Preserves

No-Cook-Down Blueberry Chia Jam

Name: No-Cook-Down Blueberry Chia Jam
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: About 1 1/4 cups · one 12-oz jar
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 cups fresh blueberries; 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp chia seeds; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Prep5 min

Cook10 min

Total45 min (incl. setting)

YieldAbout 1 1/4 cups · one 12-oz jar

DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

2 cupsfresh blueberries≈ 198 median blueberries
2 tbspmaple syrup or honey
1 tbsplemon juice
2 tbspchia seeds
1/2 tspvanilla extract (optional)

Steps

Cook blueberries, maple syrup, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, mashing as they soften, until fully broken down.
Remove from heat and stir in chia seeds and vanilla.
Rest 30 minutes at room temperature, stirring twice — the chia gels the jam without pectin or long cooking.
Transfer to a jar and refrigerate. It thickens further overnight. Keeps 2 weeks.

Notes

Uses a third of the sugar of traditional jam — expect a fruit-forward, less candied flavor.
If it sets too firm, stir in warm water a teaspoon at a time.

A 100-gram serving of blueberries contains roughly 160 mg of anthocyaninsLaid end-to-end at 12.7 mm apiece, it would take about 30 billion berries to reach the MoonThe world's largest blueberry weighed 16.2 grams — a Guinness record set in Australia in 2020Wild lowbush blueberries are about 40% smaller than cultivated highbush onesThe United States and Canada together produce roughly half of the world's cultivated blueberriesA 100-gram serving of blueberries contains roughly 160 mg of anthocyaninsLaid end-to-end at 12.7 mm apiece, it would take about 30 billion berries to reach the MoonThe world's largest blueberry weighed 16.2 grams — a Guinness record set in Australia in 2020Wild lowbush blueberries are about 40% smaller than cultivated highbush onesThe United States and Canada together produce roughly half of the world's cultivated blueberries