With berries extremely affordable right now, I decided to give making my own jelly a whirl. Today I made my very own pectin free strawberry jelly using chia seeds to gel it up! I have been considering canning my own food for years now and have never gotten up the never to do it. I know I will eventually, I just need a canning expert to come into my life and give me some lessons. (If you are one, or know of one, here in Phoenix, I would LOVE to meet you and them.)
In doing my research I learned a lot about pectin. Pectin is what makes jelly, well, gel. Pectin, in its natural form, gives structure to the fruit and fiber for us. However, commercial pectin for canning requires 55-85% sugar to gel correctly!! Here we were thinking those PB&J’s were semi-healthy options for our kids. On top of the sugar requirements, they are often mixed with corn products. I have a corn allergy and for those who have apple allergies, it is a hidden source of pain. (source)
One option for making jelly is to use chia seeds. I love chia seeds for many reasons. They are a great source of fiber, help keep us hydrated (perfect for those hot summer months or long endurance activities), and are a source of ALA’s, one of the 3 types of omega 3 fatty acids. On top of that they give us calcium, magnesium, phosporous, zinc, and B vitamins 1, 2, and 3. (source)
I decided to use strawberries because we love strawberries and they smelled amazing. The bonus is that 1 cup of strawberries give us vitamin C, manganese, folate, iodine, and more. (source) They are also naturally rich in pectin, which makes the consistency easier to attain.
As always, I love that this recipe is simple and requires minimum ingredients. I used a touch of honey to sweeten up the recipe a little but by no means is required if you have truly ripe strawberries. To make it vegan you can use maple syrup as well.
Pectin Free Chia Seed Strawberry Jelly
Ingredients
- 16 oz strawberries organic preferrable
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp black chia seeds
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry strawberries. Cut of the tops, slice in half, and place into a small pot.
- Add in honey. Swirl around until strawberries are coated.
- Cook on low heat until warm and strawberries have softened. They will give when you press with a spoon.
- Turn off heat. Add in lemon juice and chia seeds. Cover and leave for 5 minutes.
- Pour mixture into food processor and process to desired consistency.
- Store in glass container in the fridge. This will last about two weeks.
Massaged Kale Salad with Cranberries and Oranges
Thanks for sharing the recipe, will definitely have to try this, my parents like having jam with toast, so this would be a healthier option
This sounds absolutely amazing! I love chia seeds and using it as a thickener is genius. Berries haven’t quite come down in price where I live, but I will be making this as soon as they do! Thank you for sharing this recipe <3
Finally a jam recipe that doesn’t call for a ton of sugar! I’m using this for sure. Thanks!
What a great, healthy spin on jellies! I will definitely be trying this out. It looks like it is simple to make too which is also a bonus. Thanks!
This is great and looks like a super simple recipe. I love chia seeds and am excited to try this. Thanks!
wow- what a great jam recipe- and i love the idea of adding Chia..never thought of that! I love that the sugar content is low as so many jams are based on sugar. This is so great for diabetics as well! Thanks for this!
Love an energzing jelly! My daughter asks for jelly quite a bit. Thanks for such a simple recipe. We actually have 3 containers of strawberries in the fridge so this should be a snap!
It’s always good to learn better, healthier alternatives to those food that are less desirable. I can’t wait to try this! With the post I learned something new! Thanks for this Marian!
Chia seeds are such little miracles! I’ve had great success making fresh jams with them as well — if you’re game to try a raw preserve, it’s basically the same as your recipe, except I blend all of my ingredients until smooth and then pour into jars. No heat necessary. I’ve found that white chia seeds make for a prettier jam… my kids don’t ask any questions about mystery ingredients when I use the white ones! For sweeteners, stevia and xylitol have proved equally effective; just a teaspoon or so for our tastes,but easy to adjust.
Thanks for sharing your recipe. It won’t be berry season here in New Hampshire for a few more months, but my mouth is watering just thinking about it!
Hi Sarah,
The last batch of white chia seeds I tried tasted awful. We ended up just tossing them. I love the idea of making the recipe raw. For my first attempt, I decided to warm them up since it makes them sweeter. My kids are use to organic jellies that have way more sugar, so I wanted to wean them down a bit. Thank you for the suggestion though. I’m going to have to try white chia seeds again.
Super recipe! I’ll have to weight till May for local organic fresh strawberries. Do you think it would work with blueberries? I always have chia seeds in my house, so this will be great!
Hi Marie, I do think this will work well with blueberries. I’m giving it a go next!