RESET360 with Camille McLaughlin
October Pick: Breakfast

Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding

Chia seeds set overnight in almond milk and Greek yogurt with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove, topped with toasted hazelnuts and pear.

Why you'll love Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding

Pumpkin pie spice is what most people mean by the taste of October: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove, with a pinch of allspice. This pudding keeps the whole blend and builds it on unsweetened almond milk and thick whole-milk Greek yogurt, so every spoonful tastes like the filling of a pie and eats like a real breakfast. Stir it together on Sunday night and the first cool mornings of the month start with breakfast already waiting in the refrigerator.

Chia seeds do the setting. Each seed is wrapped in soluble fiber that swells into a gel when it meets liquid, and a quarter cup is enough to turn the almond milk and yogurt into a spoonable pudding by morning. The second whisk, ten minutes after the first, is the step that matters: as the seeds start to swell they clump together and sink, and stirring them back through the liquid spreads them evenly so the whole batch sets silky from top to bottom. The spices steep as it chills, and their aromatic oils dissolve into the fat in the yogurt, so the flavor tastes rounder the next morning than it did when you stirred it in.

Greek yogurt is the protein here, and it gives the pudding the creamy body of pie filling. Toasted hazelnuts bring crunch and more fat, and diced pear with its skin on adds fruit that arrives already paired with protein and fat.

Quick overview: This Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding takes 15 min of hands-on time and about 4 hr 23 min in all and makes 4 servings, each about 3/4 cup with toppings. You'll need a skillet.

Jump to recipe

Spiced chia pudding topped with diced pear and hazelnuts
Prep 15 minCook 8 minChill 4 hrTotal 4 hr 23 minServes 4Serving about 3/4 cup with toppingsYou'll need Skillet

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk, plus a splash to loosen Label: water, almonds, and salt
  • 1 1/2 cups plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp allulose, or to taste Label: allulose, and nothing else
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger Label: ginger, and nothing else
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/8 tsp ground allspice
  • a pinch of fine sea salt
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
  • 1/3 cup hazelnuts
  • 1 ripe pear, skin on, cored and diced

Instructions

  1. Whisk the base: In a large bowl, whisk the almond milk, yogurt, allulose, vanilla seeds, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and salt until completely smooth, with no streaks of yogurt left. Smoothing out the yogurt before the chia goes in matters, because lumps of thick yogurt are hard to break up once the seeds start to gel around them.
  2. Add the chia: Sprinkle the chia seeds over the surface while whisking, then keep whisking for 30 seconds so every seed is wet. Seeds that land in a dry clump stay crunchy in the middle.
  3. Whisk again: Let the bowl stand for 10 minutes, then whisk thoroughly a second time, scraping the bottom and sides. In those first minutes each seed grows a sticky coat of gel, and the seeds cling together and sink; the second whisk breaks up the clumps and suspends them evenly.
  4. Chill: Divide the pudding among four jars, or cover the bowl, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, until thick and spoonable. The seeds keep drinking up liquid as they chill, so the pudding sets fully only after a few hours.
  5. Toast the hazelnuts: Toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking often, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the skins crack and the nuts smell toasty. Tip them into a kitchen towel and rub them together to loosen most of the papery skins, then chop them coarsely. Toasting browns the oils in the nuts, which deepens their flavor and makes them crisp.
  6. Top and serve: Stir the pudding, and loosen it with a splash of almond milk if it is thicker than you like. Top each serving with diced pear and hazelnuts just before eating, so the nuts stay crunchy and the pear stays bright.

Storage and leftovers

Covered, the pudding keeps for 4 days in the refrigerator, so one batch covers most of a work week. It keeps thickening for the first day; stir in a spoonful of almond milk to bring it back to a soft, spoonable texture.

Keep the toasted hazelnuts in a sealed jar at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, and dice the pear the morning you eat it, since cut pear browns within an hour. The pudding is best kept in the refrigerator, because freezing turns the yogurt grainy.

Variations

  • Apple and pecan: Top with diced crisp apple, skin on, and toasted pecans in place of the pear and hazelnuts.
  • Chai spice: Add 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom and a few grinds of black pepper to the spice blend for a warmth closer to chai.
  • Cocoa spice: Whisk 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder into the base with the spices for a pudding that tastes like a spiced hot cocoa.
  • Richer coconut: Use 1/2 cup canned coconut milk in place of 1/2 cup of the almond milk for a thicker, richer pudding.
  • Parfait: Layer the pudding in a glass with extra Greek yogurt and pomegranate seeds, finishing with the hazelnuts.

Notes and tips

  • Use a store-bought spice blend: A jar of pumpkin pie spice works when its label lists spices and nothing else. Use about 2 1/2 teaspoons in place of the five ground spices.
  • Read the almond milk label: Look for a carton that reads water, almonds, and salt, like Califia Farms Organic Unsweetened.
  • Taste before it chills: Cold mutes both sweetness and spice, so taste the base before adding the chia. If it tastes just right at room temperature, add a little more of the spices and allulose.
  • Make it smoother: For a texture closer to pie filling, blend the chilled pudding for 30 seconds. The seeds break up and the pudding turns velvety.
  • Use jars with lids: Half-pint jars hold one serving each and travel well, so breakfast goes to work with you.

Nutrition and mindful eating

  • Whole-milk Greek yogurt is the protein in this breakfast. It is strained until thick, which concentrates the protein, and its live cultures make it a fermented food.
  • Chia seeds carry soluble fiber, the same fiber that forms the gel you see in the jar, along with plant omega-3 fat. That gel slows how quickly the meal leaves your stomach, which keeps your blood sugar steady through the morning.
  • Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, and allspice bring so much warmth and depth that two tablespoons of allulose are enough to make the pudding taste like dessert.
  • Pear with its skin on brings fiber, and eaten with yogurt and hazelnuts, its natural sugar reaches your blood slowly.
  • As you eat, notice how a breakfast of protein, fat, and fiber carries you toward lunch: it should hold you a good 3 to 4 hours with steady energy, and pay attention to whether the warm spices satisfy the pull toward a pastry or a sweet coffee drink later in the morning.

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this Pumpkin Spice Chia Pudding? Start here, with the questions people ask most.

Does pumpkin spice mean there is pumpkin in it?

Pumpkin spice is the blend that seasons a pumpkin pie, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, and allspice, and that blend is the flavor most people are after. Pumpkin itself is a starchy vegetable, so RESET360 keeps it off the plate, and Greek yogurt gives this pudding the creamy body that pumpkin purée would.

Can I use regular yogurt in place of Greek?

Yes. Plain whole-milk yogurt is thinner, so add 1 more tablespoon of chia seeds to get the same set.

How long does it need to set?

At least 4 hours, and overnight is easiest. After an hour or two it is still loose, with the seeds suspended in liquid.

Can I eat it warm?

Yes. Warm a serving in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, just until it is warm through. Gentle heat keeps the yogurt smooth, while a simmer can make it separate.

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Tags: October Pick, Breakfast, American