Quick and easy Keto Sweet, Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam! With just three ingredients, this jam will be all set to slather in about 20 minutes. The perfect companion for peanut butter, butter and cream cheese.
This Keto Sweet, Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam is also amazing in baked goods. Perfect for sandwiching between layers of cake, filling doughnuts and making thumbprint cookies, this jam will become a staple in your house!
My goal was to make jam that had a similar texture and flavor to traditional jam made with sugar. I had tried other keto versions of jam using xanthan gum and chia seeds to thicken the mix and I wasn’t happy with the outcome. The flavor was off and the texture wasn’t perfect either. After a little experimentation, this is what it boiled down to…
THREE SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
That’s all it takes to simmer up a batch of delicious Keto Sweet, Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam!
Strawberries 🍓
Frozen strawberries are my favorite for making Keto Sweet, Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam. Of course, you can use fresh, but they always just seem so precious to me that I’d rather save them for something where I can really appreciate their texture. Frozen strawberries also tend to be more economical, at least where I live. By all means, feel free to use fresh if you have a ton or that’s your preference!
Allulose
This recipe uses my favorite sweetener, allulose, a natural sweetener found in figs, raisins and also wheat. It’s a double win because it behaves like traditional sugar with no aftertaste. Allulose is perfect for those on keto, watching their weight or on a low sugar diet because it is not metabolized by the body making it very low in calories. It is a bit pricey but I feel it’s really worth it for your baked goods. I use it almost exclusively in my baking.
Check out more keto recipes with allulose.
Gelatin
Gelatin is great to use as a thickening agent for this Keto Sweet, Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam. I prefer to use the granular version since I use it in so many recipes and it doesn’t have to be hydrated first. The addition of gelatin helps the jam thicken up and have that spreadability that traditional jam offers.
TECHNIQUES
We’re mainly aiming to cook the strawberries down to make our Keto Sweet, Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam. This means cooking over medium-low heat and stirring so that they don’t stick or burn. Just watch the mixture closely so it doesn’t burn.
EQUIPMENT
- nonstick pan
- spatula/spoon
- jar
Nonstick pan. I use a 10 inch frying pan to make Keto Sweet, Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam. Why nonstick? The nonstick coating ensures that I don’t loose too much jam to the surface of the pan and it’s also great for clean up. And why a frying pan? The increased surface area of a wide pan allows the berries to cook evenly and allows moisture to evaporating more quickly, speeding up the cooking time. We’re essentially reducing the berries down to create jam.
Silicone spatula. This really enables you to see the development as the jam cooks. When you can part the red sea of jam, you know you’re close! Plus, it helps clean out every last drop from the pan!
Jars. I love using jars with the attached lid. The brand pictured is Fido (I am faithful in Latin, BTW – I knew all those years of Latin would pay off!). This variety is squared on the bottom which is helpful for fridge and pantry space. I also like reusing jam jars and other interesting jars as I have them available – great to reuse when you can (or jar!). A wider mouth helps some with something like Keto Sweet, Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam where you’d be using a knife or spoon to scoop it out.
Starfish serving board. What can I say, I’m a sucker for starfish! The walnut waves with gorgeous maple starfish would sure make the kitchen cheery!
P.S. Did you know that when I’m not (Starfish) in the kitchen, I’m (Starfish) in the woodshop? Our company Starfish & Whale specializes in serving boards and cutting boards!
TROUBLESHOOTING
You might wonder, what can go wrong with this simple recipe. There can be a couple of issues.
Why is my strawberry jam too thick?
It can be easy to reduce the berries down too much. They’ll start looking so thick and jammy in the pan that you might think to yourself, it’s going so well! If the walls of your pan start looking like a fruit roll up you might have taken it too far! If you do get to this point, add a little more water to loosen up the mixture. Remember, the berries will continue to thicken as they cool, and the gelatin will also cause them to thicken up.
Why is my strawberry jam too runny?
It could be that there’s too much liquid in the pan still. My preference is more of a homogeneous texture so I like to cook it down until everything seems uniform. When you can draw a spatula across the pan and it leaves a trail, it’s getting thick enough. Just keep cooking, and stirring, until it thickens.
Why isn’t my strawberry jam thickening up?
If you allow the jam to cool and then refrigerate it, it should thicken up as it cools. If it’s still runny after it’s completely cooled, you can try heating it again and adding a little more gelatin and allow it to cool completely. That should do the trick!
SERVING
How to serve Keto Sweet, Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam?
- Enjoy with peanut butter on some homemade bread! You had to see that one coming!
- Enjoy with cream cheese on a warm bagel
- Have a dollop in your Greek yogurt with some almonds sprinkled on top
- Thin it out and have as a sauce with ice cream or cake 🍰
- Swirl it into a cheesecake
- Enjoy with some brie and crackers
- Make it as a gift!
What to drink with Keto Sweet, Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam?
PB&J = MILK! 🥛 If you’re having it with desert, some decaf coffee. How about on toast with some tea?
STORING
Keep in the fridge and use up within 5-7 days of making.
❤️ MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Keto Pasadena Zucchini Bread is great with jam!
- Keto Pumpkin Spice Butter is another amazing spread
- Keto Beautiful Braided Challah Bread is an amazing yeast risen bread and perfect with jam
Keto Sweet Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam
Equipment
- nonstick pan
- Spatula or spoon
- jar
Ingredients
- 16 oz strawberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup water
- 4-6 tablespoons allulose depending on taste
- 1 teaspoon gelatin
Instructions
- Add strawberries and water to a shallow, nonstick pan and turn the heat to medium high. If using frozen berries, there’s no need to defrost.
- Bring the water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
- Stir the mixture occasionally to check for any sticking. If the berries start to stick, reduce the heat.
- The berries should reduce down to the point where you can part the red sea of strawberries with your silicone spatula. If your berries don’t reach this stage the jam will be too runny.
- Continue to cook until the berries reach your desired consistency. You can leave it a little chunky or cook until the strawberries are completely broken down and the mixture is smooth.
- Add 4 tablespoons of allulose and taste. Continue to add allulose to your desired sweetness level. Our household compromises at about 5 tablespoons (I’d prefer 6!).
- Remove from heat and sprinkle on 1 teaspoon of granular gelatin in a thin layer. Quickly start working the gelatin into the mixture and break up any lumps. Lumps and strings of gelatin in the final product aren’t too pleasant! If you have a hard time with this stage, you can also try dissolving the gelatin in some cool water first and then add it.
- Jar up your beautiful jam! Once cool, store in the refrigerator.
I love strawberry jam and it’s even better when it’s homemade. This recipe looks like something I’d like to try! Thanks for sharing.
I hope you give it a try! It’s easy to do and ready quickly. I find I usually make it while I’m waiting for bread to rise then it’s ready when my fresh bread is!
Looks delicious. I never would have thought to use gelatin. I do like the Keto chia version of jam, but it does have a different consistency. I’m going to try this as my partner is doing keto and misses his jam. Would make a lovely Christmas gift as well.
Thanks for checking it out! It’s definitely the method that’s the most like traditional jam – I think your partner will love it. Love the idea of gifting jam as well just remind recipients to refrigerate it!
As a fan of anything strawberry, this recipe looks amazing. I will have to try this out because fresh homemade jam with toasted bread is the best.
Thank you, Caitlin! I’m planning on some toast and jam for breakfast today – I completely agree with you!
This is great! I have been am making all my jams for years; I don’t even remember the last time I bought one, oh, it was on holiday last year, but only because it was Italy and the jam was organic:))
I appreciate a lot your research, experimenting and getting the right ingredients and quantities for your recipes. Excellent work!
Thank you, Mihaela! Good for you making all your own jam! I only started once we switched to keto – it’s not hard and definitely worth the effort!
I would love to make my own strawberry jam! love this simple but really good for breakfast and snack spread
Thanks so much, Jeannie. This is definitely a simple and easy (and good) one!
I’m so glad to find this sugar-free strawberry jam recipe, as I have family members who are diabetic, and I’d love to make a version of this for them. This is the first time I’ve heard of allulose, and I’m excited to try it. Do you have recommendations for a gelatin substitute for vegetarians? Or would it be acceptable to omit that ingredient? Thanks in advance for your advice!
Hi Katrina, that’s a great question – some people like chia seeds as a thickener (not my favorite!) and some use xanthan gum which is okay but also not my favorite. I have not tried it myself so it’s a little hard for me to recommend from personal experience, but agar agar is the gelatin replacement I read about most for vegetarians. So sorry that’s a long answer! I’d probably try thickening by reducing a little more or experiment with agar agar. Thank you again for commenting and I hope you give it a try. I can definitely recommend allulose. I have gone through many pounds of the magic powder!
this is an awesome recipe.
strawberry is such a healthy fruit and this jam is perfect for most baked items.
thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much, Hari! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it!
I love the fact that it is sugar-free, would love to try it!
I hope you do too – it’s so simple and the allulose is really good at sweetening like sugar!