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I've found a few recipes involving Chia powder, but locally, I've only found Ground Chia. I want to know if these are the same, and if it's safe to use ground chia in these aforementioned recipes (and vice versa).

David Robinson
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  • Without looking at the recipes and how their texture would be affected by the substitution, this question is a bit hard to answer – Divi Mar 24 '16 at 05:00
  • @Divi are you saying they're not the same thing? – Cascabel Mar 24 '16 at 05:42
  • @Divi so they aren't the same? I just want to know if I can use them interchangeably with eachother and have no noticeable difference. – David Robinson Mar 24 '16 at 14:21
  • @Jefromi: What I'm trying to say is that just like any other seed vs powder (rice vs rice flour, oats vs oats flour), there will be differences at least in the texture. Depending on the recipe and the amount of chia used, it can alter the texture of the finished product. – Divi Mar 28 '16 at 20:51
  • @Divi It's not chia vs chia powder, it's *ground* chia vs chia powder. The two, English-wise, are pretty much synonymous, since you make powder by grinding/milling things. It's quite reasonable to ask if they're actually different. – Cascabel Mar 28 '16 at 22:05
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    Divi still might be right. Semolina and wheat flour behave differently after all, or corn meal and corn flour. So if they are ground to different sizes, there is good chance that it is not the same. – rumtscho Jun 29 '16 at 09:04

2 Answers2

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I want to know if these are the same, and if it's safe to use ground chia in these aforementioned recipes (and vice versa).

The particle size may be different, and for some recipes that will be significant.

I am not aware of any regulations (US, EU or other) that regulate chia labeling with regard to ground or powdered chia. I believe manufacturers can do what they want with those two words.

An example of labelling standards (which I don't know exist for chia):

  • 10x powdered sugar passes through a 200 mesh sieve
  • granulated sugar, 100 mesh

One person's grind nomenclature:

  • a fine grind, 80 mesh
  • medium grind, 28 mesh
  • coarse gring, 14 mesh

If your recipe is dependent on chia gelling properties (which are affected by particle size), that could be a concern.

If chia is in the recipe for nutritional factors, you should be in good shape with either.

I checked customer comments on Amazon. Someone said a ground chia product was granular. Another customer said chia powder was fine and prone to clumpiness.

Also: if you are using volumetric measures (not weight), you may experience large differences between a teaspoon of ground versus a teaspoon of powdered chia.

Paulb
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Yes, they are the same product. Powder might be a little drer than grinding it yourself but they are the same.

Ariel Spear
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