You only need two ingredients to successfully make chia pudding: chia seeds and liquid. Adding a sweetener like raw agave nectar or grade A maple syrup makes the pudding more palatable. Additionally, it’s better to use plant-based milk, as opposed to water, because it contributes to a more velvety texture. This recipe, for instance, calls for almond milk that you make yourself. The reason for this is because it is raw vegan and store bought almond milks contain preservatives, thickening agents, and added sugars.

Some chia pudding recipes instruct you to blend the ingredients together. This yields a quick pudding, but this recipe uses the traditional method. Add all of the ingredients to a jar, place in the refrigerator overnight, and enjoy in the morning. To fully incorporate the banana into the pudding, you have to mash it into a paste. Because mashing is involved, it’s better to choose a ripe banana. You don’t want it to be fully brown, but it should be yellow with brown spots. A ripe banana contributes to the overall sweetness of the pudding as well.

Once you combine everything in the jar, shake vigorously and place in the fridge. This is the standard chia pudding, but you have the ability to take it up a few notches if you desire. You can stir in a tablespoon or two of raw almond butter, or make it more chocolatey by adding one tablespoon of raw cacao powder. When you remove the chia pudding from the fridge, feel free to top it with a drizzle of raw almond butter or some banana slices and chopped almonds. The beauty of chia pudding is that you can customize it to please your taste buds. Let us know how your chia pudding ends up in the comments below.