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
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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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Charla says
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 says
Hi Katrin! Could you please let me know if I can use frozen strawberries in this recipe? Thanks : )
Katrin Nürnberger says
Of course you can! Frozen strawberries work just as well 🙂
Christine says
Oh wow, thanks so much for your quick reply. Looks like I’m making strawberry jam today ; )
Liz says
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 says
Hi – Could you please tell me how much ground chia seeds equals 1 tablespoon of whole chia seeds. Thanks!
Katrin Nürnberger says
My guess would be that you’d get 1/2 tablespoon if you grind up 1 tbsp of chia.
Marcy says
Thaanks so much! Think any fruit could be used for this? ie- blueberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, apricot etc?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Of course! Any fruit works.
Tina says
Hi. How much xanthan gum should be used instead of the chia seeds please?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I would try 1/4 tsp – maximal 1/2
Barb says
What if I want whole berries and not purée?
Katrin Nürnberger says
If you cook the berries for long enough they become so mushy that they will be just like puree
Cheryl Roberts says
If using pectin or a plain gelatin, how much does one use?
Katrin Nürnberger says
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 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.