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 fresh strawberries
- ¼ cup erythritol, powdered
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- ¼ 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 20 tbsp. of jam in total. Each tbsp. comes out to 9.65 Calories, 0.58g Fats, 0.65g Net Carbs, and 0.35g Protein.
| Strawberry Chia Seed Jam | Calories | Fats(g) | Carbs(g) | Fiber(g) | Net Carbs(g) | Protein(g) |
| 8 ounces fresh strawberries | 73 | 0.68 | 17.41 | 4.5 | 12.91 | 1.02 |
| ¼ cup erythritol, powdered | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 tablespoons chia seeds | 120 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 6 |
| Totals | 193 | 11.68 | 28.41 | 15.5 | 12.91 | 7.02 |
| Per Serving(/20) | 9.65 | 0.58 | 1.42 | 0.78 | 0.65 | 0.35 |
Strawberry Chia Seed Jam
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fresh strawberries
- ¼ cup erythritol powdered
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- 1. Cut strawberries into cubes and place in a pan over medium heat.
- 2. Grind erythritol in a spice grinder until powdered. Add to strawberries and mix together.
- 3. Once strawberries have released juice (~10 minutes), mash the strawberries in the pan.
- 4. Allow for the mixture to boil for about 5-8 minutes until slightly thickened.
- 5. Add chia seeds and water, then mix together. Let cook for 1-2 minutes more.
- 6. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes.
