How to Make the Best Sugar Free Strawberry Jam

Share the Simple Love!

Sugar Free Strawberry Jam is low carb, low calorie and the perfect healthy condiment to elevate your baked goods. Don’t you find it frustrating to have healthy sourdough bread or scones, only to sully it with sugar-laden, preservative-filled, store-bought jam? This naturally sweetened strawberry jam is a delicious way to enjoy your healthy toast and keep it healthy! It’s easy to make, plus it is a great way to use up berries that are looking a bit tired.

Ingredients for Sugar Free Strawberry Jam

• Fresh strawberries While you can definitely use frozen strawberries for this recipe, I do prefer to use freshly picked strawberries. They have deeper flavour and sweetness and disintegrate more quickly. To prepare the strawberries, I simply rinse them, cut the green tops off, and throw them into the pot. There’s no need to slice them small, as they disintegrate completely when cooked.
• Sugar substitutes To make this jam sugar free, I use my favourite sweetener, which is Truvia. Truvia is a blend of Stevia and Erythritol, so you only need about a third of the quantity of regular sugar. It has no queer after-taste, nor does it burn or caramelise with extended cooking. It’s my fool-proof, go-to sweetener for all my sugar free recipes.
• Pectin (optional) Pectin is used as a thickener in cooking and baking. Pectin is found in fruit, and is released when the fresh fruit is cooked down and thickened. Strawberries contain a low amount of pectin, so you may want to add a little more if you like to have your jam set more firmly. You can find everything you need to know about pectin here, and you can buy it here.
• Lemon juice Lemon juice has 2 functions in this Sugar free strawberry jam. Normal jams are preserved by the sugar content, but this recipe has none. Truvia does not do the trick, I’m afraid. Enter: Lemon Juice. Lemon juice is not only required for flavour balance: it increases the acidity of the mixture, which preserves the colour of the berries and inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria. Because of this, the jam should keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge.
• Chia Seeds: This nutrient powerhouse also serves a practical purpose. The tiny seeds absorb liquid in the jam, giving it a more spreadable consistency. The little beads soften and give a delicious texture to the jam.

Equipment

Nothing finnicky is needed for this Sugar free Strawberry Jam.

• Cooking pot A medium sized pot should be perfect to hold about 1 kg of de-greened strawberries. The mixture will thicken and reduce, so a large pot is not necessary (unless you have a lot of strawberries and need to double the batch).
• Wooden spoon The jam does require constant stirring, and a wooden spoon will not get too hot to handle.
• Mason jars for storage This recipe makes a quantity of jam to fill one large 750g jar. It could also be divided into dinky little jars for a cute Christmas gift.
• Stove top The jam only requires stove top heating.

Step-by-Step Instructions to make Sugar Free Strawberry Jam

1. Cleaning and hulling strawberries – rinse the strawberries and chop the green tops off. Also cut out any yucky deformites.
2. Add the sweetener and cook the strawberries – on a medium heat. The strawberries will completely disintegrate and cook in their own juices which is why you do not need to add water or cut them small.
3. Let the mixture thicken until it has reduced by half – This should take about half an hour with constant stirring to prevent burning.
4. Meanwhile, make the lemon juice-chia seed mix – In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and chia seeds and stir so that the chia seeds are fully submerged. Set aside.
5. Testing for jam consistency – the jam is ready one it has passed the spoon test. Dip the wooden spoon in and draw it out so it is covered with the berry mixture. Using your finger, quickly run a line down the middle of the spoon. The mixture will stay separate and not run back together. Remove from the heat.
6. Adding lemon juice–chia seed mix – add the lemon chia seed mix to the berries and stir vigorously to incorporate evenly.
7. Cooling and storing the sugar-free strawberry jam – while the jam is cooling, sterilise your jars (so that they are fresh when you add the mixture). You can do this many ways. I either heat my jars for about 10 minutes in a piping hot oven, or submerge them in boiling water for 10 minutes.
8. Once the jars are ready, add the mixture and seal the lid while still hot to prevent deterioration.

Tips for Success

• Adjust sweetness according to your personal preference – I like my jam sweet, so I use about 1/3 cup Truvia for about 1 kg of berries. This may either be too much or too little for you. I recommend tasting the mix and adding sweetness little by little until it is the sweetness you like. You cannot remove the sweetness so don’t add too much too quickly! Remember also that jam is generally served with things, so you do not want it too bland, either.
• Experimenting with different sugar substitutes – I have not tried this recipe with other sweeteners. I believe honey would have too strong a taste, and would be a bit weird. Maple syrup would be quite delicious, but would be pricey and would increase the calories.
• Choosing the right strawberries for optimal flavor – “Sparkle Strawberries” are widely considered to be the best strawberries for making jam. I did not use sparkle strawberries, but I chose berries that were deeply red (these are full of flavour).

Serving Suggestions

Jam is such a versatile product. Here are but a few ways you can enjoy this luscious condiment:

• Pairing with various foods – I have enjoyed this jam on my sourdough biscuits, bread, lemon loaf, and homemade yoghurt.
• Incorporating into recipes – this Jam would work well swirled into a vanilla cheesecake, sandwiched between 2 halves of a lemon cake, or as the flavour base in overnight oats. You could even use it to make jam-filled muffins.