Homemade Cherry Chia Seed Jam
Today I’m bringing you guys my recipe for Homemade Cherry Chia Seed Jam!
Do you guys love jam just as much as I do? After all, my grandma’s always keep my fridge stocked with the good stuff. The homemade stuff will beat out the store EVERY, SINGLE, TIME.
However, for the last couple years, I’ve been laying off the jam. While I have jars upon jars of cherry, rhubarb, raspberry, and more, I tried to stay clear of the sugar-laden spread. I settled for topping my toast with other condiments or not at all. Don’t worry…the jam isn’t going to waste. I have a hubby that eats that stuff up. But, after whipping up a batch of this Cherry Chia Seed Jam, I’m back on the jam train.
Honestly, I feel a little silly for not trying this sooner. I just assumed I needed a bunch of pectin and sugar to make anything resembling jam. Lately though, I’ve been playing around with chia. Chia pudding, chia mousse, and the like. Never did it dawn on me until I was making a batch of mashed blackberries.
It got me thinking why the heck not! Why couldn’t I use the same method to make some homemade jam? So tried my hand at this Cherry Chia Seed Jam. To my surprise, it was ready in about 10-15 minutes and I had all the ingredients on hand!
Furthermore, you can apply this recipe to any flavor of jam you like. While I am featuring a cherry jam, you could really substitute with any fruit. Whether raspberry, strawberry, apricot, or grape is your jam (see what I did right there), you can make it happen!
For this recipe, you can choose whether you want to go the fresh or frozen route. I opted for frozen as I had a bunch of cherries frozen from Door County last fall. The hardest part of this recipe is removing the cherry pits. After that, this recipe is a breeze. And if you choose to use another type of fruit, you can skip the pitting all together!
When your fruit is prepped and ready to go, transfer into a small pot with sweetener of choice and bring to a boil. I recommend starting with 2 tablespoons of sweetener and working your way up, if needed. Once boiling, cover and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. After this time, the fruit should be easily mashable. Here, you can mash the fruit to your desired consistency. I actually prefer some big chunks of fruit in there. Then, add in your chia seeds and allow to cool. Voila, we have Cherry Chia Seed Jam!
Now don’t just limit yourself to putting this on toast. The sky is the limit. Just this morning, I put a few tablespoons over my plain Greek yogurt. Try it on toast, in your smoothie, over cottage cheese, or in your yogurt.
So, do you think you can manage making your own jam? I know you can! If you serve up your toast this week with some Cherry Chia Seed Jam, don’t forget to tag a snapshot with #stephanieleenutrition on Instagram. I’d love to share what creative ways you use up this jam! Happy eating xo!
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 2 cups cherries, pitted (or fruit of choice)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
Ingredients
|
|
- Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add pitted cherries and maple syrup, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until cherries are soft. Lightly crush cherries with a fork to mash.
- Stir chia seeds into fruit mixture and remove from heat. Allow to thicken and let cool. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks or in the freezer for three months.
