Strawberry Chia Jam
Strawberry Chia Jam, Fruit Sweetened
Strawberry Chia Jam, Fruit Sweetened
One of the summer’s highlights, on the Peninsula, that I look forward to every year, is heading to the local u-pick strawberry farm and spending a sticky sweet day picking strawberries to take home for making jam. Each year, I would set aside a full day for picking, cooking, and canning, using as much sugar as I would strawberries. Then I stumbled onto a little miracle called chia jam.
Chia seeds miraculously turn any liquid into a gel-like substance, making it the perfect healthy thickener for jam. Chia jam is super simple and quick to make too. Just cook crushed strawberries with syrup until thickened, add chia seeds, cook a bit more while the seeds begin to gel, and let cool. So you don’t have to spend a full day canning or use cups of sugar to get gorgeous ruby red, sweet strawberry jam.
And if you want to make your jam completely fruit sweetened, use date syrup in place of maple syrup for a nutrient-dense fruit spread.
Why you’ll love chia jam:
Quick and easy
2. Super healthy (chia seeds are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and fiber)
3. Use fresh or frozen berries
4. Tastes just like standard jam
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Strawberry Chia Jam, Healthy Fruit Sweetened Jam
Ingredients for Strawberry Chia Jam
Ingredients:
o 2 cups of strawberries, fresh or frozen
o ¼ cup of date syrup (or maple syrup)
o 2 tablespoons of chia seeds
Makes approx. 1 cup of chia jam. Click on the ingredients in bold to see what I use.
Method for making Strawberry Chia Jam
Steps 1-2:
1. If using fresh strawberries, remove the tops and slice them. If using frozen strawberries, thaw them out.
2. Add the strawberries and date (or maple) syrup to a small cooking pot. Stir to combine. Once the berries are hot and soft, use a potato masher to gently crush the berries in the pot to release some of the juice.
Step 3:
3. Cook on medium-high heat until the berries begin to bubble and foam. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for about 5 more minutes, until the berries have thickened up and there is less juice in the pot. Strawberries have their own natural pectin, so be careful not to over reduce, as the jam will thicken considerably as it cools.
Step 4:
4. Pour in the chia seeds and stir gently for 2 additional minutes until the seeds have begun to gel.
Step 5:
5. Slide the pot off the heat and let the jam cool for 10 minutes before scooping into a clean glass jar. This allows the chia seeds to thicken the jam additionally. Cool completely and store in the refrigerator.
Chia jam is wonderful on toast, scones or anything deserving of a sweet fruit spread!
Note: Raspberries also work well in chia jam. Their seeds look like chia seeds which makes a very pretty jam. You may need to reduce the cooking time though, as raspberries contain less water than strawberries.
Strawberry Chia Jam
Wanna spread that jam around?! Check out these recipes for your new favorite topping!
Printable Recipe Card:
Strawberry Chia Jam (fruit sweetened healthy jam)
Ingredients
Instructions
- If using fresh strawberries, remove the tops and slice them. If using frozen strawberries, thaw them out.
- Add the strawberries and date (or maple) syrup to a small cooking pot. Stir to combine. Once the berries are hot and soft, use a potato masher to gently crush the berries in the pot to release some of the juice.
- Cook on medium high heat until the berries begin to bubble and foam. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Turn the heat down to medium low and simmer for about 5 more minutes, until the berries have thickened up and there is less juice in the pot. Strawberries have their own natural pectin, so be careful not to over reduce, as the jam will thicken considerably as it cools.
- Pour in the chia seeds and stir gently for 2 additional minutes until the seeds have begun to gel.
- Slide the pot off the heat and let the jam cool for 10 minutes before scooping into a clean glass jar. This allows the chia seeds to thicken the jam additionally. Cool completely and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Raspberries also work well in chia jam. Their seeds look like chia seeds which makes a very pretty jam. You may need to reduce the cooking time though, as raspberries contain less water than strawberries.
For step-by-step instructions with photos, see blog post.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
29Fat (grams)
0.55Sat. Fat (grams)
0.06Carbs (grams)
6.24Fiber (grams)
1.37Net carbs
4.87Sugar (grams)
4.39Protein (grams)
0.52Sodium (milligrams)
0.56Cholesterol (grams)
0.00Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators.
Strawberry Chia Jam, Healthy Fruit Sweetened Jam