This easy to make cherry berry chia jam will be your new favorite addition to toast, oatmeal, and other breakfast staples. Vegan and naturally sweetened.

I may never buy store-bought jam again!

Although baking is my jam — it just so happens that I ran out of jam this week so I took a leap and made my own. I’ve made friends with my freezer lately and I’m trying to make the most of its contents, including frozen fruit.

For this recipe I pulled out the fresh cherries that I froze last summer and I pulsed them quickly in my mini chopper. I added a half a bag of frozen strawberries, chia seeds and lemon juice and the rest was history. My kids gave me a big thumbs up even though I didn’t add any sugar — the natural sweetness of the cherries and berries was perfect as is. But if you use tart fruit or if you like your jam on the sweet side, you can follow my suggestions in the notes below.

Spread this deliciousness on your toast, add a few spoons to cottage cheese, stir a little into your oatmeal or mix some into a quick bread like in my Banana Cherry Berry Bread with Dark Chocolate Chips here. Enjoy!

Cherry Berry Chia Jam

Ingredients:
2 cups frozen fruit (strawberries, cherries, blueberries)
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey, maple syrup, or agave (optional)

Directions:
Heat fruit in a saucepan on medium heat until warmed.

Mash fruit with a masher or a fork until your desired texture.*

Stir chia seeds and lemon juice into the fruit.

Taste and add sweetener, if desired. Remove from heat and let cool.

Pour into jar or sealed contain and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Notes:
If you like thin jam, you may want to use a food processor instead of mashing it, but this really tastes good when you let chunky pieces of the fruit shine through.
Be sure to taste jam before you add sweetener — you may not feel like it needs any added at all.