This Easy Blueberry Jam recipe is low sugar and made without pectin. It's very quick and easy to make this blueberry chia seed jam. We love it at breakfast as a healthy toast topping.
This is the best healthy easy blueberry jam recipe
This is such an easy blueberry jam recipe that we always have a jar of this in our refrigerator. In other words, we can't get enough of this easy blueberry jam in our household.
- This jam recipe only has 4-ingredients
- It is a low-sugar jam recipe
- You make this jam without pectin
- Chia seed jam makes a healthy toast topping
Blueberries are perfect to use for chia seed jams
Blueberries are the perfect fruit to use for chia seed jam because blueberries are naturally high in pectin. So while some chia seed jams require a lot of chia seeds to gel, you only need 1 ½ tablespoons of chia seeds for blueberry chia seed jam.
This means you don't end up with a seedy jam.
TIP: You can buy quality chia seeds at a great price on Amazon.
This low sugar blueberry jam is sweetened with maple syrup
You read that right! This is a low sugar blueberry jam that has no added refined sugars.
To slightly sweeten this no sugar blueberry jam, I only use 2 tablespoons of maple syrup in this recipe. Alternatively, you can use honey if you prefer.
Both natural sweeteners work great when making jam without sugar, but I find that the maple syrup imparts a richer taste. If you plan on feeding this jam to a baby though, use maple syrup.
Because it is a low sugar jam recipe, this is a blueberry refrigerator jam.
The reason why jam recipes use a lot of sugar is because sugar acts as a preservative. Since this is a low sugar jam recipe, this is a refrigerator jam.
In a nutshell, the idea of traditional jam making is that you preserve fruit by stopping the natural decay of it. Between the high concentration of sugar, the acid from the fruit, and the boiling of the jam to a high temperature, micro-organisms are destroyed.
(You can read more about it in my Cranberry Orange Jam post.)
As this is a low sugar blueberry jam recipe, it does not contain any added refined sugar. Making jam without sugar removes one of the elements from traditional jam making that helps preserve the fruit.
Thus, this Easy Blueberry Jam is not self stable, and needs to be kept in the refrigerator, as well as consumed within one week. (That shouldn't be hard to do though!)
You can make this blueberry jam without pectin
This is an easy 4-ingredient blueberry jam without pectin. The reason you can make this blueberry jam without adding pectin is two-fold.
First, blueberries are naturally high in pectin. That means blueberries will naturally gel together into a jam-like consistency when boiled.
Second, the chia seeds act as an additional gelling agent in this jam recipe so you don't need pectin. The chia seeds replace the function of pectin in this recipe.
This recipe uses 1 ½ tablespoons of chia seeds. If you are worried that the jam might be seedy, you can probably get away with making this blueberry jam with only 1 tablespoon of chia seeds.
But I find that the texture is no different than other traditional berry jam recipes. Plus, I want that extra ½ tablespoon of chia seeds in my jam because they are a healthy superfood.
TIP: There are a lot of different brands of chia seeds, but I never have problems with these (other brands sometimes contains stones or dirt).
Looking for breakfast toast ideas? You'll love this healthy jam recipe!
This easy blueberry jam is great on all sorts of breakfast foods. We love a dollop of it on:
- a bowl of oatmeal
- a stack of this healthy apple pancakes
- a stack of these healthy waffles made with Greek yogurt
- or simply spread on toast.
If you are looking for breakfast toast ideas, we love making healthy peanut butter jelly with this Easy Blueberry Jam too. It's one of my toddler's favorite breakfasts.
And because this is a low sugar jam, we eat enjoy this healthy toast topping guilt-free. We don't want to start our mornings laden with sugar, so this healthy jam recipe has become a family favorite.
Chia seed jam is easy to make, low sugar, and healthy!
I really hope you enjoy this easy recipe for blueberry chia seed jam. It's become a staple in our family, and I hope it makes it way onto your breakfast table too.
Easy Blueberry Jam Made With Chia Seeds (Low Sugar and No Pectin)
Print Recipe Save RecipeIngredients
- 3 cups frozen blueberries
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 ½ tablespoons chia seeds
- zest of ½ a lemon
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan on medium high heat, add in the blueberries. Cook, stirring the blueberries, until the they start to release some juices. Mix in the maple syrup and lemon zest. Cook until the blueberries begin to bubble and boil.
- Turn the heat down to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to smush the blueberries open, or use a potato masher (quicker and easier).
- Turn the heat down to a simmer and stir in the chia seeds. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. At this point, the jam will look like it's starting to thicken. If not, cook for another 5 minutes. The jam will still be a little runny as it only finishes thickening after it cools.
- Allow to cool slightly then transfer to a jar. To quickly cool the jam, set the jar in a bowl of cold water. Cover and store the jam in the refrigerator.
Kathryn says
Are you able to can this jam to be shelf stable?
Tina Jui says
No, it is a refrigerator jam because it's so low in sugars.
Nicole says
Hi! Can you Jar this? Like you would with normal jelly?
audrey says
can you substitute frozen blueberries for frozen strawberries?
Maureen Houston says
It was not overly sweet, and had just the right amount of tartness. It was very easy to make and was worth the time!
Rachel says
Can you use fresh blueberries?
Tina Jui says
Yes, that would be fine. Enjoy the jam!
Brooklyn says
Can you freeze this recipe?
Tina Jui says
Hi Brooklyn, yes you can. I would enjoy it within a couple months though. Happy jam making!
Laura says
Have you ever tried baking with this, like adding it to cake or cupcakes? Just wondering if it would turn out the same as a store-bought traditional jam.
Tina Jui says
Hi - I've used this to bake in a puff pastry tart and it worked well!