Low Sugar Strawberry Jam Recipe With Pectin

If you had prepared strawberry jam the traditional way, you know it is delicious but made over three days and with lots of sugar. This recipe with pectin is a perfect solution for people who want to prepare healthier homemade strawberry jam faster.
By 6 years ago

Homemade Strawberry Jam – a Great Way to Extend Strawberry Season

Strawberries have always been for me a sign of approaching summer and holidays. What a pity the season for them is that short. But the good news is that we can extend it. When they are in peak season, and they are the sweetest and cheapest, we can freeze them.

I always choose the best looking, firm strawberries, wash them, remove the stalks and put them in a single layer on a paper towel to dry completely. Then I put them on a freezer tray (making sure there is space between them) and freeze. A few hours later (or the next day), I put them to plastic bags. Afterwards, even during cold winter months, I can enjoy them in cakes, smoothies and desserts.

Another way of keeping them longer is in the form of preserves. A while back I posted a recipe for Strawberry Confiture. It is undoubtedly delicious and loved by everyone.

However, it does have one shortcoming: there is plenty of sugar in it. We all know how bad sugar is for us and we should cut down on the amounts we consume. So I also decided to search for a solution that would allow me to make still delicious but low sugar strawberry jam.

Low Sugar Strawberry Jam Recipe With Pectin – Not Only with Lower Sugar Content but Also Faster to Make

Luckily, I didn’t have to look far for the answer as I found it in… fruits. They include a fibre called pectin. Some of them have a higher pectin content (e.g. apples, quince, citrus fruit), others, especially strawberries and raspberries, are low in this fibre.

That’s why when you want to make a jam from these softer fruits, you have to either cook them for a long time or add more sugar. Only by doing either (or both) your strawberry or raspberry jam will get thicker and eventually will set.

However, working with pectin makes the whole process so much easier. You have to cook the strawberries with a QUARTER of the usual sugar amount for one hour. Then you have to add the pectin combined with a bit of sugar and cook for further 5 minutes. And that’s it; your delicious and healthier Low Sugar Strawberry Jam is ready.

As you can see using pectin will considerably decrease both the time and the amount of sugar needed to make a delicious jam. So now, I guess, we can’t excuse ourselves that we are not preparing homemade preserves because they take too long to make 😉

Low Sugar Strawberry Jam Recipe With Pectin

Agnieszka Weiner
An easy way to make healthier strawberry jam faster.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 2 jars

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kg strawberries washed and hulled
  • 150 g sugar
  • 1 lemon (juice)
  • 1 tbsp pectin

Instructions
 

  • Put the strawberries with sugar (keep 1 tbsp of sugar for later) and lemon juice into a shallow pan, bring to boil, lower the heat to medium and cook for 1 h.
  • Mix the pectin with 1 tbsp sugar, add to the cooked strawberries, stir and cook for further 5 minutes.
  • Pour the jam into sterilized jars*, cover with lids, seal and put all the jars upside down on a towel, then cover them with the towel tightly.
  • Keep the jars covered for a few hours. Afterwards, you can keep them in a cool place for up to a year.

Notes

* There are many ways of sterilizing jars, but I have been successfully using this one:
  1. wash jars and lids very well,
  2. put them in a big bowl,
  3. a minute or so before you are ready to put your jam in jars, pour boiling water into the bowl with jars,
  4. after at least 30 seconds gently take one jar from the bowl and pour in the jam,
  5. the jars will be very hot, so you have to use an oven glove to hold them.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

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