Mango Chia Pudding With Greek Yogurt

Nutrition Snapshot

  • About 21 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber in one jar, from Greek yogurt and chia, made the night before in five minutes.
  • The yogurt brings about 384 milligrams of calcium, and the chia brings the plant omega-3 fat ALA and the soluble fiber that thickens the pudding and slows the sugar in the mango.
  • The trade-off: mango is one of the sweeter fruits, about 20 grams of natural sugar a jar here, counting the milk sugar in the yogurt. The card shows the figures, and the notes show a lower-sugar version.

Greek yogurt, milk, chia seeds, and vanilla stirred together in a bowl for one minute and divided among four jars. They go into the refrigerator, and by morning the chia has swollen and set the yogurt into a thick pudding.

A handful of frozen mango goes on top of each jar as it leaves the house; it thaws on the drive and is cold and soft by the time the jar is opened.

Why This Pudding Is Great for a Breakfast That Has to Happen at Seven

The breakfast that gets eaten on a work morning is the one that was made the night before. Anything that needs a pan, a toaster, or a decision at 6:45 loses to the granola bar in the glove box, or to nothing. The cost shows up at ten, as hunger, a short temper, and a vending machine.

A jar that was filled the night before asks nothing of the morning. It is picked up on the way out and eaten at a desk. It carries about 21 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber, the two things that hold blood sugar and appetite steady until lunch, and the granola bar carries neither.

Four Jars on Sunday Night

Making four at once turns a nightly chore into a weekly one. The jars keep four days, so Sunday night covers Monday through Thursday, and the frozen mango waits in the freezer. Which other breakfasts and lunches can be made ahead without losing their nutrition is in Freezer Cooking That Keeps the Nutrition.

Why Chia and Yogurt, and Why Not Cereal

A bowl of cereal with milk carries 6 or 8 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber. Its carbohydrate is mostly refined starch, which digests fast and leaves blood sugar high at eight and low at ten. This jar carries three times the protein and four times the fiber, and its carbohydrate comes from fruit and milk, paired with protein and fiber that slow it down.

The chia does more than thicken. Its soluble fiber forms a gel in the stomach that slows the release of the mango’s sugar, which is why a fruit this sweet can sit in a blood-sugar-friendly breakfast. How pairing works at any meal, and in what order to eat, is in The Blood-Sugar-Friendly Plate: Pairing, Order, and Portion.

Four Jars, Four Mornings

Pint jars with screw lids travel without leaking and hold a spoon. Frozen mango goes on in the morning rather than the night before, so it stays in pieces instead of bleeding into the pudding; frozen berries, peaches, or pineapple work the same way. For a colder, thicker jar, a spoon of the frozen fruit stirred in the night before sets it harder.

A jar of Greek yogurt chia pudding topped with mango in a pint glass jar.

Mango Chia Pudding With Greek Yogurt

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Greek yogurt, milk, chia seeds, and vanilla stirred together and set overnight in four jars, topped with frozen mango on the way out the door. Five minutes on Sunday night for four grab-and-go breakfasts with about 21 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber each, no added sugar.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings: 4 jar (about 1 1/4 cups)
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 291
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt (2 percent or nonfat)
  • 1 cup 2 percent milk
  • 1/2 cup chia seeds
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • a pinch of salt
  • 2 cups frozen mango chunks
  • lime zest (optional)

Equipment

  • Four pint jars with lids
  • Mixing bowl and whisk

Method
 

  1. Whisk the yogurt, milk, chia seeds, vanilla, and salt together in a bowl until no clumps of chia remain, about 1 minute.
  2. Divide among four pint jars, about 1 cup each. Screw on the lids and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight; the chia swells and sets the pudding thick. Stir once after 30 minutes if you are still up, to keep the chia from sinking.
  3. In the morning, top each jar with 1/2 cup frozen mango and a little lime zest. The mango thaws in about 30 minutes at room temperature, or eat it still frosty.
  4. Keeps 4 days in the refrigerator without the fruit; add the mango the morning it is eaten.

Nutrition

Calories: 291kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 21gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3.4gSodium: 114mgPotassium: 522mgFiber: 8.2gSugar: 20gCalcium: 384mgIron: 1.8mgMagnesium: 99mgPhosphorus: 449mgCholine: 39mg

Notes

Lower-sugar version: use 1/4 cup mango a jar with 1/4 cup frozen berries, which cuts the sugar by about a third. Dairy-free: a thick plant yogurt and soy milk keep most of the protein; almond or oat milk drop it by about 5 grams a jar. For more protein, whisk 2 tablespoons of unflavored protein powder into the yogurt, about 5 grams a jar more. Frozen peaches, pineapple, or berries work in place of mango. If the pudding is too thick in the morning, stir in a splash of milk.

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Gluten Free

Greek yogurt, milk, chia seeds, mango, and vanilla are naturally free of gluten, and this pudding has no grain in it. For people with celiac disease, check the chia seeds for a gluten-free label, since some are packed on lines shared with wheat, and the vanilla extract for the same. People who avoid gluten by preference can use any brand.

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