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Organic strawberries were stupid cheap at Trader Joe’s today. So I decided to try something out I’ve wanted to do for awhile now. Make chia jam.
I’ve never been much of a canner, which put me off of traditional jams, but this recipe makes almost exactly one jelly jar full of jam that lasts about a week or so in my house, so no canning necessary!
It’s fresh, it’s delicious and it’s crazy healthy. Chia seeds are one of the healthiest things you can eat, and they make you feel FULL when you eat them. I originally got them to throw in smoothies, but the first time I saw their amazing gel-ing properties, I knew some sort of jammy concoction was in our future. And much to my great delight, they imparted no flavor whatsoever to the finished product. In fact, it tasted exactly like the nice expensive jams I’ve bought when I want to feel fancy.
I used strawberries and blueberries, but you can use any combination of berries and stone fruits. I think raspberry and nectarine would be an amazing combination. Frozen fruit works just fine in this recipe too.
This is so tasty that truth be told, when I made the first batch, I thoroughly embarrassed myself. I ate far more than was reasonable. I was “recipe testing” after all. I ate it with bread and butter. Then I put it on shortcakes. Then there was an incident involving just a spoon and the jar and me hiding in the backyard.
- 3 cups fresh or frozen fruit (berries and/or stone fruits work equally well)
- 2-3 tablespoons sweetener of your choice (I used maple syrup)
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- In a medium sized saucepan, combine your fruit and maple syrup over low heat.
- Using a potato masher, smash the fruit until it releases its juices.
- Add chia seeds.
- Stirring frequently, bring to a simmer and cook down for 10 minutes or so, or until jam has a nice, thick consistency.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract if desired.
- Cool and serve.
- Mixture will last in the refrigerator approximately a week.
About Kelley
Hi Kelly, Is it possible to actually can this recipe using a water bath canner, rather than just refrigerate or freeze? Thanks so much. Debbie
Debbie, I’m not an experienced canner so I googled around a bit and found this lady’s instructions for freezing or canning her chia jam. I would assume based on that, that it’s possible. http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/blueberry-vanilla-chia-seed-jam/
Thanks so much Kelley! I’m fairly new to canning and wasn’t sure how chia seeds held up with the heat from the canning process. This post was very helpful. In fact I’m going to give this blueberry one a try as well:) . Many thanks again Debbie