I’ve been wanting to try a sugar-free jam for a while now and finally got around to make a couple of jars. I’ll be honest and say that I kinda have a problem with the idea… When I think about jam I think sweet, sticky goodness and no matter how sweet the fruit is, or how much honey you add, it never as sweet as when you use sugar.
My jams never have the traditional ratio of 1:1 between sugar and fruit anyway. If I use 2 lb of fruit, I usually add 1/4 th of that in sugar, so I was already on my way to much less sugar before, but I really wanted to try the sugar-free version too.
Since we are talking healthy here, I decided to add some chia seeds to the mix as well for more crunch and added nutrition value. When you use chia seeds in jams, there is really no need to use pectin, the seeds thicken the jam very quickly.
I never use store-bought pectin anyway, though. I use lemon seeds instead which have natural pectin in them. If you would like to see how I usually make my jams, without pectin and less sugar, check out this peach jam recipe.
OK, let’s make sugar-free, super healthy strawberry jam, shall we?
It all started when I noticed these strawberries…
I mean, look at them… How can you leave these in the store on a cold shelf?
I couldn’t, so I got 6 lb of them.
2 lb were gobbled up with no mercy what so ever on the way home by my three little termites. Another 2 lb turned into a strawberry shortcake (can’t go wrong there), and the last 2 lb participated in the sugar-free jam experiment.
After I cleaned them from the tops and cut them into pieces, I was left with 1 lb 10 oz of fruit.
In a shallow pot they went…
I added 1/2 cup of honey and turned the heat to medium-high…
Until it started to boil. I left it at this stage for a couple of minutes and then lowered the heat to between medium and low for about 20 minutes or so until the fruit was soft.
I used a potato masher to mash the strawberries and then I let them gently boil for another 10 minutes.
During those 10 minutes, I fished some of the foam out from the sides of the pot. It doesn’t bother me too much so I don’t go crazy trying to get it all, just the majority of it.
I also added about 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice to the jam.
This is also the time to prepare the jars. I prepare my jars in the oven instead of in a water bath… Much less messy.
Heat the oven to 320F, place your jars without the lids on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven for 10 minutes. At the same time fill a bowl with boiling water and put the lids in the water.
Do this about ten minutes before your jam is ready, so your jars and jam are ready approximately at the same time and you can transfer the hot jam into the hot jars.
OK, so after 30 minutes or so, the jam is starting to thicken but is not quite there yet. At this point, I added 3 tablespoons of chia seeds and mixed them in…
And a couple of minutes later the jam was thick enough. It takes some practice to learn when a jam is ready, but after making jams a couple of times you’ll know to recognize this stage. When you move the jam around in the pot with a spatula, you can feel it’s thick and there is not too much liquid flowing around.
At that point my jars were ready so I filled them with the jam (make sure to leave about 1 cm of space at the top like in the picture below). This is a small batch, so I only needed 2 half pint jars.
I covered them with the clean lids and the screw bands (not too tight), then placed them on a kitchen towel on the counter. They both sealed within a couple of hours. I tightened the band and placed them in the pantry.
We had a little bit of leftover in the pot that I used to make cookies with, it was a great cookie filling.
The kids got a taste of the jam and they love it. Considering they have no problem eating fresh strawberries with no added sweeteners, I knew they’ll love the jam. I think it can be a great way to balance the sweetness of peanut butter too (they make it so sweet these days) if you use it in a sandwich. And of course, if you are diabetic, you should definitely go sugar-free when it comes to jams.
Have you ever made sugar-free jam? Do you make it this way?
Ingredients
- 2 lb ripe strawberries, washed, cleaned of tops, and cut to pieces.
- 1/2 cup honey.
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice.
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds (optional).
- 2 half pint jars with lids and rings.
Instructions
1. Add strawberries into a wide pot.
2. Add 1/2 cup honey.
3. Turn heat to medium high and bring to boil, let boil for two minutes. Stir.
4. Turn heat down to medium-low and a gentle boil for 20 minutes until the fruit is soft. Stir frequently and fish out some of the foam during those 20 minutes.
5. Use a potato masher to mash the fruit.
6. Add lemon juice and stir. Let jam gently boil for another 10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile prepare your jars in the oven or in a water bath.
8. Add chia seeds to the jam and stir.
9. Jam should be ready a couple of minutes after you added the chia seeds.
10. Transfer hot jam into hot jars leaving 1 cm space at the top. Cover the jars with the lid and screw the bands on, not to tight. Set on a towel on the counter.
11. Once jars sealed, tighten the screw band and store jars in the pantry.
https://ladyleeshome.com/sugar-free-strawberry-jam/
linda says
Hmmm….you didn’t use sugar, but half cup of honey. Honey is good for diabetic people?
Lee says
Every diabetic is different and some diabetics can add a measured amount of honey to their diet. There is some good information here: http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/diabetic-diet.html
Diana says
How long does this jam last in jars in the fridge?
Lee says
I don’t have the exact time… If the jars seal, I think it should last just like a regular jam, up to a year in the pantry. If you have a jar that didn’t seal, place it in the fridge and use it first.
Angie says
Is is possible to use ground flax seed instead of chia seeds
Lee says
I never tried but it sounds good. You can definitely give it a try, just take into consideration that ground flax seed won’t have the same jelling effect like the chia so you might need to add pectin. Look up my peach jam recipe, I show there how to use lemon seeds for their natural pectin instead of using the pectin you buy at the store.Let me know how it turned out.
Brenda says
No hot water bath after they are jarred?
Lee says
I didn’t do a hot water bath for those. We are just finishing the last can and the taste is great but it has only been a couple of months since I made it.
Karen says
Can you substitute strawberries for blueberries using the same amount of the other ingredients?
Lee says
Karen,
I won’t add lemon to blueberries but the rest can stay the same.
Sheri says
I started my “Ever Bearing” strawberries with 6 plants 6 years ago. Now I supply each neighbor with a free “flat” of strawberries (About 7 flats go out) and still have enough to make what my husband & I consume in a year. This year I decided to make juice. Breakfast at our house requires juice. You can’t buy in any store the quality of homemade juice and berry juice is awesome! The first batches are a mix of strawberry, blueberry, Jostaberry & Raspberry and then the next batches included Marionberry as they ripened and now the batches are including blackberry. We can’t eat all the jam from last year (we had a great year in 2015) but we sure can put-down the juice! It’s easy to include the juice in smoothies when winter sets in for that taste of summer.
Lee says
Sheri, do you use a juicer to make the juice?
Sheri says
I do use a juicer but not for making “clear” berry blends. It makes it “too pulpy” and my husband doesn’t enjoy that. There are several berries that make a better juice when heated, that would be Marionberry, Jostaberry (a gooseberry/current cross), blueberry and blackberry, heat brings out the flavor. One reason I make a lot of clear juice and can it up for winter usage is because I don’t have a food storage freezer. We tossed the idea around several times but decided to put our money into more canning and shelf storage than running a freezer.
Amber Landry says
What would be a good substitute for the honey? I follow the South Beach diet and honey is a no no. I do use Splenda. Would that work?
Lee says
Amber, I never used Splenda so I am not sure. Maybe agave? You will have to experiment and see how it turns out. Let me know. I’ll also ask on my Facebook page and see if someone else has a suggestion.
Lindsay says
Hello,
I made this recipe last night and it turned out great however only 2 of my 18 jars sealed properly. 16 of them I could still push down the lid and make it “pop”. Do you have any tips on what I can do to reseal these 16 jars? I know I could do the whole process over again but I’m just wondering if there is a quicker way now that the jars are already filled with jam?
Thank you! 🙂
Lindsay
Lee says
Oh, Lindsay, sorry I didn’t see this sooner.
I believe that once the jam cooled there is nothing else to do. If you do it again try to turn the jars over so after you fill them and close them with the lid, turn them so they stand on the lid, this sometimes helps with sealing.
What did you end up doing?
Rhonda says
I used to do preserves with my Grandma growing up. If her jams or jellies didn’t seal she would use paragon wax to seal the top.
Lee says
I didn’t know about this option. Thanks for sharing this, Rhonda.
Lindsay says
No problem! I actually ended up just putting them in my canner and boiling them. Then I left them out on a tea towel on the counter and everyone of them ended up sealing properly! I boiled all my jars (without jam) and boiled the jam when I was making it so I knew that everything was sterilized properly. I noticed the first time that they weren’t sealing properly right away so I put them all in the fridge and used my canner method not even 24hours later. With them sitting in the fridge I figured it was unlikely that any bacteria would develop that quickly so I took my chances by not taking the jam out of the jars and starting the whole process again! Other than this issue though the jam turned out wonderfully and has a very nice flavor!
Lee says
Oh great. Good to know there is something to do. How long did you boil them?
Shawna says
This jam looks delicious and I may try it with Splenda. Honey is no different from sugar. THAT is a myth and it definitely isn’t diabetic friendly. If you want peanut butter that is healthy get the kind with no sugar added. It’s usually called natural and you have to stir it and then keep it in the fridge. Some people get freaked out when they see the peanut oil on top, forgetting that the other kind of peanut butter has hydrogenated oil mixed in and is much less healthy. 🙂
Sue Cloutier says
did u try the splenda ? if so how was it ?
Karen says
Will this recipe work with other fruit?
Lee says
Probably with other berries. I never tried it with other fruit.
Jenny says
I don’t like to cook the strawberries in freezer jam, because I think using fresh strawberries makes it taste so well…fresh! Would this recipe work if I just used fresh smashed strawberries and added the honey and chia seeds or does it have to be cooked first?
Lee says
I think it will work if you store it in the freezer. I don’t think it will work for canning though…
Stephanie says
Can you double or triple the amount and still come out the same?
Lee says
I don’t see why not, but I never tried.
Jen says
I’ve tried doubling the recipe and it did come out the same; just as delicious! I did need to switch my mix into a wide-mouth pan rather than my stock pot because the liquid didn’t evaporate quite as quickly as the single batch. It needed to be a thinner layer in a wider pan rather than piled on, if that makes sense.
Lee says
Yes! Makes sense. I always use a wide pan for jams.
Ashira Kronish says
hi’ what does 21b strawberries mean?
Lee says
2 lb. 2 pounds of strawberries.
Nichole says
Hey there, found this recipe and decided to use it. I doubled it and very happy! This is the first time at making any type of jam and also canning or jarring so I’m absolutely thrilled! My daughter is in FFA which is Future Farmers of America and has been in it for years. She sells strawberry’s for them and I bought two whole flats for a wonderful price. 4 pounds of them yielded 6 1/2 pint jars and I’ve got more to do tomorrow. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! We love it!
Much respect and thanks,
Nichole from Linden VA
Lee says
Oh, I am so happy. I plan on making it again once strawberries are ready for harvest here.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
KJ says
No water needed?
Mieke says
I heard that it is not good to can chia seeds, but there hasn’t been any experience with it that I can find. I’m just wondering how long your jam lasted with the chia seeds when you canned it? I don’t want to waste a whole year’s supply if it’s going to go bad. Thanks!
Lee says
It was a long time ago and I can’t remember exactly but I believe we used this jam within a couple of months (maybe 3 or 4…). So I can’t tell you for sure what will happen after a year but it was good for a few months.
Laura says
Can I use frozen strawberries instead of fresh?
Lee says
I never tried… You might need to cook them a little longer to get rid of some of the access liquid but I think it can work.
Nara Batsukh says
Hi Lady Lee,
I just waindering if you heard about honey becomes toxic when it’s boiled and what are your opinion on this.
I’ve used your recipe once and it was probably best jam I’ve ever made. But then I found out that boiling honey produces toxic effect and I am quite concerned.
At the moment I am just doing little search to find out if it’s only the myth or maybe the truth… hoping it’s not true. Looking forward knowing what are your thoughts are on this.
Cheers,
Nara
Lee says
I’ve never heard of it becoming toxic if boiled but I am a member of the local beekeepers association and I bet I can find someone there who will have an answer for me.
I always wonder how things were done in the past… I bet it was harder for them to make white sugar than harvest honey from beehives… So, did they use the honey for jams? Didn’t make jams at all? Or was there a different solution?
For example, a few weeks ago I wrote about canning milk. I found out that modern research states that you should NOT can milk at home… Still, people have been doing this for generations, you know…
Honestly, I usually take modern research with a grain of salt and check how things have been done in the past.
This is interesting… I’ll have to check and get back to you.
Let me know if you find anything.
Thanks for taking the time to write this and I am so happy you enjoyed the jam!