Raw Raspberry Jam
from The Blender Girl cookbookJanuary 27, 2012
This raw raspberry jam thickened with chia seeds from The Blender Girl cookbook is really quick and easy and tastes just like conventional raspberry jam.
Raw Raspberry Jam
This raw raspberry jam thickened with chia seeds from The Blender Girl cookbook is really quick and easy and tastes just like conventional raspberry jam.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 83 kcal
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60ml) coconut water
- 1/2 cup (85g) firmly packed chopped pitted dates
- 2 tablespoons (24g) chia seeds
- 2 cups (320g) fresh raspberries
Instructions
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Pour the coconut water into your blender and add the dates. Blast on high for 30 to 60 seconds, until the dates have broken up.
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Scrape down the sides of the container, then add the chia seeds and one-half of the raspberries. Pulse on low a few times, just to break up the berries.
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Add the remaining raspberries and pulse a few times on low to get a thick, chunky consistency. If the jam is too tart, stir in liquid sweetener to taste. Go easy, or the jam will get runny.
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Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. The chia seeds will thicken the jam, and the flavors will develop. The jam keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
Recipe from The Blender Girl cookbook
Comments 77
OOOHHH! This was soooo GOOD! I can see this recipe made with blueberries, strawberries, or whatever. Brilliant! I love adding chia seeds to it. Gives it nice bulk and texture. Have an awesome day!
Thanks Kibby!
Yes! I have made this with all kinds of berries and tons of other fruits! SO easy and SO delicious! Have a great weekend 🙂
LOVE! What a GREAT idea! I know I’d have leftovers, but guess I could just freeze them and use them for smoothies 🙂
I was thinking the same thing. I wouldn’t use it all up in time – and I HATE to waste food! Freeze some up and then toss into a some homemade nut milk and voila! Have a tasty, quick smoothie (toss in some spinach for extra greens). Sounds great!
Yes! YUMMY in smoothies!!!!!
Thanks Andrea!
Yes. This is a large quantity.
You can halve the recipe.
But going any smaller quantity than that makes the dates and coconut water harder to blend. But you can do it!
But I have frozen this too. Enjoy!
Thanks Patty!
I am so glad you enjoyed this.
How easy is that jam?
Great to have you here 🙂
Could this recipe be made with grapes to make grape jam? I was curious about grapes since they would be juicier than raspberries and strawberries. Would you add more dates to thicken the jam? I would attempt trying it out myself, but I don’t have a blender. Thanks in advance! Happy blending! Oink!
Hey Jeanine,
You can make grape jam.
You would just adjust the quantities of dates to get the desired sweetness, and you would need a little more chia seeds to thicken it.
I hope this helps!
We need to get you a blender!
That looks so good! I’ve only been using chia seeds the past month or so and I love finding new recipes. Thank you.
This is SO easy Vibeke.
YOU will LOVE it.
You can use all kinds of different fruits for variation. LOVE Chia seeds.
You can do SOOOO much with them and they are SOOO good for you!
Can you use frozen fruit ? Can the jam be frozen after it’s made or can this recipe be fermented so it will last longer?
Tannya
You can use defrosted frozen fruit. You will just need to add less water and perhaps some more chia seeds. I find that the flavour and texture isn’t quite as good with the frozen fruit. But you can make it work for economics and convenience. I have not tried fermenting this mixture. But that is a fabulous idea.
Cant handle dates,is there anything else I could use?
Hey Diane,
You could use any sweetener you like for this recipe. The dates are not an essential ingredient. I have used stevia. You could also use raw agave, yacon syrup, or anything else you like. Enjoy 🙂
Hello !!! can this reciep be made with oranges? and how long it could last on the fridge?? best regards!!!
Yes! Marmalade is AMAZING. You just might have to adjust the quantities of dates a little.
This will keep in the fridge for about 5 – 7 days.
Thanks a lot Tess !!! you are a very generous girl …
: )
i´ll tell you about my coconut smoothy as soon i make it…
Of course! Thanks Karol.
I can’t wait to hear what you think 🙂
Love this recipe. I had no idea chia could be used to thicken up jam.
Hey Tracey!
Lovely to hear from you.
Yes! This recipe is AMAZING and SO easy.
Thanks for giving it a shout out on your wonderful blog.
Great idea! I’ll have to try this (without coconut since I’m allergic) in my mini blender. 🙂
I’d add Stevia and remove dates, but only because as a raw vegan and wellness coach, I try to encourage people to use it as it doesn’t cause any kind of sugar spike. Keep it up!
This is great with filtered water and stevia. Enjoy!
I don’t know why, but stevia gives me a headache so dates are a much better choice for me!
Yes, it can have that affect on some people. Stick with the dates.
Has anyone tried this with apricots? It sounds fantastic! 😉
Yes! It is AMAZING. Just make sure you chop up the apricots if you are using a conventional blender. You will need to adjust the sweetener too. Enjoy 🙂
Thank you! Must try this , , , 😉
Great! Please do, and let me know how you go 🙂
I was just asking myself today if I was up to finding a way to make my own jam/jelly that was free of refined sugar. SCORE! Here’s the catch though: My husband can’t eat seeds of any kind in their whole state. Would the chia seeds still thicken the jam if they were ground, say, in a coffee grinder?
Yes, it should still work. You may have to use some more chia seeds to be sure. I grind chia seeds in my smoothies all the time and they still thicken. Let me know how you go.
Waheyyyyy! What a fabuloso recipe! I tried it with strawberries and then with raspberries and the whole lot got yum-scrummed. Will be trying blueberries next!
I used frozen berries both times and they worked really well – the whole chunks had that gloriously gloopy, squidgy quality they have in ‘normal’ jam! 😉
LOVE it. SO glad you are enjoying this recipe. It is such a winner! Try apricot. YUM!
FYI I used a lot less dates and added some drops of liquid stevia and a little extra chia. Still fantastic! I am making frozen pb&j butter cups and also pb&j ice cream (both raw of course). Namaste
Awesome. Thanks for sharing. It’s great to reduce the natural sugar content even more.
Hi, is it okay if we use peaches? Would the amount of dates and chia seeds be reduced? I have a LOT of peaches (peach tree) and need to use them.
Sorry for my late response to this. Yes! Peach jam is delicious! You may have to tweak the sweetener depending on your fruit. I would keep the dates and the chia the same. You can always add more, and the jam will still taste fabulous and thicken.
do you have to use a vitamix- I don’t have one
You can use a food processor as well.
Can you use figs instead of dates?
Yes. Figs work great in this recipe. Just tweak the flavors to taste.
I just whipped this up! OH MY! So tasty! Thank you!
Wonderful. So glad you enjoyed it.
I’m pretty sure that this would count as one of your 5 a day compared to commercial jam because they boil out the nutrience and add a heck ton of sugar. It’s what has put me off PB and J for so long and Thank you for the recipe! *huggles you* PB and J here I come!!!!
Awesome! Yeah…this recipe is such a great alternative to conventional jam. Enjoy!
Awesome! Can’t wait to try and share on my blog! thanks for the inspiration!
Awesome. Enjoy!
I wonder if I can put it in a jar and seal to send to my family. If the air is removed and the jar sealed, I would hope it would last longer.
Yeah…I’m not sure it will travel well. It needs to stay chilled and lasts about 7 days.
This is so good! Even got a stamp of approval from my 10 year old! I used strawberries!
BLENDER GIRL CAN I MAKE THIS JAM WITH NO SUGAR AND THE FREEZE IN FREEZER
Yay! I am so happy to hear this Christine. Thanks for sharing. Mary Anne – this doesn’t fair too well in the freezer. It gets watery and loses the beautiful consistency when you defrost.
Sounds super!!! Quick question, have you made a grape jam using these ingredients?
Yes. Use red grapes with the coconut water and the dates. Add 1/2 tablespoon more chia seeds.
Do you think you could substitute fresh juice (pear, grape, or apple) to sweeten this instead of dates? And decrease or eliminate the coconut water?
Yes. You could use juice instead of coconut water, but it still don’t be sweet enough at 1/4 cup. You will probably need a bit more. If you add more liquid, you will need more chia seeds to get it to a thick consistency, and the more chia seeds you add, the more the flavor is affected. But, it is possible. Enjoy!
Can this be canned, stored for later use, and then refrigerated after opened; or will it go bad?
Thanks Alice, yes, sorry Katie, there isn’t enough acid or sugar to preserve this recipe long term.
Hi, do you think I could can this? Put it n the glass mason jars and boil for a bit to seal? I know it will take away from the ‘raw’ aspect, but it’ll still be healthy
Sorry, it just doesn’t preserve well in jars or cans as there isn’t enough acid or sugar.
Hi! This looks great. I was wondering if I could use frozen berries that have been thawed? Berries aren’t in season here and frozen is all I have.
Yes, I have had many readers write to me and tell me that frozen berries worked very well for them.
Could you substitute ground flaxseed for the chia seeds?
Ground flax will thicken it in a way, but it just doesn’t have the same consistency with that berry seed look, and the flax has a much more prominent flavor which I find too nutty.
I will have lots of jam to make this coming year and was wondering if you can can it or would it lose it’s consistency?
No, sorry Margaret, it doesn’t can.
Hi! Love this recipe! Is there anyway to preserve the jam naturally without freezing? If not how long do you think it should last refrigerated? Thanks for the awesome alternative and it’s so delicious!
Sorry Amy, no. It will last in the fridge for about 5 days.
excellent idea…. just discovered chia seed QUESTIONS can I save it glass jars? It so how long?
Sorry Karen, this jam is not made to keep past 5 to 7 days. It doesn’t keep for any longer than that in jars or cans.
I’ve always wondered about how to utilize the mucilage of Chia Seeds. I’m glad I found this side. Great idea!
Great! Yes, making jams, dips, and puddings is a great way to utilize and enjoy chia seeds.
I’m in the process of juicing my pomegranates today and was wondering how that would work? What changes would you make? Also, do you think freezing this jam would be fine and then when thawing, use it up in 5-7 days.
Pomegranate Jam is great. Use 1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice and whisk in 1/4 cup chia seeds. Mash 1 cup raspberries into that mixture, and then sweeten to taste. It is usually about 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup. I don’t find that this mixture freezes very well. It loses its gorgeous texture. But, you could try. I hope this helps.
Dates are naturally very high in sugar! Sugar is sugar, no matter what form it is in.
Yes, you are quite right Jan. Dates do contain natural sugar. But, it is not the processed kind found in most conventional jams. And, this recipe contains a lot less sugar than typical varieties. So, even though I recommend eating any forms of sugar in moderation, this recipe is a great healthier alternative when eating jam.
What about using prunes instead of dates? Not a huge fan of dates.