This recipe is so easy and the strawberries could almost definitely be substituted for another berry, you might need to alter the quantity of dates depending on how sweet your chosen fruit is though. The only downside of this recipe is that it isn’t the prettiest jam in the world, it’s still pretty tasty though.
This vegan jam recipe doesn’t use any sugar or pectin! Can you believe it? Chia seeds act as the gelling agent, soaking up any excess fluid and holding the jam together. A few boiled dates substitute the sugar. What you end up with is a vegan, gluten-free jam that takes about twenty minutes to make, and whilst it isn’t super sweet like supermarket jam, it does taste like the actual fruit that it contains. This makes it a super option for adding to porridge, rice pudding or smearing across a bagel when you want something that is healthy but still a sweet treat.
Ingredients
- 60g medjool dates (about 4)
- 250g strawberries
- 40g chia seeds
- water
The first thing you’re going to do is take the stones out of the dates! Pop them in a pan and cover them with water, bring to the boil and then simmer gently until the dates are soft and most of the water has boiled away. Take them off the heat and use a wooden spoon or a heatproof spatula to mash them to a pulp.
Next add your strawberries to the pan. Top the pan up with water and give it a good stir so that your date paste is evenly mixed in. Your strawberries should be nearly covered. Return the pan to the heat and bring to the boil.
While your strawberry mixture is simmering you can turn your attention to the chia seeds, these hydrophilic wonder seeds will bind your jam together by absorbing any excess moisture. I like to blitz mine to a coarse texture in the blender for a smoother jam but using them whole works the same.
Back to the pan, once your mixture has been simmering for around ten minutes your strawberries will probably be enough mushy enough to mash. You can mash them right down to a smooth mixture or leave some chunks of strawberry, texture is your personal preference.
Your jam will start to look gloopy, you want a thick mixture but not too solid. When you get there, add your chia seeds. Give it a good stir and transfer it straight into a sterilised jar.
It’s that simple, allow it to cool and keep it in the fridge – or if you have a huge batch of fruit and you have scaled up the recipe, share your jam with friends or freeze it and thaw it as you need it.
As always I would love to see what you get up to so don’t be shy and tag me on Instagram if you decide to make this jam or let me know what you think in the comments below.
Snackalina out. x
P.S. This goes great on a hot bagel, stay tuned for the upcoming, gluten-free, vegan bagel recipe!
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