Here’s a staple for your fridge: sugar free blueberry jam! Spread on low carb bread or use it as a fruity sauce with yoghurt, pancakes or waffles.
If you ask me about the one thing in our freezer that we never run out, I’d say it’s frozen blueberries.We add a few to top a bowl of yoghurt or coconut flour porridge, the kids like to use them in smoothies and they give lovely little bursts of flavour in these grab and go low carb muffins.
My family finish around one bag of blueberries a week, so I have added them to my repeat supermarket delivery order.
Blueberries are high in vitamins, high in antioxidants and have a moderate amount of carbs. 100g of blueberries contain 12g of net carbs, which makes one handful of blueberries – a decent portion – an agreeable 4g net carbs. Here’s a handy article by Diet Doctor if you’d like to find out more about the amount of carbs in fruit.
On top of that, frozen blueberries are rather reasonable in price. And whilst you might want to decorate your showstopper cake with fresh berries, for a normal meal the frozen berries will do nicely.
So. Jam. I stopped eating it when I went sugar free. And I missed it. That glistening dollop of fruity deliciousness on a slice of toast… history. Until I started making my raw raspberry chia jam, that is, and my favourite low carb rolls.
Here is a new addition to your low carb jam repertoire that is so ridiculously easy to make you could get your kids to do it for you: sugar free blueberry jam.
Blueberries are so sweet on their own that this jam does not even require extra sweetener. All you need to do is blueberries, lemon, some water and a couple of pinches of xanthan gum to thicken. That’s it!
This jam tastes great on bread such as my Rustic Paleo Bread or these low carb English muffins (they’re so simple, you make them in the microwave!). It works well as a fruity sauce on almond cream cheese pancakes or these almond butter waffles . I imagine it would also be delicious as a filling for low carb sponge cakes.
Recipe Tip – How sweet your jam is will depend on the natural sweetness of your blueberries. If you find the jam is not sweet enough, feel free to add a teaspoon or two of powdered erythritol or 4 drops of stevia glycerite.
If you do not have xanthan gum, you can also thicken the jam with ground chia seeds. 1 tsp should be enough.
Starting out on low carb? Find out all about my top 10 essential low carb kitchen gadgets!
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Sugar Free Blueberry Jam
Ingredients
- 2 cups / 300g blueberries, frozen or fresh
- 2 tbsp water
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 pinches xanthan gum
- optional: 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Put the blueberries, water and lemon juice (and vanilla, if using) in a non stick pan, cover and bring to a boil.
- Remove the lid and cook on a medium heat for ca 15 minutes, stirring regularly. The mixture will reduce by 1/3 and thicken. Smash the berries with a spoon while they cook.
- You can blend the mixture if you wish to have a smooth consistency. I like it the way it is, with a few bits and pieces in it.
- At the end, take a couple of pinches xanthan gum and sprinkle it evenly into the pot, stirring well afterwards. Xanthan gum is a brilliant thickening agent and is also used in gluten free baking, so it does come in handy. You only need a tiny amount - it's quite remarkable.
- Pour the mixture into a clean jar and store in the fridge. This recipe fills a small (200ml) jar.
Recipe Notes
A this mixture makes 200g jam, I calculated 1 portion=14g=1tbsp.
Recipe Tip - How sweet your jam is will depend on the natural sweetness of your blueberries. If you find the jam is not sweet enough, feel free to add a teaspoon or two of powdered erythritol or 4-8 drops of stevia glycerite.
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Kelly Charbula says
Just made this. It thickened nice ( I used THM glucomanon) but was really sour and tasted of lemon. Is the lemon necessary? what does the lemon do?
Katrin says
It’s mostly for the taste – I like the lemon in it. The acid should also help it stay fresh for longer. Maybe you used more lemon than I did. But maybe you also don’t like the taste. So just leave it out next time! Obviously, blueberries differ in sweetness too. So maybe yours were tart already, which means the lemon just took it over the edge.
Moira says
I’m making this for wedding favours. How early could I make it if it stays in sealed jars?
Katrin says
I would make it as fresh as possible and always keep it in the fridge. I know that sugar is a preservative and even if you were to use additional sweetener I am not certain whether erythritol would have the same effect. I have kept my jam in the fridge for a few weeks without any problems, but this has always been on the basis of “it still smells good and tastes good” – it’s not an exact science 🙂
Vivian says
I just finished making this jam. I measured exactly two cups of blueberries, and made this exactly as the recipe is written. It reduced so much I ended up with barely anything and I didn’t even cook it for 15 minutes. Only half of the 200 ml jar is full. Maybe this is because I used frozen blueberries but it says you can if you can’t find fresh. And besides everything it really tastes bad. It is sour, I thought since it wasn’t sweetened with anything that might happen. Maybe it would taste better with the vanilla extract. I really wanted to like it but I just can’t, I’m sorry
Katrin says
Hello Vivian, maybe you cooked the blueberries at a higher temperature than I did and that’s the reason why yours reduced by more. Also, as you say, there will always be differences in the blueberries themselves – some are sweeter than others. To troubleshoot your jam, why don’t you add some powdered sweetener to sweeten it to your liking? Start with 1 teaspoon and see if the taste improves.
Kurt says
Works great with raspberries (fresh or frozen) and cherries.
Katrin says
Oh, I must try it with cherries! Great idea
Izzy says
I’ve made this jam using Chia seeds instead of xantham gum as a thickner. It’s amazing and better than jam I think, sweet enough too.
However I’ve not tried putting vanilla essence in. Might try next time :o)
Katrin says
Thanks for your comment! Chia seeds is also great as a thickener, I’ve used in my raspberry jam as well.
Jacqueline Reast says
Just made this, needed another pinch of xanthan for consistancy but it is absolutely gorgeous. Had to stop myself eating it hot 🙂
Katrin says
It makes a fantastic hot blueberry sauce too! 🙂
Helena says
Could I make this recipe with the same weight of plums?
Katrin says
I’m sure you can! I’d add some cinnamon instead of the lemon juice. Cinnamon and plum always tastes good together.
Lyndee says
Can’t wait to try this with some of our wild blackberries. There should be no issue with freezing this? Love the sugar free part ☺️
Katrin says
Wild black berries…. OMG. That should be amazing. I’m sure you can freeze it, that should be no problem.
Meghan says
Hello, whay is the serving amount for this?
Katrin says
Hi Meghan, I calculated 1 serving = 1 tbsp.
Leona says
Can you use powdered pectin instead of gum?
Katrin says
Never tried it, but that’s what is normally used in jams, right? I’m sure it would work!
Meras says
Have you tried adding a sweetener ?
Katrin says
No, I have not. But of course you could if you like your jam sweet – a few drops of liquid stevia should do the trick. If you want to try the recipe, it’s worth making it without and taste before you add more sweetness. I was so surprised at how sweet my jam was.
Elisia says
Can I waterbath this to make it shelf stable for long term?
Katrin says
I guess if you sterilize a jar and seal it airtight it will last longer.
Tammy says
This is delicious! Do you know how longs is it’s shelf life?
Katrin says
If you keep it in the fridge and only stick fresh spoons/knives in it, I’d feel comfortable with a week.
Leslie says
Tammy asked my question. 🙂 Katrin, ave you tried freezing it in small portions after making it? Recipe looks delicious!
Katrin says
Hi Leslie, I haven’t tried. But I’m sure it would work. Good idea to make a huge batch. My daughter keeps on saying we have to make it again!
Bonita says
Can it be canned .?
Katrin says
No, I would not do that. It contains no preservative ( real sugar acts as a preservative and extends shelf life – that’s why companies love to use it in so many products). But if you fill it in a clean container and keep it in the fridge it does keep a while.
Brandi Crawford says
Definitely bookmarking this! I need a sugar-free jam option.
Katrin says
Awesome news Brandi. Let me know how you get on!
Linda says
Can I use any fruit to make this jam? I’m diabetic and I miss eating jam on my toast or biscuits.
Katrin says
Of course you can! Or make a mixed berry version. If you use raspberries only for example you might want to add a bit of extra sweetener such as xylitol or erythritol as they are more tart. Or you add a ripe pear to the mix and adjust your carb calculation.
Elaine @ Dishes Delish says
I haven’t made jam in a long time. But you made me want to make this blueberry jam!! It looks awesome!
Katrin says
I hope you will give it a go Elaine. It makes a great fruity topping as well – I just had some with yoghurt.
Jehan Hale says
This is beautiful! I’ve been wanting to make jams, and making it a goal for this summer!
Katrin says
Glad you like it, Jehan! Join the healthy jam club 🙂
Suzy | The Mediterranean Dish says
Love that this jam is sugar free!
Katrin says
Blueberries have so much sweetness on their own accord that extra sweetener really isn’t necessary!
Tara says
We always have frozen blueberries on hand too. I absolutely love the color of this jam. It sounds perfect for waffles.
Katrin says
It works perfectly with waffles. The one thing I’d try to avoid is getting it on your clothes…