Calibrate Recipe

ANY-BERRY CHIA JAM

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Vegan, Vegetarian, Halal, Kosher, Metabolic Jumpstart

Active: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes (plus cooling)
Makes 1 cup

Here is the answer to your PB&J prayers! Unlike the jars you’d find at a grocery store, this 10-minute jam is made with real fruit and thickened with fiber-packed chia instead of tons of extra sugar and preservatives. Best of all, it’s quick and easy to make at home, and doesn’t require any fussy canning. Feel free to use either fresh or frozen fruit, depending on what you have on hand. You can also scale up the recipe to make a bigger batch, then freeze it up to 3 months. Spoon this jam on top of yogurt, steel-cut oatmeal, or a piece of whole-grain toast. Or, eat it straight from the bowl—it’s that good! If you’re tracking your sugars closely, stirring in the optional teaspoon of honey will give this jam about 6g of total added sugar per cup (versus the nearly 200g found in a cup of Smucker's).

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen berries (we love using strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or a mix)
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey, optional
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, optional

Directions:

  1. Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the fruit and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fruit begins to break down and bubble, about 5 minutes. If desired, use a spoon or potato masher to mash the fruit to your desired consistency.
  2. Stir in the chia seeds and lemon juice until combined. Taste and stir in the honey and vanilla if desired. Remove from the heat and let cool, at least 5 minutes. (The jam will thicken as it cools.)
  3. Serve immediately, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 3 months.

Test Kitchen Tips:
This recipe works with nearly any juicy fruit, not just berries. (Think cherries, peaches, apricots, pineapple, or kiwi!) Feel free to experiment with your favorite fruits and even combinations. Keep in mind that different kinds of fruit will yield different textures (for example, pineapple is much juicier than strawberries, and will make a much thinner jam) or flavors (for example, raspberries are much more tart than blueberries, so you may want to stir in the honey or vanilla).