Receta en Español abajo!
Toast with jam. Toast with ricotta cheese + jam…even better. Peanut butter and jam sandwich. Brie cheese and jam on crackers. Swirling jam into yogurt with granola. Shake it into a cocktail. Top your pancakes or crepes. Top your ice cream. Slather it on fresh, hot biscuits. This Blueberry Chia Jam is so easy to make and so versatile. It won’t last long in your fridge!
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Blueberry Chia Jam
- Fresh (or frozen) blueberries. Nothing beats fresh blueberries in this Blueberry Chia Jam, but we also tested with frozen blueberries and it turned out ahhhmazing. Because there is a higher water content with frozen fruit vs fresh, you may have to cook for a few minutes longer to get your desired texture. Hang in there, it’s worth it!
- Agave is the sweetener we used based on personal preference. Agave has a very sweet taste but a more mild flavor than honey or maple syrup, so it lets the flavor of the blueberries really shine in this recipe. That being said, you could definitely substitute honey or maple syrup if you prefer. A liquid sweetener such as these blends really well into the jam, so we prefer this over granulated sugar.
- Fresh lemon juice adds a brightness and complements the blueberries well. In jams that are made with pectin, lemon juice lowers the pH (since it is acidic) which allows for the jam to “set.” We have some pectin naturally found in blueberries in this recipe, but no added pectin since we are using chia seeds as our thickening agent.
- Vanilla extract adds some depth and complexity to the flavor profile.
- Chia seeds are the thickening agent in this jam. When chia seeds are added to a liquid, they become gelatinous and thicken the liquid they are immersed in. It takes about 10-15 minutes for this process, so you’ll want to follow the instructions below to ensure you reach that desired texture and let the chia seeds do their thing. See the FAQ section below for some more info on thickening jam.
How to Make Blueberry Chia Jam
Combine everything except chia seeds in a saucepan over medium low heat. You might feel like there’s not enough liquid, but don’t be fooled. I promise you it will be fine! It will look like the picture below at first…
Use potato masher (or a large spoon if you don’t have a potato masher) to break up the fruit sporadically. After about 3-4 minutes of this, it should start looking like the picture below.
After about 10-15 minutes of heat and mashing, it should start looking like the picture below. If it simmers a bit, that’s alright. If it starts to boil, knock the heat down a bit.
Keep over heat for about 25 minutes total or until it has reduced in volume by about a third. Then, remove the saucepan from the stovetop. Add and stir in the chia seeds.
Once the chia seeds are stirred in, it should be looking like this beauty. Wait 10-15 minutes for the chia seeds to do their thing and gelatinize. This thickens the jam.
And voilà! You just made your own jam.