[Foodie Friday Recipe] 10-Minute Chia Seed Jam (Low-Sugar)

Enjoy this quick and easy fresh fruit chia seed jam whenever you want a little something sweet, but without loads of sugar – and no canning required!

One of the uniquely awesome things about chia seeds is that when you add them to liquids, they create a gel-like consistency. This makes them a wonderful way to thicken foods without the addition of any artificial ingredients or thickeners such as flour that may contain unwanted gluten. You can even use chia seeds to make delicious fresh fruit chia seed jam with much lower sugar content than regular jams and jellies.

The recipe below is a great example of how simple and easy it can be to make jam using chia seeds. There is no canning required, minimal preparation, and you can add natural sweeteners to taste, instead of having to add a ton of sugar to get your jam to thicken.

Just about any type of berries work well for chia seed jam, as well as cherries, peaches, pineapple, and other “juicy” fruits. Feel free to experiment with your favorite fruits, and even add in your favorite spices for a little twist! For example, you can add lemon zest, ginger, cinnamon, or vanilla for interesting flavor combinations. Be sure to taste before adding sweetener, as some fruits are sweeter than others and may not need much (or any) sweetener. Others are more tart, so you may want to leave out the lemon juice, depending on the flavor and ripeness of your fruit.

The recipe below just makes a small batch, about 1 cup or slightly more, so feel free to increase the size of the batch proportionally if desired. Keep in mind that these jams are not canned and are made with fresh fruit, so they won’t keep super long (about a week or two, max, in the fridge). However, they are so easy to make, you can just make up a batch whenever you need some jam in a jiffy!

10-Minute Chia Seed Jam Recipe

Yield: About 1 Cup
Total Time: 10 Min.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh or frozen fruit (see suggestions above)
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 1–2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (to taste – only if needed)

Instructions:

1. Heat fruit in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the fruit is heated through and begins to break down and bubble.  Use a spoon or potato masher to mash the fruit to your desired consistency.
2. Stir in the chia seeds and lemon juice until combined.  Then taste, and stir in 1 or 2 tablespoons sweetener if needed.
3. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.  (The jam will thicken considerably as it cools.)
4. Give the jam one final good stir.  Then serve immediately, or transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Recipe Source: GimmeSomeOven.com