2-Ingredient No-Cook Chia Jam is a sugar- and syrup-free alternative to the ever-popular chia jam!
As I share recipes from week to week, I have a pretty good sense that speedy dinners with readily available seasonal ingredients will likely be well received and cooked often. Who doesn’t need another easy, healthy meal to add to the weekly dinner rotation, right?
With other recipes, I’m not so sure what the reception will be. Sometimes I want to say “Please, please, please try this because the photo might not look that great but it really is!” Or “Maybe the recipe looks long but that’s just because I’ve included a bunch of options and a list of helpful tips to ensure success!”
Still other recipes are solid but fill a niche that I think will be appreciated by a certain subset of readers. Though they may not have mass appeal (Super Healthy Nut & Seed Bread, Socca, and Kimchi come to mind), I consider them worth sharing. I especially love when readers outside of that anticipated target group branch out and give them a try.
A few years ago, I shared this recipe for naturally-sweetened homemade jam⇩⇩, that (bonus!) does not need to be canned, for the many readers who requested a sugar-free or low-sugar homemade jam. Little did I know how popular it would become.
Now more commonly known as chia jam, I still make it often, usually with all berries these days (fresh or frozen) for breakfast favorites like toast or PB&J Breakfast Chia Pudding.⇩⇩
However, as little sweetener as there is in that recipe, especially when compared to standard canned jelly and jam preparations, I’ve received many comments and emails from readers who want a jam option that is sweetened entirely by fruit and 100% juice.
So while this 2-ingredient chia jam may sound slightly odd to all of those who swear by classic strawberry jam, peach jam, or good old Smucker’s grape jelly, here it is!
With just two easy ingredients, it sure isn’t difficult. The simple key to success is to choose a juice with a flavor you enjoy, because that’s what the jam will taste like. Neutral flavored and über healthy chia seeds serve as thickeners for a jam that you can feel really good about slathering on your morning toast or layering in that chia pudding!
2-Ingredient No-Cook Chia Jam
Ingredients
For a small batch
- 1-1/2 tablespoons (18 grams) chia seeds
- 1/4 cup 100% grape juice (I like Concord grape juice… Welch's or Knudson’s are good options)
For a bigger batch
- 6 tablespoons (72 grams) chia seeds
- 1 cup 100% grape juice
Instructions
- Place the chia seeds in a small bowl or jar, pour the juice over top, and stir well. Wait 5 minutes and then stir again, breaking up any clumps that may have formed.
- Cover and refrigerate, preferably overnight or at least an hour or two, to allow the chia seeds to absorb the liquid. (If for any reason you’d like to adjust the thickness, simply add an extra drizzle of juice or a sprinkle of seeds. If adding seeds, you’ll need to give them some time to plump up.)
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