Cranberry Chia Jam

This low carb and sugar free cranberry jam is thickened with chia seeds.  Chia seeds are very absorbent and are a healthier alternative to thicken sauces and jams.  This is a quick way to make a cranberry jam and is sugar free and gluten-free too.

A regular cranberry sauce can be full of sugar, so this low carb cranberry chia jam is a great sauce to serve with your Thanksgiving turkey. A lot healthier option than opening a can!

Carbs in Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are gluten and grain free but one tablespoon of the little seeds has more calcium than a glass of milk.  More Omega 3 than Salmon and more antioxidants than blueberries!  

A 1oz (28g) serving of chia seeds is just 1g net carbs. As they are tiny seeds, 1oz is a lot of chia! They have an amazing fiber content with 11g carbs of fiber of serving. They also are a great source of protein and make a great low carb vegetarian must!

When added to liquid they create a substance that looks like gelatin. Or a tapioca pudding.  This gel like substance is due to the soluble fibre in the Chia seed.  This form is often used as an egg substitute in keto vegan recipes.

How to make cranberry chia jam

This recipe could not be easier to make.   Simply place the ingredients, apart from the chia seeds, in a saucepan, cover and bring to the boil.  I used fresh cranberries but frozen would do just as well.

Cover and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes until the cranberries are softened.   Taste and add any more sweetener to your own taste.  I actually started making this with only ½ cup erythritol as I didn't want it too sweet.  Upon tasting it, I added more erythritol as my face looked like I had sucked a lemon.  Boy, was that a sharp tasting sauce!

Finally, add the chia seeds, stir and let cool down.   Spoon the mixture into a jar.  Maybe a fancy one, put a ribbon on it and voila, you have a lovely gift someone.  Alternatively, you can use that cleaned peanut butter jar you have in the back of your cupboard.  I almost collect glass jars as I cannot throw them out.  Painted and dipped in glitter, they make great candle holders as well as storing chia jam!

How to serve this cranberry chia jam

As with all sugar free berry jams this goes great slathered over a slice of low carb bread.

You can serve this cranberry chia jam recipe in a few ways:

• Slather over our low carb coconut bread.
• Swirl into a bowl of Greek yogurt and top with chopped nuts.
• Serve in cranberry waffles for a great breakfast.
• Slice our breakfast muffins in half and slather with the chia jam.
• Use as a filling with any of our low carb cupcakes, pancakes or muffins.
• Serve as a side with your Thanksgiving turkey dinner.
• Boost your leftover turkey with our turkey quesadillas or chaffle sandwiches.

Recipe Tips

Other low carb berries can be used to make a chia jam. Raspberries are a great option as the swollen chia seeds look like raspberry seeds.

Add a tablespoon of ground cinnamon for additional flavour.

If you don't want the swollen chia seed look, grind the chia seeds in a coffee grinder before using them.   

For an alternative to cranberries, try our hibiscus jam.

More low carb chia recipes

Apple Cinnamon Chia Pudding

Strawberry Coconut Chia Pudding

Lemon Chia Pudding

Sunflower & Chia Bagels

This recipe was originally published way back in December 2016. The photos and content have been update but the content remains the same. It's a great simplerecipe, why change it!

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