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Flaxseed Pudding

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Adriana has published hundreds of recipes online and is a Board Certified Nutritionist. Read our recipe development process or more about Adriana.

This easy flaxseed pudding recipe is a quickstart weekday breakfast that is meal-prep friendly! It’s incredibly speedy to put together, requires only 3 ingredients and it’s healthy. Flaxseeds provide substantial dietary fiber, plant-based omega 3’s, and lignans.

This great low-carb/keto breakfast recipe is easy to make and happens to be both vegan and gluten-free.

Flaxseed pudding topped with fruit for a healthy vegan breakfast!

(This post may contain affiliate links. That means I’ll get a small commission on any sales made through those links. Read our full disclosure.)

Flax Pudding Ingredients

If you’re a fan of chia pudding, you’re gonna be fast friends with this. Flaxseed pudding is very similar in texture but packs a nuttier flavor profile! In addition, flaxseeds are far less expensive than chia seeds (at least where I live).

Flaxseeds: For this recipe, you’ll need ground flaxseeds (also called flaxmeal). They are sold in the bulk bin or the specialty flour section at most grocery stores.

Milk: Any non-dairy (or even dairy milk) works in this recipe. I prefer full-fat coconut milk for a very creamy pudding but you can use any milk.

Sweetener: A liquid sweetener works best as it will mix into the pudding. Maple syrup, honey, agave, or simple syrup are all great. You can use mashed banana or applesauce to keep things on the healthier side. Even cane or granulated sugar will work but the pudding may have some grittiness.

Related Recipes: Flaxseed Smoothies | Flaxseed Oatmeal | Blackberry Flaxseed Jam

Flaxseeds in a measuring cup to make flax pudding.

Flaxseeds v. Flaxmeal

I want to answer the most common question I get about this recipe… flaxseeds, flax meal, ground flax- what’s the difference? Should I buy whole flaxseeds or a flaxseed meal?

Flaxseeds: the whole seed, these are commonly found in two varieties: brown flax seeds and golden flaxseeds. Both work interchangeably in this recipe. Gold flaxseeds are more mellow in flavor, so I usually opt for those.

Flax meal: this is simply a convenient option for you to buy pre-ground flaxseeds. The seeds have been milled and are no longer whole. I recommend storing flaxseed meal in the refrigerator. It’s painfully simple to save money by making your flaxseed meal at home!

Ground flax: another name for flaxseed meal!

Homemade flaxmeal from whole flaxseeds.

How to make your own Flaxseed meal

We usually purchase whole flax seeds in the bulk bins and make our own flax meal at home. All you need is a blender, food processor, or even a coffee grinder! It’s easy and saves you money!

Simply add flaxseeds into your blender or food processor and let it run for about 15 seconds! Use a spatula to scrape the sides down a bit to be sure all the flaxseeds are breaking down.

Depending on the quantity you process, you may need to scrape the sides of the blender several times, scraping every 10 seconds or so and checking to see if any whole seeds remain.

You might need to blend at least 1 cup of flaxseeds to get the seeds moving through your blender blade.

Put whole flaxseeds into a blender to make your own flaxmeal!

We prefer using flaxseed meal over whole flaxseeds in flaxseed recipes for several reasons:

  • Flaxseed meal has stronger gelling properties than whole flaxseeds! Flax meal is a more powerful thickener.
  • If the flaxseeds are ground into flax meal, it’s easier for your digestive system to process and absorb the nutrients from the flaxseeds. Whole seeds just pass right through!

Toppings For Flaxseed Pudding

Once you have your basic flaxseed pudding down you can add flavor and nutrition by stirring in additional ingredients and topping your pudding with other foods.

Stir in: yogurt, peanut butter, almond butter, or tahini. Or swirl in fruit jams, mashed fresh or frozen fruit, vanilla or almond extract, lemon, orange, or lime zest. Or protein powder for a protein boost!

Top with: Granola, chopped nuts or seeds, shredded coconut, puffed quinoa, chopped fresh or frozen fruit, drizzle with coconut butter, or sprinkle with cinnamon.

Flaxseed Pudding Variations

Flax pudding is easy to switch up with different variations based on the season, your dietary goals, allergies, or even simply what you’re craving at the moment!

Give any of these flaxseed pudding variations a try:

Chocolate Flaxseed Pudding: Add 1 tablespoon of sifted cocoa powder to the pudding and 1 teaspoon of vanilla or almond extract. You can stir in some chocolate chips or mini-chips as well if you’d like.

Tropical Flax Pudding: Use coconut milk and top with chopped mango or pineapple and finely chopped macadamia nuts or shredded coconut. Delicious!

Blueberry Pie Pudding: Sweeten with blueberry jam then top with fresh blueberries and finely chopped pecans.

High Protein Flax Pudding: Add 1 scoop of your favorite protein powder and an additional 2 tablespoons of milk. Stir in 2 tablespoons of peanut butter for added protein and to help prevent a chalky texture from protein powder.

Chunky Monkey Pudding: Use mashed banana as the sweetener and stir in 2 tablespoons of drippy peanut or almond butter. Top with chopped peanuts and chocolate chips!

Flaxseed Pudding Storage & Meal Prep

Similar to chia pudding, flaxseed pudding is so popular because it is meal-prep friendly! You can spend 15 minutes and make enough flaxseed pudding to last the week =]

To meal prep this for breakfast we recommend making the base pudding of flax meal, milk, and sweetener inside of individual containers with room to add toppings. This way you can eat the pudding in the same bowl it set in and you have room to add the fixings.

Flaxseed pudding will last about 5 days in the fridge and you can even freeze it! It’s easiest if you freeze it in single-serving portions and remove it as needed.

Flaxseed Pudding FAQs

  1. Are flaxseeds and flaxseed meal the same thing? Flaxseed meal is the result of processing or milling whole flaxseeds into a meal or coarse flour. Flaxseed meal needs to be stored in the refrigerator to retain maximum freshness and nutritional value. Flaxseed meal is easy to make at home with a food processor or blender and has a variety of uses in the kitchen.
  2. Can you freeze flaxseed pudding? YES! Flaxseed pudding freezes well. It’s best if left to defrost in the fridge overnight and we recommend freezing it in single-serve portions.
  3. What do flaxseeds taste like? Flaxseeds have a nutty, slightly bitter flavor that is stronger than oats but milder than chia seeds. Golden flaxseeds have a less pronounced flavor than brown flaxseeds.
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flaxseed pudding for breakfast

Damn Tasty Flaxseed Pudding

★★★★★ 4.7 from 19 reviews
  • Author: Adriana
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Total Time: 10
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
  • Category: Recipe
  • Method: Cold Prep
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

Flaxseed pudding is an easy-to-prepare healthy breakfast option for those busy mornings when you’re trying to get yourself fed and out the door. It’s great for meal prep and easy to customize!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup ground flaxseeds (aka flax meal)
  • 1 cup milk (any dairy or non-dairy milk!)
  • Sweetener of choice, 1-2 tablespoons
    • (maple syrup, honey, mashed banana, applesauce, sugar, etc)
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Combine the ground flaxseeds and milk in a bowl.
  2. Add a pinch of salt and your sweetener of choice and stir to combine. Let sit for 3-5 minutes then stir once more to be sure all the seeds are incorporated with the milk and there aren’t any dry patches.
  3. Cover and store in the fridge to thicken for at least 30-60 minutes or preferably overnight.
  4. Top with all your favorites and enjoy!

Notes

Top this with yogurt, granola, fresh fruit, and chopped nuts for winning health & flavor combinations! I love vegan vanilla yogurt with chopped strawberries, bananas, and hazelnuts! Or blueberry + chocolate chip for a classic combo or mango & pineapple with macadamia nuts for a tropical summer twist!

I prefer to use coconut milk in this recipe as it has a high-fat content and results in an ultra-creamy pudding!

If you only have whole flaxseeds, you can grind them up in your blender. You’ll probably need to add at least 1 cup of flaxseeds for the blender blade to catch and grind them up.  Alternatively, you could blend whole flaxseeds + all other ingredients in a blender for 30-60 seconds, then portion and refrigerate until set.

You can adjust the final texture of this recipe by altering the amount of liquid. Want this in a thinner, more porridge-like consistency or ultra thick and hearty? You can make that happen. Add more liquid for a thinner consistency or less to thicken things up! 

For meal prep, you can also portion this out into individual containers before you let it set.

Keywords: Flaxseed Pudding

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  1. Reggie

    07/30/2019 at 8:32 pm

    This is making me so hungry for breakfast!! That’s pretty cool you have a price comparison as well.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Adriana

      08/03/2019 at 4:53 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply
  2. Marylynn Bernard

    08/04/2019 at 2:58 am

    I tried your flaxseed pudding recipe and was very pleased with results. I toped mine with strawberries and it was super yummy. I was surprised there was so much protein in the pudding an added plus. = )

    Reply
    • Adriana

      08/17/2019 at 10:31 am

      Glad you liked it Marylynn!

      Reply
  3. Judi Baine

    11/16/2019 at 4:01 pm

    Do you ever combine flax seeds and chia seed for a pudding? If so what are the measurements? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Adriana

      11/17/2019 at 6:26 pm

      Hi Judi– Yes, thanks for asking so others can see! Chia seeds have a stronger gelling ability, so if you stick with a 1:2 ratio seeds to liquid the pudding will be quite thick. If you do 1/2 cup flax and 1/2 cup chia I would use 2.5 cups milk. Also when using chia seeds we usually do not grind them, we use them whole! Grinding flax or chia increases their gelling powers, as whole chia seeds already thicken things up a LOT we usually don’t bother!

      Reply
  4. Jenna

    01/25/2020 at 6:13 am

    I tried this and it was great! How long does it stay in the fridge though?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Adriana

      01/25/2020 at 8:20 am

      Thank for the review Jenna! I appreciate the feedback.

      I sometimes make a big batch of this on a Sunday and have it for breakfast during the week—- so 4/5 days in the fridge has been no problem for me!

      Reply
  5. Larissa Gonsalves

    02/01/2020 at 10:15 am

    Before I try this out , I’d like to know if I cld use yoghurt or kefir with flaxseed & chia instead of milk?

    Reply
    • Adriana

      02/01/2020 at 12:49 pm

      Hi Larissa–

      Yes, absolutely. I usually use flax and milk/water THEN add in yogurt to have multiple textures at play. Kefir would be a fantastic substitution as it has a thinner, more liquid consistency. I would mix the kefir + flaxmeal and let it sit in the fridge for 20-30 minutes, then if the consistency is too thick thin it with a touch of kefir/ too thin add another tablespoon of flaxmeal until you find your perfect ratio. LOVE the kefir idea– please report back and let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  6. Virginia

    02/16/2020 at 9:18 am

    I am going to give this a try this week. Thank you for this post I’ve been looking for low carb alternative to oatmeal which messes my stomach up.

    Reply
    • Adriana

      02/17/2020 at 4:05 pm

      Virginia, this flaxseed pudding is great. Some readers have told me they have warmed this and eaten it that way. However, if you’re specifically looking for hot ‘oatmeal’ try this: Flaxseed oatmeal We made this recipe as part of our flaxseed series- it’s also low carb!

      Reply
  7. Jae

    02/17/2020 at 6:50 pm

    Wonderful evening snack! (added cocoa powder, vanilla and a sprinkle of nutmeg- delish! )

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. Becca Fitzpatrick

    02/18/2020 at 10:05 am

    I make this for my husband and me several times a week. Usually for breakfast, b with monkfruit and melted lilys chocolate chips, this is the PERFECT fix when we need something sweet at night!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  9. Alycia

    02/18/2020 at 7:11 pm

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  10. Tanya

    02/28/2020 at 12:46 am

    Used 1/2 chia seeds and 1/2 flax seeds in this with some yogurt and almond butter. Can you freeze it? I want to make them for the week but just freeze them.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Jen D

      07/11/2021 at 11:29 pm

      This is a fantastic recipe! The post is very informative too as I am a noob to vegan recipes. Thank you!
      My grandmother always had chocolate pudding in fridge when I was growing up and I miss it so much. I tweaked this a bit to make it a thick creamy chocolate pudding and it is not disappointing! I added 2 TB of the cocoa powder, 1 TB of honey, two avocados, and a little extra soy milk. Thick and chocolatey. It is making me very happy!
      I will definitely be trying this recipe with other variations.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  11. Kayley

    02/28/2020 at 1:32 am

    Used almond milk and cinnamon + vanilla extract. Thanks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  12. Maria

    03/10/2020 at 11:46 am

    I made this with full fat coconut milk and topped it with pomegranate seeds and it was really really wonderful. I loved the consistency. Thank you for the idea, I found your recipe while looking for a way to use up some leftover flax seeds.

    Reply
    • Adriana

      03/10/2020 at 8:37 pm

      Thanks for letting me know, Maria!

      Girl—- that coconut + pomegranate combo sounds stunning.

      Reply
  13. Brandi

    03/10/2020 at 8:11 pm

    I’ve made this a few times and let it thicken in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. The texture is really nice! Chia pudding to me can be really weird and gooey- this was way, way better!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  14. Mallory

    03/20/2020 at 5:10 am

    Used nuts on top for texture and stirred in some fruit jam. 5 stars

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  15. Anonymous

    03/28/2020 at 12:19 am

    I just had it as breakfast for every day this week at work (with teaspoon of nut butter) just perfect start of the day! Thanks for a great recipe! Lots of love from Czechia ??

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  16. Monica

    04/11/2020 at 11:23 am

    I had a bag of flaxseeds in the fridge that I only ever use to make a flax egg for baking. Well now, I’m going to be making this 🙂 This is a really flexible and fast breakfast.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  17. Lisa Mishaga

    05/07/2020 at 3:03 pm

    I made both chia seed pudding and flaxseed pudding but the flaxseed one didn’t gel. I used honey as a sweetener.. Do you think it could be because I used coconut milk?

    Reply
    • Adriana

      05/07/2020 at 3:15 pm

      Interesting, I’ve never had this happen! Ground flaxseeds have stronger gelling properties than whole flaxseeds. Your flaxseed pudding isn’t ruined!!! Try stirring in another few tablespoons of flaxseed meal and popping it in the fridge for an additional 1-2 hours 🙂

      What was your ratio of flaxseeds to coconut milk? Were they ground flax or whole flax?

      Reply
    • Gerry

      08/23/2020 at 1:19 pm

      Can this be warmed or maybe warm it while making? In the morning I like hot breakfasts but don’t know it would mess up the consistency.

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Adriana

        08/23/2020 at 1:27 pm

        Hey Gerry–

        I think this would heat up just fine… The only issue I foresee is it thickening too much, so maybe add a skosh extra liquid 🙂 Or take a looksie at flaxseed oatmeal which is intended to be a hot breakfast!

        Cheers,
        Adriana

        Reply
  18. Drew

    07/24/2020 at 4:21 pm

    How can I hide the extremely strong plant flavor in this recipe? I used 1 cup of cacao powder, 2 tsp vanilla extract, almost a cup of honey when making it and the plant flavor was extremely overbearing. After letting it set I added several tablespoons of homemade chia jam and peanut butter to it, but the plant flavor was so overbearing I couldn’t even taste the chocolate, jam, or peanut butter.

    ★

    Reply
    • Adriana

      07/26/2020 at 6:55 pm

      Hi Drew!

      Hmmm, what amount of flaxseeds did you use? Flaxseeds can indeed have a green or vegetal taste, but a small amount of sweetener of cocoa powder usually does the trick! Golden flaxseeds have a slightly more mild flavor than the brown variety, that may help. Depending on the size batch you made, 1 cup of cacao powder might be too much– it can leave a very bitter aftertaste!

      Last resort, I’d say try adding a fruit puree as the natural fruit flavors and sugars will help mask any bitter or ‘plant’ taste!

      Reply
  19. Natalie

    08/01/2020 at 2:37 am

    I finally found a healthier treat that subsides my ice cream cravings! I cut the recipe in half, used unsweetened almond milk, 2 dates, and 1/2 tsp vanilla. This was SO good I texted a friend to pass on the recipe. My teenage son also loved it! I can’t wait to try out different flavors. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Adriana

      08/01/2020 at 12:32 pm

      Happy to hear this Natalie! Thanks for leaving us a review!

      Reply
  20. Lydia

    11/08/2020 at 4:06 pm

    Love this for a low carb breakfast!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  21. Adriana

    05/18/2021 at 12:11 pm

    Yes indeed! It will have a thicker consistency most likely.

    Reply
  22. Adriana

    05/18/2021 at 12:31 pm

    Hey Jasmin!
    It’s an estimate with a nutrition tool but I’ll take another glance. Thanks!

    Reply
  23. Adriana

    05/18/2021 at 12:41 pm

    Hey Melanie, 1 cup whole flax is actually more than 1 cup when ground. Depending on the flax you have and how you grid it (blender/bullet/fp etc) it may end up more like 1 cup whole seeds = 1.5 cups ground!

    Reply
  24. Bethany

    03/01/2022 at 1:08 am

    I made this and it’s really surprisingly delicious. However, I’m wondering if you calculated the number of tablespoons in a cup of flax seeds correctly. There are 16 tablespoons in a cup, so this recipe uses 4 tablespoons of flax seed per serving. The flax seeds I use contain 45 calories per tablespoon, so just the flax seeds alone would have 180 calories. Using oat milk, 2T of cocoa powder, and flax (no sweetener except stevia), my pudding ended up with 9.5g protein, 9g fiber, and 235 calories per serving–which I consider a great nutritional profile regardless!

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Bethany

      03/01/2022 at 1:23 am

      I just read your reply to Adriana about 1 cup whole seeds equaling 1.5 cups ground. I should’ve read more carefully! I think this would probably explain the difference in nutritional profiles between mine and yours, since I used whole seeds too. Sorry about that! I’ll adjust accordingly if I make this again.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  25. Morgan Janse van Rensburg

    04/07/2022 at 5:07 am

    It was really nice, I, however, did one cup of soy milk and one cup of strawberry juice, then a sweetener isn’t needed

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  26. Jamie

    11/16/2022 at 6:03 pm

    I love LOVE easy – delicious, meals, and this stuff here falls right into both categories. I served mine (to myself) with a few dollops of homemade whip cream, and some perfectly plump blueberries….it was reeeealy good! Cant wait to try it with some yogurt and experiment with different toppings. Thanks so much for not keeping this recipe a secret!😘😘😘

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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