4-Ingredient Protein Chia Pudding (Single Serve & Batch Prep!)
Packed with protein (32 grams per serving!), made with just 4-ingredients, and super-fast to prep ahead, this single-serve or batch prep protein chia pudding makes an easy snack or breakfast. Everything comes together in a mason jar, making it the simplest meal prep situation ever, with no cooking or extra dishes required.
Protein Chia Pudding Single Serve or Batch Prep FTW
Around here, I’m a big fan (dare I say, THE biggest fans?) of easy meal prep recipes but the ones that require absolutely zero cooking hold an extra special place in our hearts. Bonus points if they involve very few prep steps, easy to find ingredients and minimal clean up. If you’ve found your way here, then I have a hunch you might feel the same way!
Today, I’m sharing my favorite protein chia pudding recipe with you – it’s one of those glorious, low-effort recipes that I find ourselves making again & again. Much like my go-to protein overnight oats recipe, this simple breakfast chia pudding comes together with just a few minutes of hands-on prep before being placed directly in the fridge to get nice and thick and delicious.
Since the topping combinations are truly endless (think: fresh cut seasonal fruit, crunchy granola, nut butter, seeds, toasted coconut, a drizzle of honey, mini chocolate chips, you name it!) – you can make it week after week without tiring of it!
Here’s How to Simplify Protein Chia Pudding
The beauty of this recipe is that everything comes together in just a mason jar. Simply add your ingredients, shake everything up, and let it sit in the fridge overnight (or at least 3 hours to let the chia seeds thicken up and create their signature pudding texture). As they sit in the fridge the chia seeds soak up the liquid from the almond milk, plumping up and gelling the chia seeds until you have a thick and creamy consistency.
Because this recipe requires a few hours to chill in the fridge, this protein pudding makes for the perfect quick one-minute meal prep activity. That’s why I intentionally wrote this recipe to serve one, so you could make it directly in a mason jar. This way you can easily make as many jars as you need for just one serving, or for an entire week of breakfasts or snacks to-go (for yourself or your family)!
Mason Jar Magic for Single Serve + Prep
I love making whatever I can in lidded mason jars – including meal prep breakfasts and snacks like this! Since you mix up the chia pudding in the same jar as you store it in, you can skip dirtying extra dishes or having to clean a blender or food processor. This chia pudding can also be made ahead & stored (covered and refrigerated) for up to 5 days, You can also freeze it in the same mason jar and store it in a sealed freezer friendly container for up to several months.
Looking for more make ahead high protein breakfast ideas? Try my overnight oats and you can’t go wrong with my protein-packed freezer breakfast sandwiches if you prefer a hot meal first thing in the morning!
Tip: I recommend freezing without any toppings for best results! To serve, allow the chia protein pudding to thaw in the refrigerator overnight (or run under warm water until thawed).
Top your chia pudding with one tablespoon of nut or seed butter like peanut butter, and you’ll get an additional 4 grams of protein, making the total grams of protein for one serving of chia seed pudding without protein powder 8 grams.
To Sweeten or Not to Sweeten?
Most commercial protein powders contain sweetener, so be sure to taste the pudding before adding any additional sweetener. The type of protein powder you use will determine the grams of protein and carbs in this recipe, so choose one that aligns with your dietary preferences. I personally like a sweetened vanilla protein powder for this recipe, plus blueberries and strawberries to add just a touch of natural sweetness.
Ingredients & Testing Notes
- Chia seeds: The chia seeds are the star ingredient in this recipe and help the chia pudding thicken & set.
- Milk: Any milk will work great in this recipe, so if you don’t prefer almond milk you can use any other milk you like. For a nut-free option, try hemp milk or oat milk instead.
- Protein powder: You can use any protein powder you like the taste of. I find whey protein powder produces the best consistency, but to keep this recipe vegan friendly, be sure to use a dairy-free, plant-based protein powder. You may need to adjust the amount of milk if using a plant-based protein powder.
- Liquid sweetener of choice: The sweetener is totally optional in this recipe. I’ve used pure maple syrup before to make this recipe refined sugar free, but you could also use another liquid sweetener like honey, agave, coconut nectar or date syrup in its place.
If you want to make chocolate protein chia pudding, you can add 1 tablespoon of cacao powder (or cocoa powder) to the mix in step one of the recipe card below! You can even add dairy-free mini chocolate chips on top and turn it into a dessert if you like.
this recipe is…
Dairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreePaleoVeganVegetarian
4-Ingredient Protein Chia Pudding (Single Serve & Batch Prep!)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk, or milk of choice
- 1 serving vanilla protein powder, see note
- 2 teaspoons liquid sweetener of choice such as maple syrup or honey, optional
Equipment
Instructions
- To an 8-ounce wide mason jar, or other jar with tightly fitting lid, add 2 tablespoons chia seeds and one scoop of protein powder, stirring with a fork to combine.
- Add the milk and sweetener, if using. Secure the lid, then shake vigorously until all the ingredients have combined and protein powder dissolves.
- Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then shake vigorously again.
- Allow to sit an additional 5 minutes, shake vigorously, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 5 days, covered.
- Serve chilled or at room temperature, with nut butter and fresh berries if desired.
Notes
- Nutrition facts calculated without optional sweetener or toppings. Protein content calculated using whey protein, but total protein will depend on the specific protein powder and milk you use.
- The vanilla protein I use is linked in the recipe ingredient list. Use code ROBYN for 10% off.
- Most commercial protein powders contain sweetener, and will likely provided enough sweetness, but if you like a sweeter pudding, feel free to add the optional sweetener.
- This recipe can easily be multiplied based on the number of servings you need.
- Optional Topping Suggestions: nut or seed butter, fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries.
- For more ingredients & substitutions, see blog post above.
Super easy and tastes great. I tried it with a scoop of Cacao Powder and a splash of vanilla as well and love how simple and easy this recipe is! Thank you for sharing this Robyn!
Yay, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one, Kendra. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Loved the pudding! Thank you for the recipe. Nutrition information is calculated per serving (8-ounce jar) or per 100g?
Hi Linda, this recipe makes one serving, so the nutrition information is for the entire recipe. If you decide to divide it between jars, just divide the nutrition information accordingly. Keep in mind the protein total can very based on the type of protein powder you use. Hope that helps!
Hi, can you freeze this recipe?
Kate, yes, once made you can freeze in individual containers, then just defrost in the fridge overnight and you’re good to go. I hope you enjoy!
Hi. Love the idea of this recipe. My consistency seems to be off. I used one scoop of Vega Sport Premium Protein Chocolate powder (30g) and unsweetened coconut milk plus the flaxseeds as suggested. I could not shake it even the first time. I could stir it. The scoop for this brand is a large scoop. Any suggestions?
Hi Kate, happy to help trouble shoot this one. First, are you using unsweetened coconut milk from a can, or coconut milk beverage from a box or bottle in place of the almond milk?
Hi! I tried making this last night with a scoop and a half of whey protein powder and it didn’t set up at all – do you think it was too much protein powder? Thanks!
Hi Brie, if it didn’t set up it’s probably because the ratio of liquid to chia seeds was off, or because the chia seeds clumped at the bottom and since they weren’t equally distributed they weren’t able to properly thicken. Not a big deal, you can still salvage it! If they are clumped just give them a good shake or stir with a fork and then refrigerate again. Or add another teaspoon of chia seeds, shake, refrigerate, and see if that does the trick. You can keep adding chia seeds until you get the desired consistency. I hope that helps!
Hi there. Love the recipe.
Mixing- I have made it twice; I am still working hard to get it to mix right. I am using a soy isolate protein powder. The first time I made it, I did not stir the protein powder into the seeds, like you directed. Probably predictable: Once pouring in the liquid, the seeds absorb the liquid and stick to the side. I used a fork to stir them in better because no amount of shaking would dislodge the seeds from the side. This time, I made sure to stir the protein powder with the seeds to coat the seeds in the powder before pouring in the liquid. This only worked for about half of the jars; I still needed to get in there with a fork to get the seeds dislodged from the side/bottom of the jars. Hoping to find a way to mix this better… or I may just resign to stir with a fork after pouring in the liquid and skip the shaking.
Flavor- The flavor with maple syrup is perfect. For variety, I tried the cocoa; this was also perfect. Today, I am trying out adding 2 tsp cherry preserves for half of the jars. The other half of the jars I cut the cocoa in half and added in instant coffee for a mocha effect. Both of those came out pretty good. I used maple syrup to sweeten in all cases and the cherry preserves had sugar in it already. Next up- I may need to find some rum/coffee for a tiramisu effect. It might be too early for pumpkin spice… but will be on its way too. 🙂
These are great notes, thanks for sharing JJ. As for the seeds not sticking to the sides of the jar, you can try adding a few more tablespoons milk to each, giving the seeds more liquid will allow the shake method to work better. Or, as you noted, it may be best to use a fork as the particular protein powder you’re using may make sticking inevitable. Either way, I’m glad you’re enjoying and great idea for adding in new flavors. Never too early for pumpkin in my option! 🙂
Have you tried making this with a pre-made protein shake instead of protein powder + milk? Thanks!
Hi Olivia, I have not, but that’s a great idea! You could give it a try by using the pre-made protein shake in place of the milk and skipping the protein powder. Perhaps start with half the chia seeds as well, since the shake is likely pretty thick to begin with. You can always add more chia seeds to get to the right consistency. If you give it a try let me know how it turns out, I’m sure your notes will be helpful to others!
Can you recommend a protein powder? I dont see how you did nutritional info when you have not included what protein powder
I’d recommend a whey protein powder to most closely match the nutrition info — something with 25 grams of protein per serving. The remaining protein will come from the chia seeds (5 grams). So add the protein per serving of whatever protein power you’re using to the 5 grams from the chia seeds to get the protein total.
Hi, can you use whole milk instead of non dairy?
Amber, definitely! You’ll get a nice boost of protein with the addition of milk as well. Whole milk is typically thicker than non-diary, so add an extra splash if it gets too thick. Enjoy!
Hi
I’m looking forward to trying this pudding and was wondering if it’s ok to make without protein powder
Thanks in advance
Hi Yvonne, yes, this recipe works without protein powder as well. You’ll just need 2 Tb chia seeds for 1/2 cup milk (so reduce the milk by 2 Tb). I hope you enjoy!
Thank you I will try at the weekend and report back x
Great, I hope you enjoy!
How much is a “serving” of protein powder? A tablespoon? A quarter cup? What?
Andrea, it depends on the protein powder you’re using. It will say on back of the package of protein you’re using. For most it will be one scoop, using the scoop included in your protein powder.