Making Low or No Sugar Jam and Jelly (2024)

FAQs

Can you use less sugar when making jam? ›

Less sugar may allow for greater bacterial growth. As a result, process times may be longer for these low-sugar or no-sugar jams and jellies. Some pectin products include preservatives to reduce bacterial growth, as well as to preserve color.

Sugar may not be required when certain starches or gums are used to thicken or gel the final product. In addition to sweetening and helping with gel formation in regular jams, jellies and preserves, sugar plays a very important role in preventing spoilage.

Quick Facts… All fruits can safely be canned or frozen without sugar.

Standard Tiptree Jam contains 67% sugar. Tiptree Reduced Sugar Jam contains 40%.

Since pectin is activated by sugar, it requires using a considerable amount of sugar to activate the pectin and set (i.e. thicken) your jam. If you try to cut back on the sugar, it won't set properly.

Jam Definition

To dive in, we must go straight to the Food Standard Agency's 5,000 words 'The Jam and Similar Products (England) Regulations 2003' definition. To legally be called a jam, the recipe must contain a minimum of 60% sugars (including natural fruit sugar and added sugar).

At least 60% to 70% sugar to fruit will work well; so 600g to 700g of sugar to a kilo of fruit. As mentioned above, you could use 'jam sugar' but that's not entirely necessary, especially if you prefer a looser jam. You can use caster or ordinary granulated sugar.

The answer is that you can always safely reduce the amount of sugar in a recipe, because sugar doesn't make things safe. The only thing that makes a jam, jelly or other sweet preserve safe for canning in a boiling water bath canner is the acid content, because that's what prevents any potential botulism growth.

Expert Response. All fruits can safely be canned or frozen without sugar. Jams and jellies can be made somewhat satisfactorily without added sugar but tend to resemble more of gelatin-fruited dessert than a true jam or jelly. Sweet relish and pickle recipes do not adapt as well to sugar-free canning as do plain fruits.

Yes, diabetics can consume sugar free jam for breakfast. Spreading a small amount (about 1-2 teaspoons) on whole-grain toast or adding it to a diabetic-friendly yogurt can be a great way to enjoy jam without worrying about blood sugar spikes.

Can I use regular pectin for low sugar jam? ›

You can find low-sugar pectin in most grocery stores or online. The regular pectin won't work, so make sure you find the low-sugar one.

By reducing the percentages of total sugar content, the characteristic gel in the consistency is lost. If the percentage is less than 60% the jam may ferment, unless chemical additives are added to preserve it. Significantly higher percentages of total sugar content may cause crystallisation in the jam.

Over-ripe or damaged fruit is not ideal - the jam will not set well and is likely to deteriorate rapidly. The amount of sugar you need to make jam depends on the amount of pectin in your chosen fruit, but generally the fruit-to-sugar ratio for traditional jams is 1:1 (ie. 450g/1lb sugar to 450g/1lb fruit).

What if I open a jar of my jam or jelly and it isn't sweet enough to suit my taste? For an immediate fix, gently stir some additional sweetener into the jar. Another option is to empty the jar into a small saucepan. Add the sweetener you want to the mixture in the pan and bring to a boil, stirring well for 1 minute.

Jams usually contain about 60% sugar, which is enough to stop most microorganisms growing. The high acidity also makes it an unpleasant place to breed. However, some moulds can grow even in these harsh conditions and so it is important to take care when preparing and sterilising your jars.