Sugar-free Strawberry Chia Jam

Did you know you can make jam without the use of pectin or sugar? By adding chia seeds to any kind of fruit, it will create this thick spread that can be used as jam.  I really love eating jam on toast and adding them to different recipes, but conventional jam always comes with a ton of sugar or fake sugar like sucralose or asparatame and a bunch of other unknown ingredients.  

If you look at the ingredients list of a sugar-free Smuckers strawberry jam: 

WATER**, STRAWBERRIES+, POLYDEXTROSE**, MALTODEXTRIN**, FRUIT PECTIN, LOCUST BEAN GUM**, NATURAL FLAVOR **, CITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE), SUCRALOSE (NON NUTRITIVE SWEETENER)**, CALCIUM CHLORIDE**, RED 40**

You will see that they use so many ingredients that aren’t needed.  My homemade strawberry chia jam only uses 4 ingredients: Strawberries, lemon juice, honey, and chia seeds.  What I love about chia jams is that you can literally use any fruit you want to make the jam.  Feel like a raspberry jam? Just substitute the strawberries for raspberries.

I don’t know if this is just common in my family, but my grandma always ate her cereals with jam inside the milk.  It may sound gross to some people, but I always loved doing that!  I’m planning on using this jam this week on toast and I’ll also be including it in some chia parfaits that I’m planning on making later tonight. 

Print

Sugar-Free Strawberry Chia Jam

A sugar-free and pectin-free alternative to traditional jams

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 4 minutes

Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes

Servings 16 servings

Calories 24 kcal

Author Mira

Ingredients

• 1 cup strawberries chopped
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp chia seeds

Instructions

1. Place the strawberries and lemon juice in a small frying pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat until the strawberries have considerably dissolved, about 4-5 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat.
3. Transfer the strawberries into a small bowl. Add the honey. With a stick mixer, pulverize the mix for 10 seconds. Add the chia seeds and mix well with a spoon. Transfer to a container with a lid and refrigerate for 4 hours-overnight.
4. The chia seeds will have absorbed the strawberry liquid and turn it into a thick jam.

Recipe Notes

Use within 1-2 weeks depending on how fresh your strawberries are.
Keep it in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

Nutrition Facts

Sugar-Free Strawberry Chia Jam

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 24 Calories from Fat 6

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 0.72g 1%

Saturated Fat 0g 0%

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 32mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 6.8g 2%

Dietary Fiber 1.2g 5%

Sugars 5.46g

Protein 0.69g 1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.