My creamy chia seed porridge is a nutritious, diabetic-friendly and easy breakfast recipe that you can whip up in minutes. Sugar free, gluten free and low carb!
I have been making chia pudding for years. But, it did not occur to me until recently that chia seeds also are a great hot. And that's where chia pudding becomes chia porridge!
It was my reader Val who inspired this post. Val is a type 1 diabetic and she told me in an email how she regularly makes chia seed porridge.
What a brilliant idea! I used her recipe as a starting point and created my own simplified version, which I am sharing with you today.
In winter or on cold days, I can't think of a better way to start the day. I have been eating this keto porridge with chia seeds all week, adding a different topping each day.
Also try my high protein chia pudding and this low carb porridge.
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What's To Love About This Recipe
Healthy. Chia seeds porridge is naturally high in protein, high in fibre and packed with healthy fats. It is also gluten free and sugar free, with only 2.5g net carbs per serving.
Satisfying & Tasty. This is a filling breakfast that will keep you going until lunch. Comfortingly simple, creamy and with a hint of vanilla. Just like with regular porridge, it's the toppings that make the dish shine. I give you tons of ideas in this post - take your pick from berries to chocolate to peanut butter.
Versatile & Easy. You can make this recipe on the stove or it in the microwave in minutes. It tastes great hot and cold. And, I'm also showing you how to prep an Instant Chia porridge mix!
Ingredients
Let's talk ingredients. You'll find exact quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but I wanted to give you a bit of extra info right here:
- Chia Seeds - Either black or white chia seeds. Both have the same taste and nutritional profile.
- Ground Flaxseed - I like to use golden flax meal instead of brown. It has a milder flavor. Of course, brown flax also works. Flax helps to thicken the porridge quickly.
- Hemp Hearts - These are shelled hemp seeds. They add a little crunch to the porridge and have a gently nutty flavor.
- Milk - I used unsweetened soy milk by Plenish, which is GM-free. It is not only low in carbs, but also adds an additional 4 grams of protein. Almond milk is another good low carb option. Or, use any other milk or your choice.
- Vanilla Extract - The porridge has a pretty neutral taste on its own. Vanilla adds warm flavor, which I love.
I like the recipe without any sweetener. But, you can stir granulated sweetener such as allulose or sugar free syrup into the porridge.
Instructions
It is simple to make a hot chia porridge. Here are the basic steps.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed method with ingredient amounts, timings and nutrition information.
STEP 1
Add the milk to a saucepan and pour in the chia seeds, ground flaxseed, hemp hearts and vanilla extract. Stir.
STEP 2
Warm the mixture on the stovetop over low heat until the chia seeds and the ground flax have absorbed the liquid, stirring regularly.
Serve warm in bowls with toppings of your choice.
Katrin's Top Tips
#1 Don't over-heat! Warm the milk until the first bubbles appear, then turn the heat to low and let the mixture simmer slowly. This gives the chia time to absorb the milk.
#2 Loosen the porridge with a splash of milk or water if you prefer a softer texture. Also, know that it does continue to firm up as it cools.
#3 Don't like the gloopy texture of chia? Use ground chia seeds!
Microwave Instructions
Cover and heat individual servings on a medium power level for around 90 seconds to 2 minutes, stirring half way through. Then, let the porridge sit for a further 1-2 minutes.
Toppings
This is where the fun begins! So many possibilities. I decorated my porridge with sliced strawberries and crushed walnuts. Here are more ideas:
- Classic: Browned butter, cinnamon and sweetener
- Fruity: Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries are great low carb options. But, any fruit works with porridge! Sliced peach, apple, banana, kiwi... all delicious.
- Jammy: Add a spoonful of my sugar free strawberry jam or blueberry jam!
- Chocolate: Stir in a tablespoon of cocoa powder and top with sugar free chocolate chips.
- Nutty: A drizzle of peanut or almond butter and crushed hazelnuts, almonds or pecans. Sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds also work!
- Caramel: top with a swirl of keto caramel sauce.
- Savoury: Only for purists! Add a knob of butter and sea salt.
Substitutions
This is a very simple recipe and it will work as long as the wet/dry ratio of the ingredients is right. This section discusses possible substitutions.
Only chia & milk: Start with 2 tablespoons per ½ cup of milk, adding more liquid as needed. This will take a little longer to cook as you won't have the flax (flax expands quicker than chia).
No flax? Use coconut flour, almond flour or more chia (see above).
No hemp seeds? Use desiccated coconut instead. This is a good 1:1 swap. Just like hemp, the coconut flakes soften a little.
Make it richer: Replace some of the milk with coconut milk or cream.
Sweetener choices: I always recommend zero carb sugar substitutes to my readers. If blood sugar management is not a concern, feel free to use maple syrup, honey or coconut sugar.
Instant Chia Porridge Mix
Once you have tried and like the recipe, make your own instant chia seed porridge mix!
Simply multiply the dry ingredients x10 (or more), add them to a mason jar and shake to combine.
To make a porridge, measure out 4 tablespoons of the mixture per serving and heat it up with milk and vanilla.
Storage
I scale the recipe up and down as needed and only make one portion if it's just me.
But, you can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days just like you would regular chia pudding.
Stir in a splash of water or milk to loosen before you reheat it.
More Low Carb Breakfast Recipes
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Recipe
Chia Seed Porridge
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon chia seeds 40g
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed 15g, I used golden flax
- 2 tablespoon hemp hearts hulled hemp seeds, 20g
- 1.5 cup soya milk unsweetened, or almond milk, 360ml, add more to loosen as needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Add-Ins
- 1-2 teaspoon allulose or sweetener of choice
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a saucepan - chia seeds, ground golden flaxseed, hemp hearts, vanilla extract and milk of your choice. Stir.
- Heat the mixture on the stove over medium heat. As soon as the first bubbles appear, turn the heat to low. Simmer for 4-5 minutes until the chia seeds and the ground flax have absorbed the liquid, stirring regularly. Loosen with more milk or water if desired. Option to add sweetener to taste.
- Serve warm in bowls with toppings of your choice. I decorated with sliced strawberries and crushed walnuts.
Katrina
Love this, I also mixed in red and green super powder, we use as a breakfast or pudding. I make a bowl at a time. Yum.
Julee Ellison
I’m in the states and I’ve not had anything like this before. I’ve had oatmeal, but this porridge is much slimier (I can’t think of a different word). What causes it to have that texture? I added a little bit of almond milk and 2 teaspoons of alt sugar … and then added about 10 raisins. I’m going to put it in the fridge and see if it’s better later after it sits. I really want to like this!
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Julee, I think you are probably referring to the flaxseed, which binds the chia porridge. After cooling, it will set more. Just add more milk or water as needed before heating it up again.
Ali Gee
Love this recipe - quick, easy & hits my nutrition goals. Sweetener isn't necessary if like me, you've always eaten porridge without it. Defs a keeper recipe!!
Val
Great to see you shared my recipe. This is my winter go to breakfast. It’s a great comfort food. I make it in bulk by just mixing whole bags of high street store bought ingredients only needing to weigh one thing. I just empty 200g bags of Chia, Ground Flax, and Desiccated Coconut into a plastic cereal container with 60g of Coconut Flour and shake to mix.
I like mine with a dollop of Greek yogurt and blueberries.
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Val, so nice to see your commenting here. Yes, I loved receiving your email and thanks for sharing your recipe here in the comments as well. I always love super easy recipes that may not be sexy, but so so useful on an everyday basis.
Rachel
Could the ingredients be left to soak in the fridge overnight like a cold chia pudding, (so no cooking at this stage) and then be microwaved the next morning?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, of course. You will most likely need to add a little more water or milk and stir before warming the porridge.