Homemade Chia Seed Drink

Chia seeds are an great source of omega-3 fats and fiber. These tiny seeds pack an amazing nutritional punch and they are also easy to add to your diet. They have a great texture when added to liquids, which is why you’ve probably seen some chia seed drinks pop up in your local health store. Those are delicious but pricey. Fortunately, you can make your own and they are incredibly easy.

I’d been putting chia seeds in my smoothies for years but a friend introduced me to these homemade chia seed drinks during my pregnancy with the twins when I was desperately trying to get some extra nutrients in. I thought I would have an issue with chunks in my drink but I actually really love the texture.

When you soak chia seeds they create a gel around the seed. It gives the seeds a fun texture and makes them nice and soft to drink. You can even make pudding out of chia seeds because they thicken up so nicely.

These  homemade chia seed drinks can be customized any way you’d like to. They are best if they soak overnight but often I’m a bit lazy and soak mine for 30 minutes or so before drinking it if I forget to put on in the fridge the night before. You don’t get any added benefit, other than a better texture, by soaking it overnight so nutritionally you are still getting some great benefits.

My kids go nuts for these too so it’s a fun way to get some extra nutrition in them. They think it’s a treat so I can basically reward them by giving them vitamins.

“What? You want some of MY drink? Sure. Just go clean your room for 15 minutes first.”

Works every time.

Chia seeds do a great job of stabilizing blood sugar, which is something I’ve had a problem with in the past. Because of that, they can be a great nutritional tool for fighting belly fat, when *ahem* I may also have a problem with. Bedrest and a twin pregnancy have not been kind to me. I’m fighting back with food.

There are so many benefits to chia seeds. They are packed with protein, so think of this as a natural protein drink. I mentioned that chia seeds are an amazing source of fiber but do you realize that a one ounce serving has almost a third of your daily fiber requirements? That’s amazing . . . and also means you may want to ease into drinking these. I love that they are a great source of Omega 3 fats because I never feel like I get enough of those in my diet and I’m not a huge fan of taking fish oil supplements.

There’s really nothing not to love with this drink. Super easy to make and it’s a great way to start your day.

Ingredients

16 oz of juice, any combination of juice or juice and water

3 Tbsp. chia seeds.

I get the Nutiva brand of chia seeds from Amazon because it’s usually cheaper than my local stores and I go through enough of it that I like just getting a shipment each month without having to add it to my grocery list.

 

Preparation

Fill a container with a lid (I like mason jars for this) with 16 ounces of liquid. This can be any combination of juice and water. I like to use either straight orange juice or a combination of grape juice and cherry juice. If you have your own juicer you can use your own fresh juice. I can usually find some good quality juice at my local health food store. Just be sure and watch the sugar content on whatever juice you use.

Stir in 3 Tbsp. of chia seeds to your liquid. You can start out with less if you are worried about the high fiber content and then work your way up.

Let your chia drink sit overnight in the fridge or at least 30 minutes if you are short on time. Left overnight, your chia seeds will have a much more gel-like consistency but it’s perfectly drinkable after 3o minutes.

That’s it. I told you. Super easy.

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