Looking for a fresh take on breakfast? Chia Pudding with Granola and Berries is the answer! Creamy homemade chia seed pudding made with all-natural ingredients like coconut milk and agave, then topped with homemade granola and fresh berries for a filling, nutritious, and delicious meal in a bowl.
Chia Pudding with Granola and Berries
I had heard of chia pudding, but never tried it until recently. I was eating breakfast at First Watch with my family and my sister-in-law ordered their chia pudding. I believe they all it the A.M. Superfoods Bowl. She said I really needed to try it and offered me a bite. OH. MY. GOODNESS. I was so hooked. Before we left First Watch that morning, I ordered one of those bowls to-go and enjoyed it later that evening.
The only issue is that I live almost an hour from the nearest First Watch. Bummer. So after my first taste of the A.M. Superfoods Bowl, I was craving it daily. Super bummer. Also, First Watch is very popular, so getting in usually requires a bit of a wait. One day, I was near the restaurant and called to see if I could get an A.M. Superfoods Bowl to-go and they said they were very busy and it would be at least a 30 minute wait for a takeout order. I was in a hurry to get home, so I had to go without my craving. Mega bummer.
When in Doubt… Get the Cookbook
The good news is that First Watch sells a beautiful cookbook and it has the A.M. Superfoods Bowl recipe in it. Yay! I ordered the book, learned to make chia seed pudding like they do, and now I can calm the craving in between trips to First Watch. Winning.
You can pick up a copy of the First Watch cookbook when you’re at the restaurant, and I recommend you do because it is filled with great recipes. Or, if you can’t wait, you can usually find a copy for sale on Amazon. Here’s the link to a copy I found available for sale.
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Making Chia Pudding with Granola and Berries
As I said above, this recipe is based on the A.M. Superfoods Bowl from First Watch, but I have adapted the recipe to work better for me when making this at home.
You may not be very familiar with some of the ingredients used in this Chia Pudding with Granola and Berries, so allow me to walk you through the process.
First, be sure you know what ingredients you need to pick up from the store: Here’s what I used:
Coconut milk (canned) – you will need 2 cans to get 2 cups for this recipe
Chia seeds
Organic blue agave
Salt
Organic vanilla extract
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Money saving tip: I purchased the chia seeds and blue agave at ALDI. Yep, that’s right! They have really fantastic chia seeds and agave for the best price I could find anywhere. The organic blue agave is found near the honey and the chia seeds are in the baking aisle. I think I paid $3.49 for the agave and $2.49 for the bag of chia seeds. Both will last me through making this recipe several times over.
Important note about the coconut milk: The chia seed pudding from First Watch is very thick and creamy. It is NOT watery or “slimy” at all. To achieve the correct consistency and texture, you need to use canned coconut milk. I purchased Kroger brand coconut milk for $1.49 per can.
When you open your can of coconut milk, you’ll see that it is separated. It is supposed to be like this. Part of the can will be thin, sweet coconut milk. The other part will be thick, rich coconut cream. You want both parts to make the best chia seed pudding.
I always keep coconut milk on hand for when I want to make pani popo (Samoan coconut rolls). Click here to see that delicious recipe!
Mix all of your ingredients together in a bowl. You may want to use a whisk to make sure you can really whip it and get the solid coconut cream to fully incorporate into the pudding.
Do use a good vanilla extract. Cheap vanilla (or imitation vanilla) can have all sorts of additives that you don’t want.
Your chia seed pudding will look like this after you stir it up:
The Waiting Game
Whipping up chia seed pudding takes no time at all. But then… you have to wait. It takes at least 2 hours for the chia seeds to bloom in the pudding while it is in the refrigerator. Be sure to stir halfway through the refrigeration time.
Also, you might want to reserve some extra coconut milk, just in case you want to add a little bit more after the refrigeration time to adjust the consistency to your preference.
About the Granola
The homemade granola really takes this chia pudding bowl over the top. It’s not difficult to make granola at all! Then, you’ll have a batch of fresh granola to munch on for a few days.
Granola making tips:
- Use good quality old fashioned oats, not quick cooking oats. You can use gluten-free oats, organic oats, or even inexpensive oats from ALDI if you prefer.
- You’ll need 100% all-natural maple syrup. I love to buy mine locally from people who make maple syrup and sell it at the farmers market. But in a pinch, I’m happy to buy it for a great price at ALDI.
- Flaxseed or wheat germ? The original granola recipe called for wheat germ. I wanted to use ground flax seed instead because that’s what I had on hand. It worked perfectly! And again, this is another great ingredient you can get at ALDI. So glad they make it more affordable to buy healthier foods!
- Coconut oil? The recipe calls for canola or vegetable oil. I use whichever I have. But I am really interested in trying this recipe with melted coconut oil instead (I used coconut oil to make these chocolate chip cookies and they were amazing!). I’ll test this sometime and let you know what I learn. And if you want to try this ingredient swap, make sure you let me know how it turns out! Tag me on Instagram (@momneedschocolate) or comment on this recipe in the comments section below.
- Don’t let it burn! Do watch your granola starting at about the 15 minute mark, to make sure it doesn’t get too dark around the edges.
- Store the extra granola in a covered container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Toppings for Your Chia Seed Pudding
I used blueberries and raspberries to top my chia seed pudding in these pictures. But I also really like banana and sliced strawberries. You might enjoy blackberries (my husband’s favorite), flaked coconut, organic fruit or berry preserves, cinnamon, or toasted nuts. Make it your own!
Chia Pudding with Granola and Berries
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Looking for a fresh take on breakfast? Chia Pudding with Granola and Berries is the answer! Creamy homemade chia seed pudding made with all-natural ingredients like coconut milk and agave, then topped with homemade granola and fresh berries for a filling, nutritious, and delicious meal in a bowl.
Ingredients
Pudding:
- 2 cups coconut milk (canned coconut milk, not coconut milk for drinking)
- 1/4 cup agave nectar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup black chia seeds
Granola:
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds (no shell), roasted
- 1 cup ground flaxseed
- 1/2 cup almonds, slivered or sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup all-natural maple syrup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Pudding:
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, agave, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
- Add the chia seeds and mix well.
- Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate the pudding for 2 hours, stirring once about halfway through the refrigeration time.
- Stir the pudding well, then scoop into bowls and top with granola, fresh fruit and berries.
Granola:
- Preheat the oven to 300F degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, sunflower seeds, ground flaxseed, almonds, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In medium mixing bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, brown sugar, oil, agave, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture over the oat mixture; stir well.
- Scoop the granola onto a large greased cookie sheet and gently spread out into a thin layer (do not press down).
- Bake the granola at 300F for 18 minutes until golden brown, but not too dark around the edges.
- Allow the granola to cool on the baking sheet until room temperature. Break the granola into bite-sized pieces.
- Store the granola at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
To create a Chia Pudding with Granola and Berries:
- Scoop 1/4 of the chia pudding into a bowl
- Top the pudding with the homemade granola
- Add fresh fruit and berries of your choice: raspberries, sliced strawberries, blackberries, sliced bananas, blueberries, etc.
- Add any additional toppings you like: a drizzle of agave or real maple syrup, homemade vegan coconut whipped cream, ground cinnamon or nutmeg, coconut flakes, toasted nuts, etc.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: vegan, vegetarian, organic, gluten free
Keywords: chia pudding, coconut milk pudding
Tell Me About Your Chia Seed Pudding!
After you make your Chia Seed Pudding with Granola and Berries, come back and tell me how you like them! You can leave me a comment and recipe rating in the comments section below, tag me on Instagram at @MomNeedsChocolate, or snap a picture and upload it to the pin on Pinterest. Can’t wait to hear from you!
Image to pin to Pinterest to save this recipe for later:
I was looking for something new to eat for breakfast, this recipe is definitely a keeper! I am a fan of honey, so I’d replace the agave with it but otherwise I would use the same toppings. Pinned!
★★★★★
Do you use one can or two cans of coconut milk?
I used 2 cups of coconut milk. This was more than one can of coconut milk, but not a full 2 cans. So yes, you do need 2 cans, but will just use 2 cups of the coconut milk.
How many servings does the granola recipe yield?
I’ve been craving the superfoods bowl from first watch for a while now. Since I don’t feel comfortable going out yet, I’ve been trying recipes at home for a good dupe. This is THE one! It really is the distinction of canned coconut milk that makes all the difference. This will be in our breakfast rotation from now on. Thanks!
★★★★★
Hi!
I recently found the first watch chia pudding and have been obsessed with it. Thanks for making the recipe.
However, I used the exact ingredients and followed the instructions step by step but for some reason the chia seeds keep jelling up (almost like frog spawn) which isn’t the way it is in the first watch bowl. I’ve ordered several times from there and its almost custard or moose like, like seen in your instagram post. Do you have any tips to limit the jelling and get the right texture? Could it be the type of chia seeds? Different canned coconut milk? I’m using whole foods for both. Thanks!!
AMAZING RECIPE. MINE WAS SUPER THICK. THANKS!
★★★★★
I found that the coconut milk return to its solid state once putting it in the fridge overnight.