5 minutes and 4 base ingredients are all you need to make this flax seed pudding. Easy, delicious, and nutritious; the perfect breakfast to start your day with!
In this post you’ll learn:
- Why you will love this recipe
- If flax seeds are healthier than chia seeds
- Chia seeds pudding vs flax seeds pudding
- The best way to eat flax seeds
- Ingredients
- Toppings varieties
- Instructions
- Storage, meal prep, and freezing instructions
- If flaxseed meal is the same as ground flax seeds
- FAQ
- More breakfast and dessert recipes
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- It only requires 5 minutes of actual cooking, making this a super quick and easy breakfast or dessert recipe
- You only need 4 base ingredients.
- This recipe is already delicious just with 4 ingredients. However, if you want to jazz it up, I’ve got 3 toppings variations for you!
- It makes you feel like you’re eating dessert for breakfast
- Flax seeds have many great health benefits
- So many delicious topping varieties to try
- Save yourself time by making this when meal prepping
- Completely vegan
- I’ve included a step-by-step video tutorial to make this recipe even easier! (The Jump to Video button is on the top of this recipe!)
Are Flax Seeds Healthier than Chia Seeds?
Both flax and chia seeds are nutrient-dense food. They both could lower the risk of heart disease, help in regulating blood sugar levels, and digestion. They are also rich in omega-3s, protein, fiber, and other minerals.
Chia seeds have higher amounts of fiber (10 grams as compared to 8 grams per ounce) and calcium (14% of the Daily Value as compared to 6% of the Daily Value per ounce) when compared to flax seeds. However, flax seeds seem to be better in reducing appetite and decreasing the risk of certain types of cancer. Moreover, flax seeds are often cheaper than chia seeds. This Healthline article concludes that there are only minimal differences and recommends adding both seeds to your diet!
Chia Seed Pudding vs Flax Seed Pudding
Both of them require very similar preparation and make for delicious breakfast recipes. They both absorb liquid and give a pudding-like consistency when left to soak overnight.
One big difference is in their texture. Chia pudding tastes seedier (you definitely feel the crunch when eating them) whereas flax seed pudding has a smoother consistency. You will use ground flaxseeds to make flax pudding which gives it its smooth texture whereas chia pudding usually uses whole chia seeds.
Both chia seeds and flax seeds are commonly found in grocery stores. Be sure to buy ground flax seeds as the tough outer skin of the flax seeds might make them go undigested when consumed as whole seeds. An additional plus point of trying this flax seed pudding is that ground flaxseeds are cheaper than chia seeds too!
What is the Best Way to Eat Flax Seeds?
You definitely want to eat ground flax seeds and not whole flax seeds. Whole flaxseeds might end up undigested due to their tough skin. Grounding makes them easier to digest so you can get the many great health benefits they provide!
And when it comes to recipes, you can use flax seeds to make flax seeds crackers, top them on your breakfast bowls, sneak them in into your smoothies, or make flax seed pudding (my favorite way!)
Ingredients
- Ground flaxseeds: The star ingredient of the recipe. You can use both brown and golden flax seeds. Just make sure you grind them first! If they are not grounded, the mixture will not thicken.
- Speaking of brown, check out my List of 35 Brown Vegetables Names + Pictures to learn more about different varieties of brown vegetables! 🤎
- Plant-based milk: I used oat milk but any plant-based milk will work! Almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, rice milk, you name it!
- Maple syrup: Feel free to substitute with agave nectar, date paste, or any other sweetener of your choice.
- Salt: It might seem weird to add salt to a sweet recipe but salt makes the flavor richer!
Toppings Varieties
I told you early that this recipe only requires 4 ingredients. Now don’t get me wrong, since this section is totally optional. The base recipe is already super delicious and you don’t have to add any more toppings if you don’t want to/don’t have time to.
But if you’d like to, I have provided 3 topping varieties in this post.
Chocolate and nuts
Add ¼ teaspoon of cocoa powder and 1 Tablespoon of crushed nuts. Feel free to substitute the nuts with seeds if you are allergic, or skip it altogether!
Coconut Mango
Tropical flavors!
Add 2 Tablespoons of shredded coconuts and then top with mango just before serving.
Matcha Blueberry
My favorite flavor!
And you only need ¼ teaspoon of matcha powder for this.
Extra Toppings Ideas!
- Fresh fruits: Think of berries, bananas, apples, pears, but basically any of your favorite fruits!
- Dried fruits: raisins, dried cranberries, dried mulberries, etc
- Seeds: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and more
- Nut butter: peanut butter, almond butter, Nutella (my Homemade Vegan Nutella Recipe here!)
- Plant-based yogurt
- Chocolate chips or cacao nibs
- Coconut flakes
- Cinnamon powder
Step-by-step instructions
Mix: Combine all the ingredients together.
Set aside: Let it sit in the fridge for at least one hour, but preferably overnight. Top with more toppings if desired!
Storage and Meal Prep Instructions
Storage: Store this in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Meal prep: Make this flax seed pudding ahead for up to 4 days.
If you want to make it fresher, you can also portion out the dry ingredients (the flaxseed and salt), and then only add the wet ingredients (the maple syrup and plant-based milk) 1-2 days before you want to consume it.
Is ground flax seed the same as flaxseed meal?
Yes! Ground flax seed, ground flaxseed, ground linseed, flaxseed meal, flax meal, linseed meal, they’re all the same. Basically, those are what you get when you grind whole flax seeds.
FAQ
Keep them in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Since flax seeds tend to go rancid quicker than other seeds, I recommend storing them in the fridge as ground flax seeds to retain maximum freshness.
No, the mixture will not thicken into a pudding-like consistency this way. However, you can easily ground your own flaxseeds at home. Simply use a food processor, coffee grinder, spice grinder, or even a blender. Grind them for 1-2 minutes until they look like the ground flaxseed in the ingredients picture.
Yes, they will both work! Just make sure that you ground them first!
I did not find much difference in terms of taste but sure you can! For 1 serving, add ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Yes, you can make a chia and flaxseed pudding if you are a big fan of chia pudding. Just halve the amount of the flax seeds used in this recipe, replacing them with chia seeds. The texture will be different but I’m sure you will love it.
More Breakfast and Dessert Recipes
Want some more dessert-like recipes that are healthy enough for breakfast? Look no further!
For another overnight breakfast recipe, check out this Frozen Fruit Overnight Oats.
Or try this No-Banana Baked Oats recipe which comes in five different varieties. If you are a fan of chocolate chips and bananas, I recommend this Chocolate Chip Baked Oats recipe!
And did you know that flax seed is often used as an egg substitute in vegan cooking? I’ve used them here in my 10-Minute Weetbix Cake Loaf recipe!
Flax Seed Pudding
Ingredients
Base Pudding:
- ¼ cup ground flax seed (25 grams) the same as flax meal
- ½ cup oat milk (115 grams) or sub with any plant-based milk
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (5 grams) or sub with agave nectar
- A pinch of salt
Toppings Varieties (Optional):
Option 1: Chocolate and Nuts
- ¼ teaspoon cocoa powder
- 2 Tablespoons chopped nuts (for serving, optional) I used walnuts but feel free to use other types of nuts or seeds
- 1 Tablespoon chopped dark chocolate (for serving, optional) from 1 chocolate square
Option 2: Coconut Mango
- 2 Tablespoons desiccated coconut
- 3 Tablespoons oat milk or sub with any plant-based milk
- ¼ cup cubed mango (for serving, optional)
Option 3: Matcha Blueberry
- ¼ teaspoon matcha powder
- ¼ cup blueberries (for serving, optional)
Instructions
- Add: To a bowl or a jar, add all the ingredients for the base pudding. (Optional) If using the toppings, also add either the cocoa powder, the desiccated coconut + 3 Tablespoons of milk, or the matcha powder (depending on which flavor you are making).
- Mix: Whisk the mixture from step 1 to combine. (Optional) If you're making either the chocolate or the matcha varieties, be sure that the cocoa or matcha powder no longer clumps together since they are bitter when not mixed in properly.
- Chill: Let your flax seed pudding sit in the fridge for at least one hour, but preferably overnight.
- Toppings Time! (Optional) Depending on which flavor you are making, top with the nuts & dark chocolate, mango, or blueberries just before serving. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Be sure to use ground flax seeds. The recipe will not work with whole flax seeds. If you can’t buy them ground, you can grind them yourselves. Simply use a food processor, coffee grinder, spice grinder, or even a blender. Grind them for 1-2 minutes until they look like the ground flaxseed in the ingredients picture.
- You can use both brown or golden flaxseeds.
- Store your flax pudding in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- If you want to meal prep, make it ahead for up to 4 days.
- If you want to make it fresher, you can also portion out the dry ingredients (the flaxseed and salt), and then only add the wet ingredients (the maple syrup and plant-based milk) 1-2 days before you want to consume it
- For simplification purposes, the calorie information is calculated based on just the base recipe, excluding toppings. The following are the additional calories of the toppings:
- chocolate and nuts: 126 kcal
- coconut mango: 126 kcal
- matcha blueberries: 56 kcal
April 23, 2023 at 8:28 pmI’ve only had chia pudding before but this flax seed pudding is a gamechanger. So much cheaper than chia seeds but the texture comes out really yummy!
May 1, 2023 at 9:15 pmDelicious, simple recipe. I’m starting to experiment with other flavor now, but I feel like it goes with almost every flavor you could think of!
My favorite so far is PB&J, just adding 1 tablespoon of PB, and swirl in 1 tablespoon of jelly just before serving.
October 17, 2023 at 5:06 pmIt’s been on rotation for the past couple of weeks. Super delicious and nutritious!