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All hail the great chia seed! Ch-ch-ch-chia! It seems they are everywhere. Chia seed is the new flax seed. So what is the big to do about chia seeds? Chia seeds are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, more so than flax seeds. They are also full of fiber. Lots of fiber.
The coolest part about chia seeds is the gel that forms when added to water. It does thicken up the kombucha and the seeds are kind of slimy and I will admit, it’s weird. But for me it was weird in a good way. My 2 yo kombucha fiend loves this kombucha the best. He asks for “Seeds!”
Like many things in life, you can have too much of a good thing. Too much chia seed can get your digestive track moving, and fast. We learned this the hard way. Limit yourself to one cup a day and if you have difficulty dealing with fibrous foods, I’d wait to try this until you gut has healed. You can read more about the benefits of chia seeds here: Dr. Weil on Chia Seeds.
I haven’t yet solved the mystery of how other kombucha companies get their seeds to stay suspended. They will sink but if you drink it from a flip top bottle, you can just give it a shake every so often to keep the seeds afloat. You can see below, one bottle was just shaken, the other has been sitting for a while. The more carbonated the kombucha, the more the seeds stay afloat.
ETA: Thanks for all the great suggestions! I’ve added a note to the recipe to try soaking seeds in water or juice before adding to the kombucha. Worked beautifully!
Ingredients
- 1 quart brewed kombucha (flavored or not)
- 4 tbsp chia seeds, divided** (you can use more or less seeds depending on how thick you'd like it)
Instructions
- Take 1 tbsp of chia seeds and grind them in a coffee grinder. You can skip this step if you want but you get more nutritional benefit from the seeds if they are fresh ground. Mix the ground and whole chia seeds in you kombucha. Let set for at least a day to let the seeds soak up the kombucha. Refrigerate after 1-2 days.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Pluginhttp://www.picklemetoo.com/2013/01/17/chia-seed-kombucha/**ETA: Soak 1 tbsp of chia seeds in about 3/4 cup water or juice and add to about 3 cups of kombucha. Seeds will suspend better and make a better gel.
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I tried adding the chia seeds several months ago, cuz I so love the ones I’d buy from the store. I felt the chia seeds didn’t develop the gel needed for suspension in the kombucha. I’ve not tried it again, but have been thinking about it . . . When I next test this, I’m going to try first putting the seeds in some water or juice, and keep stirring (I add them to my dairy kefir and have no problems). Then once gelled and probably suspended in the juice (we’ll see), then add to the kombucha. Have you tried this?
Thanks Karey! I’ll have to try that.
Karey is right, soaking the chis seeds first works out a little better. Also, the chia soak up some sweetness from the booch so soaking in juice first prevents the final product from being extra sour. The commercial drinks add a preservative to keep it fresh and floating.
Thanks Alex! I tried soaking my seeds in water after seeing Karey’s comment. It works much better but now the seeds float. Either way, just a little stir makes it fine. Next time I’ll do it in juice to keep it from diluting the kombucha (I’m all out of booch to experiment on right now).
How about ground Chi seeds mixed in water/juice and then adding the kombucha?
You definitely can do that! You’ll probably digest the seeds better that way anyway. The whole seeds just look cooler.