A 5-ingredient blueberry chia seed jam that requires no canning experience or special equipment. All you need is a saucepan and a spatula and you can have a fresh blueberry jam! Goes great on ice cream!
Can I tell you a secret? I am deathly afraid of canning. I used to be petrified of baking with yeast but have since gotten over that fear. Now it’s canning. It just seems like it’s a very involved process where you have to disinfect jars, buy fancy equipment and then have to store everything in spaces that I don’t have to spare.
I’m intimidated by the candy thermometer aspect and either over or under cooking too. Maybe one day I’ll get over my fear, but for now, I am steering clear of real canning.
In the meantime, you and I can make this jam. It only requires 5 ingredients and no fancy equipment or thermometers. You don’t need to boil any jars or add pectin here. Just 5 wholesome ingredients and a little patience and you’ll have your jam in no time.
This blueberry chia seed jam will appear runny when it’s done. Never fear though – after it cools in the fridge, the chia seeds will plump up and thicken your jam. You can spread it on toast, bagels, pancakes or anything your heart desires.
Blueberry chia seed jam
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup chia seed
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, cook the blueberries, lemon zest lemon juice and maple syrup until it comes to a simmer. Stir occasionally until the blueberries burst, about 5 minutes. Lightly mash about half of the blueberries to release their juices.
- Increase the heat to medium-high until the mixture begins to boil. Stir occasionally until the liquid has reduced down to about half (about 5-10 minutes).
- Take the pan off the heat and taste. Add more maple syrup if needed. Return the mixture to a boil and stir in the chia seeds. Cook for one more minutes.
- Turn off the stove and take the pan off the heat. The jam will appear to be runny; this is normal. Transfer to a heatproof container and allow to cool before transferring to the refrigerator to cool completely. Jam will thicken once it has cooled.