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Three jars of chia pudding layered over apples, topped with yogurt and cinnamon.
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Apple Pie Chia Pudding

Creamy cinnamon chia pudding made with applesauce, topped with quick cinnamon apples. Make it ahead for 4 breakfasts.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Chill Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 18 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

Chia Pudding

  • 1½ cups milk 360 ml. I use soy milk, but any milk works.
  • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce about 125 g
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp table salt
  • ½ cup chia seeds about 80 g

Cinnamon Apples

  • 2 medium apples about 300 g. Peeled if you like, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes (about 2½ cups).
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch table salt
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp lemon juice a squeeze

To Serve (optional)

  • ½ cup plain yogurt about 115 g. I use soy or coconut yogurt but any thick Greek-style yogurt works.
  • ¼ cup granola or chopped pecans or walnuts, about 30 g

Instructions

Chia Pudding

  • In a medium bowl, whisk the applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt together first, until the cinnamon is fully mixed in with no dry specks.
  • Whisk in the milk, then the chia seeds, until no clumps of seeds are left.
  • Leave it for 10 minutes (peel and cube the apples while you wait), then whisk again. This second whisk is what stops clumps forming, so don’t skip it.
  • Cover the bowl and chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight, until thick and spoonable.

Cinnamon Apples (start after the second whisk, while the pudding chills)

  • Put the apples, cinnamon, salt, water and lemon juice in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and stir to coat.
  • Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until the apples are tender when you poke them with a knife but still hold their shape, and most of the liquid has cooked off. If the pan looks dry before they soften, add another tablespoon of water.
  • Take the pan off the heat and let the apples cool in the pan. Once cool, move them to their own container, cover and refrigerate.

To Serve

  • Stir the pudding. If it’s thicker than you like, stir in a splash of milk.
  • Spoon the pudding into 4 jars or bowls. Top with yogurt (if using), the cinnamon apples and a sprinkle of granola or nuts.

Notes

  • Best apples: use firm apples that hold their shape when cooked. The topping has no added sugar, so sweeter ones like Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji or Jazz work best. Granny Smith will be tart. Skip McIntosh and Golden Delicious, which collapse into mush.
  • Smooth version: prefer it without the seed texture? Blend all the pudding ingredients for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth, then chill as usual. It sets thick and mousse-like.