This delicious homemade strawberry jam recipe is made with fruit juice and agave nectar instead of refined sugar. There is no canning required with this easy jam recipe!
This is the best strawberry jam recipe that I have tried so far for making jam without refined sugar. Some recipes have been too tart and others have been too artificial tasting. I'm not a fan of jam made with artificial sweeteners, they taste weird to me, and others have had texture issues.
This jam recipe has a wonderful flavor and texture and is really simple to make. It thickened beautifully and keeps well in the refrigerator for several weeks. However, it never lasts that long in my house!!
You can also freeze it or you can use the traditional method. The original recipe that I modified called for honey, but I don't like the strong flavor of honey in my jam, (just a personal preference) so feel free to substitute honey for the agave nectar. I usually double my jam recipe and it makes about 5 cups.
How To Make Strawberry Jam Without Refined Sugar
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed and stems removed
⅓ cup no-sugar-added white grape fruit juice concentrate (such as Welch's or an organic brand, if available)
1 ½ tbsp Ball low or no-sugar-added pectin (you must use the pectin that is specifically for no sugar jam)
½ cup agave nectar
2 (8 oz) mason jars with lids
Prepare berries by rinsing them, removing the stems and mashing them with a potato masher until crushed (I like mine a little chunkier, so I leave some chunkier pieces. You should end up with 1 ½-2 cups of crushed berries and the texture should look something like this...
Important Jam Tips
Next, you need to prepare your water bath for canning if you are planning to store the jam and not eat it right away. Learn the steps for water-bath canning here.
Remember to use the pectin specifically for no-sugar or low-sugar jam. Also, you need to get the grape juice concentrate with no added sugar.
Combine fruit and white grape juice concentrate in an 8 qt saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring to a full boil, that cannot be stirred down, over high heat and stir constantly. Then add agave nectar and return to a full boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and skim the foam off the top, if necessary. Pack into hot jars and refrigerate or preserve with for up to 1 year.
How Long Will Jam Last In The Refrigerator?
This jam can be stored in the refrigerator and enjoyed for up to 3 weeks without canning. However, I'm lucky if it lasts 2 days around here. 😉
Homemade Strawberry Jam {No refined sugar}
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh strawberries rinsed and stems removed
- ⅓ cup no sugar added white grape fruit concentrate such as Welch's or an organic brand, if available
- 1 ½ tbsp Ball low or no-sugar added pectin you must use the pectin that is specifically for no sugar jam
- ½ cup agave nectar
Instructions
- Prepare berries by rinsing them, removing the stems and mashing them with a potato masher until crushed. I like mine a little chunkier, so I leave some chunkier. You should end up with 1 ½-2 cups of crushed berries
- Next, you need to prepare your water bath for canning
- Combine fruit and white grape juice concentrate (no sugar added) in an 8 qt saucepan
- Gradually stir in pectin
- Bring to a full boil, that cannot be stirred down, over high heat and stir constantly
- Then add agave nectar and return to a full boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly
- Remove from heat and skim foam off the top, if necessary
- Pack into hot mason jars and refrigerate up to 3 weeks or preserve with canning method up to 1 year
Nutrition
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Beth
Amee, when I make strawberry jam, I always add a teaspoon or so of real butter before I add heat. It gets rid of "jam foam" completely. 🙂
Lisa @ Lisa's Dinnertime Dish
This sounds so good! I've never made jam before but you make it sound so easy, I think I'm going to have to give it a try!
Amee Livingston
Lisa, you should definitely try it! It's so simple! 🙂 Thanks for the tip, Beth! The original recipe that I modified had butter as an optional add-in, but I decided to leave it out. The foam is easy to skim off and I prefer it without the dairy. 😉
Kim and Julie (Sunflower Supper Club)
I can't wait to try this. I'm printing the recipe as we speak. Thanks so much for sharing!~Kim
Amee Livingston
Thank you Kim! I hope you love it as much as we do! 🙂
Anonymous
do you think that honey can be substituted for the agave nectar?
Amee Livingston
Yes, you can absolutely substitute honey here.
Anonymous
Watch out for the agave - RAW agave is the real deal and is FANTASTIC FOR YOU. If bottle says just AGAVE (even organic) it's no good. It is a highly processed operation to convert the carbohydrates into a liquid nectar. This is done using caustic acids, clarifiers and filtration chemicals and results in a syrup that is from 70% – 92% pure fructose. READ MORE: http://realfoodforager.com/why-i-never-use-agave/ AND - http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-foods/agave-nectar-worse-than-we-thought. I buy mine from www.Vitacost.com at a very good price, much better than stores.
Anonymous
Going to try this week with the honey.I homeschool and have been teaching my 7 year cooking. This is something she will love to learn.
Amee Livingston
I love raw agave! I use it along with honey, maple syrup and coconut sugar as my top sweeteners. I think it's great that you are teaching your 7 year old to cook! You are making special memories in the kitchen. 🙂
Anonymous
Thanks for the recipe! I have wanted to make strawberry jam again without so much sugar. Appreciate you sharing your results so my job here is easier 🙂
Amee Livingston
You're very welcome!! 🙂
Unknown
Have you tried this as a freezer jam? Just curious if this recipe could work that way?
Caitlin Maupin
My husband has diabetes and we have to count his carbs so he knows how much insulin to give.. do you know how much is in this recipe/ serving?
Amee Livingston
Yes, you can definitely do this as freezer jam, just store in the freezer after jars have cooled.
Anonymous
How Long will it last in the freezer?
Amee Livingston
It will last up to a year in the freezer and two to three weeks in the fridge once thawed.
Amy Hinman
Does the agave nectar/honey make it really sweet? Would it affect the way the jam sets up if less was used? The strawberries I have picked are so sweet on their own, but I want to be able to can my jam.
Amee Livingston
Amy, this should be fine if you leave out the honey/agave, it adds a little extra sweetness, but it's not necessary if your berries are sweet. 🙂
Amy Hinman
Thanks, I actually went ahead and used the honey. Best strawberry jam ever! Was so excited with the taste (and that I successfully was able to can them). Made my grandma's homemade biscuits and we went thru a half-pint at breakfast. 🙂 Awesome recipe, thanks!
Amee Livingston
So glad you loved it Amy!! Thank you for the feedback! 🙂
Mia's Mom
How much room do you leave on top if you are canning?
Amee Livingston
About 1/4 inch space
Denise Konkol
How many pints does this single batch make?
Amee Livingston
1 1/4 pints. I always double or triple my recipe Denise. We eat it too fast! 🙂
Anonymous
What about using stevia instead of agave?
Amee Livingston
Yes, you could definitely use stevia. I would go with the granulated and use less (maybe 1/4 cup and taste to see if it needs a little more). Stevia is sweeter than the agave. I hope that helps!
Brenda Bryan
I have copied down your recipe. I am going to make this tomorrow for a friend of mine. Do think she can have this. She diabetic do you think this would be good for her. She isn't suppose to sugar.
Amee Livingston
Brenda, this is a good question for her physician. Natural sugars can spike insulin the same as table sugar.
Gail
I really want to try this, however, I can't have the artificial sweetener in the "no-sugar" pectin. I noticed you were specific with this note. (hence the title :~) but would it still be possible to make this using the regular pectin?
Amee Livingston
The Ball low-no sugar added pectin is great and you just use the white grape juice for sweetening the fruit. I don't think it has artificial sweeteners in it?? The regular pectin requires more sugar than the no sugar pectin, so the consistency wouldn't come out right.
Yvonne
Are you supposed to measure the berries before or after you mash them? It looks like before, but I'm just double checking.
Amee Livingston
Yes, Yvonne, you measure before mashing. I hope that you enjoy the jam!
Sharon Johnson
Can frozen berries be used and get the same result?
Amee Livingston
I'm sorry Sharon, I'm just now seeing this. You get better results with fresh berries, the frozen berries thawed would add extra water to the jam.
Kim
Can you use no sugar added apple juice instead of the grape concentrate?
Amee Livingston
Sure, that would be a good substitute Kim.