Homemade Strawberry Preserves Without Sugar
Grab fresh strawberries ASAP and get ready to make my Strawberry Preserves Without Sugar. All you need is a handful of ingredients for this perfect sweet treat. My naturally sweetened version can be used on warm buttery toast or other breakfast faves like swirled into greek yogurt, fresh and hot Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits or desserts like my Fruit Pizza Without Cream Cheese or my Strawberry Jam Muffins.
Let’s face it, most grocery store jams and preserves are loaded with sugar. As I continue to clean up my diet to manage pre-diabetes, I’m always looking for ways to enjoy my favorite foods in healthier ways. There is something comforting about homemade jam and this sugar-free strawberry version hits the spot.
Inspired by Meghan Markle’s With Love, Meghan series, yes I binged watched it– I found myself drawn to her handmade, from scratch creations. This is the perfect excuse to embrace my local strawberries and make my own fruit jam. And bonus – this recipe requires no canning knowledge!
Why this recipe works
- This jam is amazing on top of Fruit Loop Mochi Waffles or in between Whole Wheat Stuffed French Toast or spread a layer of it in my Gluten Free Victoria Sponge Cake.
- This Strawberry Jam has all the flavor and no refined sugar.
- Chia seeds help add extra nutrients to the preserves.
- You can make this recipe with any fruit.
Ingredients
- Fresh strawberries. The best time to get strawberries is during strawberry season but look for strawberries that have a nice red hue.
- Honey. Maple syrup can be used too.
- Chia seeds.
- Cinnamon.
- Vanilla extract.
- Squeeze of lemon juice.
How to make Strawberry Preserves Without Sugar
Step One: Start with cleaning and cutting the strawberries. Soak or rinse in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut off the green tops and cut into a small dice.
Step Two: Place strawberries into a small sauce pan over medium-high heat and drizzle with the honey. Sprinkle the chia seeds over top and add the cinnamon and lemon juice. Give it a good stir.
Step Three: Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium low. Let the strawberries simmer and cook down for at least 25-30 minutes , while stirring every few minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract at the end.
Step Four: Let the preserves cool and store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to a week.
Storing
Let the hot jam cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight containeror mason jars in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Helpful tips for Low-Sugar Strawberry Jam
- This is a small batch recipe that is perfect for the weekend. If you want a larger batch, use more strawberries and adjust the honey to your liking.
- If you don’t cut the strawberries too small, that is ok. You can mash them down with your spatula or potato masher as they cook.
- I learned this in culinary school that if your berries have a little mold you can still cook them down for jam or preserves, you just need to cut off the mold first. So my trick is, when buying strawberries, try to get them as ripe/red as possible. I like to buy them and let them sit in the fridge until they almost go bad.
- Continue to stir the strawberries to prevent burning.
- The chia seeds don’t need to be added however they do help with thickening.
- To make this vegan, use agave instead of honey.
Serving suggestions for Strawberry Preserves Without Sugar
This low sugar strawberry jam recipe goes with so many different things:
- Use a savory glaze over salmon.
- Serve on a cheese board with your favorite cheeses such as brie, manchego or feta.
- Spread over warm toasted bagels with cream cheese, english muffins , scones or add a dollop on top of pancakes like my Lemon Raspberry Buttermilk Pancakes or in my Gluten Free Peanut Butter and Jelly cookies.
- Stir into overnight oats.
- Add spoonful on top of vanilla ice cream.
- Other flavor ideas are peach jam, blueberry jam, blackberry jam or raspberry.
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Homemade Strawberry Preserves Without Sugar
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Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh and ripe strawberries
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- Squeeze of lemon juice
Instructions
- Start with cleaning and cutting the strawberries. SOak or rinse in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut off the green tops and cut into a small dice.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the strawberries along with the honey. Sprinkle the chia seeds over top and add the cinnamon and lemon juice. Give it a good stir.
- Let the strawberries cook down for at least 30 minutes , while stirring every few minutes.
- Let the preserves cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
– This is a small batch recipe that is perfect for the weekend. If you want a larger batch, use more strawberries and adjust the honey to your liking.
If you don’t cut the strawberries too small, that is ok. You can mash them down with your spatula as they cook.
– I learned this in culinary school that if your berries have a little mold you can still cook them down for jam or preserves, you just need to cut off the mold first. So my trick is, when buying strawberries, try to get them as ripe/red as possible. I like to buy them and let them sit in the fridge until they almost go bad.
– Continue to stir the strawberries to prevent burning.
– The chia seeds don’t need to be added however they do help with thickening.
– To make this vegan, use agave instead of honey.
Nutrition
Making this recipe? I would love to see it! Tag me on Instagram @whensaltyandsweetunite or use hashtag #whensaltyandsweetunite .
