Blueberry Chia Jam uses real blueberries, is refined sugar-free, gorgeously tangy and sweet. It’s a fantastic alternative to regular jam. Use it to top overnight oats, spread it on scones or toast. Mix it into yogurt for a lovely, creamy, fruity dessert. It’s fast and simple to make and uses just 3 ingredients.
Blueberry Chia jam makes a healthy alternative to everyday jam or conserve. It’s a quick and easy recipe to make and uses just three ingredients, all of which are wholesome and natural.
This jam will help you use up any excess fruit that you may have and preserve it a just a little bit longer. It contains more nutrients than conventional jam thanks to the chia seeds and can be used in all the same ways as shop-bought jam or conserve. You’ll be able to tuck in to those Peanut butter and jam sandwiches without feeling guilty about the sugar content now. Try this recipe out and judge it for yourself.
Blueberry Chia Jam Recipe Ingredients
I think that this amazing little jam is going to become one of your kitchen staples. It is so useful. If you’ve ever made jam the standard way, with enormous jam pans, sugar, pectin, fruit, water, sugar thermometers and small saucers in the freezer so that you can see if it’s reached ‘setting point’, you are going to be overwhelmed by how easy this is to make.
I do need to point out, though, that conventional jam will last for months, whereas this doesn’t. So, if you’re out to preserve pounds and pounds of fruit, then maybe you need to consider other things. Perhaps freeze what you can and use it to make small batches of chia seed jam? I’m sure you’ve loads of ideas.
- blueberries – dark purple berries. Fresh or frozen work in this recipe. You can absolutely use frozen ones blueberries, but both fresh and frozen fruit work brilliantly. This jam is a good way to preserve any excess fruit for a little longer, which might otherwise spoil.
- chia seeds – these thicken the jam. In the presence of liquid, these teeny, tiny seeds swell up and it’s this that thickens the fruit puree into a jam. They’re extremely nutritious and add omega-3s, protein and calcium, plus other minerals.
- maple syrup – this is added as a sweetener. If you think that the fruit is sweet enough, then you may leave this ingredient out. I quite like adding a tablespoon or so to enhance the flavour of the fruit a little.
Making the Chia Seed Jam
This is really easy, all you need to do is add the fruit, frozen or fresh (washed and checked over) to a saucepan on a low heat. As it warms up, the fruit releases its juices and it becomes more like a fruit puree.
Help this process along a little by mashing the fruit with a wooden spoon or spatula. Once you have a nice fruity puree, turn off the heat and add the chia seeds and the maple syrup, if you’re using it. Give everything a really good stir and allow it to cool a little. Once it has cooled, check that the jam is sweet enough for your taste. If it is – good… if it isn’t, add a little more maple syrup.
Once this has cooled right down, decant it into a clean jam jar to store. Only add the lid once it is properly cold.
Uses for Blueberry Chia Jam
Now that you have a delicious, fruity, no-sugar jam, what are you going to use it for? The easy answer to that is anything that you would have used conventional jam for. These are a few of the ways I use it… if you’ve any other ideas, I’d love to hear them.
- toast, bagels, muffins – simply toasted and spread with your favourite butter or margarine and topped with jam. Really lovely.
- Overnight oats – I love overnight oats, and a teaspoon or two of this jam with peanut butter overnight oats recipe is a brilliant way to start the day.
- Follow this recipe for Simple Peanut Butter and jelly Overnight Oats and substitute the blueberry chia jam for the strawberry conserve.
- Layer with yogurt. Add a few teaspoons of blueberry chia jam on top of a plain yogurt, top with a few toasted oats or puffed quinoa, and you’ve a lucious fruity dessert or breakfast.
- Spread on scones. – Plain scones really benefit from a little jam, and this is a good one.
- Layer a Victoria sponge cake with buttercream and a good amount of this fruity spread.
- Use to fill cupcakes. Bake your favourite cupcake recipe, wait for the cupcakes to cool a little and take out the middle. Fill the middle with the jam and decorate the tops of the cupcakes with a piped buttercream. Really indulgent and really pretty.
Variations
Things to note: this basic recipe can be used to make chia seed jam with lots of different kinds of berries. For example, strawberries, raspberries or blackberries. It even works if you use a mix of berries.
You may need to adjust the amount of maple syrup you use, as some fruits are naturally sweeter than others.
How to store Blueberry Chia Jam
This Blueberry Chia Jam will last up to a week if stored in a suitable container and kept in the fridge.
FAQ’s
How is Chia Seed Jam different from regular jam? Chia Seed Jam differs from conventional jam because it uses chia seeds to thicken the fruit puree, allowing it to be used as a spread just like regular jam. Making ordinary fruit jam usually requires more sugar and a longer cooking process with frequent testing to see if it’s reached the ‘setting point’.
Can I make Blueberry Chia Jam using frozen berries? Absolutely, you can. The jam in these photographs was made using frozen berries. It means that you can make berry chia seed jams all year round when the fruit isn’t in season. Makes it quite a versatile recipe.
Can I make Blueberry Chia Jam without sugar? Definitely, use your favourite sweetener (maple syrup or honey for example) and if the fruit is naturally sweet, you may not even need that.
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How to make Blueberry Chia Jam
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add the fruit (1 1/2 cup blueberries) to the saucepan and put the saucepan on a low heat. If you are using fresh fruit you may need to add a tablespoon of water just to help the fruit begin to cook.
- Gently stir the fruit and as it begins to cook and the fruit starts releasing it's juices. At this point begin to mash it a little with either a wooden spoon or spatula to break the fruit down further.
- Once the fruit has made a nice juicy but not too thin puree, cook it for around 3 minutes.
- At the end of this time take it off the heat and allow it to cool a little.
- Stir in the chia seeds (1 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds) and maple syrup (3 tablespoon maple syrup) to taste. Leave it a few minutes for the jam to cool and the chia seeds to begin to swell.
- Once the chia jam has cooled, spoon it into a clean jar and seal with a lid. It will continue to thicken in the fridge.
- Store in the fridge for up to 1 week and use as a conventional jam.
Nutrition
Notes
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