The Best Chia Seed Recipes

They may be small, but seeds are nutritional powerhouses. This week we’re putting the ingredient spotlight on chia seeds and looking up the best chia seed recipes from our books for you!

Keep It Real by Calgary Avansino taught us: Chia seeds are tiny grey, white or black balls. Packed into their small form is a powerful combination of nutrients, including fibre, healthy fats and calcium. They are a particularly valuable addition to a plant-based diet because they are a very rich source of protein and amino acids. Amino acids are protein’s building blocks. Our body is able to produce 13 of the 22 amino acids that make up the proteins we need; it is the remaining nine, known as ‘essential amino acids’ that we have to find through what we eat. Along with animal proteins, these essential amino acids can be found in a long list of fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and legumes. Few contain all nine but as long as you are eating a broad variety of plants as part of your diet, you don’t need to be worrying about missing out on protein. Not only do chia seeds contain the nine essential amino acids we need to obtain from our food, but in fact they contain a total of 18 of the 22 amino acids. They are also full of anti-toxidants and are naturally gluten-free.

It’s very easy to scatter chia seeds on top of porridge or yoghurt and fruit bowls, but Calgary and Ella also give us many more creative ways of using chia as an ingredient in baking and breakfasts. Here’s some of the best:

Calgary’s Top Three Chia Seed Puddings

Deliciously Ella’s Chocolate Ganache Cake

Deliciously Ella’s Superfood Bread

Share your favourite chia seed recipe with the hashtag #BestChiaRecipe and @yellowkitebooks!