Almond Chai Chia Pudding Recipe

Aromatic, spiced chai is one of the world's most celebrated classic teas. A delicious combination of warming spices and black tea is steeped in lightly sweetened hot milk, making a mug of warm chai the ideal comfort drink. This recipe for almond chai chia pudding, courtesy of recipe developer Julie Kinnaird, has all the elements of chai mixed into an easy-to-prepare and dairy-free chia seed pudding, which is perfect as a tasty breakfast, snack, or dessert. 

The vegan pudding is thickened by tiny black chia seeds, which gel and create the creamy pudding texture when they are added to rich chai-infused almond milk. The pudding is sweetened with a chai syrup, made from simmering ground cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger with maple syrup. The dish is finished with golden toasted slivered almonds for a bit of contrasting crunch to the soft-textured pudding. This recipe sets up in just a few hours in the refrigerator, or can be made ahead to chill overnight. Who wouldn't want chai chia pudding for breakfast?

This recipe uses unsweetened vanilla or plain almond milk. Be sure to check the carton to make sure the almond milk is fresh and there is no sugar added, otherwise the pudding will be too sweet. The almond milk is heated and steeped with chai tea bags (choose your favorite variety). Black chia seeds are added to the warm almond milk tea and will start to gel while you make the chai maple syrup. Use a dark or amber grade maple syrup to simmer with ground cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger. Last, you will need some slivered raw almonds to quickly toast in a skillet for a crunchy garnish on your pudding.

Bring the almond milk to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat.

Turn off the heat and add the tea bags.

Cover and let steep for 15 minutes.

Remove the tea bags, squeezing out the excess liquid into the milk.

Add the chia seeds to the pan, whisking to break up any clumps.

In a separate small saucepan, combine the maple syrup, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Whisk ¼ cup of the chai maple syrup into the chia seed mixture, reserving the extra syrup.

Transfer the pudding to 4 glass serving dishes.

Cover each with plastic and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Add the almonds to a small skillet over medium-low heat.

Stirring frequently, toast until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Transfer the almonds to a dish and let cool.

To serve the almond chai chia pudding, top each dish with some of the toasted almonds.

Drizzle about 1 tablespoon reserved maple chai syrup over the almonds.

Serve immediately as a snack or dessert.

Chia seeds are tiny but mighty in terms of packing a nutritional punch. They are an excellent source of fiber, supplying the recommended daily amount in only two tablespoons. Chia seeds are also a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids. Additionally, chia seeds provide small amounts of protein, B vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. With all of these valuable nutrients, eating chia seeds may help improve overall health, which includes strengthening bones and muscles and aiding the digestive system. 

Beyond chia seed pudding, it is relatively easy to incorporate these "super seeds" into your diet. Try mixing small amounts of chia seeds into baked goods, pancakes, or waffles. Chia seeds can be blended into smoothies, sprinkled onto salads, or used to make a no-cook fruit jam. Kinnaird says she also loves to mix chia seeds into overnight oats. When combined with the oats and liquids, the jelly-like consistency of the seeds creates an extra-creamy and slightly chewy texture.

"Chai" means "tea" in Hindi, and the blend of spices that flavor chai as we know it is called masala, so in India, the drink is referred to as masala chai. It's likely that chai as a spiced beverage originated thousands of years ago as part of an ancient Indian healing practice and was used medicinally. Eventually, tea leaves were added to create a spiced tea. Chai further developed in India as a byproduct of colonialism. The British began cultivating tea in the Assam state of India during the mid-1800s over concern with their trade relations in China. This tea was exported from India to Europe, but during the Great Depression, the Assam production began to rely upon and market to Indian consumers. 

Because tea is commonly consumed with milk in Great Britain, the British tea culture influenced the development of Chai, and Indians developed the milky, sweetened, and spiced drink we now know as chai. Cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, black pepper, cloves, and cinnamon are all common spices found in various versions of Indian chai. In India, chai is a quintessential element found in daily life, preserving the tea culture that was infused into the society. And of course in the U.S. the chai spice mix can be found at tea houses and coffee shops in the form of teas and coffee drinks like lattes or iced lattes.