Since I had a pleasant experience with my first canning project, I decided to attempt making jam. Low-sugar jam, that is. I’m always horrified when I read jam recipes that call for 7 cups of sugar. I realize that some fruit can be rather tart au naturel, but for those of us who can’t conceive using ludicrous amounts of sugar, there is an alternative. The no sugar needed pectin.
The best part about this pectin is how flexible it is. Sugar is not a requirement for it to work, but it does allow you to add a sweetener to enhance the natural fruit flavours. You have the option to add between 1 1/2 to 3 cups of granulated sugar or 3/4 to 1 cup of honey (or Splenda, but personally I don’t use or trust artificial sweeteners).
I used all-natural cane sugar for one batch, honey for another, and took the freedom to try agave nectar for the last batch. They all worked well, but if I had to choose one, I prefer honey.
Low Sugar Raspberry Jam (or Raspberry-Peach Jam)
- 5 cup-sized jars
- 4 cups crushed raspberries (or 2 cups raspberries and 2 cups crushed pealed ripe peaches)
- 1 cup unsweetened apple or grape juice
- 1 package of No Sugar Needed Pectin
- 3/4 cup of honey or agave nectar, or 1 1/2 cup of all natural cane sugar (or omit altogether)
- 1/2 tsp butter (to reduce foaming)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (only if making the raspberry-peach jam)
- 1 home canning kit
In medium-sized saucepan, combine the crushed fruit and fruit juice. Stir in lemon juice (if required), butter and the pectin until dissolved. Over high heat, bring mixture to a full boil, stirring frequently. If using, add the sweetener. Stirring constantly, return mixture to a full boil. Boil hard for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and skim off foam, if necessary. Fill and process jars as detailed in the Pickled Dill Carrots post, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Remove bubbles, wipe jar rim and place hot disc on clean rim. Screw band down until resistance is met.
Boil in canner for 10 minutes. Wait 5 minutes and remove jars without tilting. You should hear the lids pop as they seal. Cool upright for 24 hours and refrigerate any that has not sealed, for immediate use.
Enjoy within a year. Makes a lovely, homemade gift.
Recipe adapted from Bernardin.
Sarah
August 3, 2009I've never been able to find the no sugar needed stuff, only the "light" where you still have to add sugar to it! It sucks because I love my jams natural too! I've looked in WalMart, Loblaws, Sobeys, etc, but nada!
Marie-Ève
August 3, 2009Hi Sarah,
I can only find the no-sugar need pectin at Canadian Tire, with the canning supplies! Give it a try!
Marie-Ève 🙂
Anonymous
August 23, 2009You can find no sugar pectin on amazon. I just bought an 8 pack. Buy the surejell pink box.
Regarding the recipe, I found that 4 cups peaches and 2 cups raspberries workerd better. I also added a quarter cup Grand Marinier and a stick of cinnimon. to the fruit mixture. I think Contreau might have gone better, but the flavor was pretty good.
Nicholas
Anonymous
July 31, 2010I use Pomona's Universal Pectin, available at my local natural foods store. Its jelling power is activated by calcium, not by sugar content. The calcium comes with the pectin. See http://www.pomonapectin.com.
Anonymous
September 17, 2010Researching recipes for a raspberry-peach jam combo tonight, I came across your blog. I agree with a reader that less raspberries and more peaches could be best. Before seeing your recipe I had already experimented–I was trying to have whole raspberries floating throughout peach jam, but not successful yet. However, just the very few raspberries infused the whole pint of peach with their flavor. I've made pies of peach with raspberries, like it best with only about a third being berries. I am a berry lover, but the peach is more subtle, so more peach, less berry allows both flavors to shine. A Colorado reader
Psychgrad
July 12, 2011Just made the raspberry version. Went with honey. Thanks for the tip!
Anonymous
September 10, 2011I tried added 1/2 cup of agave syrup, plus 1 cup of unsweetend apple juice to 4 cups of crushed blueberries and it turned out perfectly. Great blueberry taste with hint of sweetness. And only 10 calories per tablespoon!
Anonymous
October 15, 2011Whenever I use the "no sugar needed" pectin, my jams never set. It was not any different with this recipe. Why? Any suggestions as to what is going wrong?
Ameeta Dudani
December 8, 2012forgot to tell you that i tried making the raspberry peach jam this summer (my first time canning too and i've always wanted to) and it turned out awesome! i gave a jar each to family and friends and they loved it! the only minor problem was that the consistency wasn't thick enough as jam should be…any ideas why? i also had a hard time finding no-sugar pectin but next time i will check Canadian Tire. thanks for the recipe 🙂
Marie-Ève
December 9, 2012Hi Ameeta! Nice to hear from you! The fruit long may not have been boiled long enough – Also use a wide pot when doing that, so that the water from the fruit can evaporate quickly. Glad to hear you enjoyed the final product nonetheless.
Marie-Ève 🙂
Anonymous
August 3, 2013Last year we made homemade raspberry wine, so I am trying the peach raspberry with the wine instead of fruit juice and honey to sweeten! Even if it is runny, I know it will taste good. Thanks for your blog!!Some great stuff on here! Shireen
Marie-Ève
August 3, 2013Let me know how the jam turns out! Thanks for visiting Craving Greens. Glad you found inspiration 🙂
Angela
October 19, 2016Would stevia be ok to use in this recipe?
cravinggreens
October 19, 2016Hi Angela,
Unfortunately I have never experimented with stevia so I cannot answer your question. If you try it out do let me know!
Marie-Ève
Bridget
August 26, 2017Looking forward to trying this as we have picked a ton of wild raspberries this summer and have a small peach tree in our front yard now full of fruit. We make maple syrup in the winter – can I substitute this for the honey / agave?
cravinggreens
August 27, 2017Hi Bridget,
I don’t see why it wouldn’t work, though I haven’t tried it myself. Let me know how it turns out!
Happy preserving,
Marie-Ève