Five minute, sugar-free sweet berry jam (only three ingredients!)
After a 15 year hiatus from jam, I’m back to eating it daily - on toast, in a bowl of warm oatmeal or coconut yogurt, and by the spoonful.
Why, after more than a decade, did I have a sudden change of heart about jam, of all things? For someone who sticks to a mostly plant-based, whole foods diet free from refined sugar this probably seems like an unusual choice; most of the jam varieties that we see on shelves at grocery stores are loaded with preservatives and contain as much as 12 grams of sugar per tablespoon!
Well, what if I told you that it’s possible to have jam that contains no preservatives or sugar at all? Or even better, that you can make it yourself, in five minutes, with just three ingredients, and that one of those ingredients is water. You’d probably be eating it daily and by the spoonful too!
Whether you’re in need of a healthy substitute for the usual sugary, store-bought version, or you simply ran out of whatever jam you keep in your pantry and need to make your own in a pinch, this Sugar-Free Sweet Berry Jam is a worthy alternative and a must try!
Sugar-Free Sweet Berry Jam
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: approximately 5 minutes | Yields: 1.5 cups
Ingredients
1 cup organic berries of your choice
3 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp filtered water
Directions
Wash berries and de-stem if using strawberries
Coat a small saucepan with coconut spray oil and place on a medium heat, and add berries and chia seeds. Stir often for 2-3 minutes, until berries begin to soften and you can see the juice begin to bubble.
Add water to saucepan and mix well. Reduce to a low heat or simmer and cover for 2 minutes.
Remove saucepan from stove and gently mash berries with a wooden spoon or fork until you reach a chunky, jam-like consistency.
*Tip: If the jam is too tart for your taste, mix in 1 tbsp of monkfruit sweetener (the Lakanto brand is all natural, zero glycemic, non-GMO and Autism Approved by the Autism Hope Alliance).
