Banana Chia Pudding
Creamy, indulgent and packed with banana flavor, you’d never know this Banana Chia Pudding is secretly healthy. It’s packed with nutritious chia seeds, rich coconut milk and the flavors of maple and vanilla for a treat that you can eat any time of day!
I have a big sweet tooth, so I love creating healthier treats that I can feel better about eating.
My flourless peanut butter cookies are a favorite as they’re great for every day and can be whipped up in mere minutes, and my almond flour cake is wonderful for special occasions or even brunch.
This time of year the weather is still warm, so I’m all about no-bake treats like this Banana Chia Pudding.
Like my chia seed pudding and chocolate chia pudding recipes, it’s creamy and indulgent with no refined sugar, dairy or gluten in sight.
It’s reminiscent of my family’s favorite banana cream pie, but it’s much healthier and much easier to make. 🙂
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Banana chia pudding is creamy, indulgent and packed with nutritious chia seeds, fresh chunks of banana and topped with coconut flakes.
- There’s no refined sugar, dairy or gluten, making it great for special diets.
- It includes 5 ingredients and takes 10 minutes of prep time.
- It’s extremely versatile and may be served for breakfast, snacks, or dessert.
Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Chia seeds. These tiny, nutrient dense seeds are a good source of fiber, antioxidants and omega-3 fat. They act as a thickening agent in the pudding — when they’re combined with the coconut. milk, they gel and thicken the milk. You can buy a bag of chia seeds, or find them in the bulk bins at your grocery store and purchase a smaller amount.
- Coconut milk. Use full fat, canned coconut milk for richer, creamier chia pudding. Feel free to substitute it with your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk.
- Banana. Use a ripe but not overly brown banana. The banana will brown or discolor over time, but it doesn’t affect the taste of the pudding. If this bothers you, simply add it right before serving.
- Maple syrup. Sub with your favorite sweetener.
- Vanilla extract. This adds a delicious vanilla flavor. It’s totally optional but highly recommended, or substitute it with your favorite extract.
How to make this recipe
This banana chia seed pudding is so easy to make and it comes together in just one bowl.
The hardest part is waiting for it to thicken. 🙂
Pro tip: Use a ripe but not overly brown banana. The banana will brown or discolor over time, but it doesn’t affect the taste of the pudding. If this bothers you, simply add it right before serving.
- Mash the banana in a medium bowl.
- Add the milk, chia seeds, maple syrup and vanilla and stir well to combine.
- Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature to allow the chia seeds to bloom then stir again.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours or overnight until thickened.
FAQs
The banana chia seed pudding will last up to five days in the fridge. If you add the banana slices to the pudding, note that they’ll turn brown over time but will still be safe to eat.
Chia pudding needs to be made in advance because it needs time to set up. This works well as an overnight chia pudding — stir it together the night before, then enjoy it for breakfast the next day.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Use a ripe but not overly brown banana. The banana will brown or discolor over time, but it doesn’t affect the taste of the pudding. If this bothers you, simply add it right before serving.
- Banana chia pudding will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- This pudding is very satisfying, so I recommend eating it in small portions.
- It’s great for meal prep breakfast, snacks or dessert.
- Change up this pudding by adding spices like cinnamon or cardamom and with your favorite toppings.
More chia seed recipes you’ll love:
- Blueberry overnight oats
- Piña colada overnight oats
- Chia seed jam
- Coconut overnight oats
- Peanut butter overnight oats
- Strawberry chia seed protein shake by Ambitious Kitchen
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Banana Chia Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 banana plus more for topping
- 1 cup coconut milk or your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup sub with your favorite sweetener
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- unsweetened coconut flakes for serving (optional)
Equipment
Instructions
- Mash the banana in a medium bowl. Add the milk, chia seeds, maple syrup and vanilla and stir well to combine. Let stand 10-15 minutes and stir (the chia seeds should have thickened somewhat, so stirring helps break them up).1 banana, 1 cup coconut milk, 1/4 cup chia seeds, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
- Serve the pudding with sliced banana and coconut flakes, or your favorite toppings. Enjoy!unsweetened coconut flakes
Notes
- Pro tip: Use a ripe but not overly brown banana. The banana will brown or discolor over time, but it doesn’t affect the taste of the pudding. If this bothers you, simply add it right before serving.
- Banana chia pudding will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- This pudding is very satisfying, so I recommend eating it in small portions.
- It’s great for meal prep breakfast, snacks or dessert.
- Change up this pudding by adding spices like cinnamon or cardamom and with your favorite toppings.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
**This recipe was originally published in October 2015. The photos have been updated, step by step photos have been added, and the text has been modified to include more recipe information.
25 Comments on “Banana Chia Pudding”
This is such a gorgeous parfait, Marcie! I’ve only made chia seed pudding once, so you are reminding me that I need to try that again. I love the banana and coconut cream in here. This sounds like such a good breakfast, and a nice break from pumpkin, too! 🙂
Thank you, Gayle! These flavors were definitely a nice break from pumpkin, although I’m not even close to being tired of it yet! 🙂
Yum! I’m a huge fan of banana cream pie so I’m looking forward to trying this very soon!
I love banana cream pie, and this definitely didn’t disappoint! Thanks, Sandra. ?
I love chia pudding and I love how healthy it makes these pudding parfaits!
Chia pudding is such a nice, healthy way to indulge! Thanks, Medha. ?
haha it had been a bit since you posted something with coconut!! These parfaits look delicious! So pretty too! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!
Yeah…I was going through coconut withdrawals! These parfaits definitely helped me recover. Hope you had a nice weekend, Ashley! 🙂
Yes this surely means I’m long overdue too for coconut. I love the indulgent coconut cream on top for sure.
Thanks, Zainab! 🙂
Lovely photos in this post, Marcie!
I actually haven’t tried making a chia pudding yet, but when I do this one would be a strong contender to try first. Delicious combo of flavours!
Thank you, Helen! I really hope you try chia pudding soon — it will really take you by surprise! 🙂
I was totally starting to miss your coconut recipes 🙂 These chia parfaits look gorgeous, Marcie! Banana cream pie with coconut for breakfast without the guilt? Sign me up for two please 🙂
Haha…thank you, Kelly! It’s never long before coconut finds its way back here. 🙂 I will definitely sign you up for two!
Hi, how much milk do you need for this recipe?
2 cups of the milk of your choice for the pudding as the recipe states! ?
The pudding looks beautiful – and so incredibly simple to put together! Chia seeds are luxury food where I live, but this gives me inspiration to add them to my grocery list nevertheless 🙂 Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you so much for the nice comment! Chia seeds can be very expensive, but a little does go a long way — I hope you’re able to try this soon! 🙂
This recipe sounds so good! Was wondering where the maple syrup comes in- is it drizzled in as part of the layers?
I’m so sorry that I left that out! It goes in with the milk and chia seeds. I’ll fix the recipe right now and thank you for bringing the omission to my attention!
How much sugar and carbohydrates are in each parfait approximately? I’m looking for a healthy alternative to sky sugar cravings and came across your recipe.
Hi Adrienne! I just updated the recipe card with the estimated nutrition information, which you can now find there.
Made it, loved it. Can I freeze it?
Glad you like it! I haven’t tried freezing it unfortunately. Freezing would probably affect the texture…maybe try freezing a little bit to see how it goes?