About the Recipe
Jam is one of my favourites for a quick sweet fix whether added to ice cream, breakfast pancakes or added to plain coconut yoghurt however, shop-bought ones are so loaded with sugar that they are definitely not guilt free.
Fear not! A solution is at hand. This amazing recipe is sugar free and so easy to make that even your kids can get in on the action!
Change up the recipe to make it your own with some of the ideas below.
If you experiment with flavour combinations and find that the jam is not as thick as you would like it, just add some more chia seeds and leave again to thicken up.
I prefer to leave the fruit to defrost on the bench as applying heat destroys the wonderful vitamin C contained.
Chia seeds are a nutrient powerhouse full of fibre, protein, omega 3, calcium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, vitamins B1, 2 & 3 and potassium! - What’s not to love?
Ingredients
1 & ½ cups of frozen fruit, defrosted
3 tbsp chia seeds
3 tbsp water
2 tbsp honey or pure maple syrup (more if you prefer it sweeter)
Preparation
Defrost the frozen fruit either on the benchtop or over a low heat. Once defrosted mash with a fork or pulse in a blender to break up the fruit.
Add the sweetener of your choice, water and chia seeds and mix well. Leave the mixture for at least one hour in the refrigerator for the chia seeds to absorb the liquid and thicken up the jam.
Once ready transfer to a jar and store in the fridge.
Ideas to experiment with:
- Canned fruit works as well as frozen but just takes a little more effort to break the fruit down so blending is the best option here. Try to get fruit in juice rather than syrup to avoid the refined sugar and rinse and drain it well.
- If you are worried about affecting blood glucose levels, then honey or pure maple syrup are a better choice.
- Swap out the water for orange juice which would work well with berries.
- Try adding some vanilla essence with strawberries.
- If you don’t mind adding some sugar, try candied ginger cut up into fine pieces with some rehydrated dried figs.