BEST Chia Jam (Vegan, Low Sugar, Kid Friendly)

Name: BEST Chia Jam (Vegan, Low Sugar, Kid Friendly)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups pitted dark cherries (fresh or frozen); 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries (fresh or frozen); 2 Tbsp lemon juice (or to taste); 2 tsp maple syrup (or to taste); 3 Tbsp chia seeds

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Medically reviewed by Abbey Sharp, Registered Dietitian (RD), BASc.

This healthy chia jam with strawberry and cherries will quickly become your go-to morning spread! It is totally vegan, low in added sugar, and kid friendly.

Strawberry chia jam in a jar with a spoon.

By now, we all know about the nutritional powerhouse that is the teeny tiny little chia seed – one tablespoon provides a whopping 5 grams of fibre and 3 grams of protein. Holy moly! Talk about dietitian approved.

Now I love to sprinkle chia seed into my smoothies and yogurt parfaits as much as the next person, but the chia recipe that is the ruler of my little foodie heart? CHIA JAM.

Why This Recipe Works

If you’ve ever made chia pudding before, you’re probably well aware of chia seeds’ amazing thickening properties. They absorb liquid and make it somewhat jelly-like and thick.

That’s what makes chia seeds ideal for making a thick and delicious jam! Not to mention, one of the biggest advantages of using chia seeds is that it boosts nutrition in a BIG way. Chia seeds are loaded with fibre, protein and healthy omega-3 fats! They’re also vegan so our plant-based friends can get in on the PB&J fun.

Finally, this chia jam doesn’t require any sugar to do it’s job – you can basically get away with sweetening your jam or jelly to taste depending on the sweetness of your fruit.

Key Ingredients

Birds eye view of portioned ingredients needed for recipe including strawberries, cherries, maple syrup, lemon, and chia seed.

Fruit – I love to make this chia jam recipe using strawberries and dark cherries. But you can literally use any fruit that you prefer – if you love blueberry jam, use blueberries. If you’re a raspberry jam type of gal, go ham on the raspberries. This recipe is insanely versatile which is why we love it.

Chia Seed – Like I said, chia seeds work their magic in a big way for this recipe. Not only does it boost the nutritional value, but it creates a gel when combined with liquid.

Maple Syrup – I like to sweeten this recipe with a little kiss of maple syrup. But you can choose to omit this or add extra sweetener if you prefer. Either way, this recipe requires no granulated sugar, which makes it an amazing low sugar alternative to most store-bought jellys and jams.

Lemon Juice – The lemon juice gives this chia jam recipe a nice little spritz of tartness that really makes the fruit stand out and do the talking.

How to Make This Recipe

Three side by side images showing each step of how to make recipe including boiling down strawberries and cherries and combining with seed in a jar.

Step 1: In a saucepot, heat the cherries and strawberries until they start to bubble and get syrupy.

Step 2: Once super soft, mash them with a potato masher until the mixture is jammy, loose, and with some visible little bits of fruit in it. Add in the lemon juice and maple syrup, and taste.

Step 3: Take the mixture off of the heat, transfer it to a container and add in the chia seeds. Allow the mixture to set for at least 20 minutes, or until it thickens up. Enjoy immediately, or pack away in the fridge to use throughout the week.

Expert Tips

Making this cherry strawberry chia jam is pretty much as easy as adding chia seeds to mashed up soft fruit. My two favourite jam flavours are cherry and strawberry, so I decided to combine them into one flavour combo. But you can literally choose any kind of jam-friendly fruit – there are no hard and fast rules and you can totally make this chia jam recipe your own!

This low sugar cherry strawberry chia jam is perfect on toast, in thumbprint cookies, swirled through ice cream or layered in breakfast parfaits. You might as well make a huge batch and preserve it – and if you do, I suggest you read my easy to follow post on canning here!

Cherry strawberry chia jam in a small mason jar.

Recipe FAQs

How long does this recipe last in the fridge?

This jam lasts in the fridge for about 2-4 weeks in an airtight container.

Can I use flax seed instead of chia seed?

I have personally never tried making it with flax seed, but flax seed also has gel like properties so it would totally be worth a shot! I’d suggest trying 1.5 tablespoons of flax seed for every 1 cup of fruit.

Can I use honey instead of maple syrup?

If you don’t need to make this chia jam vegan then you can definitely use honey or any other sweetener you prefer.

What can I add this jam to besides toast?

You can add it to ice cream, yogurt parfaits, baked goods, oatmeal or just enjoy it alone with some crackers.

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