I've discovered Chia Seeds at my local grocery store and now there is no going back. These things are awesome! Even the baby thinks so. 🙂 Click here to see his first time trying them.
At first I didn't know what do with them but now I can't think of ways NOT to use them.
Wait.
Did that make any sense?
Anyway, I'm in love. They add a fun texture and are a good source of healthy fats. According to the package I bought,
Chia seeds are a great source of Omega 3's similar to flax seeds, however Chia seeds also contain much higher amounts of antioxidant than do flax seeds, so they can be stored for long periods of time without becoming rancid. Chia seeds are also high in protein and very high in fiber. Unlike flax seeds Chia seeds are easy to digest and don't needs to be ground or mashed to release their nutritional benefits.
Now of course they are touting the benefits over flax on the package as they are trying to sell me Chia but I'm impressed by the nutritional profile. 3 tbsp are 160 calories, 10g of fat (mostly Polyunsaturated), 12g of fiber and 5g of protein. As someone who is feeding kids, adding some seeds seems like a super easy way to up the nutritional quality of their food.
That's where the Jelly comes in. I have an almost 7 year old who loves jelly. He loves it on his toast. He uses it on waffles. He'd take a spoon to the jar if I let him. So when I saw this The Gracious Pantry I had to give it a try. Chia Jelly.. Genius!
I knew Chia seeds naturally made a gel when added to water so this made perfect sense. The result was delicious! I added a little honey to enhance the natural sweetness of the strawberries and the seeds made the perfect jelly texture. 
When The Little Guy asked what they were I told him seeds from the strawberries and he said, "Oh yea.. they have little seeds on them."
I didn't want to be sneaky but in this case I wanted him to try it with no preconceived notions of "it's weird."
Well, it worked! He loved it and we both enjoyed a PB&J made with our homemade Strawberry Spread. How stink' cool is that?!
- 1 cup strawberries
- ½ cup water
- 3 tbsp Chia Seeds (32g)
- 2 tbsp Honey (42g)
Start with a cup of berries. Unfortunately, I didn't weigh them so I can't give you the gram amount but this is how I measured them.
I had fairly small berries. If yours are larger, I'd cut before measuring.
Put everything in a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil and them lower to medium-low. You want to keep it boiling, but gently, so it thickens without burning.
Using a fork, whisk or potato mashed gently squish the berries and seeds. Just a few times, making sure there are no large chunks.
Continue to gently boil until it reduces to jelly thickness. I cooked for 20 minutes.
Pour into a container and let it cool in the fridge.
My batch fit perfectly into a small 10oz jelly jar. I can't believe I made that..
Looks like it belongs in there! 🙂
As for nutritional information, it's hard to say as the number of servings will vary based on how much you reduce. So I'll provide for the entire batch and compare it to the jelly that was originally in the jar and give you an estimate for my batch.
Original strawberry fruit spread in the jar…
480 calories, 0g of fat, 128g of carbs, 128g of sugar, 0g of fiber, 0g of protein
My strawberry spread recipe above…
335 calories, 10g of fat, 60g of carbs, 42g of sugar, 15g of fiber, 6g of protein
Based on a serving size of 1 tbsp as listed on the original jar my batch ends up with this profile.
UPDATE: The finished product lasts approximately 2 weeks. I left a bit in the jar and by the 16th day it was a rancid. Hope that helps!
| Servings | Amt per Serving | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 1 tbsp | |||
| Calories | Fat | Fiber | WWPs | |
| 21 | 1g | 1g | old: 0 (.3) | new: 1 |
| Sugar | Sat Fat | Carbs | Protein | |
| 3g | 0g | 4g | 0g | |
I made it with raspberries... The result was amazing! Even my husband loved it (he doesnt like any seeds at all). Thanks!
Just finished making a batch. It's so delicious my daughter and I can't stop "taste testing"! LOL Looking forward to toast in the morning! Thank you!
If you find the texture of the chia seeds too hard, as several commenters suggested, you can heat the hydrated chia with a little extra liquid in a small saucepan for 10-15 minutes before adding it to the recipe. When I've had to cook chia for pineapple-orange jelly in the past (pectin doesn't love acid), I find the seeds soften nicely.
There's no real reason why I didn't grind just didn't think of it. Plus, I kind of wanted the seediness (is that a word? lol)
Answering a question above about where to find chia seeds. A health food store would know them as Salba. Salba and Chia are the same. Salba is easy to find.
Also, why not grind the seeds for the jelly?? Would grinding change anything?? I think it would be less of a crunch? I used it as a gravy thickener, grinding it first and the only thing we didn't like about it was how unconventional it was. lol It tasted great. 🙂
According to the package I bought,
Chia seeds are a great source of Omega 3′s similar to flax seeds, however Chia seeds also contain much higher amounts of antioxidant than do flax seeds, so they can be stored for long periods of time without becoming rancid. Chia seeds are also high in protein and very high in fiber. Unlike flax seeds Chia seeds are easy to digest and don’t needs to be ground or mashed to release their nutritional benefits.
I thought I read somewhere that Chia seeds whole are not absorbed in the body efficiently/ properly and that one needs to grind them up or is that fact about flax seeds? If you can clarify my confusion that would be great! Thanks!!
Midge - I always answer questions you just have to give me more than 10 minutes. 🙂
I did not grind the seeds. What you see above is a photo step by step of how I made the spread. The result wasn't crunchy per se, it was very similar in texture to mixed berry jelly. The seeds softened a little and felt like strawberry seeds in your mouth. They are not like flax and do not need to be ground to use.
Hope that helps!
Do you grind the seeds??
Are the seeds ground and if not, are they crunchy when the recipe is finished, or are they soft??? Most recipes using chia seeds never say whole or ground? Thanks, hope you send the answer to my email or I may not find it. 🙂
Barbara - I'm not sure I can describe how they taste. They are more texture driven then taste driven. I found them next to quinoa which was next to the couscous which was next to the rice in my local grocery store. Not sure if that's where they are normally found.
Gotta try this! I have the black chia seeds but I really don't care about how it looks. Sounds so good!
what part of the grocery store do you find Chia seeds?
I have seed flaxseed in health food section but never Chia. What do they taste like? Your little one seem to really like them.
Thanks! I made some this morning.
This is a good question! I really have no idea. What I read online chia gel last for a few months. I'll keep an eye on mine and post back here if I find it's gone bad.
How long do you think this will keep in the fridge?
Can't wait to try this! How long do you think you can store it in the fridge?
Awesome, Thank you! I'll let you know how it turns out : )
Hmmm I don't see why not! You'd just loose the chunks. Another idea would be to mix the 2 for a little while and then slowly use more homemade and less jarred. They may not notice the texture shift that way. Just a thought!
Question for you...My kids are used to the "Reduced Sugar" jelly that comes in a squeeze bottle so the texture is pretty fine, I know they wouldn't mind the sees but do you think I could puree the strawberries in the magic bullet BEFORE the cooking process to achieve a fine texture?? Thanks for the input : )
GENIUS!!! I've been using chia seeds for awhile now but usually as a mix in to my oatmeal or yogurt..my kids practically live on PB&J so this would be great for them! Darn it! I just used my bowl of strawberries tonight to make homemade popsicles but next time for sure!!
I know chia seeds are the new thing, but I've just not been able to do it! I can't get past the whole Chia Pet thing. I've done them with my students, and after spreading the jelly-like chia seeds on the Chia Pet I just couldn't think of eating them.
But. . . You have totally changed my mind! I could totally do this in a jelly form! I'm going to give it a try. However, mentally I will be with Ryan on this one and think "strawberry seeds!" 😀 I'm excited to try this, thanks Roni!
Wow, what a great idea! I make jellies and jams every year, but this looks like a fun new twist to try out.