A beautiful, tangy sugar-free blueberry jam thickened with chia seeds and flavored with lime. This blueberry jam is absolutely delicious and perfect for any low carb keto diet.

[Enjoy the updated photos, article, and scaled recipe. This blueberry and lime combination is mouthwateringly good.]
A beautiful homemade jam is one of life's simple pleasures, especially when spread over a warm slice of fresh buttered bread. Many people these days are eating more healthy and looking for "clean recipes" to prepare at home. As more information about sugar and its harmful effects are coming to light, there has been a push to reduce sugar consumption.
This is not a raw chia seed jam like so many out there. For convenience, it uses frozen blueberries which are simmered to achieve this beautiful color. But don't worry, it's not a long and involved process like making real jams and jellies - it just takes a few minutes. I use my blender to smooth out the consistency of the blueberries and to help thicken the jam.
My sugar-free blueberry chia seed jam recipe has no added sugar and uses chia seeds for their gelling ability and thickening power instead of excess sugar or added pectin. It's one of three sugar free jelly or jam recipes I have on the blog. My keto raspberry jam tastes just like fresh raspberries and the low carb sugar free strawberry jam resembles a freezer jam in taste. Both use gelatin to thicken.
How to Make Sugar-Free Jam With Chia Seeds
Chia seed jam is easy one of the easiest jams to make. Using pureed fresh ripe fruit or cooked fruit will vary the intensity of color and flavor. A little lemon juice helps acidify the jam preventing spoilage. Use only enough of your favorite sweetener to give the chia seed jam a nice sweet taste. Grind the chia seeds for a smoother jam or keep them whole for some texture. I find that I have to use more chia seeds if I grind them.
How to Make Sugar-free Blueberry Jam
Honestly, blueberries contain enough natural sugar and pectin that you can simply cook them down to make a jam. I used to do this for my children. The problem for those following a reduced sugar and low carb diet is that this concentrates the sugars resulting in a higher sugar product per serving.
To make this sugar-free blueberry jam and keep carbs low, cook the blueberries until they soften and burst. Add low carb sweetener to taste. The most common sweeteners are Erythritol blends, xylitol, and stevia. Put the cooked blueberries in a blender to break up the skins. Pour the fruit puree into a jar, add chia seeds and stir. Let the jam sit overnight in the fridge to give the chia seeds time to expand and gel.
How Long Does Sugar-free Jam Last?
This recipe calls for lime juice which acidifies the blueberry jam, helping preserve it. Furthermore, the erythritol based low carb sweetener prevents the growth of bacteria. I often make double batches with the unopened jar sitting in the fridge for several weeks. I try to use the opened jar within 2-3 weeks. Make sure to start with a clean jar and always use clean utensils when removing jam from the jar.
Is Sugar Free Jam Keto Friendly?
Yes, sugar free jam is Keto friendly. While fruit contains natural sugars, lower carb choices like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries are perfect for low carb keto jams. Fruit is generally consumed sparingly and since jam is a condiment, only one tablespoon is used at a time. Most homemade sugar-free jams contain 1g carb per serving.
I love this sugar-free blueberry chia seed jam on toasted low carb bread and stirred into yogurt. Try it as a topping for muffins or swirled into cheesecakes.
Sugar-Free Blueberry Chia Seed Jam (low carb, no pectin)
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen blueberries (8 ounces)
- ¼ cup lime juice (2 ounces)
- ¼ cup erythritol
- 1 tablespoon water
- zest from one lime
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds
Instructions
- Put the frozen blueberries, lime juice, water and erythritol in a small sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a strong simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and lightly puree the blueberries with an immersion blender or a standing blender..
- Pour into a clean jar and stir in the chia seeds and lime zest. Let the blueberry jam cool before covering and placing in the refrigerator. It will thicken overnight but still be thinner than regular jam. Makes 1 cup with 1 tablespoon per serving or 16 total servings.
- This jam keeps for 2-3 weeks in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Low Carb Sugar-free Raspberry Jelly (jam)
Low Carb Sugar-free Strawberry Jelly (jam)
Low Carb Keto Psyllium Flax Bread
Keith
I can't wait to try this recipe. I've been dying to find a schmear for my keto bread, muffins and pancakes. I would just like to know if it would help firm things up just enough to resemble a regular jam if I added, say, a quarter tsp. of xanthan gum. Any thoughts before I end up with a tasty block of blueberries?
Kim Hardesty
Hi Keith. You can add some xanthan gum, but add it with the sweetener so that it doesn't clump. -Kim
Carla
Just tried this recipe over the weekend and was absolutely delighted at how delicious it turned out! And super easy to make too, you are a life saver! Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful recipe!
Dalia Chandler
You mentioned 2 tablespoons of chia seeds but your recipe doesn’t mention when to add the chia seeds? I don’t use them often so I don’t want to screw things up.
Also, do I have to use an immersion blender? Will the chia seeds be crunchy if I don’t?
Kim Hardesty
Hi Dalia. Look at step number three. I mention the chia seeds there. I have found that blending the chia seeds causes them not to gel as well because the magic happens on the outside of the seeds. If not blended, the seeds do soften as they swell, but there is still some texture there - like raspberry seeds but not quite as hard. -Kim
Dana
Can you process in a canner to use at a later date?
Kim Hardesty
Although the erythritol inhibits bacterial growth, I am unsure if it inhibits it enough to make this recipe safe to can. There is some lime juice in there but again, I am unsure if it is sufficient for canning. I have frozen this jam before. -Kim
Laura Rohrbaugh
Easy and delicious! Perfect on a coconut or almond flour muffin.
Jamie Shintani
Awesome fresh tasting jam!
Eiman
It's an amazing recipe. Made it yesterday with mixed berries, now I'm having some. The taste and the texture are super awesome.
Thanks for the great reciepe.
Melia
If I make the blueberry jam using gelatin instead of seeds would I measure the same as the raspberry jam for the gelatin and keep all other measurements the same for the Blueberry jam?
Thanks!
Kim Hardesty
Hi Melia. Oddly, I haven't tried this with gelatin. Blueberries have a lot of pectin and just cooking them alone with sweetener will cause them to gel, but it also concentrates the natural sugar in the fruit. I used to do this for my kids when they were small. I would give it a try and see what happens. You can always simmer it longer if it doesn't gel overnight. Resist the temptation to add more gelatin. I did that with the strawberry jam and it was completely solid! Lol. -Kim
Jill Ann Rutherford
Question: Does this make 2 pint jars and do you add 1 TB of chia to each jar?
Printed out half a dozen recipes already, can't wait to try them! Jill <
Kim
Hi Jill. The recipe makes about 1 cup of jam. I was also shooting raspberry jam that day - in the other jar. -Kim
Toni
Wow if you like lime this is for you....next time I am omitting it altogether
fabiana
hi! I was wondering i you can make it with cherries instead of blueberries or maybe mixed berries? i bought cherries at a farmers market but the kids are not eating them fresh they say is sour. I don't want them to go to waste.any suggestions? sugar free if possible
Kim
Hi Fabiana. I bet you could make it with cherries. I would partially chop the fruit with a food processor before starting - not into a liquid, but small pieces. I don't know how much chia seeds you will need. If it doesn't gel to where you like it overnight, then add another tablespoon and see what it's like several hours later. -Kim
Mary
Thank you so much for these wonderful recipes that you publish. I was wondering if I can preserve these using the traditional canning methods to keep jars on hand through the winter? Can these be frozen and pulled out as needed? Thank you in advance for your reply.
Kim
Hi Mary, great questions. I have never tried canning or freezing the jam recipes I have shared. I only make small batches and we finishes them in about 10 days (I have two school aged children). I'm sorry I can't be of more help. -Kim
Elizabeth
Kim, this jam looks amazing. Also, do you a recipe for the biscuits shown in the photos above? They look amazing too. Thanks for all your hard work. I love your site.
Kim
Hi Elizabeth. The jam is pretty good. I just made those biscuits on the fly and they were pretty terrible! Look at the roll recipe I have (type "roll" into the search box) and that one is pretty good. -Kim
Rachel
I happened to have lots of fresh blueberries on hand and I found your scrumptious looking recipe for blueberry jam. May I substitute frozen blueberries in the recipe with fresh ones? Would anything in the process change? Thank you!
Kim
Yes, Rachel. I have used frozen blueberries before. -Kim
Joi
I really want to make this blueberry jam and have all of the ingredients except instead of chia seeds I have ground chia seeds...would that still work? and if so would I need to adjust the measurements?
Kim
Joi, the ground chia seeds work, but you need a little more to thicken it properly, try 1 1/2 teaspoons. If it doesn’t thicken overnight, add a little more and let it sit overnight again. I like the whole chia seeds better than the ground because the ground chia seeds add a chia flavor. You can also cook the blueberries longer and it will thicken naturally because of the pectin. As a last choice, you can add 1 teaspoon of gelatin bloomed in 1 tablespoon of water to the jam to thicken it. I hope this helps. -Kim
Carol
In the recipe, you say 2 tablespoons of whole chia. But in your response above, you say you need to use more if it's ground, like 1.5 teaspoons. But 1.5 teaspoons is LESS THAN 2 tablespoons....so now I'm confused. Can you clarify?
Kim
Yes, Carol, sorry for he confusion. I meant to add 1.5 teaspoon MORE to the 2 tablespoons. I hope this is more clear. -Kim
Randy Frost
As a carb counter and not a calorie counter, I find it disappointing that you put up a calorie count for each recipe, but not a carb count. If the calories in your jam all come from carbs, those of us who are diabetic and VERY strict carb counters need to know that or at least what the actual carb count is without doing the research ourselves into the ingredients and performing the math to derive a carb count per tablespoon.
Not really bitching at you, more of a whine. LOL
Randy Frost
Kim
Hi Randy. That was just me forgetting to add the carbs to the nutrition label. The fat, fiber and protein come up as TRACE AMOUNTS in my recipe program and I can not add words to the recipe card on my blog. Anything listed as zero doesn't even show up. The TOTAL CARBS per serving is 2. I always list the net carbs above the recipe card (usually in purple). I will add the missing information now. Thanks for letting me know that there was information missing from the nutritional label. Have a nice day. -Kim
Camdace
I'm going to try this substituting lemon as that is what most of my older recipes call for in blueberry cobbler, pies and such. Have you ever done it with lemon juice and lemon zest?
Kim
I just used the lime to be different. It was very good, but lemon is classic. I would start with less lemon juice than stated and increase per your taste. -Kim
Coo
AWESOME! I made Keto Kristies Biscuits topped with Creme Fraiche AND THIS DELICIOUS JAM! I have to confess I goofed and added the chia seeds at the same time as everything else and was pleasantly surprised at how the little buggers thickened it. Learned something new!
i need to thank you for your posts, you have such good recipes. Being new to Keto, the Keto recipe community has been a blessing. You guys are literally saving my life, as my motivation is reversing Type II Diabetes. I started my Keto journey about two months ago, have lost 15-20lbs BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY I shaved 7 points off my A1C got it down to 6.7 and cut the Metformin from 2000 per day to 500. My goal at next A1C is to "pre-diabetic"! A million thanks, GOD BLESS YOU!
Kim
I'm glad you liked the jam, Coo! Congratulations on improving your numbers and health. Thank you for such a nice comment and rating. Have a great day. -Kim
Tammy
What is the net carb count?
Kim
Hi Tammy. My nutritional calculator said it was trace carbs per tablespoon. I have no idea how close that is or isn’t to 1. My recipe card will only accept numbers for the categories, not words. I count it as 1 net carb. I always put a sentence above my recipe cards which tells the net carbs per servings. I hope this helps. -Kim
Kim
Hi Tammy. I have it listed in the recipe and above the recipe. It is 2 net carbs per tablespoon. Enjoy the recipe. -Kim
Yeng
Can you add guar gum or xanthan gum to thicken it?
Kim
Great question, Yeng. I haven't tried it. Can you eat gelatin? You could try 1 tsp of gelatin. If you are vegetarian you can try the gums, but I find them a bit slippery. -Kim
Katie
How long is this jam good for? I'm trying to figure out how large of a batch to make.
Kim
Hi Katie. I tell people 7-10 days for food safety, but I've kept it for a total of 14 before. One thing to think about is if you double the recipe, you may need to cook it just a little longer to get more water out. It will never be super thickened like a Polanar All Fruit, but will be thick enough to be used as a spread like on a peanut and butter sandwich. If it doesn't set up enough overnight, add more chia and let chill it overnight again. It tastes very good. Enjoy. -Kim
Debra
Could stevia be used instead of erythritol?
Kim
Of course, Debra. Depending on the water content in your berries you may need to add a little more chia seeds. Let it sit overnight and then judge if it needs a little more. It is thick, but not as thick as a traditional jelly or jam. Enjoy the jam, it tastes great. -Kim
Matt
This looks amazing! I can't wait to try it.
Kim
I hope you like it. Enjoy your weekend. -Kim