This Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Jam is fresh, easy to make, and only uses 5 ingredients. It’s made without pectin and uses nutritious chia seeds as the thickener! This easy refrigerator jam is vegan and sweetened with maple syrup.

This Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Jam has fresh and vibrant fruit flavor, and it's made without pectin - it uses chia seeds as the thickener! This easy refrigerator jam is refined sugar free, vegan and Paleo-friendly.

Are you a person who enjoys making your own homemade jam? If you are, you already know the beauty of transforming a bounty of fresh fruit into a delectable spread you can enjoy on everything. If you’re not, it may seem like a time-consuming process that’s not particularly worthwhile. I mean, you can just grab a jar of your favorite flavor for a few bucks when you’re at the grocery store, right?

Right, in theory…but, wrong. Because the jam that you buy from the supermarket will never be as fresh and vibrant as the jams that you can taste warm from the saucepan, watching the fruit as it bubbles along into jammy goodness. 

This Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Jam has fresh and vibrant fruit flavor, and it's made without pectin - it uses chia seeds as the thickener! This easy refrigerator jam is refined sugar free, vegan and Paleo-friendly.

You also know exactly what’s going into that jam. You can admire the fresh stalks of vibrant red rhubarb as you grab them from the farmer’s market, and steal a sun-ripened strawberry or two as you cut the stems off.

I love homemade jams, and this one is one of my newest favorites, alongside this Blueberry Chia Jam and this Strawberry Chia Jam. All work perfectly as the filling for these Jam Thumbprint Cookies or the perfect topping for these Superfood Overnight Oats! Or really, any of my other oatmeal recipes.

How is this Strawberry Rhubarb Jam sweetened?

Forget about those cups and cups of sugar most jam recipes call for. We only need 1/3 cup of maple syrup for this jam. I shutter when I see recipes calling for upwards of 5 cups of white sugar!

We’re just using enough maple syrup to sweeten up the tart rhubarb, while letting the flavors of the sweet strawberries sing. This precariously short time of year where rhubarb season and strawberry season overlap deserves to be commemorated! This easy chia jam gives me all the farmer’s market fresh flavor I could have ever dreamed of.

This Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Jam has fresh and vibrant fruit flavor, and it's made without pectin - it uses chia seeds as the thickener! This easy refrigerator jam is refined sugar free, vegan and Paleo-friendly.

Most jam and jelly recipes call for pectin to help thicken the mixture. I didn’t have any pectin, and I was wanting to make jam ASAP (a.k.a. I was too lazy to go to the grocery store), so chia seeds stepped in to save the day. The chia seeds plump up and thicken the jam (or any liquid) totally naturally.

Chia seeds are also a nutritional powerhouse! The tiny seeds contain a ton of fiber, protein, calcium, antioxidants, and vitamins. The chia seeds help thicken the jam and create the perfect spoonable and spreadable “jam” texture. We add a splash of lemon juice at the end of cooking to add a bit of brightness back into the jam. It rounds the chia jam out perfectly.

This Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Jam has fresh and vibrant fruit flavor, and it's made without pectin - it uses chia seeds as the thickener! This easy refrigerator jam is refined sugar free, vegan and Paleo-friendly.

Is this a jam for canning?

This strawberry rhubarb chia jam is a refrigerator jam. That means that it doesn’t require any canning, so there is no need to sterilize the jars. On that note, you also can’t pop this kind of jam in the pantry and have it in November. It will stay good in the refrigerator for a few weeks though. I don’t think you’ll have a problem finishing it all in that time.

The five simple ingredients used in this recipe are in perfect harmony here, and you’ll want to be spreading this jam on everything! Swirl it into yogurt (SO good) or add a dollop on top of your oatmeal. It will make your PB&J sandwiches way better…and might I recommend you add a bit to these Homemade Peanut Butter Cups for a PB&J cup? You won’t be disappointed! Enjoy :)

This Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Jam has fresh and vibrant fruit flavor, and it's made without pectin - it uses chia seeds as the thickener! This easy refrigerator jam is refined sugar free, vegan and Paleo-friendly.
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This Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Jam is refined sugar free and made without pectin - it uses chia seeds as the thickener! This easy refrigerator jam is refined sugar free, vegan, and Paleo-friendly.

Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Jam

  • Author: Rachel Conners
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 3 cups 1x
  • Category: Sauces
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Jam is fresh, easy to make, and only uses 5 ingredients. It’s made without pectin and uses nutritious chia seeds as the thickener! This easy refrigerator jam is vegan and sweetened with maple syrup.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 12 oz. fresh rhubarb, cubed – cut each stalk down the middle and then chop
  • 12 oz. strawberries, quartered
  • ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the rhubarb, strawberries, and maple syrup. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. After 5 minutes, when the mixture is starting to release juices, use a potato masher (or a fork) to lightly mash the strawberries and rhubarb.
  2. Add the chia seeds and lemon juice and reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue cooking uncovered, stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from scorching, for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the mixture has thickened and there are no big fruit chunks left. The jam will continue to thicken as it cools so don’t let it reduce too much.
  3. Let cool completely before transferring to clean jars. Keep in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Cookie & Kate’s Rhubarb Jam

Cut this recipe in half if you only want one jar of jam!

Keywords: strawberry, rhubarb, chia jam, jam, jelly, vegan

This Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Jam is refined sugar free and made without pectin - it uses chia seeds as the thickener! This easy refrigerator jam is refined sugar free, vegan and Paleo-friendly.

This Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Jam has fresh and vibrant fruit flavor. It's made without pectin - it uses chia seeds as the thickener! This easy refrigerator jam is refined sugar free, vegan and Paleo-friendly.

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