Have you ever made chia jam? It’s so simple to make at home, and you don’t need any fancy canning equipment! The chia seeds are a natural thickener to use instead of gelatin. Chia jam isn’t shelf stable, but you can store it in your refrigerator. Because you don’t need to sterilize it for the shelf, you don’t need canning equipment: just put the ingredients together and refrigerate! Since it’s so quick and easy, we make chia jam all the time. Here’s our cranberry jam version of it! It’s got a twist of orange and it’s perfect for colder weather. Another great recipe with fresh cranberries? Go to Cranberry Orange Bread, Cranberry Muffins, and more cranberry recipes.
How to make cranberry jam
Have you made chia jam? It’s a fascinating process: just heat up fruit with some sugar, then add chia seeds. The chia seeds bring a thick, jam-like texture without the need for gelatin like a traditional jam. It’s a natural way to make jam, incredibly easy, and has all those special chia seed nutrients (Omega 3’s and the like). This cranberry jam recipe uses frozen cranberries and a hint of orange, so it’s more of a cranberry orange jam. It stays in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, which is longer than it stays around in our household!
How to serve this cranberry jam recipe
This cranberry jam recipe is perfect for a cozy breakfast or brunch. We actually developed it to go with our Best Homemade Biscuits, which we developed around the holidays. Because it was Christmastime, we used cookie cutters to cut the biscuits into trees and stars. This would be the perfect option for a Christmas brunch! You can serve this cranberry jam recipe in lots of other ways:
Slather it onto our Best Sourdough Bread recipe.Use it as the filling for this Braided Bread, making into a Cranberry Braided Bread.Serve it with cream cheese and crackers as a winter appetizer or holiday appetizer.Use it as a topping on a stack of Gingerbread Pancakes.Swirl into yogurt and top with granola or muesli.Enjoy it atop your favorite Fluffy Gluten Free Waffles.Spread onto toast with almond butter.
Looking for more healthy breakfast ideas?
Outside of this cranberry jam recipe, we have dozens of vegan breakfast ideas and healthy breakfast recipes on our website. Here are a few of our favorites:
Apple Cinnamon Pressure Cooker Steel Cut OatsAcai Bowl Recipe Healthy Banana Bread MuffinsCinnamon Pecan Homemade Breakfast CerealTurmeric Vegan Blueberry MuffinsDIY Instant OatmealTart Cherry JamEasy Strawberry JamChocolate Muesli RecipeTart Cherry Cardamom Baked OatmealLemon Poppy Seed Oatmeal Pancakes
This recipe is…
This chia cranberry jam recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, plant based, naturally sweet, and refined sugar free. 5 from 1 review Add the cranberries, maple syrup, and water. Simmer about 10 minutes until cranberries begin to break, and stir using a spoon to break them apart. Once the cranberries are broken down, add the chia seeds and cinnamon and stir until combined. Turn off heat and wait for the jam to thicken, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a canning jar and refrigerate; the texture will set even further when chilled. Keeps refrigerated for 2 weeks.
