Name: Easy Strawberry Jam
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients: 1 pound frozen strawberries (3 cups whole berries)*; 3 tablespoons lime juice, plus 1/2 tablespoon zest (2 small limes or 1 large); 1/2 cup pure maple syrup; 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract; 1/4 cup chia seeds

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This is the BEST strawberry jam. It’s tangy, all natural, vegan, and so easy. In just 15 minutes you have homemade jam: no canning tools required!

Did you know you can make strawberry jam in just 15 minutes? Yes, and it’s not just any old jam. It’s the most delicious strawberry jam you’ve ever tasted! You’ll want to spread this sweet-tart glistening red jelly on just about everything: toast, oatmeal, waffles, pancakes. Or just eat it off a spoon: we won’t judge! Alex and I make this healthy strawberry jam all the time and love that there’s no canning equipment required. It uses chia seeds to make the gel-like texture, and maple syrup to make it just sweet enough. Ready to get started?

What’s so great about this jam?

When I think strawberry jam, I think about a big bunch of canning equipment. I grew up watching my parents make their “famous” apple butter with the professional canning methods. Canning has had a resurgence today, but this recipe is the exact opposite. Here’s what’s great about this jam:

It’s quick! You can make this easy strawberry jam in a flash, and it keeps in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks.
It uses chia seeds instead of gelatin. The magic of this recipe is that you don’t use gelatin like a standard jam. Chia seeds act as an all natural way to make fruit into jam! If you’ve never made a jam with chia seeds, it is literally life changing. Because it uses chia seeds, it’s a plant based / vegan strawberry jam too.
It’s naturally sweet. This strawberry jam is naturally sweetened using maple syrup. It doesn’t have loads of refined sugar like traditional jams and jellies!

Ready to get started?

How to make strawberry jam in 15 minutes…with no canning equipment!

Step 1: Cook frozen berries with lime juice for 10 minutes.

Place 1 pound of frozen strawberries, lime juice, and water into a saucepan (see the recipe below for quantities). Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries are fully broken down. Break down the berries by smashing them with a fork into chunky but uniform texture.

Step 2: Stir in the chia seeds and allow to thicken.

Turn off the heat. Stir in the chia seeds, maple, lime zest and vanilla. (PS Here’s how to zest a lime!) Let the mixture sit for 5 to 7 minutes and watch the magic happen. Voila! The strawberries naturally thicken into a strawberry jam.

Step 3: Pour into a jar and refrigerate.

Pour the strawberry jam into the jar and refrigerate it. It will thicken even more once it’s cool. You can eat it right away, but it’s best after cooling for about 1 hour. You can store it for about 2 to 3 weeks in the fridge!

10 ways to serve strawberry jam

There are so many ways to use strawberry jam! This one tastes so good, you won’t have difficulty finding ways to use it. But if you’re looking for ideas, here are our favorite ways to eat it:

PB&J: Make some nut butter and toast up some homemade bread.
Oatmeal: Spread it on our best oatmeal, instant oatmeal, or Instant Pot oatmeal.
Biscuits: Spread on our buttermilk biscuits.
Bagels: Bagels with cream cheese + strawberry jam? Yes please.
Waffles: Top fluffy gluten free waffles or cornbread waffles.
Pancakes: Imagine this on top of banana oatmeal pancakes!
Wraps: Spread on some peanut butter and strawberry jam, then roll it up and slice into pinwheels (like these).
Crackers: Spread almond butter and jam on our homemade crackers.
Muffins: Slather onto these healthy banana bread muffins.
Cornbread: Spread onto our best cornbread or easy vegan cornbread.

This strawberry jam recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.