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Chia Seed Fruit Salad

If you’ve never made anything with chia seeds before… this is definitely a recipe to start a love affair.

I made this fruit salad for a few friends that came over for dinner. I served it as a dessert, although it could easily be served anytime of day – especially for breakfast or a snack.

IMG 7717This fruit salad contains ZERO refined sugar is full of wonderful chia seeds!

And look what happened after I served it. Yes… all quickly gone.

It must have been good if I can say so myself 🙂

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Chia seeds grow 10 times their weight in size when combined with liquid, helping the body stay hydrated and full. The word “chia” comes from the Aztec word that means “oily” — the oils found in this small little round seed is the secret to its health benefits. Having the most content of omega 3 fatty acids of any plant food, they fight inflammation in the body, reducing the chance for heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and depression.

I hope that’s reason enough to add chia seeds to your repertoire….but if it isn’t, just try this recipe and you will get a chance to feel their magic!

FOOD BABE'S CHIA SEED FRUIT SALAD
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup chia seeds
  • 2 cups nut milk of your choice
  • 4 cups of diced fruit of your choice (for this recipe I used pears and strawberries)
  • ¼ cup currants or raisins or goji berries
  • zest of one orange
  • juice of one orange
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ cup shredded coconut
  • mint leaves for decoration
Instructions
  1. Add 1 cup diced fruit and a sprinkle of currants to 4 different bowls
  2. Combine nut milk, chia seeds, orange juice, zest, vanilla and cinnamon in a small pitcher and stir
  3. Pour ½ cup mixture on top of fruit in bowls
  4. Top fruit bowls with shredded coconut
  5. Refrigerate fruit bowls for at least 30 mins (or chill overnight)
  6. Top each bowl with a mint leaf before serving

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Chia Seed Tips: Remember to store chia seeds in an airtight container. My favorite brand of Chia Seeds is from Nutiva because they 100% organic and I love their support for GMO-labeling.

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For this recipe I used homemade pistachio milk, but you can use any nut milk you like.

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Please let me know if you make this recipe or any others.  I have a new star system on my recipes… I’d love your honest opinion.

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Mmmmm…I think I’ve having one of these for breakfast tomorrow.

Food Babe

 

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215 responses to “Chia Seed Fruit Salad

  1. I have not made this (yet!), but it reminds me of ambrosia salad – popular at potlucks and family gatherings – which I used to love. I haven’t had it in years, but remembering ambrosia salad makes me want to try this recipe! : )

  2. I just made this with organic pears and organic frozen blueberries. I used unsweetened, first pressing coconut milk (13.5 oz can) and 2.5 oz almond milk to get to 2 cups. I used one lime for zest and the juice. I didn’t have shredded coconut or mint leaves. I put the four glasses in the frig for 30 minutes and voila, I had the most refreshing delicious breakfast salad ever!

    1. I think the point is probably not to use dairy milk, but a plant-based milk like almond, rice or hemp… just my guess!

    2. No. I’ve used regular milk, works exactly the same. You can use any milk with chia seeds. The choice is yours!

  3. Just made this with mangoes and strawberries– was feeling a bit lazy so skipped the orange zest/juice and threw in some raw pistachios– it was really yummy– thanks for this great recipe 🙂

  4. What do you know about Monk Fruit Extract? It is in Zevia Soda which is sweetened with stevia but also contains the Monk Fruit Extract.

  5. Loved this recipe! I used cherries and peaches and sprinkled raw pistachios on top. It was delicious! Definitely making this again..

  6. I substituted lemon zest and juice for the orange and used strawberries, blueberries, and peaches. So good! I love this!

  7. I made this with strawberries and bananas! It was delicious. And the best part is it kept me feeling full for hours!

    1. Flax gets slimy, chia doesn’t. chia soaks up liquid x10, flax x3. You could try, but they taste and act different, use far far far less liquid. I’d try anything once:)

  8. I usually mill the chia before we eat it. We find it easier to digest and of course, it doesn’t get stuck between the teeth. Do you know if this reduces the health effect of the seds?
    Thanks
    Chris

  9. Just made this using my fresh grown blackberries…. it smells delicious!! I cannot wait to try it!! Thank You for the recipe.. and the Nutiva info! I needed more coconut oil and chia.. saved $$ getting the bundle and using the FB code! Thanks again Food Babe!!

  10. Has anyone tried the pistachio nut milk recipe? Im confused on the part that says add milk. I thought this was dairy free?

  11. I did it!!! It was delicious. I added bananas, pears and strawberries it was a bit more sweeten, even my kids love it! Thanks

  12. I’ve made a similar chia dessert using fresh mango, almond milk, shredded coconut, saffron, and cardamom. I must try the pistachio milk! Sounds heavenly.

    Where can we buy those cool dessert bowls?

  13. Love it! Thanks Food Babe. I also want to know where you got those dessert bowls, no seriously I want to know 😉

  14. Is this dessert supposed to get thick, like tapioca, or is the milk supposed to remain in liquid form? The picture looks thicker than the one I made. Maybe I did something wrong?

  15. Mine came out really soupy. The chia seeds didn’t expand as much as I thought they would have and the overall dish didn’t have the custardy type texture I thought it would. Kind of bummed. I did use soy milk and left out the OJ. Any advice on why mine isn’t thick?

  16. Just want to know if any type of sweetener is used at all, such in the nut milk? Even with the great fruit, I loved this but felt the “pudding” part needed just a tiny bit of sweetener.

  17. I cut this in half and wish I didn’t. It was very good. I used a banana, apple and some organic grapes, and little bit of raisins
    with almond milk. Mine was a bit soupy too but still delicious. Maybe to much orange juice.

  18. This has been my staple breakfast now for the last month. I have prepared a variation of this no less than 4 times a week since I found it!
    Since it’s fall, I have prepared mine with an apple, lemon juice, coconut milk, mulberries and goji berries and extra cinnamon, sans the zest, coconut flakes and mint. I make mine with added milk for an almost cereal-type breakfast!
    It is my favorite meal of the day!

  19. Since I tried this pudding, I want to make it everyday. It is so good. Does anybody know whether or not the soaked chia seeds have to be chewed to get the nutritional benefits?

  20. Nut milk meaning almond milk I buy- we buy the vanilla almond milk. I’m not going to make any- I’m not there yet. Seen the recipes.

  21. I made this today, my first ever time using chia seeds. I followed the recipe but it was very soupy. I made some extra for breakfast. We all though it was yummy but the consistency wasn’t anything like in your picture. Maybe the chia will expand more overnight. looking forward having this for breakfast! I used almond coconut milk and for fruit we had strawberries, pears and bananas. For currants we used dried blueberries.

  22. SO yummy! I will definitely make this again, experiment with different fruits and maybe add more chia seeds. I also got soupy consistency, but it was delish!

  23. For a breakfast treat, (for 1) – make with Large oats 1/3C, “milk” 1/3 C and yogurt 1/4C (or skip ) 1.5tsp chia seeds and mix in fruit , store in fridge overnight for a cold grab and go oatmeal treat!

  24. When you “chill” overnight, I am assuming it is covered? And if I make a 4 bowl batch how long can you keep in fridge and still taste fresh? Just the following day? Thanks

  25. I tried a variation of this recipe with milk, fruits, chia seeds and raisins and it was awesome.

  26. I made this in one bowl instead of dividing it up and just used what I had on hand because I was really excited to try a “chia pudding”. I used blueberries, apples & golden raisins. I also felt like the milk to chia ratio was off a bit, unless you are making it overnight I would say a generous 1/3 cup of chia might turn out a thicker version. I also felt like it wasn’t sweet enough so I added ripe banana sliced up, I would definitely add it every time to add the much needed sweetness without resorting to a sweetener. Chopped walnuts were another addition, it made it more like a watergate or ambrosia and gave it some crunch. Overall I really did like the recipe and loved that I could play around with what I have available. Thanks! (I also plan on making my own almond milk since reading the store bought label.)

  27. I have been making Foodbabe recipes like crazy since I joined the “Army” a couple of weeks ago. I must be honest, I was disappointed with this Chia bfast salad. I did halve it and subbed blackberries for pears (since I didn’t have them). Do those modifications make the difference???

    Thank you.

    p.s. I can’t stop making the almond butter brownies!

  28. thank you, Food Babe, for your tireless advocacy and education work! And thank you for using website specifications that make it possible to easily download recipes into our recipe apps! Just goes to show you who is really about making life healthier and easier for the masses and who is solely in it for the bucks.

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