I’m a fan of the chia. I’ve made chia pull apart bread, chia pudding, chia breakfast smoothies, and of course chia pets. (Ha ha—I had to!) Recently I noticed on the back of my chia seed package a recipe for chia jam. What?! Hold the phone! That makes total sense since chia has this magic ability to make things, well, jelly-like. So I tried it.
And guess what? Chia jam is incredible!!! Like, seriously, it’s now my favorite way to enjoy chia seeds. And it only takes about 20 minutes to make a batch. I’ve been making a few different variations that I thought I’d share with you.
Strawberry Vanilla Bean Chia Jam, makes about 1 1/2 cups of jam.
1 1/2 cups strawberries (tops removed and cut into fourths)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons chia seeds
seeds from half a vanilla bean
In a small pot cook the strawberries and sugar over low/medium heat for 5 minutes. The berries will release moisture and soften. Be sure to stir as this cooks so the sugar doesn’t heat too much in one spot and burn. If you like your jam more smooth than chunky (like I do), use a blender or immersion blender to puree it at this point. Then add the chia seeds and cook another 10 minutes, as it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla seeds while still hot. Allow to cool before using or storing.
Peaches + Cinnamon Chia Jam, makes about 1 1/2 cups of jam.
1 1/2 cups peaches, if frozen thaw first
2-3 tablespoons honey (or maple syrup)
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
In a small pot cook the peaches and honey over low/medium heat for 5 minutes. The fruit will release moisture and soften. Be sure to stir as this cooks so the sugar doesn’t heat too much in one spot and burn. If you like your jam more smooth than chunky (like I do), use a blender or immersion blender to puree it at this point. Then add the chia seeds and cook another 10 minutes, as it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon while still hot. Allow to cool before using or storing. One note about this variation is that the chia seeds will overpower the coloring of this jam, so be prepared for a more brown looking jam than a peachy colored one. Just FYI. I know that probably sounds trivial, but sometimes I think the coloring of food or the presentation in general can really affect the way we enjoy it. Just my two cents.
Blueberry + Lemon Chia Jam, makes about 1 1/2 cups of jam.
1 1/2 cups blueberries, if frozen thaw first
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons chia seeds
peel and juice from half a lemon
In a small pot cook the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and peel over low/medium heat for 5 minutes. The fruit will release moisture and soften. Be sure to stir as this cooks so the sugar doesn’t heat too much in one spot and burn. After five minutes of cooking, remove the lemon peels. If you like your jam more smooth than chunky (like I do), use a blender or immersion blender to puree it at this point. Then add the chia seeds and cook another 10 minutes, as it thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool before using or storing.
Any jam you don’t consume within the day you can store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days (although this amount usually only lasts me 4-5 days).
So, yeah… that’s my jam. 😉
Enjoy on toast with a little butter or cream cheese and copious amounts of chia jam—yum! xo. Emma
Credits // Author and Photography: Emma Chapman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.
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Ingredients
Strawberry Vanilla Bean Chia Jam
- 1 ½ cups strawberries (tops removed and cut into fourths)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- seeds from half a vanilla bean
Peaches + Cinnamon Chia Jam
- 1 ½ cups peaches (if frozen thaw first)
- 2-3 tablespoons honey (or maple syrup)
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Blueberry + Lemon Chia Jam
- 1 ½ cups blueberries (if frozen thaw first)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- peel and juice from half a lemon
Instructions
- In a small pot cook the fruit and sugar over low/medium heat for 5 minutes. The fruit will release moisture and soften. Be sure to stir as this cooks so the sugar doesn’t heat too much in one spot and burn. If you like your jam more smooth than chunky (like I do), use a blender or immersion blender to puree it at this point. Then add the chia seeds and cook another 10 minutes, as it thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla seeds, cinnamon, or lemon while still hot. Allow to cool before using or storing.
Please can you copycat Fruit chia gel? I adore that stuff, especially the blackberry pear but I cannot afford to buy that for everyday food? Strawberry/Peach was awesome too. Thank you for the wonderful recipes!
How long does it stay good in fridge?
Never thought about eating them with my morning toast! Very good idea!
www.daintyandchic.com
I have to share this with my mother. She loves making chia seed jam 🙂
That jam looks so good! i have never made jam but this looks like it’s worth trying.
I wish I had the motive to do such things… But I definitely don’t…
Oh, so yummy! I am a huge fan of chia seeds (drinking some in my morning shake right now) and would love to use some in a jam! Thanks for these delicious looking recipes!
Circus & Bloom
♥♥♥
I love Chia seeds! Although I have had some mistrials with them I am not turned off.
http://www.tasteneapolitan.com/
AH-MAZING! I will have to try these out, they look delicious! Just wondering what alternative would you recommend as an alternative for seeds of half a vanilla bean? Thanks X
Just made this! Thanks for the recipe, Emma. 🙂
Californians: chia is a California native plant!
My goal this year is to make as much of what we eat from scratch. I wonder how it’s going to worked if l make large batches and can them?
Oh thank you so much for these recipes! I´ve just discovered the world of chia seeds so I cannot wait to try these, gotta check you other chia recipes as well 🙂
I appreciate your work & recipe. Sure, I will try it on this valentine day for someone 🙂
What a fabulous idea to make your own jam with chia no need for pectin then and you can control your own sugar input if you choose to even add. Happy feasting!
what an awesome idea! love your flavor combinations too..i’m a huge fan of lemon and blueberry!
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@waterlilyshop
so beautiful
so yummy!! would love to try make one
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Love this looks really good and great pictures . http://bauchlefashion.com
Chia jam sounds wonderful! I’ll have to try these!