This super simple homemade berry chia jam can be made with any berries you love, fresh or frozen! I love swirling it into yogurt or oatmeal, using on toast or sandwiches, warming and spooning over pancakes, and in place of store-bought jam in baked goods.
Homemade chia jam is the perfect way to use up the odds and ends of a few different bags of berries in the freezer, or can be made with fresh berries if they’re in season where you live.
This recipe is sweetened entirely with maple syrup and the natural sweetness of the berries, and can easily be made more or less sweet to suit your tastebuds.
Let’s make some jam!
how to make berry chia jam
It really couldn’t be simpler.
Fruit + heat + chia seeds = jam.
The chia seeds not only add a boost of fiber and nutrients to this jam, but they act as the thickener. When soaked in liquid (or the natural juices released by heating berries, in this case), they plump up and create a gel, which is exactly what we need to mimic the texture of store-bought jam.
Everything gets dumped into a small pot on the stove, heated until the berries break down, and left to cool/thicken.
I love the tart-sweet flavor of raspberries, so they’re my most commonly used fruit for chia jam. Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries or any combination thereof will work perfectly here.
storing chia jam
Since this is just a simple, stovetop jam, it needs to be stored in the fridge or freezer, and cannot be canned/preserved.
In the fridge, it should last at least 1 week, or pop a jar in the freezer where it can be stored for months.
Because it’s so easy to make, I typically just make the amount I need, and don’t worry about stocking up the freezer unless I happen to have an abundance of fresh local berries that need to be used up quickly.
If you make this recipe, be sure to let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your berry chia jam and share it with me on Instagram so I can see.
Homemade Berry Chia Jam (Quick + Easy!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups berries, fresh or frozen
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
- optional: tiny pinch of salt, splash of vanilla, or a few grates of citrus zest
Instructions
- Place berries and maple syrup into a small pot over high heat. Cook for 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of your berries and whether or not they're frozen, until bubbling.
- For firmer berries like strawberries, use a potato masher to break down larger pieces. For softer berries like raspberries and blackberries, simply stirring with a spoon should break them down into a sauce.
- Turn off the heat, add chia seeds, and stir to combine. Add any optional ingredients, if desired, to enhance the flavor of whatever berries you're using. Taste and add more maple syrup, if needed, to achieve your desired sweetness level.
- Let sit until cool, then transfer to a jar with a lid and store in the fridge for up to 1 week, or the freezer for several months.