Chia Pudding

Michael Eisenwasser

Print Recipe

Creamy chia pudding with low-FODMAP swaps for the milk, sweetener, and fruit.

Prep 5 min

Cook 1 min

Serves 2

Gluten-freeVegan-option

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (48 g) chia seeds
• 1 cup (250 ml) lactose-free milk or unsweetened almond milk
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
• Pinch of salt
• Low-FODMAP fruit for topping (see Tips)

Instructions

Whisk the Base

1. Add the chia seeds, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt to a pint-size jar or sealed container.
2. Whisk hard for 30 seconds so the seeds don't clump at the bottom.
3. Wait 5 minutes, then whisk again to break up any gel pockets.

Chill

1. Cap the jar and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to overnight.
2. The pudding is ready when the seeds have fully plumped and the mix holds its shape on a spoon.

Serve

1. Stir once to loosen. If the texture is thicker than you want, splash in another tablespoon of milk.
2. Divide into two bowls or jars. Top with low-FODMAP fruit just before eating.

Tips & Substitutions

• Vanilla berry. Keep the vanilla in the base and top each serving with 20 blueberries (~40 g) or 10 medium strawberries (~150 g, sliced). Frozen berries can go in with the base, but expect a looser texture.
• Chocolate. Whisk 2 teaspoons (8 g) unsweetened cocoa powder into the base along with the maple syrup. Top each bowl with up to 30 g of raspberries (about half the Monash serve, since you split the pudding).
• Coconut-banana. Swap 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the milk for canned light coconut milk — that's about 1/4 cup (60 ml) per serving, which stays within Monash's serve size for most canned light brands. Check the label against the Monash app. Top with a firm-yellow (unripe) banana, sliced, up to 1 medium / 100 g total across both bowls.
• Pick a safe milk. Lactose-free cow's milk, unsweetened almond milk (up to 1 cup / 250 ml), macadamia, hemp, or rice milk (up to 3/4 cup / 187 ml). Canned light coconut milk works in smaller serves — check the specific brand in the Monash app. Oat milk varies a lot by brand; use it only if the carton is Monash-certified.
• Check plant-milk labels. Skip anything with inulin, chicory root fiber, honey, or apple or pear juice concentrate.
• Sweeten with maple or table sugar. Honey and agave are out during elimination. Stevia, erythritol, and sucralose also work for most people, though some with IBS react to sugar alcohols.
• Spice it up. A pinch of cinnamon or cardamom plays well with the vanilla or chocolate versions.
• Go slow on the fiber. A full 24 g chia serve is a big fiber load. If you're new to chia or have an easily-triggered gut, start with 1 tablespoon per bowl, drink water with it, and work up from there.

Why This Works

Chia serve size. Monash tests chia seeds as low-FODMAP at 2 tablespoons (24 g) per serve. This recipe splits 1/4 cup across two bowls, so each serving lands right on that line. Don't eat the whole jar in one sitting.

Milk matrix. Lactose-free dairy and most nut milks are low-FODMAP at 1 cup or more. Canned light coconut milk stays low at 1/2 cup per serve. Oat milk is the odd one out: it varies heavily by brand and is only low-FODMAP in small serves, so use a Monash-tested product if you want it.

Sweetener rule. Pure maple syrup is low-FODMAP at 2 tablespoons. Honey and agave are high-fructose at any real serve and should stay out of the jar.

Fruit stacking. Individual fruit serves are low, but stacking two or three in one bowl can tip you over. Pick one topping per bowl and keep it within its Monash serve: ~40 g blueberries (about 20), ~140 g strawberries (about 1 cup sliced), ~60 g raspberries, 1 firm-yellow banana (~100 g), or 1 gold kiwi.

Storage

Assembled pudding keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days at 40°F (4°C) or below. Make the base without toppings and add fruit the morning you eat it, or portion into single-serve jars for breakfasts you can take with you. Frozen berries can go in with the base; fresh fruit is best added last.

Not sure about an ingredient? FODMAP Tracker includes a database of 1,000+ foods with FODMAP ratings to help you cook with confidence.