Chia seeds are one of my favorite things to use when I have the chance to use them. Not only do they make for some delicious foods, they’re also pretty great for you, too. They’re packed full of nutrients, so much so that they’re one of the most nutrient dense things you can eat, calorie for calorie. Not to mention, they’re filled with antioxidants, which has shown to have some positive health benefits.
I’ve used chia seeds to thicken quite a lot of stuff – pudding, yogurt, sauces. But, this stuff is so. freaking. delicious. I mean I never thought I’d see the day where I’d be eating strawberry jam, but I must say that this is a great day! Who would have thought that you could make your own jam and it would only be 0.6g of net carbs per tablespoon? I thought that the stuff in the store was doing good with only 1g per tbsp.
The taste of the jam is sublime. It isn’t overly sweet like the packed jars we see in the stores today. That sickeningly sweet, sticky stuff that we are so used to eating as kids. This has a very natural taste to it, like you’d expect if your grandma had made it (well, if she didn’t add too much sugar like mine did). It’s very well balanced, being as it’s not too sweet and it’s not sour – it’s just right. You can stick this on pretty much any type of treat you make, from low carb buns to your favorite dessert.
Oh, and did I mention…this will work with pretty much any fruit? Yep – make your favorite jams, easily and quickly!
Tell us how you’ll be using the jam in the comments below, and keep an eye out for the upcoming recipe I’ll be posting with the use it!
Yields 20 tbsp. of Strawberry Chia Seed Jam
The Preparation
- 8 ounces strawberries
- 1/4 cup erythritol, powdered
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/4 cup water
The Execution
1. Measure out 8 oz. of fresh strawberries and slice into small cubes. The bigger the cubes, the bigger the remaining pieces in the jam will be. So, if you don’t want a lumpy jam, try to make these relatively small.
2. Add 1/4 cup Erythritol to a spice grinder.
3. Grind erythritol until powdered. Be careful when removing lid so that it does not go all over the place.
4. Place cubed strawberries into a pan over medium heat.
5. Add powdered erythritol onto strawberries and mix well.
6. Leave this for a while. As the strawberries heat up, they will naturally release water and juice.
7. Mash strawberries using a potato masher (or fork) and let come to a boil.
8. Let the mixture boil for about 5-8 minutes, until you see that it has thickened up slightly.
9. Measure out 2 tbsp. Chia Seeds.
10. Add chia seeds and water to the jam and stir well for about 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat to let cool.
11. After about 15 minutes, your jam will be ready! You can eat some now or store it in a mason jar.
12. Serve it up as a delicious condiment!
This makes a total of 20 servings of Strawberry Chia Seed Jam. Each serving comes out to be 10 calories, 0.4g fats, 0.7g net carbs, and 0.3g protein.
| NUTRITION | CALORIES | FAT | CARBS | FIBER | NET CARBS | PROTEIN |
| 8 ounce strawberries | 73 | 0.7 | 17.4 | 4.5 | 12.9 | 1.5 |
| 1/4 cup erythritol | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 tablespoon chia seeds | 117 | 7.4 | 10.1 | 8.3 | 1.9 | 4 |
| 1/4 cup water | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 199 | 8.1 | 27.5 | 12.8 | 14.7 | 5.5 |
| Per Serving (/20) | 10 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.3 |
Strawberry Chia Seed Jam
Ingredients
- 8 ounce strawberries
- ¼ cup erythritol powdered
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Measure out the strawberries and slice into small cubes. The bigger the cubes, the bigger the remaining pieces in the jam will be.
- Add the erythritol to a spice grinder and grind until powdered. Take care when removing the lid! By letting the powder settle first, you will eliminate an unwanted cloud of sweetener.
- Place the cubed strawberries into a pan over medium heat.
- Add the powdered erythritol and mix well.
- Let sit over the heat for a while. The strawberries will naturally release water and juice as they heat up.
- Mash the strawberries using a potato masher (or fork) and allow the mixture to come to a boil.
- Boil for about 5–8 minutes, until thickened slightly.
- Measure out the chia seeds.
- Add the chia seeds and water to the jam and stir for 1–2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for about 15 minutes.
- Transfer to a mason jar and serve or save for later. Enjoy!
Thank you for this! I’ve been missing jam. Do you have to powder the Erythritol? I don’t have a spice grinder.
Sure thing Krista! I think if you were to not powder the erythritol, it would end up making the jam a bit grainy in the end. If you can, try to use some liquid stevia instead if you have that.
P.S. Get a spice grinder! They’re only about 12 bucks at Walmart 🙂
The magic bullet worked great for the sweetener! I made 6 bottles of the jam last night for gifts for my friends who I’m constantly after to cut back on sugar. Maybe this will show them you can survive without sugar. lol
Awesome to hear! I hope you have some success in having them cut back on the sugar 🙂
Hi. Yes, erythritol does not dissolve as readily as sugar, so powdering it prevents grittiness.
One recommendation: grind the DRY chia seed before adding. The final product is much smoother. I grind mine before making my various chia puddings too.
Hey Diane, you can definitely grind the chia seeds, but I liked the texture they added to the jam so I wanted to keep it how it was. If you are looking for a smooth jam, you can easily mash all of the strawberries (or whichever fruit) into tiny chunks and strain it before adding the ground chia.
Stupid question , Craig, but if I have powdered Swerve can I use that? Same measurements?
No such thing as a stupid question, Leah! Yeah, you should definitely be able to use powdered Swerve in this 🙂 Same measurements and all – it’s about the same sweetness as erythritol.
I wonder how this would work with Bing cherries. I’ll for sure try strawberries.
Mary, I think cherries would work but you may need to play with the sweetener. Cherries are sweeter, to me, than strawberries. You’d just have to make sure you de-pitt them and cut them in half to allow the juices to cook down.
How long does it last in the mason jars before it begins to spoil? Any suggestions on how to keep it longer?
I’m really not sure Gina – I’m sure if you put the hot Jam into the mason jar and seal it, then it will create a vacuum as it cools and it’ll last quite a long time. It’s never really lasted more than a few months for me so I haven’t tested out its sustainability over time.
I cannot wait to make this! I will eat it in a bowl with some peanut butter! Yumz… Or cream cheese and jam would be good too
For sure – with some whipped cream cheese, this would be DELICIOUS!
OMG, I think I love you (lol)
Don’t worry, we’ll include the recipe on the wedding invitation and ask for jam as the gifts 😛
Oooh a cheesecake..like the Lime one u made but with this jam..mmm…
Yummy! 🙂
If you don’t want to use artificial sweetner, what is the best sweetener to use? My husband will not eat anything artificial.
Maggie, erythritol is actually a natural sweetener.
Has anyone tried this with ground chia seeds? does it gel more, and how should one measure the ground seeds? Same gram for gram? (I like to weigh so I know for a fact how much I am using).
I believe 1 tbsp. of it is around 10 grams, so if you’re using ground chia you should need to weigh out 20 grams or so. Though I don’t think it will gel more, it just might be a little different consistency (since it won’t have the whole seeds in there).
Do you think frozen strawberries would work?
I’m not sure Dawn. Frozen strawberries might have a little bit more water in them, so I would suggest defrosting them on some paper towels first – that way you can get a better cook on the jam.
Made this today, Craig. Can’t get erythritol in MX. I used a stevia/isomalt combo. Came out GREAT. Had some tonight spread on Manchego cheese chips. It was awesome! I’m going to try using chia to make a rasberry/chipotle jam (my favorite!) based on this one. Thanks!!
Awesome to hear Tyler! That raspberry/chipotle jam sounds delicious (and I might have to take that idea and run with it to make my own ;)) Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
I made this today with a peach, and it is delicious. My question is, how big is your jar in the picture? I planned to reuse a glass jar from my coconut oil, but I would have had to double or triple the recipe to fill it. I ended up with less than a cup after cooking.
Crista, my jars are smaller than the normal mason jars you buy, but they are about the same size as a jam jar I would get in the store. I made exactly 20 tbsp. with this recipe, which is 1 1/4 cups worth. You also have to realize that the peach you made it with and the amount of strawberries I used would yield different end results.
Hi Greg! Would liquid sucralose be ok ?
Yes, you could use liquid sucralose.
Hi craig! Haven’t been in here for awhile because I’ve been pretty content with eatting the same recipes you provided over and over. I’m lost so much weight. I actually look athletic again. Anyhow…..So its ok for me to eat any berries? I love strawberries, raspberries, but wasn’t aware we could eat that til now. So how much would it affect our insulin level?
Also, food with high insulin but low carb count, its ok to eat right? Like sugar for example, if we just click a s poon of sugar, that wouldn’t be too bad right? lol
Well, I always suggest eating things in moderation. I eat berries once every month or two, just as a “treat” but when I do it’s always bulked up with a bunch of fats or in some other form so I’m not actually eating much. The glycemic index is relatively high, but I think in small moderation, they’re alright to give yourself a treat on. Glad to see ya back!
What’s a good way for me to store this jam in a way itcan last for months? Freezer?
A good way to preserve for a long time would be to add a bit of salt and a bit of lemon juice. Those are 2 natural preservatives that would do good. Hot canning the jam will allow for a vacuum effect also. But if you want to make it as-is, freezing would be the best bet 🙂
Hi craig! Haven’t been in here for awhile because I’ve been pretty content with eatting the same recipes you provided over and over. I’m lost so much weight. I actually look athletic again. Anyhow…..So its ok for me to eat any berries? I love strawberries, raspberries, but wasn’t aware we could eat that til now. So how much would it affect our insulin level?
Also, food with high insulin but low carb count, its ok to eat right? Like sugar for example, if we just click a s poon of sugar, that wouldn’t be too bad right? lol
Well, I always suggest eating things in moderation. I eat berries once every month or two, just as a “treat” but when I do it’s always bulked up with a bunch of fats or in some other form so I’m not actually eating much. The glycemic index is relatively high, but I think in small moderation, they’re alright to give yourself a treat on. Glad to see ya back!
What’s a good way for me to store this jam in a way itcan last for months? Freezer?
A good way to preserve for a long time would be to add a bit of salt and a bit of lemon juice. Those are 2 natural preservatives that would do good. Hot canning the jam will allow for a vacuum effect also. But if you want to make it as-is, freezing would be the best bet 🙂
I’m going to give this a try, but the only sweeteners I have are liquid stevia and Pure Via packets. Can I try using the liquid stevia to taste? Or does this recipe need to have a powdered sweetener?
It doesn’t need to have a powdered sweetener as the chia seeds with thicken quite a good amount. The liquid stevia will do just fine, just make sure not to add too much 🙂
I’ve made this last weekend and was really impressed!!! Spread some on cream cheese pancakes and roled them up – it was great. Next time I will try to make it with plums and spice it up with cinnamon. But in this case I will definately strain the plums before I add the chia. Can’t wait!!!
Sounds good Bianca – let me know how it turns out!
Made this one with raspberries. Was phenomenal! Yet another reason I am glad that I found this site.
Glad you liked it Chuck. Sounds awesome with raspberries (and lower carb)!
I have a batch of blackberries I need to use this weekend. I’m looking forward to all of the possibilities!!
Ooh, blackberry jam sounds nice. I still have to make a chipotle raspberry version of this!
I have a batch of blackberries I need to use this weekend. I’m looking forward to all of the possibilities!!
Ooh, blackberry jam sounds nice. I still have to make a chipotle raspberry version of this!
I am so excited! I have wanted jam yet thought it was gone from my life. Mahalo Craig!!
Would this jam recipe work without the chia seeds? I’m on a very low fibre diet, so I’m not allowed the seeds.
Unfortunately it wouldn’t work very well without the chia seeds. Though you could make a berry reduction and use it.
Could you use fresh blueberries and would that change the calorie and carb count?
Yes to both, but plug the recipe with any changes you make into an app like MyFitnessPal to see what the nutrition would look like first.
Thank you. Just went to MyFitnessPal, the calories are the same per serving and they are saying carbs are 2g and sugar 1g. Can’t wait to try this!
I hope you love it!
Can I use powdered Swerve? Thx
Yes! I’ve used this and it came out great.
Is this 8 ounces weight for the strawberries or liquid measure (as in a Cup)?
This is for the weight of the strawberries. 🙂
I am looking forward to making this tomorrow. Have you tried it with Monk Fruit In the Raw sweetener? Thank you!
I haven’t tried it with Monk Fruit – but it should work just fine with it. Did you end up making it?
It was perfect, thanks!
Do you know approximately how long this keeps in the fridge once made?
I’d estimate 1-2 weeks, I wouldn’t personally use it after that.
I hate to break it to you but, you need to look at the back of your bag of erythritol. There are 4 grams of carbs per teaspoon in it. ?I dont know why no one seems to know this. so this jam will probably kick you out of ketosis.
Actually the sugar alcohols in erythritol aren’t digested by the human body so most people don’t count them as we just excrete them. You can see more here: https://www.ruled.me/keto-d…
Hope this helps clear up the confusion!
well do you know why it would kick me out of ketosis?
Why do you go to the trouble of powdering the erythritol?
The erythritol tends to stay grainy when you cool it back down and re-crystallizes. When you cool the jam in the fridge, it has a much better texture when you powder the erythritol. If you keep it granulated, you may notice a bit of a crunch to the jam.
Maybe a dumb question, but do you use the 1/4 cup water when you boil the strawberries? I’m not seeing where you use it in the directions…sorry, found it
It’s in step 10 – you add the water with the chia seeds 🙂
New to Keto since 1 Feb 19…down 32 lbs after 7 weeks. Just finished making this strawberry jam. Recipe went off without a hitch. I used Swerve confectioners’ which I just received instead of Erythritol straight, because I did not have a spice grinder. Swerve is mostly erythritol, so I think it will be alright.
Hey Chuck,
Congrats on the weight loss so far!
It should taste just fine with that substitution. However, Swerve is slightly sweeter than erythritol so the jam might be a bit on the sweeter side.
For future sweetener substitutions, I recommend using this guide as a reference to help you lock in the right amount of sweetness:
https://www.ruled.me/compre…
Thank you, Tyler! I wish it would like for it to have been sweeter, actually. One bad side effect after eating about 4 tablespoons of the stuff is diarrhea. …everything in moderation I guess!