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 usually add some lemon juice to water, but this is my new favorite! Even more delicious and more fun! :) especially the reactions you get when drinking it in public lol ;)
I just tried making this and nothing happened! :0(
Did I buy a dud bag of chia or do something wrong?
Hi Angela, Do you (or any readers) have any idea how long the chia seeds can live in liquid outside of the fridge? I left some out a day and a half then put them back in the fridge and I’m scared they’re ruined…
Hey there, I’m sorry I’m not sure how long they can stay out of the fridge for. I’ve heard you can sprout them, but not sure how that applies in this case.
Thanks Angela! Well, I ate them. They were even older than you might think (I didn’t tell the full story of their life). I ate em this morning and I feel line so far- ha ha! I’ll report to you if anything happens. Plus I’m pregnant, so…hope it’s okay! :)
I drink them daily with water,honey and cinnamon. the gel absorbs the cinnamon so it doesn’t stay on top of the water. It frustrates me if I miss a day.
Can you use stevia as the sweetner? i like the way it looks and the concept so I am definatly making some plus I have both black and white chia seeds so maybe it will look even stranger bcause the white seeds wont be very visable!!!
This is interesting, I made it today. The texture is different and you kind of feel like you want to chew but I enjoyed it. I drank just 1/2 a glass and I feel full. Will the rest keep in the fridge for a day? I’d like to keep drinking it and see how it helps with energy. I did have to add more water since it came out a bit thick. Thanks!
Last night I decided to try some chia fresca, and took it with me to an auction. I had it in a quart size canning jar complete with the lid. I drank it all while at the auction, and on the way home, my husband told me that the auctioneer’s son asked him if I was drinking moonshine! (smile)
I have been buying Mamma Chia for the past few weeks now, and then the other day I stumbled across your article, whilst trying to figure out a way to bulk order the drinks to save some money, and after a bit of research into some other recipes to make it taste more like Mamma Chia ( 3 tbl spoon chia seeds + 1 cup of water + 1 of your favorite juice) and a short trip to Whole foods, I’m now enjoying my own Chia juices from home at a much better price! Thanks so much for giving me the inspiration to make it at home!
For a desert-like drink, I add chia seeds to my holiday coconut nogg. It makes it thicker and adds an eggy texture.
I like making my own “soda” with real unsweetened cranberry juice, sparkling water and a squeeze of lime. This post gave me the idea to add chia seeds as well! I did try your recipe as well but without any sweetener. It was good, but I ended up adding cranberry juice just to give it a little more flavor while still avoiding the sugar. Love the detox recipes you posted. I will absolutely be giving those a try this new year!
This looks really interesting – never thiught about drinking chia seeds before.
I absolutely love this drink! I’ve been having one every morning and it fills me up until I eat breakfast and it’s been keeping my digestive tract happy. Thanks for the great recipe, Angela!
I tried some yesterday and I love it! I don’t use a sweetener but I love the lemon taste and I love the texture of the chia seeds. Today I’m hoping to make some VOO!
was VERY skeptical about the texture factor of this drink, but as i had a costco bag of chia seeds sitting on my counter i figured, why not give it a try! OMG – SOOOOOOOOOOO good!!! it’s definitely not at all like the globby tapioca blobs in bubble tea that i had been anticipating. so refreshing, delicious and energizing! totally making this part of my regular routine! thanks!
I just bought some Chia seeds today I’m looking for ways to use them. I’m looking forward to trying this. Thanks!!!
I’m just getting back into running and have recently discovered chia seeds. I get strange looks at the park but I absolutely love the drink. I’ve also been adding them to my oatmeal. Any other chia-y ideas?
This little recipe caught my eye and I just couldn’t get it out of my head. Between the warm indoor heat and the frigid dry outdoors I am just getting so dehydrated. I gave this a try-and it is definitely a like it or hate it thing, but I feel and look more hydrated than I have in months.
It’s definitely going to become a staple for me. Thank you for posting it!
Yummmm, I just made this! I warmed up some frozen blueberries and added honey as a sweetener. It was like tea! Love it!
Chia Fresca? Love it! Thanks for sharing such a great drink recipe! I’ve been growing chia as a microgreen too. Just in a little soil. They sprout like crazy and taste really unique, almost lemony like sorrel. P.S. Love your writing! You’re so funny & informative.
I like to drink lemon with warm water in the morning – can I add chia seeds in warm water?