This Is How Long You Should Wait Before Eating Chia Pudding

Chia pudding is great for many reasons: It's quick and easy to put together, you can meal prep it in advance, and it can also be turned into a dessert when you're hankering for something sweet. After whisking together the seeds with the liquid for your classic chia pudding, the hardest part is waiting before you can eat it. But, just how long does that take? Well, that depends on how you like the consistency.

While everybody's preferences differ, a good chia pudding is neither too runny or too clumpy. Instead, it should be creamy and thick enough to resemble, well, a pudding. To achieve this, you'll want to transfer your pudding to an airtight container in the fridge and wait for at least one to two hours before eating it. If you want the pudding to have a really thick, velvety, and almost tapioca pudding-like consistency, consider leaving the mixture in the fridge overnight. 

On the flip side, for a chia pudding that's more on the thin and runny side, 15 minutes at room temperature is enough. Just be sure to stir it every so often while it sets, and don't forget to elevate your chia pudding by topping it with ingredients such as nuts, seeds, spices, and fruits before you dig in!

It helps to keep a few things in mind when you're making chia pudding. For starters, it's important to add the correct ratio of chia seeds to a liquid base like milk in order to get your preferred consistency. If you like a thick and creamy pudding, it's advisable to add liquid to chia seeds using a 1:4 ratio. That is, add a cup of liquid for every 4 tablespoons of chia seeds. If you want it to be slightly thinner, simply reduce the amount of chia seeds to 3 tablespoons.

If you find yourself with a runny pudding despite following the correct ratio, consider checking your chia seeds to see if they have gone bad. Chia seeds take longer to expand and set in liquid as they age, resulting in puddings that are thin in consistency. If this happens to you, add a few more chia seeds to the pudding or let it set for longer. Adding a thicker base like coconut milk is also a good idea, as it is inherently rich and creamy in nature which can help your pudding. On the other hand, if your pudding is too thick for your liking, adding more liquid is the way to go.