Strawberry Chia Jam (Made With Frozen Fruit)

Strawberry Chia Jam is one of my go-to frozen fruit recipes. You have to try this healthy, chia-powered strawberry jam. This jam is a fresh and elegant addition on top of a yogurt parfait, mixed in overnight oats, or spread over a crunchy piece of buttered toast.

What Can I Make Jam with Frozen Strawberries?

Justin, my husband, will eat anything I prepare, but he has a few ABSOLUTE favorite foods. Strawberries and yogurt parfaits are up there on his list of things he could eat every day. Actually, he does eat Greek yogurt almost every day and, wow, he can go through berries, especially strawberries. When the winter months come around, berries aren’t always the most cost-effective option. I try to find creative ways to add much more inexpensive frozen strawberries to our diet during these months so that we can still enjoy berries. This Strawberry Chia Jam is one of my freezer aisle solutions.

How to Reduce Household Food Waste: Buy More Frozen Fruits and Vegetables

Did you know that utilizing frozen fruits and vegetables helps to reduce household food waste? Frozen produce helps to reduce food waste by extending the “life” of the produce since frozen produce is a lot less perishable than fresh produce. If you struggle with food waste, then try incorporating more frozen produce into your meal planning. Not only is it a budget saver, but you can reduce the amount of produce that your household throws away.

Check out this research that the American Frozen Food Insitute conducted on how frozen produce helps to reduce food waste. Frozen produce is also considered a healthy option. BONUS! Because the produce freezes at its peak time, it maintains its vitamins and minerals. And it may even have more nutrients than the fresh stuff.

How Can I Make Jam Without Pectin?

Traditionally jam and jelly recipes call for pectin to aid in thickening or geling up the mixture. However, chia seeds can work to thicken jams as well. While you can not exchange pectin and chia seeds 1:1 in recipes, chia seeds can be used in recipes, like this one, that are designed to replace pectin with chia. When using chia seeds instead of pectin, the jam should not be preserved via canning. Chia seed jam has a shorter life (around 1 week), but you can extend its lifespan by utilizing your freezer.

Is Strawberry Chia Jam Healthy?

Chia seeds are a superfood. They are high in fiber, antioxidants, and omega-fatty-3 acids. In most chia seed recipes, you only use 1-2 tbsp of chia seeds at a time. I like to keep them in my pantry to boost the nutrition of my meals with a sprinkle of chia seeds here and there. I love to add them on top of oatmeal, in granola, and make them into pudding. Aldi has a great deal on Chia seeds (about $5.29 at my store in 2024).

Anytime I make a health claim on this blog site, I like to preface it by saying that I am not a nutritionist. However, I do enjoy researching food, so I will attach what I have found so that you can research the benefits of chia seeds yourself as well. Here is an article that I used in researching chia seeds by Forbes Health.

How Do You Make Strawberry Chia Jam?

Strawberry chia jam is much easier to make than traditional jam. The first time I made strawberry chia jam, I looked at my finished product and thought, “That’s it?”

In my mind, I thought jam-making would take all day (I don’t know why). But you can whip this strawberry chia jam up in 15 minutes. All you need is frozen strawberries, fresh lemon juice, a pinch of salt (or 1/8 tsp of salt) TRUST ME, a tiny bit of vanilla, chia seeds, and pure maple syrup. Follow these instructions to make the best Strawberry Chia Jam:

• Place a saucepan on the stovetop and turn it to medium-high heat.
• Add water, strawberries, lemon juice, salt, and vanilla to the saucepan. Heat mixture for 10 minutes or until it simmers. As the mixture is heating, mash strawberries with a potato masher, fork, or chop-n-stir.
• Remove the jam from the heat and mix in the maple syrup and chia seeds. Place jam in a shallow container to cool.
• Store cooled jam in the fridge for up to a week. This recipe is not suited for canning.

Are Frozen Berries as Healthy as Fresh Berries?

Check out this CNN Health article on how frozen fruit could be healthier for you than fresh produce. I love using frozen fruit in months when the fruit is A) not in season B) SUPER expensive C) the ones in the produce section just look sad. Not only is frozen fruit packed full of nutrients and vitamins, but it’s also a great way to save money on produce.

How Do You Eat Strawberry Chia Jam?

• Make a Greek yogurt parfait with Homemade Strawberry Chocolate Almond Granola and Strawberry Chia Jam
• Eat it on top of ice cream
• Add it to your overnight oats
• Spread it on a waffle, toast, or bagel
• Add it to a smoothie