Chia seed jam

A quick and healthy jam recipe, and a great way to use up summer fruit from the freezer. This chia seed jam is ready to eat after just 20 minutes – no long cooking and no large amount of sugar required. Chia seeds act as a natural thickener here. The jam is delicious on toast, a slice of challah or waffles, and also makes a lovely addition to porridge and yoghurt. You can simply eat it straight from the jar too – it’s delicious! You can use any fruit you like to make this jam. Depending on the type of fruit and its pectin content, you may need to add slightly more or less chia seeds, as different fruits also vary in how quickly they thicken once cooked.

Makes 1½ cups.

Ingredients for chia seed jam:

• 500 g fresh or frozen fruit
• 4 tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup or another sweetener (or less, to taste)
• ¼ cup white chia seeds
• 1 tbsp lemon juice or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or the seeds from 1 vanilla pod)

Place the fruit in a saucepan, removing the stalks and, if necessary, peeling or cutting the fruit into smaller pieces. Add the sugar or maple syrup and 1 tbsp lemon juice or the vanilla bean paste. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. By this point, the fruit should have released plenty of juice. Remove from the heat, stir in the chia seeds and leave for 20 minutes to thicken.

Transfer to jars and store in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Note: I used 80% frozen strawberries and 20% raspberries. I cut the larger strawberries into smaller pieces.

Enjoy!

Recipe source: Bon Appetit.