Cha-cha-cha chia! Okay, if you’re a 90’s kid or older, you know how those commercials go! And if you have no idea what I’m talking about, you’re probably way younger than I am! Chia seed jam! We’re taking our favorite fruit, tossing in some chia seeds, sweetening it up and keeping it around in the refrigerator to make healthier PB and J sandwiches and topping our favorite yogurt with this stuff and on the weekend spreading it nice and thick on waffles or french toast.
Chia seed jam isn’t anything new. In fact, it’s probably been done a bunch of times, but it’s something I’ve never made for us, so I thought with the berry season just around the corner, it would be some quick and easy to share with you! Chia seed jam is the perfect thing to make when you’ve got fruit in the fridge that needs to be used up before your next grocery run. You know, when the fruit is a few days old and the family just kind of turns their nose up at it because it doesn’t look as fresh as it once did? It’s also great if you buy fruit in bulk, I mean how can you not grab a container full of those beautiful berries? And 2 pounds, for how much? Oh, that’s soo going in the cart. Before I know it most of those berries are sitting in the back of the fridge, begging to be used up.
What are chia seeds, and where can I find them?
Chia seeds are an edible seed or a nutrition powerhouse as I like to call it, related to the mint family. They were essential ingredients in the Aztecs and the Mayans diet. Roughly translated from ancient Mayan, chia means ‘strength.’ Chia seeds can easily be found in the bulk section of most grocery stores; you can also purchase them prepackaged.
What is chia seed jam?
Chia seed jam is a jam made with fresh fruit and chia seeds instead of relying on pectin as a thickening agent. Chia seed jam can also contain a lot less sugar than traditional jams!
What is the difference between jam and chia seed jam?
I find chia seed jam to be a little looser than regular jam. However, once you refrigerate it for a few hours, it does start to thicken up quite a bit. You can easily spread it to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or do what I do! Use it as a topping on your midday yogurt! The best thing about chia seed jam is that YOU decide the type of sweetener, and you get to control how much you use!
Ingredients to make chia seed jam
fruit lemon juice sweetener chia seeds
Sweeteners to use when making chia jam:
honey maple syrup agave brown sugar granulated sugar
Try this with vanilla-flavored maple syrup! I found some at Trader Joe’s in case you’d like to give it a try. SOO GOOD.
What other fruit can you use?
raspberries strawberries blueberries blackberries peaches apricots cherries
Can I use frozen fruit to make this?
YES!
How to make chia seed jam:
It’s about 12-15 minutes start to finish but homemade chia seed jam is so much better than regular store-bought jam!
