For a healthier spread, why not try out this delicious Raspberry Chia Jam? It’s easy and can be sweetened naturally for a low sugar jam
A love for all things full cream
We’re that family that loves the taste of everything full cream. Whether it’s milk, mayonnaise, butter, chocolate or yoghurt. We just can’t get enough of the good stuff!
The other day, I bought lite (light) milk for our family. Since our toddler, Kai is almost 3, he no longer needs to be on full cream milk. My husband, Tomi, said he rather have his coffee black than use lite milk. Kai also protested by refusing to drink his babyccino (milk foam with chocolate powder for infants and toddlers). Needless to say, we promptly switched back to full-cream milk!
So when I’m experimenting with healthier food or cooking, my expectations for flavour and taste drop. Suddenly, ‘it’s ok’ is a pass for us because it’s healthy and nutritious for us and it doesn’t taste horrible.
I’m always looking for healthy alternatives for my family and I’m willing to try different healthy recipes at least once. Some turn out disastrous, some ok and thankfully some also turn out brilliantly, like this Raspberry Chia Jam.
In my humble opinion, this Chia Jam tastes better than store-bought jams. It’s less sweet, tangy and loaded with all that chia seed goodness. Best of all, it’s healthier and lower in sugar! With only 4 ingredients and less than 10 minutes to cook and prep, this jam is a sure winner with all of us!
My guinea pigs are on strike!
After letting my Rasberry Chia Jam set in the fridge overnight, I was excited about the taste test.
My kitchen guinea pigs Tomi (husband) and Nara (younger sister) weren’t keen to try my jam. ‘You have the first taste!’ They insisted. They still hate me for feeding them a large spoonful of the healthy avocado chocolate mousse I was experimenting with.
The healthy avocado mousse recipe is from a very famous chef, so I expected to love it. I didn’t think it was too bad, but Tomi and Nara disagreed. ‘What the **** is that it’s so awful and bitter’ was one comment I fondly remember.
Those guys don’t know it yet, but they have the best part-time job in the world! Tasting my new creations haha! So, since my guinea pigs are on strike, I dumped a spoonful of my chia jam on some toast and took a bite. Refreshing, not overly sweet, and zesty with a good consistency. ‘I love it!’ I announced with my eyes sparkling.
Somehow, I’ve failed to convince them. Nara pushed Tomi to taste it next, and he only did so hesitantly. After a long pause, he goes ‘It’s okay,’ then he took another bite and changed his mind.’No, actually this stuff is really good!‘. The three of us stood in our kitchen, nodding our heads and loading our toast with more Chia Jam.
What is Chia Jam?
I’m not sure who coined this Chia Jam, but it’s good. This Chia Jam uses only 4 ingredients: raspberries, your choice of sweetener (sugar, maple/agave syrup or honey), lemon zest and chia seeds.
Chia seeds work as a thickening agent in the jam and not pectin like in most regular jams. Chia seeds can absorb up to 10 times their weight in liquid. However, using chia to thicken jam won’t have the same jelly-like texture as regular jam. It’s more of a runny jam, but it’ll thicken further when stored in the fridge.
If you love jam but want to watch your sugar intake or want a low-calorie spread, then this Chia Jam is your answer. I would happily switch this for regular jam any day, but to be honest, I’ve never been a big fan of jam, though.
The only downside to this Chia Jam is the shelf life. Because it’s homemade with natural ingredients, it’s best to consume it after 4 days for food safety reasons. What I like to do is make this jam a day before I’m expecting guests for breakfast or brunch. This way, we will consume most of the jam together and none will go to waste.
This Raspberry Chia Jam would go fantastic with these desserts:
Dutch Baby Pancake
Quick and Easy Waffles
Giant Lemon Pancake
Peach White Choc Scones
Ingredients for Raspberry Chia Jam
Raspberries – Frozen or fresh raspberries will work in this Chia Jam or you could use other berries that are easy to break down, like blueberries or blackberries.
Chia seeds – Black or white chia seeds will work. Supermarkets usually stock chia seeds in their healthy food section.
Agave syrup – I used agave syrup to sweeten my jam, but you could use honey, maple syrup, date syrup, or stevia as a natural sweetener. Regular sugar would also work if preferred. Adjust the sweetness to your liking.
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How to make Raspberry Chia Jam
Step-by-step guide with photos
Place the raspberries, lemon zest, and agave syrup into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir regularly, using a wooden spoon to help crush and break down the raspberries for 5 to 8 minutes. Allow the mixture to come to a boil then remove it from the heat.
Stir the chia seeds into the raspberry mixture and combine well, then let the jam rest at room temperature for an hour. The jam should’ve thickened to a spreadable consistency but it won’t set firm and jelly-like. However, the chia seeds will continue to absorb the moisture and thicken the jam, making it slightly thicker when stored in the fridge. If the jam is still too runny for your liking, add a little more chia seed and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Serving suggestions – Serve on toast, scones, pancakes, ice cream or cakes the same way you would use jam but keep in mind it won’t set firmly.
Leftovers – Allow the Chia Jam to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer into a sterilised air-tight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’
Cheers – Cat T
Raspberry Chia Jam
Ingredients
- 250 gm fresh or frozen raspberries (NOTE 1)
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 4 tbsp agave syrup (more or less, adjust to taste) (NOTE 2)
- 3 tbsp chia seeds (NOTE 3)
Instructions
- Place the raspberries, lemon zest, and agave syrup into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir regularly, using a wooden spoon to help crush and break down the raspberries for 5 to 8 minutes. Allow the mixture to come to a boil then remove it from the heat.
- Stir the chia seeds into the raspberry mixture and combine well, then let the jam rest at room temperature for an hour. The jam should've thickened to a spreadable consistency but it won't set firm and jelly-like. However, the chia seeds will continue to absorb the moisture and thicken the jam, making it slightly thicker when stored in the fridge. If the jam is still too runny for your liking add a little more chia seed and let it sit for 30 minutes.
