Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Pudding

Name: Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Pudding
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 265 min
Ingredients: 1 cup strawberries (roughly chopped); 1 cup rhubarb (diced small); 1 tbsp honey (add a second tablespoon if your rhubarb is really tart); 1 can full-fat coconut milk (well shaken); ⅓ cup chia seeds; 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup ((optional)); 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract); 2 scoops collagen peptides or vanilla protein powder ((optional)); ½ cup fresh strawberries (diced small)

Strawberry rhubarb is one of my favorite flavor combinations, but rhubarb is only in season for a few months starting in April. So if you can get your hands on a couple of fresh stalks, this strawberry rhubarb chia pudding is what to make (frozen rhubarb works too!)

It’s a coconut milk chia seed pudding layered with a homemade strawberry rhubarb jam made from just fruit and a little honey. No refined sugar and maybe 10 minutes of actual effort. It meal preps into jars for the week.

If you’re already a chia seed pudding person, you have to try this strawberry rhubarb version.

Strawberry rhubarb chia pudding close up showing the jam swirl through the glass

Why You’ll Love It

High fiber and full of healthy fats. 7 grams of fiber plus coconut fats and omega-3s from the chia seeds. The kind of breakfast where you don’t think about food again until lunch.
Refined sugar-free. The strawberry rhubarb jam is just fruit cooked down with a touch of honey. That’s it.
Naturally gluten and dairy-free. No swaps or workarounds needed.
Meal prep friendly. A couple of minutes of effort, divide into jars, and you’ve got a high-protein, high-fiber breakfast ready to grab every morning of the week.
Takes advantage of seasonal produce. Rhubarb is only around for a few months starting in April, so this is the move when you spot it. Frozen works the rest of the year.

If you’re into chia pudding, you have to try my Matcha Chia Seed Pudding. It has 36g of protein and comes in under 308 calories.

Key Ingredients

Strawberries. Fresh or frozen both work. They’re super sweet and full of vitamin C, which makes them the best contrast to sour rhubarb.
Rhubarb. Fresh or frozen. This is what gives you that strawberry rhubarb flavor you can’t really get any other way. Nutritionally, rhubarb is super underrated. It’s really low-calorie, has a decent amount of vitamin K and calcium, and brings its own fiber on top of what the chia seeds are already doing.
Chia seeds. These are where most of the fiber comes from, 7 grams per serving, plus omega-3 fats. They also thicken the whole thing into that pudding texture without any thickener or cooking.
Full-fat coconut milk. The canned kind, not the carton. This is what makes it creamy and satisfying. Plus, it has tons of healthy fats, MCTs, and potassium and magnesium.
Collagen peptides or vanilla protein powder (optional). If protein is one of your goals, a couple of scoops of collagen powder or protein powder gets you to 20 grams per serving. It dissolves right into the pudding base and you don’t really taste it.

How to Make It

This strawberry rhubarb chia pudding really couldn’t be much easier. You’re basically just combining a coconut chia seed pudding with a super simple, refined sugar free homemade strawberry rhubarb jam.

Homemade strawberry rhubarb jam cooked down in a saucepan

Make the jam
Add your strawberries and rhubarb to a small saucepan with a little honey and cook it down until it’s thick and jammy. Should take about 10 minutes. Let it cool while you make the pudding.

Coconut chia seed pudding set and thickened in a bowl

Make the chia pudding
Combine your chia seeds, coconut milk, vanilla, and any optional add-ins like collagen peptides or protein powder. Give it a good whisk, let it sit for 5 minutes, then whisk once more to break up clumps. Into the fridge for at least 4 hours after that.

Strawberry chia pudding recipe served in two glasses with yogurt and fresh strawberries

Assemble your jars
Thin layer of jam at the bottom, then chia seed pudding until the jar is about half full. Another layer of jam, more pudding, then top with a little extra spoonful of jam and some diced fresh strawberries.

If you like grab-and-go breakfasts like this one, my Almond Croissant Overnight Oats are another one I keep coming back to. Plus, they have 40g of protein per serving.

Victoria’s Tips

Here are some of my tips for the absolute best strawberry rhubarb chia seed pudding.

How to prevent clumps. It might feel like an unnecessary extra step, but wait 5 minutes after you first combine your chia pudding, then give it another good mix. Chia seeds clump together in the first few minutes, and if you skip this you end up with that clumpy mush at the bottom of the jar where the seeds didn’t fully absorb.
Making it thicker or thinner. If you want a thicker, more dense pudding, add an extra tablespoon or two of chia seeds. If you want it thinner and more drinkable, add a splash more coconut milk. The recipe as written gives you a solid pudding consistency, but it’s easy to adjust to whatever texture you like.
Adjust the sweetness. You can add honey or maple syrup to the jam, the chia pudding, or both, whatever gets it where you want it. If you’d rather skip the sweetener entirely, that works too. The strawberry rhubarb jam has a nice sweet tart balance on its own even without the honey.

Ingredient Substitutions

Need to swap something? Here’s what works:

Coconut milk. Oat milk, almond milk, any plant-based milk works here. The pudding won’t be as thick or creamy as it is with full-fat coconut milk, but it’ll still set. You can also use greek yogurt thinned out with a little water, which bumps the protein up too.
Rhubarb. If you can’t find it fresh or frozen, tart green apple is probably the closest swap. You lose that strawberry rhubarb flavor, but the sweet-tart balance in the jam still works. Cranberries are another option.
Strawberries. Raspberries are the easiest swap and they’re great with rhubarb. Blueberries, blackberries, and peaches all cook down into a jam the same way. Raspberry rhubarb and peach rhubarb are both worth trying.
Honey. Maple syrup, 1:1 swap, keeps it vegan. Agave works too. Or just skip it if you like it tart.

Love the strawberries? My Strawberry Glaze High-Protein Overnight Oats are inspired by the Hailey Bieber Erewhon smoothie.

Chia pudding with strawberry rhubarb jam in a glass topped with diced strawberries

Storage & Meal Prep

These strawberry rhubarb chia pudding cups could not be easier to meal prep. Make the jam and the chia pudding on a Sunday, assemble your jars, and you’ve got breakfast for the next 4 days. Just grab one from the fridge and go.

FAQ

How long does chia seed pudding need to set?

At least 4 hours in the fridge, but overnight is best. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s thick and the chia seeds have fully absorbed the liquid. If it’s still looking liquidy after 4 hours, give it a stir and let it go a bit longer.

When is rhubarb in season?

Roughly April through June, depending on where you live. It’s a short window. If you see it at the store, grab extra and freeze it. Frozen rhubarb works just as well in the jam, no need to thaw, just add a couple extra minutes of cook time.

Can I use light coconut milk instead of full-fat?

Definitely. It’ll still set, it just won’t be as thick or creamy as it is with full-fat. Full-fat gives you that dense, rich texture and the coconut fat that keeps you satisfied all morning. If light is what you have though, it works. You can also use oat milk, almond milk, any plant-based milk. If it comes out thinner than you want, add an extra tablespoon of chia seeds next time.