Smoothies
CHIA SEED SMOOTHIES
These smoothies are an ideal and easy way to get a daily serve of chia seeds. I like to soak the seeds for 10 minutes or more in the juice to soften them, remembering to whisk the mixture a few times to prevent clumping and allow the seeds to soften and swell. This makes the smoothies smoother. If any of the smoothies are a little too thick for your liking, just add a little more juice. I prefer not to add any sweeteners to the smoothies, but a little stevia or honey can be added if you like. Drink your smoothie immediately as it will continue to thicken if you let it stand.
1. Orange Mango Cream Smoothie
Ingredients
1 and a half cups of good quality orange juice
Half cup of ripe mango
Half a banana
2 Tablespoons of plain yogurt
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
Method
Soak the chia seeds in the orange juice for 10 minute to let them swell and soften Put all ingredients in your blender Blend well until creamy. Enjoy!
2.Merry Berry Smoothie – simple and quick
Ingredients
1 and a half cups of apple juice
1 cup of mixed berries frozen or fresh
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
Method
Soak the chia seeds in the apple juice for 10 minutes or so. Blend all ingredients together until smooth
To make a creamier smoothie, add 2 tablespoons of yogurt or half a banana
3.Pina colada chia smoothie
Ingredients
Half banana
Half an orange, seeded, peeled and chopped
Half a cup pineapple cut small
a couple of slices of ripe mango
Half cup coconut milk
Half cup pure water
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
Method
Soak the seeds in the coconut/water mixture for at least 10 minutes
Blend all the other ingredients together until smooth
Enjoy!
Can I pin this on Pinterest, I want to share with my friends, your suggestion
Hi Jo. You are welcome to share any recipes, photos, tips, suggestions and ideas from this site with your friends on Pinterest.
HI,
Thank for all the great info on Chia seeds.
I recently read the new book The Aztec diet. and i have heard that the only chia seeds that work for weight loss are those that are split?
I have looked in Whole foods and trader joes cant find them?
I have heard of ordering from Mila,but they are very very costly.
are the whole black organic seeds also good for weight loss?
many thanks!!
Hi Grace. Split chia seeds are a form of ground chia seeds. I and many other people have lost weight successfully using whole chia seeds, you will be pleased to hear. There are many good quality whole chia seeds on the market at a resonable price.
Thanks so much!
Is there a particular brand that you have had sucess with? and how much do you use per smoothie?
many thanks!
Grace
Hi Grace, I use a couple of quality brands grown in Australia, because that is where I live. For US users, I have no hesitation in recommeding the Azchia brand of chia seeds. This is backed by Dr Wayne Coates, who has researched chia seeds for many years. This is available on Amazon at a reasonable price, see here
I use 1 or sometimes 2 tablespoons of chia seeds in a smoothie, depending on the amount of liquid I put into the smoothie. Start with one as you can always add more if you want the smoothie to be thicker.
I find my chia seeds at the healthfood store. “For the good of it”
Debra Kasson
i just started to use chia seeds.i”ve seen them used in almond milk. do i need to soak them before using them in my almond milk? thanks
No need to soak them first Elaine. Just put them straight into your almond milk, give it a stir and leave it for 10 to 20 minutes to make a lovely almond milk chia pudding. Stir it occasionally during the time it takes to set to prevent the seeds clumping or settling on the bottom. Then just enjoy your pudding! If you are making a smoothie, just add the seeds to your mix, blend then drink. If you leave it for 10 minutes or so, the smoothie will thicken up as the seeds swell.
My first with chia seeds. It seems the seeds are processed so no shell. Is it better to have the whole seed? And how much do I use since their is no shell for a smoothie? And what is the difference between white and black seeds?
Thank you
Al
Hi Al, I’m so glad you are staring to use chia seeds. The seeds are not processed. They are as you see them. For a smoothie, I just add 1 tablespoon of whole chia seeds, then blend. You could also use milled chia seeds, which are the whole chia seeds ground into a fine powder. There is little nutritional difference between the black and white seeds, except the black seeds have slightly more antioxidants as a rule. There is more variation in the nutritional value of the seeds from season to season and the region in which they are grown.
Is it okay to put both chia and flaxseed in my smoothies?
Yes, it’s fine Brian. Personally I wouldn’t do it as I feel that chia seeds are better than flax seeds and I have never been in the habit of eating flax seeds. But there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have both in a smoothie if you like it.
What’s the brand of your chia seeds? i use 365 organinic chia and i doesn’t gel at all even if i follow all the instructions. should i return it?thanks!
I’ve tried several brands and found them all good Issa. I have heard of a few other people with the same results as yours. I am not familiar with the brand you mention. Why not ring the company who produced your band of chia seeds and ask them, why their seeds do not gel?
Here’s one I just made and am enjoying:
enough kale (cut and de-stemmed) to fill blender
1/2 banana
equal parts coconut milk and almond milk
splash of vanilla for extra flavor
1/6c chia seeds soaked in 1/3c coconut milk for a couple of hours
1/4c unsweetened coconut flakes
YUM!
Thanks Janelle. I’m looking forward to trying this!
I love kale. I’ll try that, thanks!
I just started using chia seeds in my smoothies, but I find that whether I soak them or not soak them, they are clinging to the blender and/or glass, so I feel like they are being wasted. How do you get them not to cling to the class?
Hi Freda. Yes the seeds do tend to stick. The only way I know to get round this is to use a spoon to get the stray seeds or a good flexible spatula when mixing in a bowl. I would love to hear of any other suggestions.
Put a little water in your blender and swish and quickly pour into a glass to drink.This should pick up the remaining seeds!
Hello from England!
I just found this website and have writer’s cramp through writing down all the fabulous recipes. Thank you!!
I felt the same as Freda about wasting something precious. What I do when blending – providing the recipe has enough liquid to do it – is this: I hold back some liquid until the processing is done, empty the jug as best I can, then add the liquid I held back and give it a few seconds to collect the thicker goo from the sides of the jug. This is especially good when using Chia.
There’s still some waste, so then I add ordinary tap water and blitz the jug again. Depending on dog appropriate ingredients, I add that water to my dog’s dinner 🙂
When I do green smoothies I put it straight in her water dish and she stands waiting for it to added.
Obviously – I’m careful not to give her macadamia remnants or raisins etc. If the residue is unsuitable for her I either use the green stuff to water my micro-greens or pour it straight onto my garden.
Nothing is wasted in this house 🙂
I love your site and am going to share some of my still-development-recipes.
Hi Em from England — I lived in England for 7 years and still miss its wonderful greenness. Thanks for your helpful tips. Please do share your recipes, I look forward to hearing from you again.
I like to put all the ingredients in a big mason jar and use a stick blender. It’s easy on the clean up and I just grab and go and enjoy!
Great tip Gwendolyn!
Hi,
I have been adding a tablespoon of seeds to a smoothie every morning. Should I be hydrating them first or are they ok whole?
Its fine to have your smoothie just the way you have been Kelly. No need to hydrate them first unless you want a slight change in the texture of your smoothie.
Here’s my favorite smoothie:
1 cup coconut milk
1 frozen sliced banana
4 cups frozen baby spinach (enough to fill the blender jar)
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp chia seeds
So good!
And so full of goodness Tamara!
Yes, indeed! Thanks. 😀
So yummy! Thanks!