Easy Chia Jam

Top toast, bowls, and pastries with Easy Chia Jam, a healthy alternative to store bought jam. This recipe is made with only three items and includes no added sweeteners or artificial ingredients!

Try your hand at raspberry, blueberry, or strawberry chia jam

I’ll cut to the chase. Store bought jam = less than ideal. Homemade easy chia jam = heavenly. And not only that, it’s healthy, too!

This vegan jam is the toast topping, oatmeal mixing, bagel coating jam of your dreams. It’s made with only 3 ingredients, and you can use fresh or frozen fruit! I like to choose between strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries, but the truth is that a combination of the 3 would work quite well too.

Since I started making this recipe I’ve been putting it on as many of my meals as possible. It’s so fast to whip together, and once you make it you have about a week’s supply. I’d bet that I’ll never be returning to regular jam, and my guess is that neither will you!

Ingredients in chia seed jam

For this version of chia jam, I kept things as simple as it gets by using only three ingredients. Everything is all natural; there’s no added sugar or anything. Just fruit, chia seeds, and good old maple syrup.

• Frozen fruit: Fruit will obviously be the base of this recipe, with options including blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries (or a combination of the 3). You will need 1 cup of fruit, total.
• Chia seeds: Next up, chia seeds will help to thicken the jam. You will need 2 tbsp.
• Maple syrup: Finally, we’ll use maple syrup as our all natural sweetener! It tastes fantastic, and you’ll only need 1 tbsp.

How to make easy chia jam

Berry jam comes together in just minutes. We’ll start by warming our fruit, followed by adding the syrup and prepping the chia seeds. Mix it all together, and it’s ready to enjoy!

To begin, add the fruit to a saucepan and turn it on low for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once warmed through, smash the berries down with the back of a fork.

Then, add the maple syrup and stir.

Next, turn off the burner and remove from the heat.

Stir in the chia seeds and let them sit until they “gel.”

You can speed up the gel process by putting them in the refrigerator, but they’ll also gel just sitting on the counter.

How to serve easy chia seed jam

There are so many ways to enjoy jam! I used to always just picture it as a topping for toast or a filling for a good classic PB&J, but there are actually so many more uses for it.

I love to enjoy it atop a piece of sourdough (along with a thick layer of peanut butter), but it’s great on bowls too! Grab a big spoonful and add it to your next oatmeal, smoothie, or yogurt bowl for a nutritious and fruity addition.

You can also enjoy chia jam atop bagels, sweet potato toast, or crackers (with brie – yum). Get creative!

Mix up your fruit for endless flavor options

I usually use raspberries for this jam, but I’ve also successfully made it with blueberries, strawberries, and even mango! I think the possibilities are endless when it comes to the fruit.

You can use fresh or frozen too, which makes this recipe that much more convenient and flexible.

A healthy jam option

Next time you go grocery shopping, check out the jam aisle and look at a few ingredient labels. It’s near impossible to find a jam that’s not riddled with artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and chemicals. That’s my biggest motivating factor behind this recipe.

In an effort to reduce the amount of sugar, I’ve been making this jam with just a hint of maple syrup. The natural sweetness that it provides is just enough – there’s nothing lacking at all. You can also use honey.

Eating this all natural, low-ingredient chia jam recipe makes me feel so much better about enjoying a little something sweet on my toast or bagel.

Why chia seeds?

Chia seeds are the magic ingredient in this recipe. Not only do they provide good amounts of protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids, they’re also a great thickening agent that helps this jam go so much further.

When mixed with water, chia seeds absorb 10x their weight in liquid to form a gel-like consistency, which helps to thicken up any recipe. This is the reason they make a great substitute for eggs in baked goods!

Storing berry jam

Easy chia jam can be stored for up to 10 days when kept refrigerated in an airtight container.

I love to make a batch on the weekend for use throughout the week! Trust me – thanks to the great taste, it goes fast!

Try these berry-filled recipes next

Need some more fruity recipes that will help you use up your supply of berries? I have plenty of ideas for you.

• Healthy Berry Baked Oatmeal
• Triple Layer Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
• Healthy Blueberry Scones (Paleo, Gluten-Free)
• Strawberry Banana Overnight Oats