Coffee Chia Seed Pudding is a yummy make-ahead breakfast, snack, or healthy dessert with wholesome ingredients like plain Greek yogurt, chia seeds, pure maple syrup, and almond milk. Cool, creamy alternative to a morning cup of coffee any coffee lover will enjoy. Enjoy as-is or blended into a creamy coffee chia smoothie.
If you like this, you'll love Coffee Yogurt and Chocolate Greek Yogurt!
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This chia coffee pudding is cold and creamy with rich coffee flavor, a touch of maple syrup, and a hint of cocoa. It stirs together in just a few minutes, thickens in the fridge for several hours or overnight, and is ready and waiting for you whenever you need a jolt of caffeine. It's the perfect grab-and-go breakfast, snack -- even dessert -- and a refreshing alternative to hot coffee on hot summer days.
Keep reading, and I'll show you how to make it with instant espresso powder or brewed coffee and a creamy blended coffee smoothie option with the texture of perfectly melty ice cream.
New to Chia Seeds?
If chia seeds are a new ingredient for you, they're tiny little nutritional powerhouses packed with omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. When mixed with liquid, they develop a gel-like consistency, kind of like tapioca pudding, making them a great thickener for this coffee chia pudding recipe and smoothie bowl recipes.
I typically use a ratio of 4 tablespoons of chia seeds to 1 cup of liquid, but you can play around with those ratios to get the consistency you like. I find it's better to start on the thicker side since thinning it out is quick and easy-just add milk as needed! To thicken, add more Greek yogurt for a quick fix or more chia seeds and let them gel for a few hours.
For more easy recipes using chia seeds, check out Berry Chia Pudding, Vanilla Chia Pudding, and Chia Overnight Oats. You can also read this article from the Mayo Clinic to find out more about the health benefits of chia seeds.
❤️You're Going to Love This
- Simple, healthy make-ahead breakfast, snack, or dessert
- Easy to customize the coffee flavor and sweetness to your taste
- Options to make with instant espresso powder or fresh brewed coffee
- Enjoy as-is or blended into a smooth, creamy coffee chia smoothie
🍫Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.
- Instant espresso powder. Instant espresso powder has deep, dark, delicious coffee flavor. You can also use instant coffee powder, but you'll need about twice as much for the same intensity of flavor.
- Cocoa powder. A little cocoa powder brings out the delicious flavor in coffee. You can technically skip this, but I highly recommend it for the best flavor.
- Maple syrup or honey. A little sweetener offsets the bitterness of the coffee. Use it to taste.
- Plain Greek yogurt. Full fat whole milk Greek yogurt has the thickest creamiest texture. Nonfat or lowfat Greek yogurt will also work, it's just not as thick.
- Milk of choice. Any type of dairy or nondairy milk like oat milk or soy milk can be used. We use unsweetened almond milk.
- Chia seeds. There is no flavor or nutritional difference between white chia seeds and black chia seeds -- use either one.
🫐Variations or Substitutions
- Black coffee. Instead of espresso powder, you can definitely make chia seed coffee pudding with regular coffee. Just substitute 1 cup of cold coffee for the espresso powder and almond milk.
- Blended chia coffee pudding. Make your own coffee smoothies at home! Just blend all the ingredients in a high-power blender, pour into a large jar or bowl, cover, and chill until thickened.
- Flavor extracts. Add a splash of almond, maple, or vanilla extract.
- Spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger -- whatever you'd put on your latte, add it to your chia coffee pudding.
- Toppings. The best part! Shaved chocolate, fresh berries, a dollop of yogurt, a dusting of cocoa powder, or a drizzle of peanut butter or almond butter would all be a great addition!
🥣How to Make Chia Coffee Pudding
Step 1: Place the espresso powder, cocoa powder, and maple syrup/honey in a small mixing bowl. Give it a quick stir just to moisten some of the powder. Add a couple tablespoons of the yogurt and stir until the mixture is smooth and creamy, like chocolate sauce.
Step 2: Stir in the milk, the rest of the yogurt, and chia seeds until well combined. Stir again in 5-10 minutes to keep the chia seeds from clumping.
Step 3: Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
Step 4: Add your favorite toppings, like a dollop of yogurt, nuts, chocolate chips, and fresh berries.
To Make with Fresh Coffee: Stir 1 cup of cooled coffee, cocoa powder, and sweetener in a bowl or large glass jar. Add the yogurt and chia seeds and stir well. Stir again in 5-10 minutes. Cover and chill overnight.
For Blended Coffee Chia Smoothie: Place espresso powder, cocoa powder, sweetener, almond milk, and yogurt in a high speed blender. Give it a quick stir to keep anything from clumping where it can't be blended. Process for about a minute until smooth. Cover and chill overnight.
👉Helpful Hint: To avoid lumps, mix the cocoa powder and sweetener with a small amount of yogurt first until it turns into a smooth chocolate sauce, then stir in the rest.
✅Top Tips
- For the creamiest coffee chia pudding, stick with whole-milk Greek yogurt-it's the best for a thick, rich texture. Low-fat or nonfat Greek yogurt works too, but it won't be quite as creamy. Regular yogurt isn't the best choice -- it's too thin.
- To avoid lumps, mix the cocoa powder and sweetener with a small amount of yogurt first until it turns into a smooth chocolate sauce, then stir in the rest.
- Sweeten to taste. If you're using honey, start with a little less since it's naturally sweeter.
- Want even more coffee flavor? Go ahead and add another spoonful of espresso powder!
- Chia pudding can take up to 1-2 days to fully set. If it's too thick, add a splash of milk. Too thin? Stir in a bit of Greek yogurt to thicken it right away, or add an extra teaspoon of chia seeds and let them gel for a few hours.
🎁Storage
Store coffee chia pudding in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about one week. Store toppings in a separate container to keep them fresh until you're ready to eat.
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📖 Recipe
Chia Coffee Pudding
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or double the amount of instant coffee crystals
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder, optional
- 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey or to taste
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup chia seeds
Instructions
- Place the espresso powder, cocoa powder, and maple syrup in a small bowl. Briefly stir. Add a few tablespoons of the yogurt and stir until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps. It should look like chocolate sauce.
- Add the rest of the yogurt, milk, and chia seeds and stir well. Stir again in 5-10 minutes to keep the chia seeds from clumping or settling to the bottom. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. The longer the chia seeds soak, the thicker the mixture will be.
- See notes for brewed coffee and blended options.
Notes
- Use whole-milk Greek yogurt for the creamiest texture.
- Mix cocoa powder and sweetener with a little yogurt first to avoid lumps, then stir in the rest.
- Adjust sweetness to taste-use less honey if that's your choice.
- For extra coffee flavor, add more espresso powder!
- If it's too thick, stir in a splash of milk. Too thin, add Greek yogurt for instant thickening or a teaspoon of chia seeds and wait a few hours.
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