Before we left for our trip, I found myself with a couple pints of blueberries and a few spotted bananas to use up. I’ve been meaning to make my strawberry chia seed jam for a while now, so I ended up adapting my recipe using blueberries, all-natural sweetener, and a touch of vanilla. It turned out lovely and was ready in 20 minutes flat!
This is the strawberry chia seed jam that I made a couple years ago:
Chia seeds are magic. I love using them as thickeners in all kinds of foods from homemade jam to vegan overnight oats to pasta sauces.
This strawberry chia seed “jam” is a tasty filling for my Healthy Strawberry Oat Squares! You can use any kind of filling that you like in these oat squares. They remind me a lot of a healthy nutri-grain bar.
This is not a traditional jam recipe by any means, but then again I’m not one for following traditions all that often when it comes to food. Instead of using white sugar, I used maple syrup to lightly sweeten the berries. The maple and vanilla extract do a great job of bringing out the flavours in the blueberries without overpowering them. Chia seeds thicken the mixture nicely while adding a tasteless burst of nutrition in every bite.
If you’ve got 20 minutes, you can make this jam. It’s a snap. All you do is add blueberries and a touch of maple syrup into a pot. Bring it to a low boil and then reduce it to simmer for about 5 minutes or so. Then stir in the chia seeds and simmer it for another 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently until it’s as thick as you desire.
Before adding the chia seeds, the blueberries will be quite watery.
Have no fear chia is here!
After adding in the chia seeds and cooking the mixture down, it thickens up beautifully! Hence, the name – magical jam. You won’t believe your eyes how thick this gets. Thanks to the chia seeds, we’re also pumping up the jam with all kinds of healthy omega fats, iron, fibre, protein, magnesium, and calcium. Who knew jam could be so healthy?
Enjoy this on toast, oatmeal, vegan overnight oats, thumbprint cookies, tarts, in smoothies, and so much more. Also, feel free to try this out with any seasonal fruit you wish.
Magical Blueberry Vanilla Chia Seed Jam
Yield
1 cup
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Adapted from my strawberry chia seed jam.
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh blueberries
- 3-4 tbsp pure maple syrup, to taste (or other liquid sweetener)
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions
- In a medium-sized non-stick pot, bring the blueberries and 3 tbsp of maple syrup to a low boil. Stir frequently, and reduce heat to low-medium to simmer for about 5 minutes. Lightly mash the blueberries with a potato masher or fork, leaving some for texture.
- Stir in the chia seeds until thoroughly combined and cook the mixture down until it thickens to your desired consistency, or about 15 minutes. Stir frequently so it doesn’t stick to the pot.
- Once the jam is thick, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Add more maple syrup to taste if desired. Enjoy on toast, English muffins, oatmeal, vegan overnight oats, oat bars, tarts, cookies, banana soft serve, smoothies, and more. The jam should keep for at least a week in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
A breakfast sandwich sounded like a good idea.
Banana slices, sunflower seed butter, and blueberry jam all sandwiched in a toasted English muffin….I couldn’t wait a second longer.
*Poof*…it was gone just like a magic trick.
~~~
We’re off for our flight back home this morning! I think my first meal back will be banana bread oatmeal with blueberry jam & sunbutter to top it all off…yum. And then about a week’s worth of salads because I kinda got off track with the salad-a-day challenge a bit. Whoops.. This last week of June is going to be a leafy one…
Can this be made using other berries? Say raspberries? Would you follow the same steps?
Since chia seeds picking on their own, I’m wondering… do they need to be cooked?
This jam was a joy to make and to eat! Thank you Angela :)
Hey Angela,
I’ve made this jam a few times now with a few variations and it’s worked great each time. I have a plum tree that is about to give me ton of plums and was hoping to make up some batches and can the jam for holiday gifts… Do you think it would work? Any modifications I should consider?
Thanks!
Michelle
Great jam- just made some with raspberries we picked yesterday! Wondering if you’ve tried using ground chia seeds? Saw them at Bulk Barn and wasn’t quite sure if it thickens the same. The jam tasted great but had a very seedy texture due to the seeds & chia- would ground chia soften the texture at all? Thanks! Oh and did you try freezing it yet? Others had said it would work but wasnt sure how long for! THanks!!
It IS magical! I left it cooking longer – almost 25 minutes – because I like my jam real thick, but I found it also thickens a little when you put it in the fridge after. My boyfriend loved it and I adored it on my toasts this morning. Soooo good, the taste is just perfect.
I have a question! Do you think I could combine the same ingredients into a good processor instead of putting heat on it? Thank you!
Think I’m gonna do these for our company outing next week. :)
Oops, wrong page. :) I meant the Raspberry Chia Seed Jam Oat Crumble Squares. This happens when you have to many OSG tabs open…
Hello! Love your blog, and your cookbook! Thanks so much for sharing your journey online.
I’m wondering, do you think this jam could be sealed in a mason jar? Do you think it would last? Thinking about Christmas gifts.
Hi Melissa,
I’m glad you are liking the recipes. Unfotunately the jam will not can well, maybe only a couple weeks in the fridge.
Do you think I would be able to “can” this jam?
Hi Ann,
Unfotunately these won’t can well. The high amount of sugar in regular jam is what makes it shelf stable.
i am about 2 years too late with this recipe, but could it be canned (processed in a water bath) & kept out on a shelf? it looks so good!
I’m giving this away for christmas! Although I made strawberry as that was what my mother had most of at home :p
But really excited to whip up another batch for just the family to enjoy, my mum for some reason have a ton of waffle mix at home!
Thanks for great healthy recipes!
Excellent flavor! Most jam recipes call for so much sugar but this is decently healthy with the small amount of sweetener in it. Also gave this as a gift and the recipients loved it too.
Did not work was a waste of my berries
Hello, we are a blueberry nursery looking to share blueberry recipes with the readers of our blog! May we share a photo and link to this recipe? Let me know, thank you!
What a great recipe! I have eliminated jam from my life (mostly!) Sometimes I really miss it, like when I’m enjoying some homemade almond butter. So nice to have a more healthful jam now that is delicious too! Thanks much!
Hi,
I am just wandering how long this jam will keep in the fridge for?
Thanks
Hi Angela, I really love all of your recipes, but I just made this one and it has got to be, hands down, my absolute favourite! I don`t really eat a lot of jam, but when I want some, I never have it because I just don`t eat enough to warrant making or buying a jar. Now I can make some when I want it and it`s so quick and easy and I LOVE blueberries (made it with frozen ones). So thank you once again for a recipe that works every day and makes life just that much easier. :-)
Angela, I love your blog and your cookbook- your recipes are delicious, really healthy and always reliable. I am relatively new to vegan cooking, so am delighted to see the abundance of really fine recipes out there!
I have a question regarding chia seeds. In the blueberry jam recipe I used whole seeds, but the jam is ‘seedy’. Should I have ground them first, or is this the texture of the jam? In recipes that call for chia, it is assumed it is the whole seed unless stated? Thanks so much. Nancy
Greetings from California!
I just love your recipe book. I just picked it up at Costco and can’t stop flipping through the recipes. They all look so good! Tonight I made your Magic Jam. I didn’t have any strawberries, so I used ripe pluot from the tree. Wow, was that good! I can’t wait to experiment with more fruit! Thank you so much!
My last batch went to waste, I made this and stored it outside for some silly reason, perhaps my brain was way wired with my exams and was not thinking straight! Well before it the left overs went moldy, I was so happy with it! My dad and his wife also loved it! Off to make some more for my lunch tomorrow! It’s going to be paired with some yummy homemade almond butter in a sandwich, half a cantaloupe, a banana, and your chickpea poppers! Yummy school lunches thanks to you! Can’t think of eating at the cafeteria! Plus every food joint near a college is just so unhealthy and don’t offer enough vegan options ):
Hi Angela. I just made this wonderful jam for the second time. This time I added the zest from one lemon to the cooking blueberries and I think it added a wonderful brightness to the jam. Thank you for all the wonderful recipes and inspiration.
I just made this and am letting it cool right now! I cannot wait to try it. I kept tasting it as it was cooking, and it tasted fabulous. I think I’ll be taking PB&J sandwiches to work all week!
I love this jam and I would like to make some to give as gifts. Do you know if thsi can be canned using the hot water bath method?
Can you process this jam to keep it longer? Does it freeze well?
Made this tonight to go on pancakes and it was Awesome!
I’m SOS free so I just left out the sweetener, and it was heavenly :)
I made a half batch and used raspberry because that’s what I had, and tastes better than any store bought version :)
Delicious and so simple, thanks Angela :)
I have TONS of blackberries and wanting to make this jam. How would I preserve the jam?? Water bath? Freeze??
Thanks in advance!
Hi Adrienne, I’ve found chia jam freezes really well!
Can I make the blueberry chia jam with frozen blueberries?
I don’t see why not! I believe a few readers have reported they had success with frozen blueberries. :)
Great holiday idea… helps beat all those sugary treats.
I’m so late to this recipe but….it’s amazing and I’m never buying jam from the store again! Thanks!
I’m so glad you discovered this recipe, Sammie! Enjoy the jam!! :)
Hi! Just wondering how long this jam will last if kept in the fridge? It sounds delicious, I can’t wait to make some!
Hi there, Stefanie. This jam should keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. Hope you enjoy it!
As much as I love vanilla. My favourite combination is blueberry and lemon. I used this recipe as my guide. But instead of vanilla I used the rind and juice from half a lemon… oh my lanta! I could just eat it with a spoon!
Oh, that sounds amazing, Karen!! Thanks for sharing.
Are you able to can and preserve this jam? Thank you so delicious!!
Hi there, Sarah. :) I’ve actually found this jam freezes really well!
has anyone tried canning this recipe, would it work to can it? I’m just looking for ways to make this last longer if possible. :)
I would not can this. Those recipes depend on a careful acid balance tested by scientists, to prevent dangerous spoilage in long-term storage. I bet you could freeze this, though.
This jam looks SO delicious! A must try for sure, thanks for the recipe :)
Thanks Lyndsay! I hope you love it if you try it out :)
Easy and perfect jam! This is very good for my diet! I love it! Thank you so much for sharing!
This was a lucky find today. I have figs and autumn raspberries ripening in the garden, and I wanted to improvise a jam. Excepting this one, I’ve only made sugar-pectin-waterbath-canned jam before. This was so easy, with not too much sugar, a flexible recipe, and a nice, spreadable result.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this method Wynne :)
Can you make and hot water process for long term shelf life? ( my freezer space is limited)
I live in the Okanagan so trying to capture the abundance of fresh produce now and store /can for winter.
thank you