I have a bad habit of skipping breakfast when I’m busy, which is also becoming a habit. So, I’m trying to come up with an easy, healthy breakfast for crazy mornings and snacks to take with me when I’m on the go.
There have been more days than I care to admit over the last couple of years, where I didn’t eat a single thing until dinner time. Now… how does that even happen? I mean, I really love food and I don’t think it’s healthy to get wrapped up in what I’m doing, and forget to eat. I always have a big dinner, but that doesn’t make up for my bad (erratic) behavior. It’s a lot like working out once a week and expecting great results – not going to happen.
I’m on a mission to change my ways, and these Tropical Coconut Chia Pudding Jars are a great start. They’re assembled the night before, so they make the perfect grab and go breakfast. As much as I’d like to be the kind of person who has a full breakfast, I don’t actually make the time, and I’m not super hungry in the morning. I love having something already made that’s ready for me when the mid-morning hunger finally strikes.
I portion this recipe 2 different ways before I place it in the fridge for our breakfasts. For my husband, I’ll portion out 1 cup of pudding and 1 cup of fruit in pint jars, and for myself I use the 1 cup mason jars with 1/2 cup pudding and 1/2 cup of fruit.
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Tropical Coconut Chia Pudding Jars
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Prep Time: 10 mins -
Total Time: 10 mins
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Yield: 2-4
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Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 can coconut milk, 13.66 ounces
- 1/4 cup maple syrup, Grade A
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla
- 1 Teaspoon ground cardamom, freshly ground if possible
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 Tablespoons chia seeds, (6 Tablespoons for really thick pudding)
- 1 cup chopped pineapple, oranges, and bananas
- 2 – mason jars, the 1 pint size
Instructions
- Mix together the coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cardamom, and water until fully combined, I used a blender for mine.
- Place 2 Tablespoons of chia seeds in each of the 2 jars.
- Pour the coconut mixture evenly into each jar. Stir to fully mix in the chia seeds and secure the lids on the jars.
- Refrigerate overnight before serving.
- Serve with your choice of chopped fruit.
Notes
Also, I like to add more or less salt to taste depending on how much I work out. If you can’t find cardamom, cinnamon is really good too!
37 Comments on “Tropical Coconut Chia Pudding Jars”
How long do they last once there made? Looking to do some breakfast meal prep for as many days as possible
These last really well for 4-5 days, I’ve never had them in the fridge for longer since they always get eaten. I sure hope you enjoy them, and be sure and let me know if you have anymore questions!
I mixed everything in the blender at a low speed which seemed to incorporate some air, making it mousse-like. Wonderful flavor and texture. I ate half the recipe for breakfast but was famished two hours later (I’m a big guy) despite using full-fat canned coconut milk. I’ll definitely make it again and throw in pistachios for added caloric density!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it, and I think pistachios sound like an amazing flavor combination!
Looks awesome and tasty! Perfect for my next easy on-the-go breakfast. Thanks for sharing this recipe =)
It’s my favorite make ahead breakfast too, along with frittatas which I’ve really gotten into lately – I hope you enjoy it!
I made this with cinnamon as I didn’t have any cardamom on hand. It was amazing. I added some raisins and it tasted just like rice pudding!! Loved it!!
Cinnamon is one of my favorite variations, and I love your idea of adding raisins!
I was wondering if you have tried using honey instead of syrup to sweeten this pudding?
Thanks, and hope you are well!
Honey and coconut milk can be an interesting combo, I’ve found sometimes it’s good especially with a lighter honey, but other times I’ve tried stronger flavored honey and the combination has a slightly soapy flavor (which is so weird and not at all tasty). So in short my answer would be yes, but with reservations, maple syrup and agave nectar are the safest bets in terms of flavor. Hope you enjoy the recipe, and be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions! 🙂
I tried this recipe. I used 2.5 tablespoons of chia in each jar. It came out watery! Lack of pudding consistency. It tasted ok. Maybe you got to use less water; reduce it to 1/4 cup? yar
I’ve never had this come out watery, so I’m wondering what kind of coconut milk you used? It’s really important that the coconut milk is the kind from the can because it’s much thicker than the kind from the carton. If you want a really thick pudding you could definitely leave out some of the water because you can always add it in later if the consistency is too thick.
Just made a batch and it’s awesome. Definitely a hit! I think it’s a bit sweet so next time I think I’ll cut the syrup in half.
Thanks for this recipe!
★★★★
We love these for breakfast and make them topped with seasonal fruit year round!
Hi Kari! I’d love to include your tropical coconut chia pudding jars recipes in a chia pudding recipe roundup. If you’re fine with it, could I use one of your photos and a link back to your original post?
thanks!
That would be great if you wanted to include it in your roundup using a photo with a link back to the recipe! 🙂
Hi,
The best coconut milk to use is canned coconut milk. The brand I use is Thai Kitchen. If you cannot get the canned coconut milk and need to use the container, leave out the water and add more chia seeds. Begin with 2 tbsp. more of chia seeds and go from there. After adding all the ingredients put the lid on the jar and shake the jar to combine everything.
Put in refrigerator overnight. If you feel the portions are too large and too many calories, just use smaller portions. I make 5 portions.
Hope this helps.
Teri
http://www.glutenandgrainfreesolutions.com
★★★★★
Thanks so much for all your extra tips Teri, and I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipe!
Wait—
the can of coconut milk is 840 calories, 70 grams of fat (7 servings), and the maple syrup… another 200 calories, so that’s 1,040. The fruits, another 100 calories or so?
For 2 servings, that’s 550 calories, 35 g of fat.
Maybe 4 servings, for 275 calories & 17 g of fat?
We’re very active people, so it serves the two of us perfectly but you make a good point that is may be too much for some, and I’ve updated the recipe to read 2-4 servings! The number of calories and size of portion really varies from person to person so the serving sizes that I indicate in the recipes is just a staring point – hope you enjoy the puddings!
Absolutely LOVE the taste! One question, I used coconut milk from a box, will it still have the same consistency as the canned? It’s refrigerating now, but when I mixed everything it was a bit watery. Does the refrigeration help it solidify a bit more? Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Coconut milk from the box is much thinner, so it won’t have the same consistency, you might even have to double the amount of chia seeds! After it sits in the fridge for a couple hours, check the consistency and add more chia seeds if necessary to get the consistency you’re looking for. Also, the kinds of coconut milk from a box that I’ve tried had very little coconut flavor so it might affect the flavor of the pudding as well. If it’s lacking flavor, you can always add a touch of vanilla extract/almond extract until you can find some canned coconut milk to try it with! Let me know if you have anymore questions! 🙂
I did stir and let it sit. It never solidified. I used Goya milk. I can only get Orchid and Goya where I’m stationed overseas. I’m wondering if removing the added water in the recipe might do the trick?
I think it must be the thickness of the coconut milk. Try removing the water first, and if it’s still not thick enough you can add more chia seeds. Hope this works out for you, let me know how it goes and if you have anymore questions! 🙂
So I left it in the fridge overnight and I’ve got a liquid portion at the very bottom, then somewhat solidified milk. What do you think went wrong?
I’m not quite sure what happened, but I would try stirring the mixture back together and allowing it to sit a little longer in the fridge. Maybe the type of coconut milk you used was thinner than usual and the chia seeds didn’t stay mixed in? Let me know type/brand of coconut milk you used and we can try to get to the bottom of this! 🙂 Also for any chia pudding recipe, if you find yourself wanting it thicker, you can always add more chia seeds.
Going to try this recipe this weekend! Can’t wait to try it. Looks sooooo good. 🙂
It’s one of my favorites because it’s so creamy!
Great pics and an amazing recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Loved the image, had to see the rest.
Wow this sounds yummy! Thanks can’t wait to try it! 🙂
By the way, I tried it out today and feel like it’s more of the most scrumptious dessert ever than a breakfast option . . . although I’ll take it as both.
Maybe it’s just me, but the chia seeds make it the perfect texture. I also added some cinnamon, and it’s amazing.
Glad you liked it! I have a bit of a sweet tooth, so I’m always looking for something healthy and sweet for breakfast but this is really good for dessert too!
Wow – this recipe looks amazing 🙂 I love how simple and quick it is!
★★★★★
I love how quick it is too – I’m making some this weekend so that I’ll be ready for the busy week ahead! 🙂
First of all, I’m all over giveaways. But second- this idea is amazing.
I only work twice a week, but I have to leave around 6 in the morning to get to my job, so this would be a perfect grab and go breakfast. I have to run to the store today, so these ingredients will definitely hit my list. I’ll let you know what I think.
Thanks so much!
★★★★★
We had this for breakfast again today and I’m totally addicted! Hope you love it too!