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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Jane says
How long are you suppose to keep the lid on while it cooks?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Probably about half way through. Once the liquid reduces you have to start stirring more regularly because you don’t want the mix to start burning on the bottom.
Cyndy Bonello says
Would I be able to jar this?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I haven’t tried it. But my gut feeling is probably not. Sugar acts as a preservative and we’re not using any here. It does keep in the fridge for a while though if you add lemon juice 🙂
Julia says
I just got a Pampered Chef cooking blender that has a setting to make jam. I made fresh blueberry jam combining this recipe and the Pampered Chef instructions for jam It turned out pretty tasty. I really appreciate your ideas about using ground chia seeds and lemons as a more natural substitute.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Glad it was a success!
Crystal Yost says
Does ground flax seed substitute very well for ground chia seed?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I don’t think it would work well. Try xanthan gum instead!
Jeanette Wilson says
I was wondering if this could be made with blueberries or raspberries?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Yes, absolutely! If you use raspberries, you could even strain the mix at the end.
Jamie magula says
Hi there I’m getting ready to make this for my first time and was wondering if splenda would be ok to use? What do you think?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Of course! I think Splenda is quite powdery, isn’t it? I’ve never used it. If it’s granular, I’d grind it up in a food processor first.
Pam says
Delicously good and simple. Much better than normal jam.
Bea says
Hi! Is it okay to use stevia as my sweetener? Would love to try this recipe!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Of course!
Dina says
Hi! I was just wondering, could I add some agar agar to make it more “jelly” like? If so, how much would you recommend ? Thanks!
Katrin Nürnberger says
I don’t have any experience with agar agar. I know it’s used as a one-to-one substitute to xanthan gum. If I used xanthan, I’d probably go for 1/2 tsp and see what happens. You can always add more later if you think you want it thicker.
Jan & David Freeman says
You have the best recipes! Everyone I’ve tried has been a hit.
Thank you for all your efforts!
Jan Freeman
Katrin Nürnberger says
Your comment has just made my day! Thank you!
Lydia says
Hey! I am curious if any was had used like a honey or coconut sugar and how much they used? I am trying this today with preschoolers although I wasn’t sure if I was going to use ground up chia seeds or can’t bum gum or how much to use of xanthum gum? Thanks!!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi Lydia, you can replace any sweetener with coconut sugar. I think it would work better in terms of taste than honey. A sprinkle of xanthan gum would be sufficient. I think probably about 1/4 tsp. But ground up chia seeds work just as well. Your choice!
MyraJean says
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I used frozen strawberries and it turned out great. Since being told I was pre diabetic, i am cutting out sugar and carbs and I’ve really enjoyed your recipes.
Katrin Nürnberger says
Hi, I also just made another batch of this jam using frozen strawberries. Perfect for Easter breakfast!