Butterfly Pea Flower Chia Pudding

Recipe from Tabitha Kent, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Facts About the Butterfly Pea Flower:

Common throughout South East Asian countries, the Butterfly Pea flower is often served in tea, called nam dok anchan in Thai. It is brewed with lemon and honey and served as a refresher at cafés, hotels and spas. The Butterfly Pea flower is famous throughout Asia and used in a variety of beverages though because of one distinctive characteristic. It changes color when the pH balance changes. What begins as a deep blue hue will turn deeper shades of purple the more lemon juice is added. When mixed with fuchsia roselle hibiscus leaves, a robust red color results.

Butterfly Pea Flower Chia Pudding Recipe:

This is easiest when made in a quart jar. 

Ingredients

3/4 cup white or black chia seeds
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup dried butterfly pea flowers
2 Tbsp honey or maple syrup 
1 tsp vanilla extract 
1/2 cup almond milk 
1 1/2 cup coconut milk 
Fresh fruit topping optional 

Instructions

In a quart jar, combine flowers and boiling water. Let sit for 10-15 min. 
Strain flowers. 
To the water, add sweetener and vanilla, then stir. 
Add remaining ingredients and stir well to make sure the chia seeds don’t clump together or stick to the bottom of the jar. 

Top with fresh mango, fresh/frozen blueberries, bananas, or eat as is. 

Variations:

If you don’t have butterfly pea flowers, just follow the recipe, omitting the flowers and use lukewarm water instead of boiling water. You can add cinnamon for flavor. Top with granola. More or less honey to taste. 
More milk/water for runnier, drinkable texture, less milk for a scoop-able texture. Use orange juice instead of water to create an “orange creamsicle” flavor. 

Download the recipe

Cultivating Cooks – Butterfly Pea Flower Chia Pudding Recipe V2

The featured images are courtesy of Pahtyana Moore and used with her kind permission for Cultivating and The Cultivating Project. 

Pahtyana Moore

Pahtyana Moore is a wife, mama to 2 ninja princesses, a writer, dancer and international speaker whose passion is in spiritual formation, cross-cultural ministry, the creative arts and leadership development. She and her family called Kenya home for over 5 years, where they equipped and launched rural pastors and ministry leaders in discipleship. They are now neck-deep in the messy and exciting business of reestablishing home in northern Thailand. To follow their adventures, you can find them here. To read more of her writing click here.