3-Ingredient Chia Jam

By: Erin MacGregor, RD., P.H.Ec., of howtoeat.ca/

Jam in 15 minutes. It’s possible!

This is not even fake news, people.

All thanks to the magical magic of chia seeds. Of the same fame as the 1970s Chia Pets. I swear.

These little seeds have rocketed to the top of nearly every ‘superfoods’ list at some point in the last 5 years. We don’t believe in such things over here at How to Eat, but these little guys are pretty rad nonetheless. We’ve been experimenting with them as a binding  agent and vegan substitute for eggs as well as a thickening agent for things like smoothies and smoothie bowls.
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Sure, they’ve got lots of nutritious stuff in them too. Just like most other foods.

This recipe is perfect for the time of year where some people (me. every weekend.) go overboard buying seasonal fruit because it’s all so delightfully gorgeous. It can be made with slightly overripe berries or cherries that wouldn’t make the cut for a fruit tray. It can also be made year round from frozen fruit. Here I’ve used a mix of frozen berries and my valuable stash of frozen sour cherries. The final product must be refrigerated and used within a week or 10 days since there isn’t a lot of sugar, though.

I love this jam for a few reasons. It’s a much lower added-sugar alternative than traditional jam, which allows the flavour of all that perfect seasonal fruit to shine through. It’s more of a fruit spread than a sugar spread. It’s awesome for kids and my daughter has loved every flavour combo I’ve tried. While I’ve used maple syrup as the added sweetener in this version, honey, granulated sugar, agave syrup or whatever your favourite is would work too. I’ve also tested this recipe with raw fruit. It works, but it’s not as good in my opinion. The chia seeds also don’t absorb the colour of the jam as well, so it’s not as pretty. I like pretty jam. It’s totally worth the extra five minutes.

Makes: 1.5 cups
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups (500 mL) fresh or frozen berries or cherries
• 2 tbsp. (30 mL) chia seeds
• 2 tbsp. (30 mL) maple syrup

Note
Use fresh or frozen fruit and your sweetener of choice. This recipe can be adapted to any taste!
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Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat fruit over medium heat until it releases some liquid and begins to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and crush fruit with a potato masher or fork. Add chia seeds and maple syrup. Transfer to jam containers and cool to room temperature. You can speed up this process in the fridge.

Use just like jam, as desired.