• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Plant Based Folk
  • Vegan Recipes
  • Lebanese
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Vegan Recipes
  • Lebanese
  • About
  • Subscribe

subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Vegan Recipes
  • Lebanese
  • About
  • Subscribe

×
Home » Condiments

Plum Chia Jam

Published: Jun 27, 2024 by Janelle Hama *This post may contain affiliate links. Disclosure

837 shares
Jump to Recipe

Learn how to make easy refined sugar free plum chia jam. 10-15 minutes cooking time and you've got a fantastic quick fruit preserve.

sugar free plum jam in a glass jar with plums in the back ground
It's wayyyy to easy to make this homemade chia jam with plums

Here's the thing, I love jam, but I'm not too fond of the sickly sweetness of most of the traditional jams and sauces.

So what's better? A homemade refined sugar-free quick jam. It's thick enough to spread but isn't as thick as a traditional or commercial jams. It's also a heck of a lot healthier.

I am sure you'll love this quick fruit preserve like I do, I've spun it off into strawberry chia jam too.

Ingredients Highlight

plum jam ingredients

The complete list of ingredients with measurements, can be found in the full recipe card below.

I prefer to use slightly soft plums of any color, though black plums with the skin on are my favorite, they give the jam a vibrant red color.

As the jam cools, it thickens due to the gel released from the chia seeds, creating a texture similar to raspberry or strawberry jams. I use light-colored chia seeds because they look prettier.

If you prefer a smoother texture, you can use ground chia seeds.

To boost the sweetness of the plums without the result being overly sweet or using refined sugar, I add 100% organic maple syrup and a bit of fresh lemon juice for tartness. The result is a healthier spread that I love on toast, vegan oat sorghum banana pancakes, or sourdough bagels .

plum jam on bread with blums in back ground

Janelle's Tips

Chop the plums into small pieces to help them cook faster. 

Keep watch and ensure the fruit doesn't burn whilst cooking.

The texture can be made to suit just how you like it. You can leave it chunky or mash the plums up a little using a potato masher once they have softened through cooking.

BTW, I think this vegan caramel sauce made from dates might interest you too.

making plum jam in a red pot

FAQ

How long does homemade chia seed jam last?

Once your chia seed jam has completely cooled down to room temperature, spoon it into an air-tight sterilized jar, and store it in the fridge between 5-10 days. It is important the jam jar be sterilized prior to use to avoid contaminants. 

a small white plate with red chia jam

Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ star rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.

Recipe

sugar free plum jam in a glass jar with plums in the back ground

Plum Chia Jam

Learn how to make easy refined sugar free plum chia jam. 10-15 minutes cooking time and you've got a fantastic quick fruit preserve.
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Cook: 15 minutes mins
Total: 20 minutes mins
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Janelle Hama
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: Any
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Rate Save Saved Recipe Add to Google

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Plums chopped small
  • ½ small Lemon juiced
  • 2 tablespoon Whole chia seeds
  • 2 tablespoon Maple syrup
Metric - US Customary
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • Over medium heat in a saucepan, add the chopped plums, fresh lemon juice and maple syrup, bring to the boil and turn the heat down slightly allowing plums to simmer, reduce and soften for approximately 10-15 minutes.
    plum, lemon, maple syrup in pot
  • Add the chia seeds, stir through for a minute to combine and then turn the heat off. Allow the plum jam to thicken by cooling down at room temperature, take a spatula and draw a line down the middle of the saucepan, it should come together slowly when cool. Store in a sterilized airtight jar in the fridge and use as needed.
    adding chia seeds and cooling down sugar free plum jam in pot

Video


Notes

This recipe will make approximately one cup of jam equalling 16 tablespoons.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 49kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 145IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 0.3mg

N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.

Tried this recipe?Please consider Leaving a Review!

If you enjoyed this recipe, consider supporting my work for the cost of a cup of coffee.

More Vegan Condiments and Sauces

  • Orange Vinaigrette
  • chocolate tahini spread in a bowl
    Chocolate Tahini Spread
  • Avocado Cilantro Lime Dressing
  • a ceramic bowl filled with crushed green chillies and garlic
    Shatta Sauce
837 shares

Reader Interactions

Comments

    4.88 from 31 votes (20 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Frank Lee

    October 04, 2024 at 4:00 pm

    This looks really good! But I do think it's funny that you make a point of saying it doesn't use "refined" sugar but then put maple syrup in. We all need to understand sugar is sugar is sugar. That maple syrup is seen and processed by our body precisely the same way as cane or beet sugar. Also, processing is pretty much equivalent.

    So, kudos for a jam that is lower sugar (good thing), but let's be sure we all understand that using maple syrup instead of standard white sugar has precisely zero health impact.

    Reply
  2. Gc

    August 02, 2024 at 7:40 pm

    5 stars
    Nice

    Reply
  3. Mary

    July 17, 2022 at 12:16 pm

    5 stars
    Oh yum! This jam recipe makes me regret selling my house with two of the most delicious plum trees right out the back door. I will be checking the Saturday Farmer's market for fresh plums. I love to use plum jam in my Asian recipes and this will work perfectly. Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Lamia

    June 29, 2022 at 12:35 pm

    5 stars
    love that there are no added sugar in this jam! it came out so good!

    Reply
  5. Tian

    June 02, 2022 at 8:50 pm

    5 stars
    Chia seeds in a jam, what a perfect idea! Never knew. Healthy, tasty, and delicious jam, thanks! So sick of eating jams filled with too much white sugar

    Reply
  6. Rozzi

    April 03, 2022 at 4:54 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe! I used this as a guide to making guava jam and it worked a treat! Delicious! Subbed guava instead of plums, and instead of chia I opted to thicken with natural pectin by putting a few lemon seeds and an apple core in a muslin bag and cooking it with the jam. Not tried it before but worked surprisingly well!

    Reply
    • Janelle Hama

      April 04, 2022 at 8:17 am

      This is intriguing Rozzi, I would like to try this method too to make a fruit jam.

      Reply
  7. Petar

    March 13, 2022 at 10:02 am

    5 stars
    quick one - yum!

    Reply
  8. Joanne

    March 06, 2022 at 6:26 pm

    Hi Janelle
    I was wondering if you can freeze the sugar less jam?
    Regards Jo

    Reply
    • Janelle Hama

      March 07, 2022 at 9:07 am

      Hi Joanne,

      I've never frozen this jam (or any jam) before, hence I can't advise

      Will have to try it out and report back soon.

      J

      Reply
  9. Grace

    February 03, 2022 at 9:47 am

    Hi, just wondering whether the amount of fruit and chia seeds are related? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Janelle Hama

      February 03, 2022 at 10:50 am

      Hi Grace, I have found that this amount of chia to plums works well, slight adjustments can be made (less chia = thinner consistency / more chia = thicker consistency) hope this helps

      Reply
  10. ella

    April 16, 2021 at 4:44 pm

    5 stars
    used peaches and it was great! not as thick as regular jam, which i didn’t mind

    Reply
    • Janelle

      April 19, 2021 at 9:04 am

      Peach jam is a great alternative to plum jam.

      Glad you enjoyed this quick jam recipe

      Reply
Newer Comments »

Primary Sidebar

a female brunette throwing a lemon

Hello, I'm Janelle!

A culinary enthusiast with a keen interest in creating delicious vegan Lebanese recipes.

Let's cook together!

More about me →

Recipes Not to Miss

  • a bowl of chopped mushroom salad
    Easy Raw Mushroom Salad With Balsamic Vinegar
  • a red casserole pot with okra stew
    Bamia (Okra Stew Without Meat)
  • fingers holding a brown chocolate balls
    Chocolate Bliss Balls Without Dates
  • a stack of pita sandwich rolls filled with veggies and falafel
    The Best Falafel Pita Sandwich (Lebanese)

As Featured On

various logos where Plant Based Folk has been featured

Footer

^ back to top

About

Accessibility Policy
Blog
Cookies Policy
Disclosure
Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy (GDPR)
Terms of Use

Newsletter + Links

Sign Up! for emails and updates
Web stories
Vegan Lebanese Recipes
Shop Kitchen Essentials

Contact

Contact
Work with me
Social media
Advertise

Copyright © 2026 Plant Based Folk

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.