Is it safe to make jam without sugar?

You can make jam from berries or plums etc without much sugar but it will not keep so long . Sugar in jam is essentially just a preservative. Lots of recipes call for twice the weight of sugar. You can mostly get away with half the weight and still have a long shelf life.

What can I use instead of jam sugar to make jam?

Can I use regular sugar instead of jam sugar? Yes, you can use regular sugar instead of jam sugar. However, you will need to add pectin separately to help the jam set. Follow a recipe that specifically calls for regular sugar and provides instructions for adding pectin.

How do you thicken jam without sugar?

Add pectin . While this trick won't work for jam recipes that already call for pectin, adding pectin to a loose batch of jam while re-cooking it almost guarantees that the jam with set back up nicely. Whisk a tablespoon of powdered pectin (preferably the no-sugar-needed variety) into the pot of cooking jam.

What happens if you don't add sugar to jam?

In jams and jellies, sugar not only sweetens, it is the preservative. So if you don't add the sugar, the jam may quickly spoil . Also, fruits that are sufficiently sweet in their natural state may not be sweet enough once they are processed.

Does pectin work without sugar?

Two types of commercial pectins are now available to the home canner: the regular pectin that requires acid and sugar to set in a gel, and the “no sugar pectins” or the “l*te” pectin that does not require sugar or acid but does require calcium .

Can Stevia be used in jam making?

Can I use Stevia that measures like sugar as the sweetener when making jam or jelly with Pomona's Pectin? Yes, Stevia that measures like sugar (cup for cup Stevia) can be used just like sugar in all of our recipes .

How did they make jam before sugar?

These preserves used honey as their sweetener , though sugar quickly surpassed honey in popularity for making jams. From that point onwards, you can essentially follow the spread of sugar around the world on a map. If a place had sugar and fruit, people would likely combine the two to make a preserve.

What's the healthiest jam?

Some recipes for healthy jam include strawberry chia jam, raspberry coconut jam, blueberry ginger jam, and apricot almond jam . These recipes typically use natural sweeteners such as honey or maple syrup and are made without added preservatives or artificial ingredients.

How do you thicken jam without pectin or sugar?

If you really want to thicken it to a more spreadable consistency, the easiest way is to heat it up with some thickeners such as cornstarch . Arrowroot flour is more delicate and taste-neutral, but most cooks won't have it. Unflavored gelatin may also be used. Bring the syrupy “jam” to boil in a pot.

How long does homemade jam last without sugar?

Homemade jams made without sugar and processed by canning in a hot water bath will last about half that long – about one year – when stored in cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Once opened, use those jams pretty quickly, in about six weeks, to guarantee freshness.

Can you preserve fruit without sugar?

All fruits can safely be canned or frozen without sugar . Sweet relish and pickle recipes do not adapt as well to sugar-free canning as do plain fruits.

Healthy sugar free Strawberry jam recipe | No-pectin, Vegan Homemade Strawberry jam (2024)

Ashvini NaikFebruary 10, 2020Healthy sugar free Strawberry jam recipe | No-pectin, Vegan Homemade Strawberry jam2021-12-14T02:14:27-05:30Food, Healthy Recipes7 Comments

Spread the love

137

It’s quite the season of strawberries in India now. What is your favorite indulgence with strawberry? Well, for me and our daughter, it’s been strawberry milkshakes, ice-creams and strawberry jams (which is rarely available in the Indian supermarkets. By the way, THAT is NOT the reason why I decided to make my own jam!) Here, I’ll be showing you the easiest recipe to make a healthy and tasty batch of sugar free strawberry jam at home.

Healthy sugar free Strawberry jam recipe | No-pectin, Vegan Homemade Strawberry jam (1)

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, you may have known that it’s been close to a year that I completely quit refined sugar. While that is true, you can know more about why I quit processed foods, like years ago. And as most of you are aware, any fruit jam-making process plainly means that fruits need to be caramelized with sugar. Or any other sweetener for that matter.

You can also check out the below quick video recipe to make the Strawberry Jam too.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B72btZGFPfK/

What’s about this NO-pectin version of Sugar-Free Strawberry jam?

Strawberries have this characteristically sweet and sour flavor. And the amount of sweetener would largely depend on the sweetness of the strawberries you’re using. In that sense, therefore, I do not use the sweetener and strawberries in a fixed ratio.

So, I’d entirely leave it up to your preference here. This recipe for making sugar free strawberry jam without any pectin or preservatives is what you can use as a guideline in terms of the method.

I generally like to consume strawberries in a sweetened version. But since I quit refined sugar last year, how did I change my list of ingredients that went into the jam-making process?

The usual sweeteners that I use for making most of my fruit jams are jaggery (or powder), brown rice syrup or liquid jaggery.

Why HONEY isn’t an ideal sweetener for making this sugar free strawberry jam?

Nevertheless, if you talk about using honey to be added as an ingredient to making jam, which involves heating and boiling, here’s an issue. Honey has toxic effects upon the body when heated. Even Ayurveda says so. I, however, discovered this fact a little later in my life. So you better skip using honey as a jam sweetener!

So, here, I mostly go for powdered or grated jaggery/ brown rice syrup or liquid jaggery (which is popularly called ‘Joni Bella’ in Kannada.) Liquid jaggery is prepared from sugarcane juice being boiled to a certain consistency. I personally have been buying the Jivabhumi brand for liquid jaggery. You can either buy that or any other brand as long as you trust it to be organic and free from any chemicals masked under confusing names.

Liquid Jaggery EXACTLY resembles honey in terms of its consistency. However, it usually has a little darker hue to it as compared to the color of honey.

You may want to see this recipe for Sugar-free Mango jam where I’ve written about about the role of PECTIN in making jams and how to modify a jam’s recipe to skip Pectin altogether.

Healthy sugar free Strawberry jam recipe | No-pectin, Vegan Homemade Strawberry jam (3)

Now, here’s how you can easily make this absolutely delicious Sugar free Strawberry jam at home that can last in your fridge for at least 45-50 days, is VEGAN and free from preservatives.

5 from 2 votes

Vegan, No-Sugar, No-Pectin Homemade Strawberry Jam

This easy recipe for homemade Strawberry jam is vegan, free from any added preservatives, contains no refined sugar, pectin or edible colors. Upon refrigeration, the jam can easily last for 1.5 months.

CourseBreakfast, Side Dish

CuisineAmerican, Indian, Mexican

Keywordhomemade strawberry jam, no-pectin jam recipe, no-sugar jam, strawberry jam, strawberry recipes, sugar free strawberry jam, vegan jam recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

400gramsStrawberriesWashed well & each into halves
½tbspLemon juiceFreshly squeezed. You can add small pieces of lemon rind too.
¾cupLiquid Jaggery

Instructions

Put the cleaned & halved strawberries into a blender jar & blend well. However, it's okay if there are still some blobs of strawberries that didn't get ground into the puree. This non-uniformity can actually enhance the texture of the final jam.
In a thick-bottomed saucepan or kadhai, add the blended puree & start heating on a medium flame.
Stir for about a minute & then add all the liquid jaggery (or your sweetener) to the saucepan.
Mix well for some time & keep this heating on a medium flame.
Add the lemon juice, rind & mix well.
Look for the time when you see the pureed strawberries leaving their juices into the mixture & the consistency slightly begins to change.
Reduce the flame a bit & keep stirring for about a minute or two until the volume starts to decrease noticeably.
At frequent intervals, keep stirring as you'll notice bubbles & at some point the mixture starts becoming denser & tends to stick to the sides. Don't let the sticking happen. This means the jam consistency is just about to be achieved.
The volume keeps getting thicker turning out gelatinous (jelly-like) & darker in color,
For me, the jam was ready in 25 minutes when I put off the flame.
To check if your jam is really done or still needs cooking, do this. Take a spoon & scrape off a tiny part of the jam from the back of it. If the jam doesn't 'flow' or drip down & stays on the spoon, your jam is done!
Cover the jam with a lid & wait for it to cool naturally.
After the jam is completely cooled, you may then transfer all of it into a clean, glass jar or steel container. You must always store jam in an air tight container & avoid using plastic for the storing purpose.

Recipe Notes

NEVER store this or any other homemade jam in plastic containers as substances like jams & pickles contain a lot of natural & healthy acids which react with the plastic resulting in toxic variations of the stored food, you intend to serve healthy. This can also affect your digestion process.
The quantity of the sweetener can be adjusted according to your preference & how sweet your strawberries are.
You can also choose to just chop all the strawberries into small pieces & start heating them with the sweetener, if you like the characteristic coarse texture of the jam. That tastes great too!
Keep the bottled jam refrigerated.
You may totally skip the lemon rind or juice. Nonetheless, adding this to the jam not only acts as a natural preservative, but also renders a unique & pleasant tangy twist to the flavor.

Common doubts about cooking this strawberry jam

“What if the final jam turns out to be sour? Can adding & mixing extra sweetener later be fine?”

Well, I haven’t had to do this anytime as tasting the strawberries before does help assess their sweetness before hand to adjust the quantity of sweetener that will go in cooking. However, as compared to jaggery powder or even sugar, adding some more liquid jaggery to cover the sourness would still be a great solution. It wouldn’t alter the strawberry flavor either. I haven’t tried using coconut sugar though.

“Can I use frozen strawberries to make the jam?”

Frozen berry-like fruits are a good choice for making sorbets or nice creams, in my opinion. I, therefore, do not really think they’d make a great ingredient for a jam. 🙂

Healthy sugar free Strawberry jam recipe | No-pectin, Vegan Homemade Strawberry jam (14)

DISCLAIMER – This post contains affiliate link(s) to products that I have used for the recipe.That means if you make a purchase on clicking the link, I earn a tiny commission at no extra cost to you. I’m grateful if you do. And I’ve never recommended products/services on my site, that I have not experienced myself. Please read my full disclosure.

So, how does this jam look to you? I’m sure making this will be a breeze for you and equally rewarding with its deliciousness and health bonuses! I’d love to know what you have to say about this sugar free strawberry jam.

If you are making it, I’d also love to see your jams on Instagram, where you can tag me in your posts. 🙂

Facebook Comments Box

Like Me? Follow me on: