Walnut & Date Chia Cereal [#1]

Breakfast

Jan 22

Written By Ben McElroy

Why Make It?

Eating chia seeds without soaking allows for a range of textures; from crunchy in the beginning of the bowl to soft and gelly at the bottom. This is so much better than Chia Pudding.
This recipe is no harder to make than a normal bowl of cereal but with better nutrition and flexibility. Like fresh fruit or granola? Throw it in.
Dates and walnuts might be one of the best pairings around. Go grab a date and two walnuts; you will never snack the same again.

Keys to Success

Chia seeds need to be seasoned with salt. You will notice a big difference with such a small addition.
Don't soak the chia seeds. Eating after adding the milk allows all the addition to shine while still getting the best chia seeds have to offer.

Go To Recipe

Author Thoughts

I developed the idea for chia cereal after making chia pudding for the first time. I was not a fan to say the least. After soaking, the chia pudding needs a significant amount of salt and acidity to make it tasty. The texture is interesting but gets old after the third bite, even with toppings. Turning it into a cereal solved many of these problems for me.

After developing this recipe, I looked around the internet to see if anyone had the same thoughts. I found a couple chia cereal recipes that all recommended a soaking period. Essentially chia pudding just with more milk. If you decide to give this a try, please do not soak the chia. Pour the milk and enjoy.

What's Up With The Numbers?

Numbers in a recipe indicate a series of related recipes. Chia cereal can go in a lot of different directions; placing it in a series allows us to explore all the options instead of just writing one recipe.

If you're looking at dates and walnuts and thinking this ain't for me, try swapping with fresh fruit and granola. Chia Cereal #3 will be with pineapple allspice and granola.