If you love jam but you don’t want all that extra sugar, you are in luck! This simple recipe requires just a few basic ingredients and you can be sure that nobody will even know that it is sugar-free. Once you try it out, you will surely want to double or even triple the batch so that you can share it with friends and family.

Ingredients:

  • 400g diced strawberries
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 1 tsp ground chia seeds
  • 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
  • 1 Tbsp powdered sweetener (optional)

Method:

  • Chop up your strawberries and place them in a saucepan.
  • Add the water and cover with a lid.
  • Bring to the boil and then turn down to medium heat and allow to boil for 15 minutes.
  • If you would like to store your sugar-free jam for more than a week, you should add lemon juice now. This helps prevent the growth of bacteria.
  • Use a fork or potato masher to mash the strawberries.
  • Continue cooking on low-medium heat for another 30 minutes or until the mixture has reduced by half. You will notice that the bubbles will get smaller as the mixture reduces.
  • Stir regularly while cooking so that it does not stick. During the last few minutes, you should stir constantly because it will be very sticky by now.
  • Taste your jam and, if necessary, add some powdered sweetner.
  • Add the chia seeds and stir.
  • Allow to cool before filling your sterilised jar.
  • Once cooled to room temperature, you can refrigerate and enjoy with scones, pancakes or even on toast.

This is such an easy sugar-free jam recipe that you will have no trouble mastering each step. The most important of which is to stir the pot! If, for whatever reason, the jam sticks to the pot and it starts to burn, you should transfer it to another pot without scraping the bottom. Turn the heat down on your stove and make sure you stir constantly until you are done cooking. Remember, it will thicken even more as it cools.