Easy Low Sugar Strawberry Jam Recipe
Don’t be discouraged by “low sugar!” This Low Sugar Strawberry Jam is just as sweet, tangy, and delicious as strawberry jam made with tons of refined sugar. Instead, you’ll use natural fruit juice and agave nectar. Perfect for toast, cookies, pastries, biscuits, and more. No canning necessary!
Creating a low-sugar jam that isn’t overly tart or artificially sweetened tasting is no easy feat, but this low-sugar strawberry jam recipe is perfect. This naturally sweetened jam is as sweet and comforting as fruit jams made with sugar.
This low-sugar strawberry jam is fruit-forward, so use your freshest, sweetest strawberries. The texture thickens beautifully and can be customized precisely to your preference, from smooth and jelly-like to chunky and marmalade-like.
No special canning equipment is required for this one. It keeps for several weeks in the fridge and even longer in the freezer. If you’d like to can this strawberry jam the traditional way, by all means, go for it!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The perfect way to preserve an abundance of summer strawberries.
- Made with wholesome, natural ingredients and unrefined sugar.
- NO canning is necessary.
- Super easy to make!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Fresh strawberries – Ripe, juicy strawberries are perfect for low-sugar fruit spreads as they’re naturally super sweet. If your batch of berries is still on the tart side, let them ripen for a day or two before making jam.
- White grape juice concentrate – No sugar added, such as Welch’s or any 100% juice organic brand. Since we’re making this jam without sugar, fruit juice adds natural sweetness.
- Low or no-sugar needed pectin – This ingredient is non-negotiable. Think of it as the glue that holds the jam together. It helps create a delicate, glossy texture and preserves the natural colors and flavors during storage. Check your local grocer or search online for Ball Low or No-sugar Needed Pectin or Sure-Jell No Sugar Pectin.
- Low-sugar natural sweetener – I used agave nectar, but you can use other unrefined raw sugar syrups like honey, maple syrup, or date syrup.
How To Make Low Sugar Strawberry Jam
Step 1: Crush the strawberries. Remove the stems and leaves from the berries and rinse well. Then, place them in a large, shallow bowl and use a potato masher to crush the strawberries as smooth or chunky as you like. This should yield 1½ – 2 cups of mashed strawberries.
Step 2: Boil berries, juice, and pectin. Combine the strawberries and white grape juice concentrate in a large saucepan, then slowly stir in the pectin. Over high heat, bring the liquid to a full rolling boil, stirring continuously.
Step 3: Add low-sugar sweetening syrup. Finally, add the agave nectar, and return the mixture to a full rolling boil. Let boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Then, immediately remove from the heat and skim away any foam from the top if you need to.
Step 4: Store jam in mason jars. Divide hot into mason jars and keep refrigerated for 3 weeks or frozen for up to a year.
Recipe Tips
- As the freezer jam sets, the strawberries may rise to the top of the container. As soon as this happens, mix them back in, and then they should stay dispersed as the jam continues to settle.
- You must use pectin specifically for no-sugar or low-sugar jam and no-sugar-added grape juice concentrate.
- Add a splash of lemon juice to brighten up the fruity flavors.
- Keep in mind the jam will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Are you planning to can low-sugar strawberry jam? First, you’ll need to prepare a water bath for canning. Check this USDA canning guide for everything you need to know about the DIY canning method.
Serving Low Sugar Strawberry Jam
This homemade strawberry jam is excellent spread on toast and comes in handy in baked goods. Here are just a few of the many delicious ways to use low sugar strawberry jam in the kitchen:
- Spoon jam over breakfast sweet treats like crepes, french toast, buttermilk pancakes, and Belgian waffles.
- Replace the dried cranberries with strawberry jam in easy homemade popovers or these stuffed glazed croissants.
- Spread on toast, croissants, biscuits, and cinnamon rolls.
- It’s also good with any desserts that pair well with strawberries. The possibilities are endless: cheesecake, shortcake, pound cake, whipped cream.
- Drizzled as a topping over ice cream.
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Energy Bites
Storing & Freezing
Storing: After cooling, pour the jam while warm into a jar with a tight-fitted lid. Immediately close the lid and let it cool. Once cool, refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. I’m lucky if it lasts 2 days in my house 😉.
Freezing: Let the jam cool completely, then pour into a freezer-safe container leaving room at the top for expansion, and freeze for up to a year—Thaw in the fridge. For more info on freezing homemade jam, check out my guide on strawberry freezer jam.
Recipe FAQ
Yes, as long as the strawberries are unsweetened (otherwise, your freezer jam may be too sweet). First, thaw the frozen strawberries completely to room temperature, drain them thoroughly, and then mash. From there, follow the recipe as written.
You should. Without pectin, you’ll be standing over the stove for a very long time, waiting for the jam to thicken and settle.
Oh no! You may have overboiled the strawberries. Be sure to stir constantly and only cook for 1 more minute after adding the agave.
Strawberry Recipes You’ll Love
Don’t let a single fresh berry go to waste, and try these fresh strawberry recipes:
No Sugar Added Fresh Strawberry Pie
Greek Yogurt Strawberry Muffins
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Low Sugar Strawberry Jam {No refined sugar}
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh strawberries rinsed and stems removed
- 1/3 cup no sugar added white grape fruit concentrate such as Welch’s or an organic brand, if available
- 1 1/2 tbsp Ball low or no-sugar added pectin you must use the pectin that is specifically for no sugar jam
- 1/2 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 1/2-2 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
Notes
- As the freezer jam sets, the strawberries may rise to the top of the container. As soon as this happens, mix them back in, and then they should stay dispersed as the jam continues to settle.
- You must use pectic specifically for no-sugar or low-sugar jam and no-sugar-added grape juice concentrate.
- Add a splash of lemon juice to brighten up the fruity flavors.
- Keep in mind the jam will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Are you planning to can low-sugar strawberry jam? First, you’ll need to prepare a water bath for canning. Check this USDA canning guide for everything you need to know about the DIY canning method
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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. 🙂
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!
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. 😉
I can’t wait to try this. I’m printing the recipe as we speak. Thanks so much for sharing!
~Kim
Thank you Kim! I hope you love it as much as we do! 🙂
do you think that honey can be substituted for the agave nectar?
Yes, you can absolutely substitute honey here.
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 http://www.Vitacost.com at a very good price, much better than stores.
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.
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. 🙂
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 🙂
You’re very welcome!! 🙂
Have you tried this as a freezer jam? Just curious if this recipe could work that way?
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?
Yes, you can definitely do this as freezer jam, just store in the freezer after jars have cooled.
How Long will it last in the freezer?
It will last up to a year in the freezer and two to three weeks in the fridge once thawed.
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.
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. 🙂
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!
So glad you loved it Amy!! Thank you for the feedback! 🙂
How much room do you leave on top if you are canning?
About 1/4 inch space
How many pints does this single batch make?
1 1/4 pints. I always double or triple my recipe Denise. We eat it too fast! 🙂
What about using stevia instead of agave?
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!
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.
Brenda, this is a good question for her physician. Natural sugars can spike insulin the same as table sugar.
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?
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.
Are you supposed to measure the berries before or after you mash them? It looks like before, but I’m just double checking.
Yes, Yvonne, you measure before mashing. I hope that you enjoy the jam!
Can frozen berries be used and get the same result?
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.
Can you use no sugar added apple juice instead of the grape concentrate?
Sure, that would be a good substitute Kim.