Crock Pot Sugar-Free Strawberry Chia Jam

I love jam…namely my Mama’s Strawberry Freezer Jam. I could literally suck that stuff up with a straw. But man alive – as good as it is, it’s chock full of sugar. Most jams are.

Most jams are made with a bunch of sugar, some pectin, and a little bit of fruit. I wanted my jam to be made of mostly fruit, sweetened with stevia, and thickened with something good for me.

I had read that you could thicken jam using an apple…but I didn’t want to go that route. I saw somewhere on Pinterest that you could make RAW jam with strawberries using chia seeds – and I know chia is great for thickening smoothies and oatmeal. So, I thought I would give it a shot: freezer jam, made without sugar, thickened with chia and in the, wait for it…CROCK POT. Booya again.

This turned out well so well…well beyond my imagination. I’m SO EXCITED to share this with you today! 🙂 Especially during berry season. I’ve only made this with strawberries and blueberries so far, but I imagine it would work with any berry: blackberry, raspberry, etc.

Why in the crock? Well, I’ll be honest here…I burn stuff a lot. A LOT. Cooking things in my crock helps me be more successful…it’s harder to burn stuff in there. Possible, yes. Harder, yes…and no one wants burned jelly – that’s sacrilegious.

Strawberry freezer jam, sugar free, thickened with chia and in the crockpot! Awesome! — First mash

This recipe is really very easy. You simply wash your berries and chop them. I quartered my berries unless they were HUGE – then I cut them into smaller pieces. Add some lemon juice and stevia. Bingo. That’s it until you add the chia seeds later.

Why lemon juice? To help keep the beautiful red color…we don’t need no stinkin’ red food coloring around this joint. Booya – have I said that already?

I used stevia to taste – NuNaturals Pure White Stevia Extract that I purchased from Vitacost. You could also use sugar if you like – but you’ll need to sweeten to taste. It might take 1/4 cup or up to 4 cups – it will depend on the berry.

I used a little over 2 teaspoons of stevia for my batch, but you’ll need to use it to taste – it will depend on the sweetness of your berries. Add just a little and taste as you go to get it right.

After you put the berries in the crock with the lemon juice and stevia, you’ll cook them on high one hour – then you’ll mash them with a potato masher. You’ll cook another hour and mash again. After that you’ll cook a final two hours.

During the final two hours, you’ll want to put a spoon under the lid to prop it open a bit. That’s to help let the moisture escape so the jam can start to thicken. Make sure to tell your 3 year old why it’s there so she does not remove it and use it to torture her brother and the dog.

You’ll want to cook until it starts to thicken just a bit. This will vary based on your crock pot. Some crocks cook REALLY hot…if yours does, then keep a watch on this during the final two hours. You might only need three total hours.

When it is slightly thickened, stir in your chia seeds. I also purchase my chia seeds from Vitacost. They are such a great thing to have around for thickening stuff. Since they’re black and strawberries already have seeds, you can’t even tell that they’re in the jam. Nice!

Ladle your jam into jars and let it cool slightly. Refrigerate or freeze for longer periods. I imagine it would keep several weeks in the fridge – but I don’t know because mine didn’t last that long. I froze part of it…and I need to make MORE. We need jam to last us through the winter! What’s Christmas without a big ole delicious jelly biscuit?!

This mixture gets thicker as it sets up in the fridge – let the chia seeds work their magic. Booya.

**I store mine in the freezer in sterilized mason jars.**