Right, when Wimbledon was supposed to start, I told you I’d turn my preplanned Wimbledon recipes into basic how tos. When it came to adjusting this one, I struggled. So, we’re doing this one a little differently. Instead of showing you a simplistic how to on what would have been, I’m sharing a full recipe on a component that would have been featured in another one. How to make a strawberry jam recipe. And the strawberry jam wasn’t going in the dougnuts on Thursday, you’ll find out what was supposed to be in those when I can finally celebrate strawberries & cream season next year…
Also, somewhat unrelated, but if you like the idea of strawberries & cream anything, are based in the UK and are vegan/ dairy free/ generally up for trying new things – you need this chocolate in your life. I picked it up on a whim recently and it’s, in my humble opinion, one of the best free from chocolate bars I’ve ever had.
Making Reduced Sugar Jam
Anyway, back to today’s post. I’ve shared a jam recipe before and in that post, I reduced the sugar and used chia seeds to help it set without the extra sugar. To make things different, I was going to make a traditional jam recipe today. Then I changed my mind at the last minute. For those of you who don’t know, traditional jam recipes contain equal parts sugar and fruit. So, this recipe, featuring 400g of strawberries would require 400g of sugar. And I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I can quite happily buy a jar of jam knowing it’s full of sugar, but my conscience can’t allow me to make one with that much sugar. Please let me know down below if you’re like this too.
I still didn’t want to make one with seeds, so I opted for less sugar. The plus side? It has half the sugar. Down side? It takes longer than regular jam. I know some of you won’t be quite as sugar phobic and care more about the time, so I’m going to leave instructions below for a higher sugar method as well.
Seedless strawberry jam recipe
A reduced sugar strawberry jam recipe with just three ingredients.
This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nut free and vegan.
Seedless strawberry jam recipe
Ingredients
- 400 g strawberries hulled and washed
- Juice of half a lemon
- 2 tbsp water only if using reduced sugar method
- 200 g sugar – jam sugar is preferable but caster will work too 400g if not following reduced sugar method
Instructions
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Cut the strawberries in half. If the strawberries are large, quarters may be better. Put the strawberries and lemon juice into a large saucepan, and the water if following the reduced sugar version. Heat for a few minutes to soften. The strawberries will still be whole, but soft to the touch with a fork.
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Add the sugar and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
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Once the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is clear, boil steadily until the jam reaches setting point, stirring regularly. If you’re making the full sugar version, this may only take 5-10 minutes. For the reduced sugar version, this could take up to 25 minutes. During this time, you’ll notice the liquid thicken as you’re stirring. To test if the jam is at setting point, spoon a little onto a cold plate, leave for a minute and then push the jam with your finger. If the jam crinkles and separates without flooding back, setting point has been reached.
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If you wish to make this jam seedless, sieve the liquid using a metal sieve over a large glass bowl before you follow the steps to boil. Once the jam has been sieved, pour the liquid from the bowl back to the pain and continue with the steps above.
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Set aside to cool for 10 minutes and fully set. Spoon into clean jam jars.
Serve and enjoy!
Are you guys with me on the sugar thing or do you prefer yours the sweeter the better?
Until next time,
Sophie
Thanks for sharing this, my son loves jam but I struggle with the idea of all that sugar. We will try and make our own using your method.
Oh, this sounds delicious. I haven’t made strawberry jam before, but have had a go at a few others. I think i will be bookmarking this recipe, and using it for my Christmas hamper gifts! I love that you have done it low sugar, I wouldn’t have thought about using chia seeds, but looks like they work perfectly for this jam!
Thanks for sharing!
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
This looks delicious, I love homemade jam – haven’t made it for years!
I used to love my grandma’s homemade jam. I haven’t had any of the homemade stuff in years. We’ve got some strawberries growing in the garden, if we get enough I might try to make some, Ive never done it before. We’ve only got a couple of small plants and the birds and slugs are getting more than we do
I know exactly what you mean when it comes to adding sugar. I always feel dreadful when I see a recipe with 400g but will also happily pick up a supermarket jam with zero sugar fear!! X
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
Yum, I love seedless strawberry jam… I really fancy some now! 😀
This is so good. Vegan jams are healthy to eat. Thank you for sharing.
This looks delicious! Feel like making your own jam seems so rewarding!
Tash – A Girl with a View
Mmmm! Strawberry has been one of my favourite things since I was a child! I was super picky and this was the only thing that I would have on my sandwiches! Now I love it on scones!
Daisy xoxo | According To Daisy
This looks delicious!
I have to agree with you on the sugar thing haha, If I’m making this myself and see all that sugar being added I’d probably hesitate to eat it.
Lovely post x
This sounds amazing! I love strawberry jam but I’m really picky and prefer the seedless version so this recipe is super handy. I’ve never made my own jam before but this recipe sounds easy and the photos make it look super tasty. Can’t wait to give this a go!
I’m sorry, but what is castor sugar? Or jam sugar?
Jam sugar is a form of sugar with pectin in it that helps preserves set faster. Caster sugar is just a regular white sugar that’s finer than granulated sugar x
I love that the jam is seedless. Sometimes, the seeds get stuck and I just have a hard time getting that weird feeling away. Oooohohooho the chocolate bar looks so cool!! I definitely need to give this a try someday. So much better than buying it filled with extra preservatives.
Nancy ✨ exquisitely.me
Wow, this looks absolutely delicious and not as complicated as I thought it would be. Great read!
This jam looks so delicious Sophie! I prefer seedless jam as I don’t like eating foods with seeds in, I’m a little weird like that! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
I love jam. Thank you for this recipe!
This looks so good! I’ve been making my banana bread this weekend and maybe I’ll make this jam tomorrow to put it on top! Thanks for the inspiration!
Ahh I love strawberry jam! It’s definitely my favourite flavour of jam and I love Judy having it on toast for breakfast. I’d love to try and make some myself x
I loooove jam – I cant believe I’ve never made my own before. This recipe looks great so I’ll deffo have to try it soon x
Roni | myelevatedexistence.com
This sounds great! I’m in a household with a diabetic so less sugar is definitely my preference.
I’ve never made jam but this looks delicious! Strawberries and cream is one of the best combos!
Thanks for sharing. I’ve never made homemade jam but am definitely going to give this a go!
What I Have Wrote
Girllllll I swear what kind of coincidence is this? I was literally just thinking the other day about how I’ve always wanted to try making my own jam and then I stumbled upon this! Thank you so much for sharing!
Sounds delicious. I would prefer the sugar rediced version.
Oh I love strawberry jam! It’s so good on biscuits and toast! This recipe looks incredible. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing! Looks so tasty ❤️
I love strawberry jam but I’ve never made my own before – it’s interesting knowing how much sugar is in it. I knew it was a lot but that sounds like so much – I think a reduced sugar version is a great idea! 🙂
Hope you have been having a great weekend 🙂
I’ve been recently craving strawberry jam, omg! Now I have to go find strawberries to try making it myself with this recipe!
I love jam, especially strawberry. Definitely going to make this x
Mmmm, I love homemade jam – it’s so much better than anything you can buy at the shops! And this one looks amazing, Sophie – thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
I kind of love that it’s seedless – mixes things up a bit.
I would love to try this! Looks amazing, thanks for sharing 🙂
This looks delicious and sounds so easy! My mom always makes jam in bulk but this sounds like just the right amount for me in my little household. Thank you for sharing!
I’ve never tried making my own jam before. Yours looks so delicious, and strawberry jam is my favourite xo
Makeup Muddle
Oh, yum! I’ve never made my own jam, but this makes it seem much more approachable. Thank you for sharing!
That jam looks and sounds delicious. I love strawberry jam, but we always just purchase it already made by someone else. There’s a vendor that sells it at our local farmer’s market, for example. I’ve never tried making my own jam before but reading this, it looks easier than I had assumed it would be.
I would love to have a go at making my own jam, I don’t know why I’ve never really thought about doing it before! I would probably lower the sugar too, otherwise that’s a lot of sugar! Your strawberry jam looks so great though, I don’t eat jam a lot but it is nice every so often!
Chloe xx
I haven’t tried to make jam before but I want to! x
Thanks for sharing this! That chocolate looks delicious! And I agree with you, I’ll buy something sugary but I find it so hard to make something when you see how much sugar goes into it! I love jam on toast in the morning and a less sugary recipe is probably for the best at the rate I eat it!
I’m exactly the same when it comes to the sugar. I suppose its the reality of actually seeing the quantity as apposed to just a number that’s unrealatable.
Honestly I don’t think I’ve ever even considered the sugar content in jam haha! This looks delish though – toasted bagel with jam is so good!
I’ve never made my own jam but I’d love to so this is perfect! I’ve been having jam with loads of stuff recently for some reason haha xx
Tiffany x http://www.foodandotherloves.co.uk
This is a great recipe, I like jam. You have shared a great easy to follow recipe! Great photos Sophie, thank you for sharing this post.
I love jam! Strawberry is my fave xx
Your post is like a jam-making adventure, and I’m ready to don my apron and become a jam-making maestro! Who knew that making seedless strawberry jam could be the jam-packed (pun intended) party we all needed? Your guide had me picturing strawberries doing the conga line.
And let’s talk about your jam-making descriptions – you’ve managed to turn berries and pots into a symphony, and I’m tapping my feet like I’m at a strawberry jam concert. Move over, ordinary spreads – we’re jamming to a new beat, and it’s strawberrylicious!