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This Strawberry Chia Jam is not your traditional jam but one made in only 15 minutes in a pot with just a few simple ingredients! Vibrant strawberries are cooked down with a touch of lime juice and vanilla extract and sweetened with maple syrup. All of this goodness then gets thickened up with chia seeds, so you have a healthy and delicious jam to enjoy!
Table of Contents
If you’ve been looking for a healthy and delicious way to enjoy summer fruit all year long, this 5-ingredient strawberry chia jam is perfect! This recipe is from the Pretty Simple Cooking Cookbook written by Sonja and Alex from A Couple Cooks! It’s made with minimal ingredients, no refined sugar, and it’s so easy to make. Plus, it tastes great on toast, waffles, pancakes, or just eaten straight out of the jar! If you’re looking for a healthy snack or breakfast idea, this strawberry chia jam is definitely worth trying.
So good! I didn’t add the zest but did everything else, and it was plenty limey without it. I had it with Dutch pancakes, and it was delicious! Thanks! – Chase
Recipe at a glance
Cuisine Inspiration: American
Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
Dietary Info: Vegetarian, Refined Sugar-Free, High in Omegas
Key Flavor: Strawberry with a hint of lime
Skill Level: Easy
Standouts
- You don’t have to wait to eat it. You can literally eat it within 15 minutes of starting the recipe. If you store it in the fridge, though, it will settle even more when it gets cold.
- Easiest strawberry jam you’ll ever make. If you’ve never made jam before, this is a great recipe to start with because it’s so simple. You don’t need any special equipment or ingredients, and it comes together quickly.
- It’s healthy and delicious. This strawberry chia jam is not only healthier than traditional jam because it has no refined sugar, but it also tastes great!
- Great way to use up strawberries. If you have strawberries that are starting to go bad, this is a great way to use them up. You can also freeze the strawberries and save them for later to use in this recipe.
ingredients to make chia jam
- Strawberries: This recipe uses frozen strawberries, but you can also use fresh strawberries. If you use frozen strawberries, there’s no need to thaw them first.
- Chia Seeds: Chia seeds is what helps this jam thicken up and become more like a traditional jam. Chia seeds are also a great source of fiber and omega-fatty acids.
- Lime Juice: The lime juice adds a little bit of tartness to the jam. You can also use lemon juice if you prefer.
- Vanilla Extract: The vanilla extract adds a nice depth of flavor to the jam, but is also optional.
- Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is used to sweeten the jam. You can also use honey or agave nectar if you prefer.
How to make strawberry chia jam
- To start, you basically use fresh or frozen strawberries, throw in some lime juice and water and simmer it all together.
- When the strawberries start to break down, use a fork to mash them and help release their juices.
- Next, you’ll add in some chia seeds, maple syrup, vanilla extract, chia seeds, and lime zest and stir until combined, about 30 seconds.
- What happens is when the chia seeds get heated and those tiny seeds naturally thicken the strawberries into a jelly-like spread.
Tips for making the best strawberry chia jam
- Puree the strawberries for a smoother jam. If you want a smoother jam, you can use an immersion blender to puree the strawberries after they’ve been cooked down.
- Add more or less sweetener to taste. This recipe is lightly sweetened, but you can add more or less maple syrup to taste. You can always add more, so when in doubt, start with less.
- Use glass storage jars. Plastic can sometimes leach unwanted flavors into food (i.e., that garlic spaghetti you saved last week may not taste so good with your chia jam). If you have a glass mason jar, use that instead.
- Let it set in the fridge for a few hours. If you can resist eating the jam right away, letting the jam set in the fridge for a few hours will allow it to thicken even more, and the flavors will meld together.
popular substitutions & additions
- Switch up the berries. This chia jam recipe can be made with any type of fruit. Just cook the fruit down with some lime juice and water until soft, and then add in the chia seeds.
- Use fruits other than berries. You’ll need to add more water to the mixture. It’s important that the chia seeds have enough liquid to absorb and become gel-like. I have only tried this recipe with berries, and that’s the most popular method of making chia seed jam. But, the method works well for cherries, peaches, apricots, or any other juicy fruit.
- Omit the sweetener or change it up. You don’t have to use sweeteners in this jam. It will just be less like a traditional jam. You can also use honey or agave nectar if you prefer.
- Use fresh strawberries instead of frozen. You can substitute the frozen strawberries with 1lb of fresh. You’ll want to cut the cooking time down since fresh strawberries are already softer.
what to serve with your chia jam
You can eat this chia seed jam however you’d normally eat regular jam. It works great on toast, yogurt, oatmeal, or on top of waffles and pancakes. However you use it, it’s a feelgood easy nutritious recipe that is very versatile and fun to make.
My favorite way to eat it is on toast with peanut butter – simple and perfect!
- Huevos Rancheros with Sweet Potatoes
- Souffle Omelette
- Chocolate Hazelnut Smoothie Bowl
- Broccoli and Cheese Quiche
how to store this chia jam recipe
Store your jam in an air-tight container, preferably glass, in the fridge.
how long will chia jam last in the fridge?
This chia jam recipe will last in the fridge for up to two weeks. After that, it will start to lose its freshness.
can i freeze chia jam?
Yes! The great thing about this recipe is that you can freeze it. Just place the jam in a freezer-safe container, and it will last for up to six months. When you’re ready to use it, just thaw it overnight in the fridge.
Frequently asked questions
I don’t recommend it. Chia seeds are what help this jam thicken up and become more like a traditional jam. Pectin will also make the jam very thick and gel-like, but the cooking and setup process is different.
First, make sure you’re using enough chia seeds. I would start with at least three tablespoons. If that doesn’t work, you can cook the jam down for a little longer or add more chia seeds.
Yes, this recipe can easily be doubled. If using frozen strawberries, you may need to increase the initial cooking time, but besides doubling the ingredients, the recipe can be made as-is for doubling.
To me, it tastes like regular jam honestly. It’s a little less sweet since we’re not relying on all the sugar to help set the jam. In fact, you can put as much or as little honey/maple syrup as you’d like to get the sweetness level you like.
However, the consistency is a little different. It has a sauce-like consistency, and it’s not as sturdy and compact as traditional store-bought jam. In the end, though, it still works just as well as a regular jam.
You can take this basic idea of the strawberry chia jam, and do it with blueberries, raspberries, cherries, or whatever fruit you’d like. I love that they used lime in there because it gives it a nice tangy punch.
This 5-Ingredient Strawberry Chia Jam is a healthy and delicious way to enjoy your favorite fruit. Kids and adults alike will love this sweet and sticky jam. And, it’s so easy to make with just a few simple ingredients.
For more Strawberry recipes:
- Strawberry Banana Bread
- Strawberry Mango Smoothie
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
- Strawberry Oat Bars
- Strawberry Smores
- 2-Ingredient Strawberry Sauce
- Strawberry Stuffed French Toast
If you try this healthy-ish feel, good Strawberry Chia Jam recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
This Strawberry Chia Jam recipe was originally published on March 30, 2018. The recipe has not been modified, but the post now includes new step-by-step photos for how to make the jam recipe.
Strawberry Chia Jam
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen strawberries
- 2 tablespoons lime juice plus zest 1 large lime
- 2 tablespoons water
- ⅓ cup Maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon chia seeds
Instructions
- In a small skillet, add the strawberries, lime juice and water. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. About halfway through the simmering time, begin breaking down the berries by smashing them with a fork into a chunky but uniform texture.
- Once the berries are broken down, stir in the maple syrup, vanilla extract, chia seeds, and lime zest until combined, about 30 seconds.
- Turn off the heat. Let the skillet sit for about 5-7 minutes until the chia seeds thicken the jam.
- Transfer to a jar and refrigerate; the texture will set even further when chilled.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Strawberry Chia Jam Recipe Excerpted from A Couple Cooks | Pretty Simple Cooking: 100 Delicious Vegetarian Recipes to Make You Fall in Love with Real Food by Sonja Overhiser and Alex Overhiser. Copyright © 2018. Available from Da Capo Lifelong Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Was always looking for easy and good jam recipe, this couldn’t be better. Thank you!
It didn’t thicken after adding the seeds, should I add more seeds or the refrigerator will do the job?
Yes, the texture will set even further when chilled.
Can you use stevia or monk fruit sugar instead of the sweeteners you listed?
Hi Kendra, yes you can. Just make sure you adjust the amount to your preferred taste.
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Hi! Just made this instead of maple syrup can I just use a bit of monk fruit sweetener? I love it the way it is, but just curious if I can do this next time as well?
Yay! I haven’t tried this with monk fruit sweetener yet, but let me know if you do and how it turns out!