Sour Cherry Jam with Chia Seeds and Cocoa

This easy sour cherry jam combines tart cherries, honey, cocoa powder, and chia seeds for a delicious chocolate-cherry spread. No pectin is needed for this simple chia jam, making it perfect for toast, homemade yogurt, pastries, and desserts.

I've been wanting to create a chia jam recipe for quite a while, but just haven't gotten around to it. Last year I made a sour cherry tart instead (which was fantastic, if I do say so myself). 😉

With another bumper crop of pie cherries this year, I thought I'd finally try making chia seed jam. But I've also been toying with the idea of making chocolate-cherry jam, so why not combine the two into one unique and delicious cherry jam recipe?

Unlike traditional jam recipes that rely on pectin and lots of sugar, this simple chia jam gets its thick, spreadable texture from chia seeds. The result is a tasty small-batch jam with plenty of tart cherry flavor and a hint of chocolate.

🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions

• Cherries: I used tart pie cherries. If you want to use sweet cherries, I would reduce the honey to ⅓ -½ cup.
• Honey: I added ¾ cup of raw honey. You can use more or less, based on how sweet or tart your cherries are and your personal preference.
• Chia Seeds: Instead of relying on a ton of sugar and pectin to thicken this jam, we're adding ¼ cup chia seeds.
• Cocoa Powder: Use Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder.
• Lemon Juice: Fresh or bottled.
• Flavoring: I added vanilla extract, but almond extract would also be great!
• Salt: ⅛ teaspoon of sea salt to balance out the sweetness.

🍒 How to Make Sour Cherry Jam with Chia Seeds

Step 1: Rinse cherries, use a cherry pitter to remove pits, then transfer to a medium saucepan.

Step 2: Add the honey and simmer gently over low heat, uncovered. Once the honey has melted, stir in the lemon juice and sea salt.

Step 3: Simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the hot cherry liquid to a small bowl with the cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth, then stir the cocoa mixture back into the saucepan along with the vanilla extract.

Step 4: Continue simmering the cherries for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the chia seeds and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat. The jam will continue to thicken as it cools.

Pro Tip: If you're unsure whether the jam is thick enough, refrigerate a small amount until cool to check the consistency. If it's still too thin, stir in additional chia seeds and simmer for one more minute before ladling the jam into jars.

Step 5: Transfer the jam to clean, sterilized jars, leaving enough room for expansion if freezing. Allow to cool, then cover, label, and refrigerate.

🤷🏻‍♀️ FAQs

Do you need pectin for sour cherry jam?

Not necessarily. Traditional sour cherry jam can be made without added pectin because cherries contain some natural pectin. The jam thickens as the fruit cooks down and the water evaporates. This recipe uses chia seeds instead, which makes it easy to achieve a thick, spreadable consistency without sugar or added pectin.

What to use sour cherry jam for?

Sour cherry jam is delicious spread on toast or biscuits, spooned over vanilla ice cream or cheesecake, stirred into yogurt, or used as a filling for thumbprint cookies and tarts. You can also use it to stuff French toast, layer it into cakes, or serve it as part of an easy charcuterie board. With its rich chocolate-cherry flavor, this jam is especially delicious with creamy and buttery desserts.

Do I need to pit cherries before making jam?

Although some jam makers skip pitting the cherries, I highly recommend taking the time to pit them. No one wants to bite into a cherry pit while enjoying their jam, or worse, break a tooth!

🍓 More Jam Recipes

If you enjoy this sour cherry jam, check out these other delicious jam recipes!

📖 Recipe