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Chai chia pudding is a cozy and creamy treat infused with the warm spices of chai masala and cinnamon.

Made with no fat Greek yogurt, milk, chia seeds, and a touch of brown sugar, it offers a perfect blend of tangy, sweet, and spiced flavors along with a satisfying texture that’s both smooth and slightly crunchy from the chia seeds.

Recipe Info

This recipe is:

Spiced and comforting. The chai masala and cinnamon give the pudding warm, cozy flavors that are perfect for a soothing breakfast or snack.
Creamy yet light. Using no-fat Greek yogurt adds tangy creaminess without heaviness, balancing the thick texture chia seeds provide.
Easy to prepare ahead. It needs at least 3 hours in the fridge to set, making it ideal for meal prep or grab-and-go mornings.

Making chai chia pudding for the first time? Read the ingredients notes, step-by-step instructions, and tips. If you’re familiar with the recipe, feel free to jump to the recipe card.

Extra Learning

Before we jump in, here are a few handy resources to help you nail this recipe:

Chia pudding 101. Our go-to guide for swaps, toppings, troubleshooting, and everything in between.

Ingredients and Substitutes

No fat Greek yogurt. Adds creaminess and a thick texture with a mild tang. Plus extra protein.
Milk of choice. Thins the mixture to allow chia seeds to swell; any dairy or plant-based milk works.
Chai masala tea. That’s our main source of flavor.
Cinnamon. Provides additional warmth and spice enhancing the chai profile.
Pinch of salt. Enhances all the flavors subtly by balancing sweetness and spices.
Chia seeds. Absorb liquid to create the pudding’s gel-like texture. No chia pudding without chias.
Brown sugar. Brown sugar feels like the natural sweetener to use with chai masala, but any other sweetener will work okay, too.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Chai Chia Pudding

Heat the milk. Pour your milk into a small saucepan and warm it up until it’s nearly boiling. Once it’s hot, turn off the heat.
Steep the chai masala tea. Add the chai masala tea to the hot milk, whisk, and let it steep for 4 to 5 minutes, or as directed on the tea package. This step infuses the milk with those lovely spicy flavors.

Steeping the chai masala tea — Steep chai masala tea in hot milk for 4–5 minutes

Strain the tea. After steeping, strain the mixture to remove the tea leaves or spices, leaving you with a smooth, fragrant chai milk.
Top the milk. Top the chai-infused milk with regular milk to reach a total of 1/2 cup.

Straining the tea — Pour the mixture through a strainer

Strained mixture — Pour the mixture through a strainer

Add sweetness and spices. Stir the brown sugar, a pinch of salt, and ground cinnamon into the warm milk mixture. Mix well until everything is dissolved, then set it aside to cool.

Stir brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon into the mixture until dissolved

Mix in the yogurt. When the mixture has cooled to warm but not hot, stir in the Greek yogurt until fully combined. This adds creaminess and tanginess to the pudding.

Chai milk mixture in two jars — Cool the chai milk mixture

Adding the yogurt — Cool the chai milk mixture

Add the chia seeds. Sprinkle in the chia seeds and mix thoroughly to make sure they’re evenly distributed.
Let chia seeds soak. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, then stir it again to break up any clumps. Repeat this one more time after another 5 minutes if the seeds aren’t evenly dispersed.

Adding the chia seeds — Add chia seeds, stir, let sit for 5 minutes

Stirring in the chia seeds — Add chia seeds, stir, let sit for 5 minutes

Refrigerate. Cover the pudding and place it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours so it can thicken and develop that perfect pudding texture.
Serve and enjoy! Once chilled and set, give the pudding a good stir, top it with nuts, extra yogurt, or whatever you have on hand, and enjoy.

Creamy chai chia pudding for breakfast — Once chilled, stir the pudding and top with your favorite toppings!

Variations

Vegan

To make this chia pudding plant-based:

Replace no fat Greek yogurt with an equal amount of vegan yogurt (like coconut or almond-based, make sure it’s thick).
Use plant-based milk.

Thick and rich chai chia pudding topped with chocolate and yogurt

High Protein

To make this chia pudding high protein:

Mix a serving of vanilla protein powder (usually 30 grams) into the milk after steeping and topping up.
Halve the brown sugar quantity to balance sweetness.
Add an extra 1/2 tablespoon (6 g) chia seeds to maintain pudding thickness.

	Protein per serving (g)
Regular	16.1
Regular + protein powder	36.1

Tips

Adjust tea quantity and steep time to your liking. If you prefer a stronger chai flavor, increase the amount of chai masala tea or steep for an extra minute or two, but be careful not to over-steep to avoid bitterness.
Cool milk mixture before adding yogurt for better texture. Adding yogurt to hot milk can mess it up and cause separation. Let the mixture cool until just warm.

Storage

Store the chai chia pudding in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up 3 to 4 days.

Similar Recipes to Try

Looking for more? Check out the following recipes:

Into chai? You’ll love these Chai Overnight Oats.
Want more chia pudding recipes? Here’s the list of chia pudding recipes I published.