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 tablespoon 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 tablespoon of powdered erythritol or another sweetener of your choice. Instead of pectin, use 1 teaspoon 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 teaspoon 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:
- Sugar Free Blueberry Jam
- Easy No-Cook Sugar Free Raspberry Jam
- Sugar Free Orange Marmalade Recipe (Keto)
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
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary. ***As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 400 g / 14 oz strawberries, diced
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds ground
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice optional
- 1 tablespoon 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 tablespoon 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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Gerry
Have you ever added jalapeno to the jam? My guess is it would be a nice addition if you like some heat.
Katrin Nürnberger
That's a great idea! Love it.
Kully
Love this recipe so much healthier then the shop bought jam which is so high in sugar content
Jay
For the jars, is it enough to just run them through the dishwasher before storing or do I need to find a way to properly sterilize?
Katrin Nürnberger
I'm not an expert in canning. I guess it's safer to sterilise them properly by boiling the jars in water for a certain period of time. However, a very hot dishwasher may do exactly the same.
Donna Gibbings
Could I use minute tapioca to thicken the strawberries while cooking
Katrin Nürnberger
I don't know minute tapioca, but I do know that tapioca is a popular thickener. So yes, it should work. You won't need a lot.
Melanie Clark
I made this with strawberries and blueberries. Delicious.
Patty
Can you use powdered Stevia for the sweetener?
Also, I used to freeze whole or sliced strawberries and added sugar to preserve them. Now that we’re not eating sugar, what can I use to stir in the strawberries to preserve them?
Katrin Nürnberger
Yes, any sweetener will work in this recipe. I am not an expert I preserving, but I know that lemon juice helps and that my (open) jams are actually fine in the fridge for many weeks.
Jennifer
Just freeze your strawberries without any sweetener and they'll be fine. Later when you thaw you can add to recipes or add some alternative sweetener to the strawberries if necessary.
Marjorie
I’m so thankful I found this recipe, thank you! Have you experimented making jelly with erythritol? If so, do you have a recipe for it? I have some peach juice frozen that I would love to use in a low sugar jelly.
Katrin Nürnberger
I have not tried yet, but it would definitely work with powdered erythritol. Allulose would also work because it dissolves even better than erythritol.
Luz
Hi!! Wonderful recipe. Can I add a teaspoon of honey instead of any sweetener? And if I add honey do I still put the lemon?
Thank you ❤️
Katrin Nürnberger
You can definitely use honey as well. The lemon is good to add if you want to keep it for longer, in the fridge, it helps preserve. If you know you want to eat this within 1 week or so, it's not essential.
Melanie
Since you are in England you may be able to help me.I have a sachet of Hartleys sugar free strawberry jelly which makes one pint . Can I use that and how much do you suggest I use?
Katrin Nürnberger
Hartley's sugar free jelly contains aspartame, which is not a great sweetener as it's artificial, but it does not raise insulin levels. I would try to put in 1 tsp and see if that lets it set enough.
Dave
I would like to can some of the jam using a pressure cooker. How long would the jam be "good" if canned?
Katrin Nürnberger
That's a good question. I find that when you add lemon juice it lasts several weeks, even when opened. But I have never tried canning properly and storing at room temperature.
Donna
Mine lasted over a year, properly canned. Definately add the lemon juice, but do not use monk fruit/erythritol as it crystalizes and gets grainy in the nars
Katrin Nürnberger
Thanks for sharing! I actually have a cranberry jam in the fridge that I made over the Christmas period and we're still eating it now in March.
harmen
Just made it, it is easy to do and tastes good. I had no Chia seeds but I had flax. Ground in a coffee grinder (grinds fine, fast and easy for a small quantity). Used half a tbsp honey to compensate for the lemon. Did not have to mash the strawberries, they fell apart by themselves.
Janet
Can this be put in the freezer?
Katrin Nürnberger
I have never tried it but yes, there's no reason why not! If you freeze it in an ice cube tray you can have bite sized portions
Charla
Hi, just wanted to say thanks to you for such an awesome how to make recipe. Really easy to follow and tasted fab at the end. Thanks so much.
Charla.
Christine
Hi Katrin! Could you please let me know if I can use frozen strawberries in this recipe? Thanks : )
Katrin Nürnberger
Of course you can! Frozen strawberries work just as well 🙂
Christine
Oh wow, thanks so much for your quick reply. Looks like I'm making strawberry jam today ; )
Liz
Most amazing guilt free jam ever! Thanks so much for this awesome recipe. Tastes amazing and I’ll also be adding it to yoghurt to make desserts. I used 1/4 xantham gum instead of the chia seeds and honestly could have used a bit less than that. Thanks again!
Jude
Hi - Could you please tell me how much ground chia seeds equals 1 tablespoon of whole chia seeds. Thanks!
Katrin Nürnberger
My guess would be that you'd get 1/2 tablespoon if you grind up 1 tbsp of chia.
Marcy
Thaanks so much! Think any fruit could be used for this? ie- blueberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, apricot etc?
Katrin Nürnberger
Of course! Any fruit works.
Tina
Hi. How much xanthan gum should be used instead of the chia seeds please?
Katrin Nürnberger
I would try 1/4 tsp - maximal 1/2
Barb
What if I want whole berries and not purée?
Katrin Nürnberger
If you cook the berries for long enough they become so mushy that they will be just like puree
Cheryl Roberts
If using pectin or a plain gelatin, how much does one use?
Katrin Nürnberger
I don't have any experience wit pectin. Just checked my gelatin - 4 leaves set 1 pint of liquid. I would probably try 1 gelatin leaf as you don't want it to get super hard.
Jane
How long are you suppose to keep the lid on while it cooks?
Katrin Nürnberger
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.