Back when I was experimenting with cutting sugar out of my diet entirely, I wanted something jammy to put on my flourless waffles and pancakes. Don’t get me wrong, I loooove me some Simple Fruit Compote, but sometimes I wanted something more spreadable. Then I found out about this brilliant trick using the magical properties of chia seeds. They absorb the extra liquid and contribute a bit of a gummy texture. They are perfect for firming up your simple fruit compote if you want a more structured, chunkier jam but would prefer not to dump in an entire bag of sugar.
There are 2 ingredients here, just berries and chia seeds. No sweetener or thickeners needed! The frozen berries are placed into a pot and simmered gently for a few minutes with some chia seeds. That’s it!
You’ll need to experiment with the amount of chia seeds you need to get your preferred texture. This will vary from batch to batch depending on the type of fruit, the amount of liquid, and how large of a batch you’re making. I usually start with 1 Tbsp of chia seeds for about 2-3 cups of fruit, and then let it firm up completely overnight. If it’s still too runny, I’ll stir in another teaspoon or so and wait a few more hours.
This is an excellent topping for oatmeal or yogurt, or throw some into a jar of overnight oats!
Experiment with different kinds of fruit. I’ve made this with frozen fruit and fresh fruit, both are delicious. I’d suggest raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, plums, and apricots.
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups fresh or frozen fruit
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
- Stir the berries and chia seeds together in a saucepan.
- Simmer, covered with a lid, for 5-10 minutes, until softened. Add 1 Tbsp of water to loosen the jam if it seems too thick.
- Gently mash with a fork to your desired smoothness.
- Transfer to a jar or lidded container and enjoy warm or refrigerate. Keep in mind that it will continue to thicken up in the refrigerator, so if you eat it right away it will be runnier, but still perfectly yummy! If you refrigerate it, it will set and become more of a jam-like consistency.
- This will keep well in the fridge for a few days.
My Favorite Applications of Chia Jam
- On Oatie Pancakes
- On Lemony Quinoa Pancakes
- On Banana Oat Waffles
- On Overnight Oats
- With peanut butter for PB & Overnight Oats
- Swirled into yogurt
- On warm oatmeal
- In a Vanilla Chia Pudding Parfait
- On top of Millet Porridge
What else do you love to do with chia jam? Share in the comments!
Hi, I’m Katie Gates! I share satisfying, vibrant recipes (mostly plant based and sugar & flour free) to help you feel great while fully enjoying the deliciousness and beauty of food. These recipes have all supported me at one time or another in developing a joyful and empowered relationship to food and eating.
I’ve been meaning to try this for a while, but I am going to keep the fruit raw and blend them in my vitamin. Then stir in the chia. Thanks for reminding me!
How long will this keep in the refrigerator?
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Not sure, just made it this morning! There’s no preservatives in it, It probably will keep as long as regular fruit would keep, maybe a little longer. I’ll keep you posted.
Hi Katie, I see that Ezekiel bread has spelt flour as part of the ingredients. How does that work for BLErs
Hi Heather, please see the BLE support center here: https://support.brightlineeating.com/can-i-have-sprouted-grain-products-such-as-ezekiel-products/
Sounds wonderful and thanks Katie.
Can you tell, me if Harvest Snaps which are Snapea Crisps by Calbee which ay there are 3 grams of natural sugar in 93 gram package but no sugar in the ingredient
Isn’t. I believe they also come in smaller 100 calorie packs with one gram of sugar.
Thank you so much for your reply
Gracie
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Hi Gracie, sounds like a great question for bright line eating support. I’m afraid I can’t offer that kind of advice. Depends on your program and your sensitivities.
Love this fruit spread! Now I just need to make me some of those banana oat waffles. I made the fruit spread and put in my gelatin thickened kefir. LOL I get to eat the kefir tomorrow but can’t wait. I’ve been putting the frozen fruit in and it was a bit weepy. The chia solves the problem! You have some great ideas. Thanks for sharing!
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I made it with mixed berries and loved it! I need to make another batch.
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I made this recently, using frozen mixed berries, and added some fresh peaches. SO SO GOOD! I am making another batch today. Let me ask you, do you think it will freeze and thaw successfully? I’m going to give it a try. If no one has done it so far, I will let you know how it goes.
I’m not sure, let me know!
Did it freeze well? I just made 4 pounds of berries into this fruit spread and I would love to freeze some.
I’ve never tried it Laura, but I just make small batches the night before, it only takes a few minutes. I don’t even bother heating it anymore, I just defrost frozen berries and mix them with chia seeds in a little jar for the next morning. You might just freeze the fruit separately and thaw it out before you want to make a batch of “jam.” If you do freeze it, let me know how it goes!
Hi Katie l just purchased your book Katie’s bright kitchen and l have a question about the txatziki sauce. Is the tougart used cow yogurt? I am waiting for my yogurt maker to come in the mail so l can start making my own. I am really sensitive to dairy. I am not fond of almond milk so will probably use coconut milk. How do you count the homemade plant based yogurt in terms of the ble plan?
Thank you very much
Bernadette
Hi! You can count plant based yogurt or milk just the same as dairy. Use whatever sounds good to you.
Sorry for all my typos 🙄 above .
Hi Katie! Love the recipes!
Making this now! Can’t wait to try it. 🙂 For the protein, wouldn’t a 2 ounce serving be 1/16 a protein serving? I thought a protein serving is 2 ounces nuts/seeds, so 2 ounces of the fruit spread would have 1/8 ounce chia seeds, which would be 1/16 total protein? Or is it different for chia seeds versus nuts?
Thanks Elizabeth, just thought about it again and you are totally right. I just adjusted the recipe. Sloppy math on my part, my apologies. (Did you know I’m a middle school math teacher? Fumble!) Honestly though, because it’s so little, I don’t bother to count it. I just weigh the spread out as fruit only. Do what brings you peace. 🙂
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Thank you Katie! I made this last night and had it with your recipe for Oatie pancakes that I made in my waffle iron this morning. It was wonderful! I used frozen blueberries and cherries for mine and it came out great!
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