Easy sugar free raspberry jam! You will be astonished how quickly this chia seed jam comes together. It’s delicious and healthy, and perfect for spreading on your favorite keto baked goods. Instructional video included.
This sugar free chia seed jam recipe was first published in September of 2013. I haven’t changed the recipe at all, but I’ve updated the photos and added a new video!
If you follow foodie trends, chances are high you’ve heard of chia seeds. If you follow health trends, chances are high you’ve heard of chia seeds. And if you follow running trends, chances are high you’ve heard of chia seeds.
You would essentially have to pay no attention to trends, eat only junk food and never get off your couch to not have heard of chia by now. And even if that were the case, you probably have still heard of chia, because it was made famous by the commercials for ch-ch-chia pets. Remember those? Ah yes. Now that we’re all on the same page, let’s discuss those funny little black seeds and why they are so trendy in food, health and fitness.
What is Chia Seed?
Chia seeds are tiny little black seeds from the Salvia hispanics plant native to Mexico and Guatemala.
It’s been on the radar of many a healthy foodie for a while now, but I daresay that it gained some serious fame with the book Born To Run. I am quite certain that the sale of chia seeds saw a significant spike after it was published, as runners of all abilities stocked up, hoping for a competitive advantage from the unassuming black seed.
In the book, chia is described as having nearly magical properties, giving seemingly inhuman strength and energy to the ultra-runners of the Tarahumara. Although it seems new to many of us, Mesoamerican peoples have been consuming it for thousands of years, both as food and as medicine. And according to many sources, Aztec warriors fueled themselves exclusively on chia and water before battle.
Who doesn’t want a little of that in their lives?
How to Cook with Chia Seed
But besides all of the purported health benefits of chia, it’s fascinating to see how chia behaves in cooking and baking.
Take a tablespoon of chia seeds and add some water and you will see what I mean. Within a few short minutes, it becomes a gelatinous mass, like jelly or pudding. It’s slightly hilarious how quickly it gums up. The chia seed shell begins to dissolve and the high soluble fiber content absorbs huge amounts of liquid.
It’s rather like a weird fun science experiment.
This particular quality makes chia very useful in a number of recipes that require a jelly-like consistency, such as pudding. It also makes a great replacement for eggs in egg-free or vegan recipes.
Perfect for Easy Sugar Free Jam
But when I started to see chia seed jam on the foodie blogosphere, I stopped dead in my tracks.
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
Traditional jam takes hours to make, cooking the berries and adding the gelatin, along with copious amounts of sugar. And you can’t just replace the sugar with keto sweeteners, because sugar helps inhibit mold and helps the jam gel properly. Seems counterintuitive but it’s true. So when you make sugar free jam, you have to add more acid in exact quantities and you have to use special pectins.
But chia seed jam gels virtually instantly and those little chia seeds don’t really care what kind of sweetener you use. Of course, it won’t preserve like traditional jam that’s been cooked and canned, but it’s so easy to whip up, you can do small batches to keep in the fridge.
I had to give it a try, sugar-free of course, and I mixed mine with raspberries. I figured raspberries have so many seeds anyway, the addition of a few tablespoons of chia seed would go practically unnoticed. It was delicious and I’ve used it in so many recipes since. A great way to enjoy a little keto friendly jam!
Keto Chia Seed Recipes
Keto Rosemary Parmesan Crackers
Keto Blueberry Coconut Smoothies
Chia Seed Wraps
Matcha Chia Pudding
Raspberry Chia Seed Jam - Sugar-Free
Ingredients
- 8 oz frozen raspberries
- 2 tbsp Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the berries, sweetener, and water. Bring to a boil and cook until berries are soft enough to mash with a fork. Mash to desired consistency.
- Remove from heat and stir in chia seeds. Let cool. Transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours to set.
- Keep refrigerated. The jam will last up to a week.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I just made this again today.. love it on Low Carb ice cream
I have been studying your site for hours. This is on my list to make tomorrow with the muffins.
Yummy. Made it with strawberries. Having it with toast & ricotta cheese- just about in heaven. Thank you again Carolyn.
I’ve just come across this, which may be a way forward for low carb jam / marmelade making:
http://www.thekitchn.com/jam-makers-tip-save-lemon-seeds-for-homemade-pectin-194003
The seeds cannot possibly have a super-high carb content, can they? (Probably, but worth putting it out there!)
Very interesting and worth a try!
I Have tried Chia seeds to make pudding, I did something wrong as it did not thicken enough it was more like a thinner thick shake. I will attempt it again as the flavor was great and filling. I am trying to eat more gluten free foods for my heart health and sugar free my husband is diabetic.
I injoy you recipies. Thank YOU
Dot
I couldn’t see that anyone had asked it, so what are you serving it on in these pictures? Summer sort of low carb English muffin? And if you made it yourself, do you have a link to the recipe?
It’s just muffin tops made from this recipe: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2012/01/almond-crusted-butter-cake-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html My kids love them (sometimes I do vanilla instead of almond extract) and I can get about 18 muffin tops out of the recipe so it lasts a good while.
Love this!! On tasting, it wasn’t quite as sweet as I wanted, so I added a dropper-full of liquid stevia, and it’s perfect for my taste!
Had it with cream cheese pancakes this morning.
If I missed this question in the comments, I am sorry.
But I was wondering if anyone had used liquid sweetener? Would it work the same way? Guess if it didn’t gel or something I could always pass it off as raspberry syrup! 🙂
I think liquid sweetener would be fine because it’s really the chia that gels it.
I thought I had commented, but I can’t find it… so if this is a double I am sorry. Just wanted to say thank you for this recipe! I made it just the other day for the first time and I am amazed at how delicious it is. I am a little giddy over it and it will be making a regular appearance. Sometimes I just eat a spoonful and giggle to myself at how wonderful it is. I’m not ashamed. 🙂 Thanks again!
It’s not a double comment and thanks!
Très intéressant! Ça l’air délicieux!
Merci pour la recette 🙂
This is just awesome stuff! I have made it several times with blueberries as well. I recently branched out and roasted a couple of mangoes to see what would happen. The results were delish. I roasted two large mangoes and got about 2 cups of pulp, so I adjusted the ingredients accordingly and cut down on the Swerve, because of the sweetness of the mango and the result is a lot like lemon or lime curd. We call it mango butter. I stir it into yogurt, muffin and pancake batters and use it on PB&Js. I am going to add ginger and nutmeg to my next batch, thinking it would be great with gingerbread.
Wow, roasted mangoes! Sounds amazing!
Love the chia jam! Does anyone know the shelf life in the fridge for the jam?
I’ve kept mine in the fridge for 2 weeks.
Thanks for the info; Had a little left over that had been in fridge for 3wks. Took a chance & ate it and was fine. Just delicious!
Can you freeze it like freezer jam to preserve it and keep it on hand when needed?
I’ve honestly never tried…
This looks so yummy! Could I use the same proportions and sub in blueberries or strawberries or other fruits for the raspberries?
I believe you can. I’ve never tried it but I know Bob’s Red Mill has a recipe for blueberry chia jam on their packaging for chia.
I’m so glad I discovered this recipe. Just made some and it’s so good, I’ve missed jam so much! Recently discovered chia seeds as they’re really not very common here in the UK but I have no idea why because they’re amazing! I’m intolerant to sugar so this recipe was brilliant for me and it still tastes like real jam. Very much looking forward to my peanut butter and jam sandwich later. Thank you for putting this together 🙂 x
i’m not sure if it was the addition of a bit of gelatin but my jam lasted for weeks, unbelievably good!
Great idea!
This chia jam is heavenly! We’ve been using it for everything! On top of creme brulee to peanut butter sandwiches. My kids love it! And it’s really hard to please them!