3 Ingredient Chia Berry Compote (no added sugar)
This 3-ingredient chia berry compote is naturally sweet, fibre-rich, and incredibly easy to make. Harnessing chia seeds' amazing thickening power, this is a nutritious compote that works beautifully for babies, toddlers, and the whole family. Drizzle it on yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes, or serve it on its own - it's as versatile as it is delicious.
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"We love this recipe and almost always have some in the fridge! We switch up what type of berry we make it with just to switch things up. Everyone loves it!" - Kelsey
If there was ever a recipe we use on an *almost* weekly basis, it's this one! In fact, it's a recipe we intentionally try to make only once every 10 days so that our kids don't tire of it. But, there appears to be no end in sight, even years later.
And truthfully--I'm extra grateful for this recipe because it utilizes frozen berries which means we get to save big bucks by not having to spend a fortune on fresh berries that our children inhale in 5 seconds. Need more reasons to be thankful? Frozen berries are actually chalked full of nutrition in the same way as fresh berries! You'll still benefit from the fibre, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals because berries are frozen at peak ripeness!
Our children enjoy this compote on top of yogurt, ice cream, pancakes and honestly, even in a bowl when it's slightly cooled down. And if you needed even more ways to use this berry compote try our peanut butter jam oat bars or for berry cheesecake overnight oats.
Why this recipe works
😁 1 minute prep time
💰 Uses frozen berries, making it budget friendly
🔄 Easily customizable - use mixed berries or a particular one!
🍓 Endless ways to eat this chia berry compote
🫐 Great source of fibre
👶 Baby friendly from 6 months+
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Jump to:
- Why this recipe works
- Key ingredients
- Allergen information & substitutions
- How to make this recipe
- How to serve chia berry compote at each baby & toddler stage
- How can my children eat this chia berry compote?
- Why is there juice in the recipe?
- Chia Berry Compote Recipe FAQ
- Play + books that match this recipe
- Other recommended puréed recipes
- Chia Berry Compote Recipe
Key ingredients
Frozen berries: we prefer to use mixed berries but you can also use a specific berry if you'd like. As an example, we also prepare this recipe using only raspberries when we prep peanut butter and jam bars!
Chia seeds: this recipe calls for two tablespoon of chia seeds. You can always add more if you'd like the texture to be more jammy!
Orange juice: if you're planning to prepare this for a baby, you can replace the orange juice with water. This is because it's recommended to not offer your baby added sugars until they are 24 months old. Don't worry, it's still going to be delicious and we generally skip the orange juice!
Allergen information & substitutions
Since this chia berry compote is free from the top food allergens in Canada and the top dietary allergens in the United States, it makes a great first food for your baby!
For the most recent step-by-step recommendations for introducing food allergens to infants, visit our video lesson in Start Solids Confidently, your go-to resource for feeding babies.
How to make this recipe
The full recipe is below, but here are a few key steps to visualize the process.
- Place frozen fruit into a medium sized pot. Turn heat to medium and allow the berries to melt.
2. Mush the berries to your desired consistency using a potato masher or muddler.
3. Add in chia seeds and orange juice or water. Stir well and remove from heat.
4. Allow the berry mixture to thicken and cool for at least 20 - 25 minutes.
How to serve chia berry compote at each baby & toddler stage
6-9 months: Since the texture will be mushy, you have the option of blending it further depending on your baby's unique ability.
You can spoonfeed this to your baby or your baby may be interested in self-feeding! To make this recipe baby led weaning friendly, you can offer pre-loaded spoons to your baby.
9-12 months+ : By this stage, your baby should be tolerating soft, mushy, and slightly chunky textures. You can serve the chia berry mostly exactly as is while slightly mushing larger pieces of berries.
For the rest of the family: Follow the recipe exactly as suggested!
How can my children eat this chia berry compote?
There are so many applications for this simple recipe. Since we're all about starting solids and feeding babies we think berry compote would be great served to a baby:
- Mixed into iron fortified infant cereal
- Whipped into ricotta
- As a dip with apple mug cake strips
- Used to flavour overnight oats
- As a topping over plain yogurt for flavour
- As a fun spread in peanut butter jam bars
- Spread thinly over toast as "jam"
- As a dip with banana waffles or baby pancakes
- Frozen into little pops
Why is there juice in the recipe?
If juice is really confusing for you, you're not alone. We've done a deep dive on how to view and talk to your child about juice so it's coming from a place of confidence, not fear. You'll notice that the recipe also includes orange juice, but only a small volume. This was added to reduce the tartness that the berries bring to the recipe. While we discourage babies from drinking juice, we feel this application isn't harmful because it's a small volume and mixed into a matrix of high fibre fruit! That said, you're welcome to omit the juice!
Chia Berry Compote Recipe FAQ
Chia seeds are typically tiny black or white seeds that come from the plant Salvia hispanica L., and its origins are set in Mesoamerica. In the last decade or so, chia seeds have made their way into a global market due to their nutrient profile. They're a great source of fibre, healthy fats, protein, and some minerals like calcium and zinc.
What's unique about chia seeds is that they expand in size around moisture! Incredibly, these tiny seeds can hold nine times their weight in fluid.
You can purchase whole or ground chia seeds, or grind them yourself!
Absolutely, yes. Chia seeds can be offered around 6 months of age when you start solids. It's important to note however that offering your baby dry chia seeds can present a choking risk as they absorb moisture and may clump up. To prevent your baby from choking, it's best to use chia seeds as an ingredient or lightly dusted over other foods.
When you offer your baby food with chia seeds, don't be alarmed if you find some whole chia seeds in their diaper. Digestion is an adaptation process, over time this will decrease.
We encourage you to start with a small amount of chia seed for your baby and build up over time since it is so fibre rich. Have you ever had too much fibre and gotten a tummy ache? That's what we're trying to prevent.
For those of you who have a baby that struggles with constipation, chia seed can be helpful!
Another way to offer chia seeds to your baby is in a chia seed pudding. We've crafted a baby-friendly chia seed pudding in our e-book Whole Food Recipes for Your Baby.
When you prepare this for your baby you're actually able to adjust and modify the texture as you'd like to suit the specific stage or ability of your baby. This means you can leave the berry compote chunky or you're able to blend it a little more for a smooth consistency.
In general, this is a very safe texture for your baby because it is not hard or sticky.
Our preference is to use a bag of frozen mixed berries that contains blueberry, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries but you can use any berry you'd like. Keep in mind that raspberries tend to be a little more on the tart side and this can take some babies by surprise.
Play + books that match this recipe
Did you know what happens when kids get the chance to interact with "food " during playtime? It becomes food exposure, and they become comfortable with the food, and are more likely to want to eat it at mealtimes! Here are some options to include during play and story time:
If you tried this 3 ingredient chia berry compote or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Chia Berry Compote Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups frozen fruit
- 2 tablespoon orange juice or water OJ cuts tartness or 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds Add 1 tablespoon extra if you want it to be more jammy
Instructions
- Place frozen fruit into a medium sized pot. Add in orange juice, maple syrup or water.
- Turn heat to medium and bring mixture to a gentle simmer. When this happens, use a potato masher to muddle the fruit to your desired consistency.
- Remove pot from heat and add in chia seeds. Mix really well so that the chia seeds are evenly dispersed.
- Wait about 20 - 25 minutes, you'll notice that the mixture will begin to thicken.
- Store in a mason jar or tupperware for 3-4 days, refrigerated.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We can help you feed your baby.
Our signature e-course, Start Solids Confidently, has supported thousands of parents (read the reviews!) in transitioning their baby to solid foods.
So delicious, will definitely be a new staple for me.
Hi Mona, we're so honoured this recipe has made its way into your everyday life!
We kid you not, this recipe is enjoyed every 7 - 10 days in our home and it's rare we have left overs. Our children enjoy this is in many ways - plain, over yogurt w granola or on top of ice cream. With the cost of berries and how unreliable they are, we are so glad this uses frozen berries. We usually get a large "no name imperfect" bag of berries. I am sure our oldest son, 7, is capable of making it on his own.
Woo hoo for teaching those life skills!
So easy to make! Have made it with many different fruits, always a hit for my child and also my friends.
We're here for easy!
We make this about 2-3x per month. My kids eat it on it's own, over yogurt and with waffles/pancakes.
We literally make this every week to 1.5 weeks. I'm careful to not make it TOO much because I don't want my kids to get sick of it! We love it on it's own, over yogurt, with waffles and even ice cream.
Frozen berries for the win! Love that this recipes makes it fun year around.
I loved this so much because it is so easy and goes with so much! I love new ways of adding chia seeds because of the nutrients they have.
This is the recipe I didn’t know I needed. I feel like it’s saved me from buying maple syrup as often ha! It’s great with pancakes but my kids will also eat it out of the pot.
So glad it's a hit with your family. Thanks for being here.
My kids are now 6&4 and it’s my 6yo’s preferred topping anytime we have waffles or pancakes. Thank you!
Amazing to hear. So glad it's a recipe you and the kids enjoy! Our kids are even older and still love this sauce too!
My kids are now 6&4 and it’s my 6yo’s preferred topping anytime we have waffles or pancakes. Thank you!
So glad to hear that! Our kids also love this as a topping on everything - pancakes, oatmeal, yogurt and even ice cream!
Easy & delicious!!
I can make this with my eyes closed now...well, almost lol
I make this nearly weekly! I almost eat it more often than my kids on my yogurt in the morning but love having it around to put on other items. I use it like jam! I love that it's SO easy to throw together.
We're so glad you enjoy this tried and true recipe!!! I can pretty much make it with my eyes closed now!
So easy to make and super versatile! We use it on oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, toast, yogurt. yumm!
The versatility is pretty awesome. Thanks Jaclyn!
This one is so versatile!
Agreed - great on ice cream, yogurt, pancakes, oatmeal....
This chia berry sauce is a game changer! I’ve been making it for 3 years now and both my toddler and baby absolutely love it. It’s so easy to make and has become our go-to replacement for syrup on waffles and pancakes. We even eat it straight up on its own because it’s that good. Huge hit in our house - thank you for this recipe!
Wahoo! So pumped that it's a tried a true recipe, especially over three years and between two kiddos. Thanks for trusting our recipes.
I make this every week for my 16 month olds morning yogurt and waffles! He LOVES it!
Fun!! So glad that it's on your weekly rotation and toddler approved.
We love this recipe and almost always have some in the fridge! We switch up what type of berry we make it with just to switch things up. Everyone loves it!
We have yet to meet someone who isn't into this recipe tbh! So glad that it's a staple in your home. Thank you!
My family absolutely loves this sauce!!
Love that it's been a good fit your family. Chia and berries for all!
This was one of our kiddo's absolutely favourite things to eat when he started solids. Super delicious with a nice little nutrition boost, too!
That makes our hearts so happy!
We absolutely love this recipe! I’ve made it several times for my 9 month old. I make a big batch and freeze it in small portions for easy grab and go breakfasts. We love to spread it on baby pancakes or French toast. I’ve made it with frozen blueberries and mixed berries too. It’s a staple in our house!
We haven't tested freezing this recipe, but we're glad to know that it works. Love the idea of using it for smoothies - we use it for "yogurt drinks" for our big kids!
We use this jam all the time. My daughter and I love putting it on our Chickpea Peanut Butter Waffles and I'll make her a peanut butter jam sandwich with it too. I've also added it in to Greek yogurt and served it on its own.
Thanks for sharing all of your creative ways of using up the chia berry sauce! It really is so versatile.
Soooo delicious! My kids love it and so do I. We put it in yogurt or on pancakes and waffles. I’ve also put leftovers in ice cube trays and frozen them to add to smoothies.
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and leaving a comment. THRILLED to hear it's a hit!
This sauce is delicious!! I make this often and find myself grabbing it more often than the jam that’s in my fridge.
Yes!!! So good. So happy to hear that you also enjoy it as a parent! Go chia seeds go!