Ditch all the added sugar by making your own homemade sugar free strawberry jam! This simple recipe makes incredibly fruity jam that is suitable for low carb and Keto diets. No pectin!
Did you know that traditional jam recipes use sugar and fruit on a 1:1 basis? I have always wondered why this is necessary. Ripe fruit contain so much natural sweetness in form of fructose!
The sugar is supposed to help with the gelling of the fruit, making the jam nice and thick. It also acts as a preservative. Oh, and it’s a really cheap ingredient, adding to the profit of jam companies.
I’ve been making sugar free jam ever since I started eating low carb. Guys, it’s so simple. All you need is quality fruit, which you simmer gently until enough liquid has evaporated. Then you add a bit of extra sweetness such as erythritol, stevia or Swerve (if necessary) and a little bit of thickener such as chia seeds, gelatin or xanthan gum (if necessary). That’s it!
How to make sugar free strawberry jam – step by step:
1. ) Chop your strawberries and place them in a saucepan. Add 2 tbsp of water (3 if your saucepan is large). This is so the strawberries don’t burn whilst you soften them.
2.) Bring to the boil, lid on, then turn the heat to medium and let it bubble away for around 15 minutes. Now your strawberries look like in the image above. They are soft and have begun to release their own liquid. Mash with a potato masher.
3.) Continue simmering the strawberry puree over a low heat for another 30 minutes until the mixture is reduced by half. As the liquid evaporates, the bubbles become smaller.
Stir continuously towards the end using a spatula, making sure the jam does not burn. Once the mixture has the texture of jam, you’re done!
4.) Taste the jam. If the strawberries do not contain enough natural sweetness, add up to 1 tbsp of powdered erythritol or another sweetener of your choice. Instead of pectin, use 1 tsp of ground chia seeds to fully set the jam.
Fill into a sterilised container and store in the fridge.
How long will my sugar free strawberry jam last?
This recipe made 200g of strawberry jam, which is just under 1 cup. If you store it in the fridge, it should be good for at least one week. However, if you have a family, it will probably disappear much quicker.
To increase the shelf life of this jam you can add 1 tsp of lemon juice during cooking. The acids does not only help with the gelling of the jam, it also prevents the growth of bacteria during storage (source). This way, you can easily keep it in the fridge for 3-4 weeks.
If you use REALLY RIPE fruit and reduce the liquid as much as possible, you may not even need additional sweetener. I made this recipe in February. The strawberries available right now are imported and a far cry from the amazing local varieties we can buy here in the UK during strawberry season in June and July.
Using the lemon juice, however, will mean you’ll most probably have to add a spoonful of sweetener such as powdered erythritol, Swerve or stevia.
How to make sugar free strawberry jam set without pectin
In this recipe I chose to set the jam with ground white chia seeds. You can either grind them with a pestle and mortar, of you take a whole bunch and blitz them to a fine powder in a food processor or in the attachment of a stick blender. Fill it into an airtight jar and use to thicken sauces and anything else that needs thickening!
You could also use whole chia seeds to thicken low carb jam, as long as you don’t mind the gloopy bobbles. The jam will taste the same, but some people don’t like the texture. If you use whole chia seeds, I recommend doubling the amount to 1 tbsp.
Other pectin-free options for thickening jam are gelatin and xanthan gum – even sugar free jell0.
I’m using this jam in my sugar free strawberry shortcake trifle pots – one of my favourite summer dessert recipes!
See my other sugar free jam recipes:
This strawberry jam recipe only contains 1.4 grams of fruit sugar per serving (1 tablespoon), which won’t spike your insulin levels like regular jam. To keep your blood sugar levels stable do make sure you eat it as part of a meal.
We had it for breakfast with these Keto breakfast buns (see photo above) and with some Greek yoghurt. If you want to make a quick low carb bread for your deliciously healthy strawberry jam, try these microwave English muffins. It would also be awesome with grain free scones or as the filling of a Victoria sponge cake.
Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating below!
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Sugar Free Strawberry Jam
Ingredients
- 400 g / 14 oz strawberries, diced
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp chia seeds ground
- 1 tsp lemon juice optional
- 1 tbsp powdered sweetener optional
Instructions
- Chop the strawberries and place them in a saucepan together with the water.
- Bring to the boil (lid on), then turn down the heat medium and let it bubble away for 15 minutes. Only add the lemon juice if you want to store the jam for longer than 1 week - it prevents the growth of bacteria.
- Mash the strawberries with a potato masher (or with a fork), then continue to cook on low-medium for another 30 minutes until reduced by half. You want it to bubble peacefully. Bubbles will become smaller as the liquid evaporates. Stir regularly with a spatula to prevent the jam from burning. Towards the end of cooking, stir constantly.
- Taste. If necessary, sweeten with 1 tbsp of powdered erythritol.
- Add the ground chia seeds and stir. Cool and fill into a sterilised jar. Store in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
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Paul Blakeman says
Great recipe, but people don’t add sugar only to jam for sweetness and frugality – it helps preserve the fruit! Hence why a 1:1 ratio is used and it lasts a lot longer than a week, or a few weeks.
This isn’t to have a go or complain, but this was conveniently not mentioned 😀 if I ran a sugar free blog, I wouldn’t mention it too !
Katrin says
hi Paul, you are absolutely correct. The good thing is that if you add a bit of lemon juice, this keeps it good for longer, too 🙂
Toni says
Yes, and the negative effects of sugar far outweight any advantages of added shelf life! Thanks so much for these lovely sugarfree recipes!
Katrin says
Absolutely! I’m glad you like my website 🙂
Kristy says
Looking forward to making this. Do you add lemon in the first stage while it’s boiling or when mashing the strawberries? Thank you!
Katrin says
I would add it while it’s cooking.
Chris says
I tried it with the frozen ones because the ones at my grocery store were not ripe enough. It worked! I figure the frozen berries were picked at the peak of ripeness so they were perfect for jam. Also, I didn’t have to add any sweetener. But I did add the lemon juice. Will definitely make again! Thank you!
Alice E. Abbott says
Chris, did you use the same amount of strawberries that Katrin used and did you thaw them out before slicing them?
Chris malzahn says
Can I use frozen strawberries ?
Katrin says
Of course, though I think fresh ones always taste better 😉
hannah says
can i use honey as the sweetener?
Katrin says
Yes, of course you could. Any type of sweetener would work.
Stacey says
Do you think this recipe can be made in bulk and canned for long term shelf life?
Katrin says
I would not recommend it. Traditional jams are about 50% sugar and sugar acts as a preservative. I think it’s safer to make smaller batches and eat within a few weeks.
Ruth says
Hi Katrin,
Came across your sugar free strawberry jam.
Couldn’t imagine how easy it is to prepare it!
Thanks so much for the idea to use ground white chia seeds instead of pectin to get the mash jellied, thus adding some more invaluable health benefits.
Great idea!
I also met with your low carb strawberry trifle. Wow! How lovely and delicious they look! Just the sight of it makes my mouth water.
Will prepare them next Tuesday on my husband’s birthday.
Can’t wait to see how they taste!
Katrin says
So glad you like the recipe Ruth! Thank you for your comment 🙂
Natashia Companion says
How long would shelf life be using lemon juice?
Katrin says
I think it would be good for a few weeks. If you use a sterilised jar, fill the jam in while hot and store it in the fridge and only go in with a clean spoon. I work on the basis that if it smells good and tastes good it definitely is good.
Jane Ritchuk says
I did this with mixed frozen fruit and created a delicious topping for Keto Cheesecake! a really good versatile recipe.
Katrin says
That sounds delicious!!!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Kathy says
If using sugar free jello, how much do you use?
Katrin says
You probably only need very little, maybe 1 tsp. There isn’t much liquid to set, seeing as you can in theory make the recipe without any thickener, as long as you cook it down for long enough. And you don’t want the jam to be rock-hard!
Radtech says
Why not use pectin? I used a product that uses calcium and pectin
Katrin says
It’s not necessary in this recipe – strawberries actually contain natural pectin.
Jessica says
If you use gelantine do you use the same measurement?
Katrin says
That’s a good question. I’d check the amount of liquid your gelatine packet can set and take it from there. I got 200 ml of jam from the recipe. From memory, one 7g pack of gelatine sets about 1 pint / 500 ml of liquid, so you’d only need 1/3 of a pack.
Marijane Kendall says
Have you tried using citric acid as the preservative? Isn’t it used as a preservative in some products on the market? And although it has a citrus taste, probably not as much as the lemon juice.
Katrin says
No I haven’t, I must check it out 🙂
shannon mcgraw says
Can you something else
Besides chia seeds?
Thanks
Katrin says
Yes, I’ve also used xanthan gum to thicken before.
Margot says
Sooooo delicious!!! I used ripe, sweet strawberries with only a little sweetener and the jam turned out amazing. Much fruitier than anything you can buy in the supermarket.
Katrin says
So glad you like the jam Margot!
Bonnie says
Can you freeze the jam?
Katrin says
I have not tried it, but I don’t see why not. You can freeze fruit, so freezing jam should work! Maybe even do it in an ice cube tray, so you can get small portions whenever you need it.
Irena says
When do you add the Jello if using? Thanks!
Katrin says
I would stir it in towards the end.
Nicole M Foster says
This looks delicious – I can’t wait for strawberry season! Thank you for the lemon juice tip! I hate to waste jam but can’t always use it up within a week.
Katrin says
Let me know what you think when you’ve tried it 🙂