We visited a blueberry farm last weekend and with an abundance of any type of fruit, my mind always jumps to jam!
That being said, I really didn’t want to make an overly sweet jam, loaded with sugar and calories, because, well then I’d eat it all. 🙂
This jam is refined sugar free, with only a small amount of maple syrup to add to the natural sweetness of the blueberries.
I did try some without the maple syrup, and I found it sweet enough for me, so feel free to skip it all together if you like.
I love the tartness of the jam, but if you have a sweet tooth, sweeten to your taste.
How to prepare blueberry chia jam?
Add your blueberries, lemon juice, zest and the optional maple syrup if using to a medium sauce pot. Simmer over medium heat until you notice the blueberries starting to burst. This will take about 5 minutes or less.
Then, using a potato masher, fork, or spoon, whatever you have on hand, gently mash the blueberries. You want to smash them up a bit, but definitely leave chunks in there too! Mash to your liking.
Now turn up the heat and bring to a boil to reduce the liquids slightly. This will take about another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add your chia seeds to the pot and mix well. That’s it!
How to store your jam?
Once your jam is ready, it will be very hot. So carefully transfer to a heatproof container. I use glass jars. Chill the jam overnight and enjoy.
Since this recipe makes a little over two cups of jam, I use two smaller jars and store one in the refrigerator and one in the freezer to use later. Don’t worry if your jam seems watery when transferring to your jars. The chia seeds will absorb a lot of the liquid as it cools.
Serve your delicious blueberry jam on toast or bagels, stir some into your morning oatmeal, or use as a topping on pancakes, brownies or nice cream!
If you enjoy this recipe, you’d definitely also like these Vegan Lemon Blueberry Muffins.
Want more recipes you can add this chia jam to? Check out these!
If you tried this recipe, please let me know about it in the comments below. I always love hearing from you! Don’t forget to Subscribe to This Healthy Kitchen to be among the first to get my new recipes! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter to see more delicious food and get all the latest updates.
Buon appetito,
Rosa
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh blueberries or thawed frozen blueberries
- 1 large lemon juiced & zested (approx 1/3 cup lemon juice)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup optional
- 1/3 cup chia seeds
Instructions
- Add the blueberries, lemon juice, zest and the maple syrup, if using to a medium sauce pot. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. You'll notice the blueberries start to burst. Gently mash with a potato masher or spoon so that roughly half your batch is smashed, leaving several chunks throughout.
- Increase heat and boil for 5 minutes to reduce some of the liquid. Then turn off the heat and stir in your chia seeds. Transfer your jam to an airtight container or jar and chill overnight. Don't worry if your jam is looking very watery, the chia seeds will absorb much of it as it cools in the fridge.
Love this recipe. One of the comments said that she felt better giving this to her kids and I agree. It’s so much better and healthier than the jarred stuff. And so easy to make!
Thanks very much for the review Claire. Glad you’re loving this recipe!
Loved everything about this recipe. Easy to follow and great idea to make during Blueberry season. I’m currently following the Candida diet so I substituted Monk fruit for the maple syrup. It worked out great! I would definitely make this again. Thank you so much for posing this healthy recipe! : )
Thrilled you enjoyed it Joanne. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and share your process with us.
Would this be something you could water bath can like typical jam and store in the pantry?
Hi Brandi, not sure. I haven’t tried it that way. We refrigerate some and freeze the rest.
can you use frozen blueberries with this recipe? i cant get my hands on fresh ones!!
Yes you may use frozen blueberries that have been thawed. Hope you enjoy. 🙂
This sounds delicious, can I leave out the lemon juice and zest?
Hi Diane! Yes you may skip the lemon if you prefer. Enjoy! 🙂
This jam is so good and with such a small amount of unrefined sugar, I feel much better about allowing my children to eat it. I haven’t bought jam from the store in a long time due to all the sugar, so my children are happy to have jam in the house again. I won’t be buying jam again, and plan to try your recipe using other berries as well – my children have already requested strawberry and raspberry!
Yay! So glad everyone is enjoying the jam. I’d love to hear how it turns out with other berries when you try it. 🙂