Chia Jam with blueberries

Chia Jam, thick and full of fruit, can be made in around 20 minutes.

Using chia seeds’ amazing ability to become gel-like, this jam doesn’t need the large amounts of sugar required to set traditional jams.

In this post I show you how to make Chia Jam with frozen blueberries, but the technique is the same for all fruit whether fresh or frozen.

As low in sugar as you like and quick to make, Chia Jam is perfect on toast, porridge or yogurt.

Will keep for about a week in the fridge.

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CHIA JAM vs TRADITIONAL JAM

I almost always make a few different jams every year.

Whether it’s using up a glut of homegrown vegetables as with Courgette Jam with Lemon & Ginger, or taking advantage of fruits with a short growing season like my Gooseberry Jam, I love capturing fruit and veg at their best so I can enjoy them months later.

But what if you need something a little quicker? Or maybe without all the sugar involved in making traditional fruit jam?

And there’s no getting away from the fact that traditional jam is a high sugar product.

But it has to be, because sugar is needed to set the jam by helping the natural setting agent found in fruit (pectin) to do its work.

So, how can we make a jam-like preserve without all that sugar?

With chia seeds.

CHIA SEEDS

Chia seeds, although relatively bland in themselves, have become hugely popular in recent years.

While some of the health claims for this member of the mint family have probably been overstated, there’s no denying that chia are relatively high (for a plant) in protein and calcium as well as a rich source of fibre.

And it’s chia seeds’ high soluble fibre content that makes them perfect for making ‘jam’.

When soaked in liquid, the seeds can absorb an amazing ten times their own weight. As a result, they become a gel-like mass.

While this may not sound particularly appealing, it lends itself to flavouring in all sorts of ways. See my Creamy Chia Pudding for a delicious example. Or my incredible Easy Seed Crackers where chia are the basis for crispy crackers with no need for flour or other binders.

CHIA JAM WITH BLUEBERRIES

The process for making Chia Jam really couldn’t be any easier.

All you do is put your choice of fruit in a saucepan. Fresh or frozen is fine, and in this example I’ve used frozen blueberries.

Over a medium heat, the fruit will soon start to release its juices. Help it along a bit by squashing a little with a fork or potato masher.

Once you have a thickish puree, stir in the chia seeds. Tastes will vary as to how thick you want your Chia Jam: I use two level tablespoons (around 30 grams) for 300 grams of fruit.

At this point you can add sweetener to taste or leave it out. I added about a tablespoon of homemade Dandelion Syrup, but you can add your favourite e.g. honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar or just ordinary caster sugar.

For a little tartness, you can squeeze in a dash lemon juice too.

Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring well so the seeds don’t clump together, and that’s it.

Transfer the Chia Jam to a clean, dry jar and leave it to cool. You’ll find it will thicken further as it goes cold.

STORING & USING CHIA JAM

Once the Chia Jam is completely cold, put a lid on the jar and store in the fridge.

Although you can use it in the same ways as you might a traditional jam, Chia Jam shouldn’t be kept for more than a week.

That’s because, besides the sugar in traditional jams helping it to set, it also acts as a preservative by preventing the growth of microbes.

This means that, like all low sugar jams, it won’t have the same keeping qualities.

But so quick and easy to make, it’s not really any bother to get a new batch on the go whenever you like.

One of my favourite ways to eat Chia Jam is stirred through yogurt: especially my Homemade Yogurt strained so it’s thick and Greek-style.

Butter and jam on toast, or peanut butter and jam, is a classic. And for good reason in my view. But now you can have the jam without lots of sugar: just tasty fruit thickened with almost magical chia seeds.

Other fruits you might like to make Chia Jam with include raspberries and strawberries. Larger berries are best halved or quartered before cooking.

You can also experiment with different quantities of chia seeds to make thicker or softer set jams.

Have you made Chia Jam? What’s your favourite fruity flavour?

Leave a comment and don’t forget to rate the recipe.

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Chia Jam with Blueberries

Instead of the large amounts of sugar needed to set traditonal jams, here the amazing properties of chia seeds are used to make a jam-like fruity spread with little or no sugar.

Use fresh or frozen fruit, replacing the blueberries with raspberries or strawberries if you like.

Course Preserve

Cuisine Vegetarian, Vegan, World

Keyword quick, fruit

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 1 medium jar

Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

• 300 g blueberries fresh or frozen
• 2 tbsp chia seeds approx 30g
• 1-2 tbsp sweetener e.g sugar, honey, syrup optional
• 1 squeeze lemon juice optional

Instructions

1. If using fresh fruit, wash and remove any stems.

2. Put the blueberries in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.

   When they start to release their juices, use a fork or potato masher to squash the berries so they release more liquid.

   Continue simmering until you have a thickish puree (approx 10 minutes)

3. Taste and add sweetener if liked and/or a squeeze of lemon to sharpen.

   Stir in the chia seeds and keep stirring while the jam thickens (2 minutes).

4. Take off the heat and transfer the jam to a clean, dry jar.

   Set aside to cool. The jam will continue to thicken as it cools.

5. When cold, put a lid on the jar and store in the fridge.

   Use within 1 week.