We’ve swapped the hydrogenated peanut butter for raw almond butter and switched to sprouted, gluten-free toast, now there’s only one thing that stands between us and the perfectly health-hacked PB&J: that processed, sugar-swamped jam.
There’s nothing wrong with a little old-fashioned jam, of course, but what turns us health nerds on is to substitute a regular ingredient with something super-powered – and just as delicious. When it comes to jam, that means replacing almost everything but the berries with a few fiber, fat and mineral-packed chia seeds.
Chia seeds’ fascinating ability to turn from a pile of seeds to a bowl of gel (try it in pudding, overnight oats, and drinks) makes it the perfect match for jam. Making chia gel-based jam is so easy, delicious and nutrient dense we thought it was too good to be true ’til we tried it.
We’ve been talking about chia seed jam for years, but recently realized we’d never run this genius recipe all on its own! For those of you who’ve not yet tried it, hit up the farmer’s market this weekend for your favorite late summer berries and try the recipe ASAP. You’ll be just as thrilled as we were at first taste…
This chia seed jam recipe below is a good place to start. Personally, our team prefers using a basket of fresh (not frozen) berries like raspberries, plus chia seeds, water and lemon only. It’s the quickest and freshest tasting recipe and we think the summer berries can stand on their own!
If you’re an old-fashioned kind of girl who wants jam just as close to your grandma’s recipe as you can get it, you may prefer this recipe over on Oh My Veggies in which she cooks the fruit first. Here’s our version…
Raspberry Chia Seed Jam
Ingredients:
1 basket of fresh raspberries (or any kind of berry you like)
2.5 Tbsp of chia seeds
1 Tbsp of maple syrup or raw organic honey (if you prefer stevia, use much less)
a pinch of pink salt
.5 tsp of lemon juice
Directions:
Put chia seeds in a little bowl and cover with water. Just enough so that they’re totally covered. Let them soak for about 5 minutes until they form into a gel.
To a blender of any kind, add the fresh berries, lemon, salt and sweetener. Top with chia gel, blend until desired consistency is reached. Enjoy immediately or keep refrigerated for morning toast or top overnight oats!
Want more chia recipes? We’ve got all the puddings, bowls and baked goodies you could ever wish for here.
