Food storage is critical. Not only is it unlikely you’ll always use all your ingredients at once, but it’s also likely you’ll occasionally have leftovers after cooking.
The same is true with soaked chia seeds. You might not eat all of them at once, and that leaves you wondering how to store chia seeds after soaking.
This is a perfectly valid question that we’ll answer for you in this guide. We’ll also be explaining if soaked chia seeds go bad, and how to tell when this has occurred.
How to Store Chia Seeds after Soaking
When you put chia seeds in water, you end up with a gel-like substance that will last up to two weeks under ideal storage conditions. Those storage conditions include a sealed container, such as a jar or Tupperware, and a spot in your refrigerator.
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Can Soaked Chia Seeds Be Frozen?
Chia pudding is similar to chia gel, and it can be frozen. Given their similarities, it should be safe for you to store your chia gel in the freezer in order to greatly extend its shelf life.
Keep in mind, however, that when you thaw it, you might experience a little bit of water separation, especially if you soaked the chia seeds in nut milk. Stirring the chia seeds after thawing should help remedy this issue.
Read Also: Where to Find Chia Seeds in the Grocery Store
Can Soaked Chia Seeds Go Bad?
Yes, chia gels and puddings can go bad – sometimes within days. This is even truer when you start adding extra ingredients to the mix, like nut milk.
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Remember, a basic chia gel can last for a couple weeks. Chia pudding, on the other hand, can go bad in about a week because of the additional ingredients.
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How to Tell When Soaked Chia Seeds are Bad
Telling when a chia gel or pudding has gone bad isn’t easy, unless you’ve put some kind of milk in it. If you’ve used nut milk in your chia pudding, you can open the container and sniff it to get an idea of it has spoiled. It will have a sickly, sour smell and potentially even a curdled appearance if it’s no longer good.
If you’ve just used water to make a chia gel, things are a bit trickier. You’ll need to taste the chia seeds to tell if they’re still good. Just take a tiny serving of the gel and sample it – it will taste sour if the seeds have gone rancid.
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Wrap Up
Because of healthy omega 3’s that would otherwise primarily be found in fish, chia seeds can be an important part to any vegan’s diet. Soaking these healthy seeds is an easy way to make them more palatable, especially if you turn them into a sweet pudding.
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The downside to soaking them, though, is that this drastically reduces their shelf life. This is even truer if you don’t store them correctly. Keep the seeds cool and in a sealed container, though, and you can promote longevity in your delicious chia gel or pudding.
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Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
