Strawberry-Blueberry-Vanilla Chia Seed Jam

My boys love jam; I love the magical power of chia seeds, sooooo chia seed jam seemed like a good idea. And as it turns out, I had a big ol’ tub of ripe, deep-red strawberries in my CSA box this week that was basically begging to be jammed. So I gave in to their will and slaughtered them in the name of preserves.

Chia seeds are teeny little nutritional dynamos: full of omega-3s, fiber, antioxidants, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and manganese, which means they are badass at improving brain function, reducing inflammation, lowering cholesterol, regulating bowel function, helping protect your body from free radicals that can speed up aging and cause cancer, helping prevent hypertension, helping you maintain a healthy weight and contributing to energy metabolism and DNA synthesis. They also absorb liquids like a boss, so they swell to many times their original size, which helps keep you full. This also makes them adept thickeners, which is why they are jam rock-stars. No pectin needed.

This recipe is adapted from one of my favorite vegan cookbooks The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon. I happen to prefer the taste of honey as a natural sweetener, so that makes my version non-vegan, but you could use maple syrup or sugar or any other vegan sweetener you choose if you wanted to keep it vegan. I used frozen blueberries since blueberries aren’t quite at their peak yet, and with a simple recipe like this, the ingredients really need to be at the top of their game.

This is a pleasantly sweet, beautifully spreadable, ruby-hued jam bursting with berry flavor and just a hint of warm vanilla numminess lingering in each bite. It’s jam nirvana, as evidenced by the fact that my boys could barely even wait for it to come off the heat before shoveling it in their mouths by the spoonful. I doubt this jar will make it through the weekend.

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Strawberry-Blueberry-Vanilla Chia Seed Jam

A quick, easy jam sweetened with honey and thickened with chia seeds. Genius.

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Courses

Jam

Prep Time

5 minutes

Cook Time

25 minutes

Servings

cup of jam MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 2 cups strawberries
• 1 cup blueberries
• 3 Tbsp raw honey
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Courses Jam Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Servings cup of jam MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 2 cups strawberries 1 cup blueberries 3 Tbsp raw honey 2 Tbsp chia seeds 1 tsp vanilla extract

Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

1. Toss the strawberries in a food processor and pulse until almost smooth, leaving a bit of chunkiness for texture. If you don't have a food processor, you can just coarsely chop the strawberries and then mash them with a potato masher.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the strawberries, the blueberries and the honey, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Make sure you're stirring frequently.
3. When it starts simmering, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes or so, mashing some of the blueberries with a fork or potato masher and leaving some of them whole for texture.
4. Stir in the chia seeds and cook for another 15 minutes or so, stirring frequently until the jam thickens to your liking.
5. When the jam is thick, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
6. Let it cool a bit, then transfer it into a jar with an airtight lid, where it will keep for up to a couple weeks in the fridge.