Blueberry Chia Jam

Name: Blueberry Chia Jam
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen); 2 tbsp chia seeds; 1 - 2 tbsp maple syrup; 1 tsp lemon juice (optional - use if your fruit is very sweet or for some tang)

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This quick and easy blueberry chia jam is super fruity and refined sugar free. Ready in just 10 minutes! Perfect to spread on bread, swirl into your breakfast, or use in baking.

This versatile and simple recipe is great when you have an abundance of fruit to use. We’re currently camping in a forest, and are surrounded by wild blueberries, so we thought it was the perfect time to share this blueberry chia seed jam recipe with you.

If you’ve never made jam using chia seeds before, it’s a really simple process!

There’s just a few ingredients:

Blueberries. We’ve used wild blueberries here in the pictures, which gives a very flavourful and dark coloured jam, but normal blueberries are also delicious. You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries.

Maple syrup is used to sweeten the jam.

Chia seeds are what naturally thickens the jam as well as adds a nutritional boost.

You can also add an optional splash of lemon juice if your berries are very ripe or sweet, or just for some extra zing.

What are chia seeds?

Chia seeds are the small, oval shaped, grey seeds of Salvia hispanica. They're rich in B vitamins and a good source of protein. They're especially useful for the gelling effect they create when soaked in liquid.

Because of the thickening effect that the seeds have, this chia jam doesn't need added sugar or pectin in order to set.

Did you know chia seeds were a staple food of the Aztecs! More recently they've become available across the globe, and are a really great vegan pantry staple to have at home.

We recommend getting organic chia seeds.

Spreading the jam on some wholemela bread

Step by step

You’ll find the amounts in the recipe card below, but here’s a quick visual guide of how to make chia jam:

Gently cooked blueberries surrounded by their juice

Step 1 - Cook the washed blueberries in a pan until they are softened and surrounded by juice.

Step 2 - Stir in the chia seeds, maple syrup and optional lemon juice.

Checking the jam on a spoon to see how thick it is

Step 3 - Cook gently for around 5 minutes, stirring the jam as it thickens.

Filling the finished chia jam into a clean jar

Step 4 - Transfer to a jar and store in the fridge.

Variations

Instead of maple syrup, you can use another sweetener such as agave or our vegan honey.

Try other fruits! You can use berries like raspberries and strawberries or stone fruits such as peach, or even kiwi! Slice up larger fruit and remove stones if necessary. You can use one type of fruit, or a mixture. Have fun and experiment!

If you prefer a smoother jam, you can purée it with a blender after cooking.

You can also play around with the flavour by adding a dash of cinnamon, ginger or zest.

Serve it with

Enjoy your fresh chia jam:

On your favourite bread (we love our Super Seedy Sourdough)
Swirled into porridge
Mixed with some vegan yoghurt and our yummy homemade vegan granola
As the J in our PBJ oat bars
In our vegan jam tarts or other baking recipes
And spread generously on our Easy Vegan Scones

Storage FAQs

How long does chia jam keep?

Because chia seed jam is low in sugars, it doesn’t keep for as long as traditional jam made with sugar.

Store it in the fridge and use it within 1 week.

Can I freeze chia jam?

Yes! To keep your jam for longer, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

You can even freeze it in a glass jar, as long as you leave plenty of headroom for expansion, and chill completely before putting it in the freezer. Then, simply defrost in the fridge.

The freshly cooked jam with some bread in the background

Still got some more berries? Check out our other vegan blueberry recipes!

Vegan Fruit Tarts

Blueberry Oat Pancakes

Vegan Blueberry Scones

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