14 Ways to Cook with Chia Seeds

Chia seeds photo via flickr/Larry Jacobsen

Chia seeds are packed with omega-3s and offer a healthy dose of antioxidants, calcium, and fiber. Incorporating these seeds into your diet also is a great way to stay hydrated because they can absorb up to 10 times their weight in water. Also, chia seeds are said to help improve brain function and promote healthy skin, hair, and nails.

Want to add these nutritional powerhouses into your diet? Try one of these 14 chia recipes:

1. No Bake Energy Balls
via Cooking on the Front Burner

This recipe is easy to make—just roll ingredients together and put it in the fridge.

2. Blueberry Overnight Oats 
via Jason’s Bites

If you don’t like cashew milk, replace it with almond or soy. After the oats have settled, add more milk if you want to loosen the consistency of the mixture.

3. Chia Flax Seed Crackers 
via Green Envi

After combining all the ingredients for this recipe, let it sit in the bowl for up to 15 minutes so it can thicken.

4. Cashew and Chia Seeds Granola Bar
via Delightful Mom

After baking the mixture for 30 minutes, make sure to cut them into bars while they’re still warm.

5. Triple Berry Chia Seed Muffin
via Domesticate Me

To make this muffin recipe healthier, swap out the butter for coconut oil and Greek yogurt. Also, you can keep this recipe seasonal by substituting the berries for whatever is in season.

6. Quinoa and Chia Crusted Chicken Strips
via Cooking LSL

This recipe calls for a cup of regular cow’s milk, but feel free to substitute the milk for a non-dairy alternative. Also, make sure you cook the quinoa before dipping the chicken strips into it.

7. Strawberry and Blood Orange Chia Jam
via Erika Rax

This jam only takes 20-minutes. If you want your jam to be smooth, puree the ingredients in a blender before adding the chia seeds.

8. Caprese Veggie Burger Slider
via Little Leopard Book

This slider is vegan and gluten-free. You can use Nature’s Path Qi’s cereal to get both the chia seeds and hemp seeds for the mix.

9. Warm Superfood Salad 
via Honestly Healthy 

Soak the chia seeds in grapefruit juice for 20 minutes before adding it to the heat with the lentils.

10. Vegan Strawberry Chia Ice Cream
via My Food and Happiness

You don’t need an ice cream maker for this creamy confection, just place the mixture in the freezer and let it sit overnight. When you want to eat it the next day, leave it out for 10 minutes to soften.

11. Matcha (Green Tea) Chia Pudding 
via Oh How Civilized 

This is great recipe for a pudding breakfast, but be sure to plan ahead—it takes about three hours for the chia seeds to gel together.

12. Whole Wheat and Chia Tortillas 
via Back to the Book Nutrition

If you make leftover tortillas and want to reheat them, add a little water to a kitchen towel and wrap the tortillas in it before microwaving. This way, they will not dry out.

13. Wholesome Banana Pancakes 
via Delights of Culinaria 

You can replace the sugar used in this recipe with honey or another natural sweetener. You can also replace the milk with almond, cashew, or soy milk.

14. Chia Seed Sandwich Thins
via Nyoutritious

For these sandwich thins, use buckwheat flour instead of regular flour. Buckwheat helps aid digestion.