Easy & Delicious Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding in a Mason Jar

Hey there, Mason jar fans!

It’s fall, y’all, and I’m shamelessly an all-pumpkin-all-the-time kinda gal, so today it’s pumpkin spice chia seed pudding! We took a poll on our Facebook Group Living the Mason Jar Lifestyle to see if there were more apple cider or pumpkin spice fans. Sadly, I was very outnumbered by the apple always crew, but since I’m the one writing this blog post – I picked pumpkin spice! If you have a favorite apple recipe with Mason jars – drop us a comment or join us on the Facebook group to share! I’d love to be inspired to try something new next time.

As I’ve mentioned on previous blogs, I detest having to go to the grocery store for one or two items needed for a recipe. I’m the queen of making do with what I have on hand, and this recipe is no exception to that rule. I had chia seeds in my pantry begging to be used, so I started my search for a new recipe from there. I found this blog which is centered around chia seeds and began exploring, and that’s when I found it – Pumpkin Spice Latte Chia Pudding! Now if you’ve been to any grocery store, coffee shop, or anywhere that sells scented anything in the fall, then you know pumpkin spice is everywhere. It’s in hand soap. And candles. And cookies. And of course Starbucks ever popular PSL (pumpkin spice latte). Maybe it seems a little overdone to the apple cider fans (and I get that) but I embrace it, so here we go!

This recipe had 3 things I love: (1) a simple list of ingredients and easy directions, (2) used things I had on hand or could make reasonable substitutions, and (3) PUMPKIN! I was sold and I thought my kids (or at least one of them) would eat it too so win/win!

Ingredients

Chia Seeds

As I mentioned in my 3 Smoothie Recipes That Deserve a Mason Jar blog post, chia seeds are wee but packed with power. These tiny seeds are full of antioxidants, minerals, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids. Plus there’s 91% of daily recommended intake levels of dietary fiber in a 100g serving of chia seeds. With all that fiber and good fat, they bring a sense of satiety and help you feel fuller, longer. Chia seeds are a good source of plant-based protein, they help control blood sugar levels, and they increase heart health. According to the Mayo Clinic: One serving of dried chia seeds is about 2.5 tablespoons. This has 140 calories, 5 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber, 12 grams of carbohydrate and 9 grams of fat, of which 8 grams are heart-healthy fats.

Chia seeds have a very mild flavor and slightly crunchy texture in this recipe, which my younger kiddo and I found very enjoyable. They’re super easy to use, and you can simply add them as-is to your smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, pancake batter, sprinkled on salads, baked into muffins, or made into chia pudding using the recipe below.

Pumpkin

Pumpkins are fun and fairly easy to grow and roast but also super easy to buy in a can! While technically a fruit (scientifically speaking), we think of this delightful orange friend as a favorite fall harvested vegetable. Pumpkin is low calorie, high in vitamins, and extremely versatile from sweet to savory dishes.

Pumpkins are full of vitamins, particularly Vitamin A (like their orange cousins, carrots) which is good for eye sight and improves your immune system by helping fight infections. Also high in the antioxidants, Vitamins C and E, which are good for skin and heart health. Like many vegetables, pumpkins contain fiber, which helps lower cholesterol and lower sugar spikes in the blood stream. You’ll also find potassium in pumpkins, which may help lower blood pressure (or at least eating pumpkin foods seems to lower mine!).

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk has an incredibly rich and creamy texture and delightful taste, which adds a luxurious element to this recipe. It’s also high in fat and calories – so it’s a balance! Coconut milk is naturally lactose-free if you’re looking for vegan recipes or just trying to minimize bovine dairy. On the upside, coconut oil contains substances that have anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties that destroys a wide variety of disease-causing organisms. It’s also thought that the fat in coconuts (medium-chain saturated fatty acids (MCFAs)) are digested and utilized quickly by the body and less likely to be stored as fat.

This recipe uses half coconut milk and half “other” milk. I used 2%, lactose-free cow’s milk, because that’s what we have on hand. The original recipes used almond milk which is a great option if you want to keep this dairy free. You can also opt to use all coconut milk if you want it to be really thick and creamy. Adjust to what works for you!

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Pumpkin pie spice is a warm and wonderful combination of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. If you don’t have any on hand and don’t want to pick up a jar, then you can easily mix up your own blend (and personalize it to your preferences). This recipe from good old, Martha Stewart can be a place to start in creating your custom blend.

Accessories

Wide Mouth Half Pint Jars

I LOVE wide mouth, half pint Mason jars! And yes I know they’ve been kind of hard to find lately. My pro-tip is to check out your local thrift store, as I scored a bunch there for less than a dollar each. I’ve also seen some cases off and on at stores like Walmart during canning season. I’m hoping that jar availability won’t be an issue for much longer, and I wish you much luck in your searching. If you have these little beauties in your cupboard, then they’re the perfect size and shape for this pumpkin spice chia seed pudding (as well as many other desserts, snacks, dips, trail mix… you get the point). At 8oz you don’t get too big of a serving, and the wide mouth makes it easier to add whipped cream evenly to your pudding and wash afterwards. It’s really a match made in heaven!

Storage Lids

I used two different storage lids for my chia pudding because I thought there was a good chance I’d heat up some of them for breakfast (pudding isn’t just for dessert now!). If I’m going to heat up or reheat something from the fridge, then I store it with our premium silicone lid liners and stainless steel bands. This way you simply remove the band and slightly move the lid liner eschew when you pop it into the microwave – easy peasy!

I also used our stainless steel storage lids which come with our silicone lid liners because they’re a little easier to stack jars on top of jars. Whichever one you chose, you’ll get an airtight, leak proof seal that will keep your pudding fresh and ready to enjoy!

The Recipe

The original recipe called for pumpkin puree and maple syrup, but when I went to my pantry the can I thought was pumpkin puree was actually organic pumpkin pie mix. As stated earlier, I wasn’t about to go to the store just to get pumpkin puree so I decided to just go with it! So in my recipe below I used pumpkin pie mix but omitted the maple syrup and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice since the mix is already both. You can do either and I think it’ll still turn out delicious!

The recipe as written below filled 6 – 8oz wide mouth, half pint jars about 2/3 of the way full (leaving room for whipped cream!).

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1 cup coconut milk (full-fat from a can)
• 1 cup milk of your choice
• 1/2 cup organic pumpkin pie mix
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• whipped cream of your choice to top (optional)

Directions

1. Mix together all of the ingredients for the chia seed pudding together in a large bowl and whisk together for 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly combined.
2. Ladle mix into wide mouth, half pint Mason jars and cover with storage lid of your choice. Then refrigerate for at least 2 hours to overnight for pudding to firm up and thicken (the mix will be runny to start) and chia seeds to pump and soften a bit.
3. If desired, warm pudding in the microwave for 30-45 seconds with silicone liner on to prevent splashing.
4. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar or pumpkin pie spice and ENJOY!

I hope you’ve been inspired to try something different and give your breakfast, afternoon snack, or dessert a fall twist with this amazing pumpkin spice chia seed pudding. It’s the perfect, not-too-sweet, yet still filling and satisfying combination of ingredients and couldn’t have been easier to make. You won’t regret trying it!

I’d love for you to share your ideas and recipe customizations with us. Come by and share with us on social media! I’d love to connect with you : ) Join the conversations going on right now on our Facebook business page, Mason Jar Lifestyle, or Facebook group, Living The Mason Jar Lifestyle! We are also on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok. Looking forward to connecting with you soon!