4-Ingredient Chia Raspberry Jam

Hello, my beautiful chickpeas! Today I've got a sweet and delicious chia seed recipe that is a great staple for any plant based kitchen. It's great as a topping on toast for a quick vegan breakfast, or on a packable sandwich for the upcoming back-to-school season. Let's welcome my 4-Ingredient Chia Raspberry Jam to the family!

Ever since I created this recipe, it has been on repeat in my house. I love making a batch of it on Sunday and then using it on toast for snacks and breakfasts throughout the week! It's also a great topping for a smoothie bowl, or mixed into some plant based yogurt. And of course, it makes a great option for PB&J sandwiches (hello, back-to-school!). Let's get into it!

Inspiration for 4-Ingredient Chia Raspberry Jam

If you have dabbled in the plant based lifestyle in the past, there's a good chance you've come across various recipes using chia seeds. These tiny seeds provide protein, fiber, and many other great nutrients - making them a popular choice among anyone who wants to pack nutrients into their food! Of course they aren't exclusive to vegan recipes, but they do tend to be pretty popular amongst the vegan community. They also make a great thickening agent - which makes them perfect for homemade jam!

When creating this recipe I wanted to take the basic concept of a chia jam and make it EVEN easier and simpler to make. My version utilizes the microwave for heat so that you don't even have to turn on the stove, only uses 4 ingredients, and shows off the natural sweetness of the raspberries by using a minimal amount of sweetener. This recipe has quickly become a favorite in my home and I hope you love it as much as we do!

Ingredients

As mentioned above, I was going for simple here. So we've only got 4 ingredients to work with today, and together they make magic!

• Frozen raspberries: If you love this recipe, be sure to keep some frozen raspberries in your freezer at all times so that you are prepared when the need for jam strikes! I always have some in my stash of potential future smoothie ingredients, so I love having another fun way to use them!
• Chia seeds: the star of our show! These are going to give our chia jam the jammy consistency we want. They also provide some great nutrients!
• Lemon juice: for just a tad of acidity! This compliments the raspberry flavor very well.
• Maple syrup: Of course our jam needs some sweetness! Since the berries provide their own natural sweetness, we only use a few tablespoons of syrup. This makes this recipe a lower-sugar option than many traditional jams!

How to Make 4-Ingredient Chia Raspberry Jam

I always try to keep my recipes simple, but this one is SUPER simple. As always, the full directions are on the recipe card further down. But let's talk about the basics.

1. Microwave the berries, pausing to give them a stir and a mash every so often.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients
3. Stir and let sit at room temperature
4. Move to the fridge to set a bit longer
5. Spread on whatever you'd like and enjoy!

Tips & Tricks

Here are some ideas on how you can best enjoy this recipe, while also making it your own:

• My favorite way to enjoy this 4-Ingredient Chia Raspberry Jam is to spread it on toast with some peanut butter! It makes a quick and easy breakfast. You could also pair it with vegan cream cheese on a bagel!
• Back-to-school season will be here before we know it! Use this jam for a classic PB&J for a packable lunch - either for school or work!
• I haven't done this one myself yet, but I think this would be a fun topping for a smoothie bowl!
• Wondering if you can use other types of berries? I tested this with frozen strawberries, but they didn't mash up in quite the same way and didn't have the right consistency, so I wouldn't recommend them. I suspect that blackberries may work since they are a more similar size and texture to raspberries - but I haven't tested it myself! Feel free to play with other berries if you are feeling experimental, but please note that I think raspberries will give the best results!
• If you want it a bit sweeter, feel free to add more maple syrup! However, I find that the flavors come out stronger after it has set in the fridge - so I would recommend following the recipe as is, letting it set, and THEN giving it a taste test and adding more maple syrup if desired.
• Looking for other ways to use up some frozen fruit? My Creamy Chocolate Vegan Milkshake uses frozen bananas, and my Blueberry Coconut Smoothie uses frozen bananas AND frozen blueberries!

Enjoy!

Happy cooking! If you made this recipe don’t forget to tag me (@joyfulbalanceofficial) on facebook or instagram so I can cheer you on for your chia-jam-making ways.

Stay joyfully balanced!