Sweet and Salty Peanut Butter Chia Pudding

We’re absolutely nuts for peanut butter and go through a couple jars a week – no joke – having it for breakfast and in a smoothie every day. This peanut butter chia pudding is easily my favourite way to make chia pudding now, with a real punch of peanut butter flavour, especially good layered with extra peanut butter and raspberry compote or jam.

The added peanut butter and using yogurt in the base add more protein than usual to this chia pudding, for 21 grams per serving plus 11 grams of fibre per serving (not including the extra peanut butter or berries when assembled). That extra protein keeps you fuller longer which is great for a speedy make-ahead breakfast or snack option.

It’s really a recipe for peanut butter people, even if you’re not usually such a fan of chia pudding. Give it a try if you love peanut butter too!

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Ingredients You’ll Need and Why

There are a couple more ingredients here than in my yogurt chia pudding recipe (which this is adapted from), and they’re there to boost the peanut butter flavour. A pinch of salt makes all the difference and I highly recommend it. These are my notes from recipe testing and you can find the full recipe card with complete measurements and instructions below.

• Chia seeds: black or white chia seeds, or mixed as pictured, there’s no difference. I haven’t tried making this with ground chia. Like most seeds and nuts, chia seeds are best stored in the refrigerator or freezer to prevent them from going rancid.
• Peanut butter: unsweetened natural peanut butter. I haven’t tested with processed peanut butter. For this recipe it doesn’t really matter if it’s runny or a little harder, so feel free to use the stuff from the bottom of the jar. Note, of course, that chunky peanut butter will incorporate peanut pieces into the chia pudding.
• Milk: any type of milk. I usually use soya milk but you can use oat milk, dairy milk, or whatever your personal preference is.
• Yogurt: again, I use soya yogurt for the added protein. Greek-style yogurt will make for a thicker chia pudding if that’s your preference – for this recipe I use plain yogurt that isn’t particularly thick.
• Maple syrup: or honey if preferred, but the maple syrup peanut butter combination is very good. This should be adjusted to suit your desired level of sweetness.
• Vanilla: a little vanilla extract makes the chia pudding taste sweeter. Sub vanilla powder or paste for extract.
• Salt: just a pinch of salt brings out the peanut butter flavour more – if your peanut butter is salted, reduce the amount, and increase it to taste if the peanut butter is unsalted.

How to Make Peanut Butter Chia Pudding

As long as your peanut butter is runny and not the dry bit at the bottom of the jar, it’s easy to mix in with the yogurt and milk. If it is dry and hard, you’re better off blending it together with the milk mixture using an immersion or bullet blender.

Step 1: whisk the yogurt, milk, peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt together in a bowl. Use either a bowl that has a lid or one that can be easily covered with a plate. It’s not vital to cover the chia pudding while it sets, but it can absorb smells from the refrigerator if uncovered.

Step 2: whisk in the chia seeds, being sure to stir carefully to avoid any lumps. If the seeds aren’t evenly incorporated they’ll clump.

Step 3: refrigerate for a few hours or overnight to allow the chia seeds to absorb the liquid. Since this is made with yogurt, you don’t need to set it aside and whisk again before refrigerating – the seeds stay suspended without needing a second mix.

Step 4: once the pudding has set, divide it into individual serving containers for easy breakfasts or snacks. Layer with berries and extra peanut butter to make it more exciting. Pictured is an unsweetened raspberry compote and peanut butter but I often add whole frozen berries instead.

Expert Tips for the Best Pudding

• Taste before adding the chia: the best way to tell if the pudding will be sweet enough for you is to try the milk mixture before mixing in the chia seeds. If it tastes like a delicious (thin) peanut butter yogurt, then you’ll like it as a chia pudding too.
• Sweeten to taste: adjust the amount of maple syrup added to suit your personal preference. As written the pudding isn’t very sweet, but we also often make it without any added sweetener at all.
• Don’t skip the add-ins: peanut butter chia pudding is good as is – it tastes like peanut butter – but adding berries or a compote/jam and more peanut butter makes it into something you can really look forward to.
• Pack servings ahead of time: try making a batch of this on the weekend or in the evening and then dividing it into individual containers with the add-ins so you can grab it and go in the morning.

More Chia Pudding Recipes

• Strawberry Chia Pudding – with fresh, frozen, or freeze dried strawberries blended right in, it’s like strawberry milk turned into chia pudding.
• Chocolate Chia Pudding – use rich Dutch process cocoa for a smoother chocolate flavour in this pudding.
• Coconut Milk Chia Pudding – a thick, creamy, and luxurious version, coconut milk chia pudding has a hint of coconut flavour and a velvety texture with pops of chia.
• Chocolate Chia Mousse – this blended chia pudding has a mousse-like texture and it’s great for anyone who doesn’t love the texture of whole chia seeds.