color: Chia pudding is not normally green, however, to get the green coloring of key lime pie, I use a tiny amount of matcha in this recipe. The matcha doesn't add any flavor to this recipe, but does make it a fun color!

Toppings: Key lime chia pudding is great alone, but is even better with some delicious toppings! Some ideas I usually reach for are chopped nuts and shredded coconut. Berries, whipped coconut cream, or gluten-free graham crackers are also delicious ideas!

Extra Protein: Chia pudding can be a great place to get added protein. To make this recipe high protein chia pudding, add your favorite vanilla protein powder or collagen.

Coconut Butter: This can harden when it cools. If yours is solidified, you can microwave It for about 20 seconds to liquify it again. This will make it easier to mix.

Recipe Variations

Milk: If almond milk is not your thing, you can use coconut milk, but be sure it is the one from the carton, not the can. It does not mix well if you use coconut milk or coconut cream from the can. You can also use any other dairy-alternative milk you enjoy.

Whole30: To make this recipe Whole30, just leave out the maple syrup. To get some sweetness I recommend adding berries to it when you serve it!

Storage Tips

This Key Lime Chia Pudding can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an air-tight container, which makes it perfect for meal-prepping breakfasts for the week.

FAQs About Key Lime Chia Pudding

Are chia seeds good for your gut?

Chia seeds are very high in fiber and can be very good for your gut. It does help your GI tract stay regular, however, I do not recommend eating more than 2-3 tablespoon of chia seeds at a time (or 1 serving of this chia seed pudding). However, if you suffer from certain conditions such as diverticulitis, chia seeds may cause some issues, so be sure to check with your doctor if you are concerned.

How long does chia seed pudding last in the fridge?

It will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5-7 days.