Thick skin on chia puddings
July 12, 2021 5:28 PM Subscribe
I’ve started making chia puddings. When I make this pudding, I’ve noticed that the top congeals into a 3-4” thick skin and there’s another inch or so of chocolate milk at the bottom. How can I get it to congeal all the way through?
I have been stirring the chia seeds and letting the mixture sit overnight in a mason jar. The only thing I can think of that would cause the pudding to not congeal all the way through is that I used oat milk instead of coconut milk—I’ve had a hard time finding coconut milk out here, and since I had oat milk on hand, I decided to use that.
I have been stirring the chia seeds and letting the mixture sit overnight in a mason jar. The only thing I can think of that would cause the pudding to not congeal all the way through is that I used oat milk instead of coconut milk—I’ve had a hard time finding coconut milk out here, and since I had oat milk on hand, I decided to use that.
Best answer: I make chia pudding with 1.5 cups liquid and .5 cups chia seeds, which is the same proportions as your recipe. It comes out fine, in fact I wrote myself a note to try a bit more liquid next time because it was a little too thick for my tastes.
If there was too much liquid, that would cause a thinner pudding but wouldn't explain a layer of liquid at the bottom.
Some ideas:
I use a whisk to combine the seeds and liquid, if you don't have one, be sure and stir really well. Some recipes say to stir a second time after 5-10 minutes but I've found 10 minutes is too late. Because the seeds absorb liquid very fast, I do the second stir after 3-5 minutes. That's mostly to prevent clumping.
The main thing is to make sure the seeds are evenly dispersed. If they are, you should have a successful pudding and you will know it pretty quickly. Your description sounds like no seeds were at the bottom of the jar, and my guess is more stirring or whisking at the beginning will help.
I don't believe the type of liquid matters. Chia seeds love to absorb liquid...any kind of liquid.
I've never made a chia pudding with cocoa powder, but make sure the cocoa is fully dissolved before adding the seeds.
posted by daikon at 7:19 PM on July 12, 2021 [1 favorite]
If there was too much liquid, that would cause a thinner pudding but wouldn't explain a layer of liquid at the bottom.
Some ideas:
I use a whisk to combine the seeds and liquid, if you don't have one, be sure and stir really well. Some recipes say to stir a second time after 5-10 minutes but I've found 10 minutes is too late. Because the seeds absorb liquid very fast, I do the second stir after 3-5 minutes. That's mostly to prevent clumping.
The main thing is to make sure the seeds are evenly dispersed. If they are, you should have a successful pudding and you will know it pretty quickly. Your description sounds like no seeds were at the bottom of the jar, and my guess is more stirring or whisking at the beginning will help.
I don't believe the type of liquid matters. Chia seeds love to absorb liquid...any kind of liquid.
I've never made a chia pudding with cocoa powder, but make sure the cocoa is fully dissolved before adding the seeds.
posted by daikon at 7:19 PM on July 12, 2021 [1 favorite]
So I love both coconut milk and chia pudding, but I've found that the seeds don't properly absorb the liquid if you're using a full fat canned coconut milk. Maybe bc of the fat? I don't know. But I would retry with almond milk or maybe oat milk, and maybe add coconut milk later if you want that taste.
posted by bookworm4125 at 8:39 PM on July 14, 2021
posted by bookworm4125 at 8:39 PM on July 14, 2021
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The chia can only take so much of the milk on, so there seems to be leftover milk once they are fully swollen.
posted by Youremyworld at 5:45 PM on July 12, 2021 [1 favorite]