This healthy plant-based Vanilla Bean and Blueberry Chia Seed Pudding is an easy recipe to make with only 5 clean, real food ingredients and it can be prepared in less than 5 minutes. It's a perfect healthy breakfast or snack to meal prep and is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo-friendly, contains no refined sugar and is Medical Medium compliant.
This Vanilla Bean Blueberry Chia Seed Pudding is a perfect way to use fresh, summer blueberries in a healthy way!
Vanilla Bean and Blueberry Chia Seed Pudding
Here's why this recipe works - my top 3 reasons:
- Can be prepared in less than 5 minutes
- No special equipment needed
- Made with only 5 clean, real food ingredients
Can Be Prepared In Less Than 5 Minutes
Nothing feels better than meal prepping healthy snacks to stay on track.
This recipe is perfect to meal prep because it takes less than 5 minutes to prepare.
For example, just add all the ingredients to a mason jar, shake it up and place it in the refrigerator to thicken.
Now you have a healthy breakfast or snack to enjoy later in the day.
Sometimes I will make it the night before and leave it in the refrigerator overnight for a quick breakfast.
Other times, I'll just make a quick serving and wait a little bit for it to thicken and have it as a mid-day snack.
And, there are times I will just mix it and eat it without even waiting for it to thicken!
No Special Equipment Needed
You don't need any special equipment, like a Vitamix to make this recipe.
However, chia pudding can be made in a Vitamix if you have one - but it adds to clean up time!
What I love about this recipe is it can be made in the same container you will serve it from.
And what is this container?
A simple glass mason jar!
It's glass (no BPA-plastic!) and has an air-tight lid which makes it ideal for storage.
Made With Only 5 Clean, Real Food Ingredients
I love to make chia pudding because it's so easy and only uses a few ingredients.
With only 5 clean, real food and nutrient-dense ingredients, it's a breakfast or snack that's hard not to love.
Just make sure you use organic blueberries, if possible because non-organic blueberries can contain up to 52 different pesticides!
My clean eating, healthy chia pudding recipe is plant-based, raw, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, paleo-friendly, contains no refined sugar and is Medical Medium compliant.
How To Make Vanilla Bean and Blueberry Chia Seed Pudding: Step-by-Step Instructions
Here's how to make this recipe and I'll show you with step-by-step instructions below:
Step 1: Gather And Measure All Ingredients
Firstly, gather and measure all the ingredients for the recipe.
Set aside a 16-ounce or larger glass mason jar.
Step 2: Add The Ingredients To The Mason Jar
Secondly, add all the ingredients to the mason jar.
Place the lid onto the mason jar very tightly.
Step 3: Shake The Ingredients
Thirdly, shake the ingredients inside the mason jar vigorously until everything is well combined.
Another alternative is to use a mini-whisk to whisk the ingredients together.
Step 4: Refrigerate
Fourthly, place the mason jar in the refrigerator to firm for approximately 60 minutes.
You can also leave it in for a longer or shorter period of time depending on the consistency you prefer.
Remove the lid and stir the chia pudding to break up any clumps before serving.
Expert Tips + Ingredient Substitutions for Vanilla Bean and Blueberry Chia Seed Pudding
Here are some expert tips to make this recipe perfectly:
Homemade Almond Milk. This is my milk of preference, however, you can use your favorite non-dairy milk in the same amount.
Blueberries. I used fresh organic blueberries, but frozen organic blueberries will also work. The color might be a little darker with frozen blueberries but it will taste the same. For more nutrients and healing benefits, you can also use organic wild blueberries per Medical Medium recommendations.
Maple Syrup. This can be reduced and even omitted if you prefer a less sweet chia pudding. For example, sometimes if my blueberries are really sweet I won't add the maple syrup at all.
Vanilla Bean Powder. I like to use organic vanilla bean powder in my no-bake recipes because of the added alcohol in vanilla extract. However, you can substitute the vanilla bean powder with organic pure vanilla extract in the same amount. In addition, if you need this recipe to be 100% Medical Medium compliant, you can also substitute with alcohol-free vanilla extract.
Want More Healthy Plant-Based Vegan Dessert Recipes?
Check out these:
- Raspberry and Banana Chia Pudding
- No-Bake Vegan Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- Pomegranate and Dried Blueberry Chocolate Bark
- or my CLEAN DESSERTS Cookbook with 72 plant-based vegan + gluten-free no-bake dessert recipes made with clean, real food ingredients just like this one that you will love!
Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Bean and Blueberry Chia Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 cup homemade almond milk
- 1/2 cup organic blueberries
- 1/4 cup organic chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons organic maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon organic ground vanilla bean powder
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a 16-ounce or larger mason jar and seal it very tightly.
- Shake it vigorously until everything is mixed well and put it in the refrigerator for about an hour, or until it thickens to your preference.
- Stir it up before serving and add additional blueberries on top, if you prefer.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
Hi, I'm Karielyn! I'm the published cookbook author of CLEAN DESSERTS and content creator of The Healthy Family and Home website since 2012. I specialize in creating easy, healthy plant-based recipes that are gluten-free + vegan and made with clean, real food ingredients that you can feel good about eating.
Tanya S says
Do you keep a lid on it as it thickens in the fridge or lid off? Making it tonight for my gestational diabetes snack (just going to cut the recipe in half).
Karielyn says
Hi there Tanya! You can leave the lid off while it's thickening in the refrigerator. It can also thicken on the countertop, but I add it to the refrigerator to thicken so it will be cold 🙂
Thanks for the question and I hope you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Reba Scott says
Also could I use vanilla bean paste instead of the powder?
Karielyn says
Hi there Reba! I've never used vanilla bean paste, but if it works the same as vanilla bean powder it should be fine. I just prefer to use the 100% vanilla bean powder in raw (uncooked) recipes because I don't like the alcohol flavor that doesn't evaporate like it does in baked recipes. But you could also use regular vanilla extract if you like it and have it on hand.
Thanks for your question! 🙂
Reba Scott says
How do you make almond milk?
Karielyn says
Hi there Reba! You don't have to use homemade almond milk, it's just what I prefer to use, but you could use any non-dairy milk for this recipe.
Making homemade almond milk is really, really easy though and here's the detailed instructions in case you ever want to give it a try: https://thehealthyfamilyandhome.com/how-to-make-homemade-almond-milk/
Thanks for your question and I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Amber says
Hi there,
I was wondering if you could use frozen blueberries instead of fresh, would it turn out the same? It's not blueberry season here, but I always have frozen ones around.
Thanks
Karielyn says
Hi there Amber! I always have frozen blueberries on hand too! I haven't tried that before, but I think it would work and would definitely give it a try myself if all I had was frozen ones on hand. They will probably thaw while the pudding is "setting" and firming in the refrigerator if you use them right out of the freezer and will probably give it an extra juicy blueberry flavor and extra blueberry coloring too! It might make the pudding a darker color because you will need to stir it right before eating it, which would mix in the thawed blueberry juice, but if you didn't care about the color/appearance, it bet it would be good!
I would try it!
Thanks for the question and I hope you enjoy the recipe if you decide to make it 🙂
Amber says
Hi,
Thanks for replying! I'm not too fussed with its colour or apperance haha so this will work great for me. By the way, is there any other milk that could be used instead of almond milk? It's really expensive here and I'm not a huge fan of the watery texture or taste :/ I have to drink lactose-free milk, could that work? Or perhaps even vanilla soy milk? Can't wait to make this!
Thank you 🙂
Karielyn says
Hi there Amber! Yes! You can use your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk for this recipe and either will work fine.
Thanks for the question and I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Andia says
I used frozen berries today. It was so yummy! I haven't made it with fresh ones so I can't compare but I can tell you that frozen works great! My four year old asked for her own bowl of the pudding. I mixed everything but the berries and let it sit for about ten minutes, then added the frozen berries and let them thaw a little before mixing them in.
Karielyn says
Hi there Andia! I'm so glad to hear that everyone enjoyed it, especially your little one! And thanks so much for sharing with everyone that the frozen blueberries will work!
Thank you for trying out the recipe and for taking the time to let me know you liked it...I really appreciate it 🙂
Kay says
Thano you so much! I have been looking for a recipe that used vanilla bean powder instead of extract for a while and this looks amazing!
Karielyn says
Hi there Kay! I'm so glad to meet a fellow lover of vanilla bean powder! Once I tried it for the first time, I've never looked back and always use it in my recipes instead of vanilla extract.
It's a little pricey, but a little goes a long way and it tastes ~so~ much better, so to me, it's worth it.
Thanks so much and I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Shana says
Is there an alternative to the almond milk? I don't have the ability to make my own right now, but the storebought stuff is problem laden.... What about coconut milk?
Karielyn says
Hi there Shana! Yes, you could use coconut milk or your favorite non-dairy milk and either would be fine!
Thanks for the question and I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Suzette says
Hi,
Could I make this without the use of the vanilla bean powder and use just a dash of vanilla extract instead? Thanks.
Karielyn says
Hi there Suzette! Yes, you can definitely use vanilla extract instead!
I like to use the vanilla bean powder in raw recipes/desserts because I don't like the alcohol flavor in vanilla extract that normally evaporates when it is used in baked/cooked desserts. But both would work fine, you would just need to adjust the amount of vanilla extract because it isn't an equal to equal substitution since the vanilla bean powder has a much stronger flavor.
The rule of thumb is you only need 1/2 the amount of vanilla bean powder as vanilla extract. (example: 1 tsp of vanilla extract = 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean powder).
Thanks for the question and I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
T says
Love this recipe. So simple. Quick question how did you incorporate raw recipes when feeding your sons. I am mom to an 11 month old and would love to make such beautiful recipes for him.
Karielyn says
Hi there! When my boys were that age, I limited any type of sugar (even natural, clean sugars like maple syrup, dates, etc) because I wanted them to enjoy vegetables and not become addicted to the sweet tastes. I gave them avocados (lots!), made kale and banana smoothies, they would even snack on raw kale chips. I never gave either of them fruit juices (like apple juice) but instead, green based juices with a touch of either apple or carrot and they ~loved~ them. Even now, even though don't eat 100% raw, they love to snack on fresh fruits and veggies throughout the day like carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumber (they will eat these with apple cider vinegar and sprinkled with pink salt), red bell peppers (with hummus), still love kale chips!, bananas, grapes, apples, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, canteloupe, watermelon, blackberries, etc and some smoothies and will pretty much drink any type of fresh juice I make.
From my experience (and my opinion), I think a child's eating habits are established when they are young and based on what they are exposed to. If they start off eating clean, healthy, fresh foods, they will gladly eat them as toddlers and as they get older. If they are exposed to highly processed, GMO boxed cereals, cookies, chips, fast food, etc at a young age and later are given a vegetable or fruit to eat, they will turn their noses to it (especially if they've been exposed to refined white sugar/high fructose sugar). Their taste buds will become accustomed to it.
I also know, as an adult, once you start eating clean and eliminate processed foods and refined sugar and salt from your diet, your taste buds will change (especially with sugary foods).
I think it's awesome that you are wanting to feed your baby healthy foods! Just try to eat as fresh and organic as possible, make as much as you can from scratch and you will definitely starting your baby with a good foundation for healthy eating habits down the road 🙂
Jess @hellotofit says
Love chia pudding, especially when real fruit is involved. Great photos!
Karielyn says
Hi there Jess! Me too..me too! Thanks so much and I appreciate you stopping by 🙂