Excuse me, but I must ask you what you are drinking? I’ve never seen anything like it before!
Those are the kinds of questions a girl gets asked when she’s toting this drink to a spin class. You get stares, sideways looks, and nervous smiles. The people out there are curious and they need to know that you aren’t drinking little black bugs. They need to be able to sleep at night. For goodness sake, tell them what you are drinking so they can get back to their workout!
So I tell them with a big smile, Chia bugs. Then there’s an awkward pause and even more confusion.
Ok, ok, it’s actually a healthy beverage called Chia Fresca which has been a popular drink in Mexico and Central America for many years. I’m sure many of you have heard of it before or even made it yourself. It’s made up of water, chia seeds, lemon or lime juice, and sweetener.
When chia seeds are soaked in water a gelatinous coating forms around the seed very similar to a tomato seed. This makes it very easy to swallow so the seeds don’t get stuck in your throat. Chia Fresca probably isn’t for people with texture issues (cough, cough husband), but I’ll leave that up to your discretion. I recently brought it back into my life to get a boost of Omega-3 fatty acids in my diet. It’s so much more fun than drinking plain water! Plus, it’s a total conversation starter much like bringing a Green Monster into the work place. I know you’ve been there. Well, why not bring Chia Fresca and show them just how crazy you can really be?
Here’s a quick refresher on chia seeds:
- Chia seeds are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, even more so than flax seed
- Chia seeds do not need to be ground to be absorbed by the body and they can be stored for long periods of time without going rancid
- They help with hydration due to their ability to absorb up to 9-10 times their weight in water
- Chia seeds also contain fibre, protein, calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc among many other nutrients
- Chia seeds like to get stuck in your teeth. You were warned.
Chia Fresca is said to boost energy levels too. I’m not really sure if it boosts my energy or not, but I sure feel happy and hydrated when I drink it. When I have some on hand, I like to pair it with coconut water for a natural potassium boost after a tough workout, but water is just fine too.
Edited to add: Some of you were asking me about the thickness of this drink so I thought I would add a few words on this. I wouldn’t say it has a smoothie-like texture, but it’s more like a water consistency just with a whole slew of gel-y seeds in it. Does that make any sense? You just have to try it for yourself. My guess is you will either love it or hate it.
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Chia Fresca
Yield
2 cups
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
Ingredients
- 2 cups water or coconut water
- 1.5 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice, or to taste
- Sweetener, to taste (I like 1/2 tbsp maple syrup)
Directions
- Add chia and water into a jar or glass and stir very well to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow the chia seeds to swell up. I like to use a jar with a lid so I can shake it up really well and break up the clumps of chia.
- Add lime or lemon juice and sweetener to taste. Stir (or shake) well to combine and enjoy!
Tip:
Chia seeds will sink and collect at the bottom of the glass quickly. Give it a good stir as needed.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Wishing you a very happy (and hydrated) weekend!!
I love this drink! I’ve started adding fresh ginger, about 1 tsp, and it makes it so that there’s no need to add the sweetener! Definitely nice having a straight foreword and easy way to eat chia (and all the nutrients that come with it).
Wahla! Finally a drink that helps me to like coconut water. Your drink looked awesome, so I tried it right away. Used the 2 cups c.w. and 1 and a half chia seeds then a whole juiced lemon and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Threw it in the freezer for ten minutes and drank it down, after shaking each time before a couple of big sips. Excellent!
Thank you again for another brilliant idea. Texture issues I have. But I can drink this. I haven’t tried it with water yet but love it with coconut water and the lime. Really refreshing ans a great start to my day. Thank you Angela :) May the sun always shine down on you.
hi angela, love your site, its been my homepage for months now, but from today, for the next 10 days im only gonna eat recipes from your site. Good luck to meeee!!
Hi! greeting from Mexico!
Gotta say Chia is very popular here in Mexico, but here we mix it with “flor de jamaica” (hibiscus in english, I think so :P).
The only thing you gotta do is get dried hibiscus flower, wash it and pour it in water and bring it to a boil. After that you are going to get hibiscus concentrate. Add water and sweetener to taste(but no to much) because you are going to mix it with you Chia Fresca.
“flor de jamaica” is well known for its diuretic effects and is always present in Mexican diets.
This looks fantastic, I add Chia to everything and make Chia gel but had never thought of using less seeds and making it a drink. Off to the kitchen right now.
Do you have any suggestions on where to get chia seeds for a reasonable price? I’m a student so as you can imagine I have a tight budget. Thanks!
I found a decent amount this weekend at Trader Joe’s for like $5. Hope that helps!
Do you use black or white Chia seeds? xx
It does take a little getting used to! I love chia seeds and put them on everything! Thanks for the amazing blog!
Tried this today with ginger juice for an extra little kick. Gave the boost I needed to keep myself from nodding off at work on such a gloomy day. I didn’t use sweetener, as I enjoy the spice of ginger and tartness of lemon.
I discovered how to juice ginger by accident this winter when a root froze after leaving it in my car. When it thawed I just squeezed it and juice came out.
Cool trick!
My friend (her family is originally from mexico) likes to make it with iced hibiscus flower (jamaica) tea. It’s yummy!
Thank-you so much for this recipe! I take it to work everyday as a mid-afternon pick me up :)
I have a sweet spot for bubble tea made with (nutritionally deficient) tapioca… but, to my suprise, this is even better! I made it this morning with chilled green tea, stevia and fresh squeezed lemon and LOVED IT! Thank you!!!
I recently saw a recipe online for chai frescas like these but this recipe you add a pinch of cayenne pepper. You also presoak the seeds so I now have a bowl off crazy jelly in the fridge that is all ready to go and lasts really well. My husband and I have it in the morning and I tell ya it ‘s the best pick me up ever. My energy levels have improved do much since and I feel like I have a real spring in my step. The spicey pepper has also been helping my sinuses while I’ve had a cold lately. So glad I stumbled across the recipe ( and now this blog)
Can’t wait to try a sweetened version.
I’ve just had a thought….. Chai vodka shots! When they’ve been soaked they’re that jelly-like that if you soaked them in a mix of, vodka, and some kind of sweetener or a nice tea or something they should set. You’d have to play around abit of course but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. The chai seeds would look cool too because once stirred they float throughout the jelly/drink. Will have to try and make them one day :)
I tried my hand at this recipe this weekend, and it was a success – almost tasting like a weak lemonade :) I carry around a huge bottle of Deer Park with me daily and simply added the appropriate amount of Chia seeds, lemon slices and maple syrup. This will def become one of my staple drinks – thanks!
This looks so tasty. How many times a day can a person drink this?
I love this ! Sometimes I like to sneak in a shot of tequila ;) great way to get your drink on and NOT get a hangover!
Hey! I’m starting a chia FARM!
hello, i have a question. i’ve made a large batch of chia seeds. they are in water and have been in the fridge for a week now? i am trying to learn how long they can be consumed, as long as they are kept in the fridge… when do they go sour or expire or become not good to eat b/c too much time has passed? Thanks for your help!! Ali
Hey Alison, I’m not exactly sure as I haven’t left them in the fridge for more than a couple days. I would guess as long as it doesn’t smell off then it should be fine.