Mango Chia Pudding
Chia seeds soaked until fully softened in milk or yogurt, then mixed with smooth mango purée. No added sugar.
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total
- 10 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- easy
Chia pudding needs patience more than skill: seeds soaked in milk or yogurt until they turn soft and jelly-like, then mixed with smooth mango purée for natural sweetness.
Give it the full soaking time in the fridge. A chia seed that has not had long enough is still hard in the middle, which is not a texture worth rushing for a toddler.
If your little one is still earlier in the journey, start with our Baby's First Foods guide.
Part of our 40 toddler meal ideas list.
method
Whisk the chia seeds into the milk or yogurt in a bowl or jar, making sure there are no dry clumps.
Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, then whisk again to break up any seeds that have started to clump together.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until the chia seeds have fully softened and the mixture has thickened into a pudding-like texture.
Stir in the mango purée just before serving, or layer it on top.
Check the texture is fully soft and jelly-like, with no hard or crunchy seeds remaining, before serving.
chef's tips
- Chia seeds need real soaking time to fully soften; do not serve this before the full 4 hours is up, since a partially soaked seed stays hard and is not appropriate for a toddler.
- Whisking twice, once right after mixing and again after 5 minutes, helps break up clumps so the seeds soften evenly rather than forming a few dense pockets.
- No added sugar is needed. The mango purée brings plenty of natural sweetness on its own.
- Make sure the mango purée is completely smooth, with no fibrous pieces, which can happen with a less ripe mango blended too briefly.