Chia Seeds 101 by Joanne

By now you’ve probably heard of chia seeds, and maybe even eat them regularly, as they’ve passed the “new trend” phase and entered the “it’s everywhere” phase of trendiness. These days I see chia seeds in tortilla chips, crackers, granola bars, and heck, even in baby food! And I’m not even talking about all the chia recipes you see on the internet.

So what’s the deal with chia seeds? Their consumption dates back to several thousand years ago in Latin America, where they were a core part of the diet. Chia seeds are praised for their health benefits, and they are high in fiber, protein, antioxidants, omega-3s, and more. Because they are so nutrient-dense, they’ve become really popular as a health ingredient that a lot of people try to put into everything.

 
 

Playing around with chia seeds in my own cooking has been a lot of fun because they’re different depending on how you prepare them. If you soak them in liquid, they take on a gel-like quality, whereas if you add them to baked goods, they take on a more crunchy poppyseed-like quality.

 
 

When you soak chia seeds in liquid such as juice, coconut milk, or water, they become very gelatinous and thicken the liquid they’re immersed in.

In the photo above, I have a coconut chia pudding, which is basically healthy chia-thickened coconut milk.

 
 

To make it, combine chia seeds, coconut milk, almond milk, and maple syrup. You can see it’s very thin.

 
 

After a couple of hours in the refrigerator, the chia seeds swell and everything gets thick and spoonable.

 
 

I like to serve coconut chia pudding with fresh fruit. Great options are cut strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or mango.

 
 

Chia seeds are used in a similar way in overnight oats, where a tablespoon or two is added to a mixture of oats and milk to give it more nutrition and also thicken the texture a little bit.

 
 

You can see how I make overnight oats with chia seeds in my Food & Friends post. It’s one of my favorite things to make for breakfast!

 
 

You can also make chia seed juices, where you mix chia seeds with fruit juice of your choice. I’ve noticed grocery stores like Whole Foods with lots of these drinks, in every flavor under the sun.

 
 

To make your own, simple mix about a tablespoon of chia seeds into a glass of fruit juice, then refrigerate for a couple hours. The chia seeds will gel and thicken the drink.

Chia seeds don’t always have to be soaked in liquid—they can be added to baked goods like muffins, scones, and the like.

 
 

I love adding them to pancakes, as they give the pancake a pleasant crunch that’s similar to a poppy seed.

Just mix a tablespoon or two right into your favorite pancake batter and make them just as you would a regular pancake.

 
 

There you have it—a few ways to use chia seeds in the kitchen, whether you’ve tried them yet or not. And know that there are many more ways to use them if you end up loving chia. Enjoy!