Raspberry chia seed jam
Poor Mr. Picky was crying a little when I put him to bed last Sunday night. I thought it was because his baseball team got walloped in their playoff game which then ended their season. That wasn’t it. I thought it might be because his pitching was lousy and he felt bad it. Nope, apparently he had forgotten about his performance already. Oh, wait. It’s because I forgot to pick him up from religious school. “No, Mom! And who cares? I only had to wait like 20 minutes.” Bless his heart. Then what’s the matter? “The weekends are too shoooooort,” he sobbed and buried his face in his pillow. Ahhhhh, you are quite right, Mr. Picky. Quite right indeed. That made me a little bummed out since I don’t think I felt time fly until I was much older than his 9 years. Is life more fast-paced now than it used to be or does my family have too much going on? I don’t know. But I have good news, Mr. Picky — it’s a 3-day weekend! Hooray! And not only do we get an extra day of leisure, there are no practices or tournaments or stuff like that. We’re on easy street.
I remember when I was a stay-at-home mom, I used to think, “Oy, the weekend!” Weekends were so much more work for me to coordinate the kids and naps and birthday parties and soccer games. I loved Mondays! Mama got some quiet time. But now, it’s a different life and even though I love my work, I also love a little break from a 5:30 am alarm clock and not having to face LA traffic in the morning, which has anyone noticed gets WORSE every year?
I’ve mentioned before that I so look forward to leisurely breakfasts on the weekends and vacations. I just made a double batch of this raspberry chia “jam” and I can’t stop day dreaming about all the ways I’m going to enjoy it this weekend! I have never made “real” jam in my life because it just seems like a bit too much work and sugar. But this is a raw jam that requires nothing more than a quick stir and some patience as it needs to sit a bit to thicken. And it’s so much better for you than the cooked sugary kind!
The secret ingredient here is chia seed, which is such a little miracle food. They’re naturally rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are super anti-inflammatory, as well as chock full of fiber and calcium. When chia seeds come into contact with liquid, they become very gelatinous and thick. So they make an awesome “pudding” when mixed with almond milk and help thicken up your morning smoothie. They have no taste at all which makes them very easy to use. They key is just knowing the right ratios of chia to liquid so your pudding or smoothie doesn’t get too thick or too thin and giving the chia seeds a little time to work their magic.
All you do here is defrost some frozen raspberries, which are good and mushy and already a little seedy, and mix with the chia seeds and a little maple syrup to sweeten. Feel free to use a couple drops of stevia if you prefer. After at least 6 hours in the fridge, you have a lovely, spreadable jam which is perfect for nut butter sandwiches (excuse the not-whole-grain bread here), pancakes or stirred into yogurt. You could even do a yogurt-granola parfait with a layer of this raspberry -chia jam. It’s always a nice idea to start your day off with a healthful breakfast during a holiday weekend, especially if you’re going to a BBQ later and you want to indulge a little. Here’s hoping your Memorial weekend is a restful and restorative one!
Raspberry Chia Seed Jam
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons chia seeds
- 10 ounce package frozen organic raspberries thawed (drain the raspberries if you want a very thick jam)
- 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup or more to taste
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir to mix, making sure all the chia seeds have been moistened with the juice from the berries.
- Cover and allow jam to thicken in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. Lasts for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator.
19 Comments
Pamela, this was so easy and so amazing! I put it on a toasted sprouted english muffin with organic natural peanut/cashew butter. So good!! Thanks so much for this recipe!
Mmmmmmm, so good! And even better that it’s so fast!
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Thanks, I appreciate it!
Can you use fresh rasnerries?
It’s actually better to use frozen since they’re already a bit mushy. It’s the perfect consistency for the jam. If you want to use fresh, perhaps you could mash them up a bit, but I think you might also need to add a touch of water. Perhaps you could just freeze your fresh raspberries!
My friend and I canned some of the jelly to give as gifts. Absolutely fabulous half pint containers. What an excellent way to e pose more people to the pleasures and wonder of the miracle chia seed.
Great idea!!! Thanks for sharing, Kristen 🙂
This looks delicious! I just picked a flat of raspberries this morning and was wondering if you could freeze the jam after letting it set up?
Hmmm….good question, but I am not sure. Haven’t tried that. Let me know if you do. 🙂
Thanks Pamela. This really could not be any easier and it is delicious. It makes the prettiest pink swirly color in plain yogurt or cottage cheese. I love that I can decide how tart or sweet (I am a tart person) just by playing with the amount of maple syrup. Thanks.
Thanks for your feedback, Erica. I am a sweet person trying my darnedest to be a tart person and most days I succeed! We love this jam so much I am thinking about trying it with strawberries :).
Maybe you will appreciate that I sent a link to this recipe to a dear friend. She can do anything. She became an RN as a young woman, raised two children as a single adoptive parent, served in the mission field in the medical aid capacity. But one day shared with me her many attempts to make raspberry jam that ended in raspberry syrup. I love her and it means the world to me to be able to send to her a recipe that will undoubtedly be a success. <3 PS she is pre- diabetic and will enjoy being able to use no or much less sugar too!
I most certainly do appreciate it! Thank you, Geri
I adore the chia seed pudding. I can’t wait to try this! Using raspberries is brilliant so the seeds meld with the texture of the chia seeds.
Yes, that’s exactly it about the seeds. Thank you for articulating it perfectly!
This may be the recipe that finally inspires me to try chia seeds! Sounds and looks so good. Thank you!
I hope so! You should also try chia seed pudding, which I love!
I’m always looking for ways to use raspberries as they are my favorite. This is so simple and sounds both delicious and nutritious. Can’t wait to try!
Please report back if you do!