Breakfast 101: 5 recipes for the perfect chia bowl

Whether you’ve heard of them or not, people have been obsessed with chia seeds and rightly so. Just two tablespoons (30 grams) of it contains 10 grams of fibre and five grams of protein. They’re a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and some minerals essential for bone health, including calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. And, they can fill up your tummy without adding much to the calories.

But, for all its nutritious values, chia seeds are also tasteless, which can be both positive and negative—and, if you ask us, we are all for it, because it means endless flavour combinations!

Here are five of our favourites. Remember, there is no given proportion when it comes to chia bowls, so try different combinations to find the right consistency for you. But make sure to at least use two tablespoons of chia seeds per serving.

Strawberry chia bowl

For this one, combine strawberries, a banana, yoghurt, 1½ cups of milk, vanilla extract, and chia seeds. Make sure to pick only either milk or yoghurt if you have a sensitive stomach. Let the chia seeds sit in the milk, yoghurt or both for at least 30 minutes before you add the fruits and flavours. Add a dash of cinnamon (a dash of cinnamon makes everything a bit cheerier, doesn’t it?), and your breakfast bowl is good to go.

Coconut pomegranate chocolate chia bowl

Now that you’ve aced the simple recipe, let’s kick it up a notch with flavour profiles that are well worth the experiment.

Steep the chia seeds in 1½ cups of coconut milk overnight and top it up with fresh pomegranate seeds, semi-sweet chocolate, and shredded coconut for the final touch.

Lemon chia bowl

Take the standard mix of a type of milk of your choice (coconut and almond work well) for this one and follow the same 30-minute soak time. Add the juice of a lemon and honey or maple syrup (four tablespoons or as per your preference.) Garnish with some raspberries and fresh mint.

This one is just the tangy freshness you want in some of those lazy mornings.

Pumpkin spice latte chia bowl

We’re one-upping Starbucks with this one. For this, you need ¾ cup of strong coffee, ¾ cup of coconut milk, ½ cup of pumpkin puree, maple syrup, vanilla extract, pumpkin spice (to taste), and chia seeds. Mix the coffee, milk, puree, syrup, extract, and pumpkin spice. Stir in the chia seeds and leave overnight.

Banana peanut butter chia bowl

For all those PB&B fans, how about a healthy version that is just as good? All you need are two very ripe bananas, 1 ½ cup of milk (low fat is preferable), ½ cup of peanut butter, and chia seeds. Blend the bananas with the milk and peanut butter. Add in the chia seeds and leave overnight or for four hours, and you got yourself a treat! What’s more, this one can be saved for up to a week!