This post may contain affiliate links, view our disclosure.
Sugar free strawberry jam has just the right amount of sweetness with no added sugar or pectin, and is easy to make in just 20 minutes! Frozen strawberries work well, but when they’re in season, use local strawberries for the most intensely-flavored jam.
Growing up in Buffalo, strawberry season was usually right around the third week of June. My sister and I looked forward to strawberry picking with mom every year!
It’s one of those things where instinct sort-of takes over. You’re in a field of deliciously ripe strawberries; you’ve already picked a flat of strawberries (when you only meant to pick half a flat); and yet you just can’t stop picking, lol.
“Just a little more” somehow turns into another flat before you discover you might have an obsession with gathering all the gorgeous berries you can get your hands on. You finally stop yourself, and then you realize you’ll have to find a ton of ways to use up all those berries (tip: try strawberry oatmeal bars)!
One of our favorite things that mom made was strawberry freezer jam. Of course it had a ton of sugar (but it’s sooo good!). This sugar free version is my take on mom’s classic. It’s not exactly the same, but for being free of added sugar, it’s pretty darn delicious.
In addition to keto sweetener, I use a touch of salt, lemon juice, and vanilla extract to simply highlight the berries’ natural flavor. During strawberry season, I like to flash-freeze strawberries to use throughout the year, and that’s my favorite to use for this jam. Store-bought frozen strawberries are usually harvested at peak ripeness and then flash-frozen for the best flavor and most nutrition; they also work well in this recipe.
How to Make Jam Without Sugar
When I first developed this jam recipe in 2019, I replaced regular sugar with two sugar free keto sweeteners: granulated erythritol and liquid stevia. I use a combination of both because erythritol can sometimes have a “cooling effect”, which is basically a minty, menthol-like flavor. Additionally, stevia can have a bitter aftertaste. When these two sweeteners are used together, both the bitterness of stevia and the cooling effect of erythritol are lessened.
Since then, low carb and keto sweeteners have come a long way! Now my preference is to use granulated monk fruit/allulose blend.
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Strawberries – One of the best things about this sugar free strawberry jam recipe is that you can use either fresh or frozen berries! Use local strawberries in season if possible. If not, go with frozen. If you’re using fresh strawberries, add 4 tablespoons of water, and if you’re using frozen strawberries, don’t thaw them.
- Granulated monk fruit/allulose blend – This is my favorite low carb, keto-friendly sweetener; feel free to use whatever sweetener you like.
- Salt – Enhances the flavor of the strawberries.
- Fresh lemon juice – Brightens the flavor and helps the jam set.
- Pure vanilla extract – This is completely optional. I love the underlying flavor and aroma vanilla adds.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Cook. Combine the strawberries, sweetener, salt, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Cover the saucepan and cook (covered) on the stovetop over medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Mash and cook briefly to thicken. Use a fork or potato masher to carefully mash the berries, leaving some larger pieces. Continue cooking (uncovered) until the sauce is thickened to your desired consistency, about 2 to 5 minutes more, stirring frequently.
- Add the vanilla. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Cool. Cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate to chill.
Storage
Store in a covered glass jar in the fridge for up to 1 month. For longer storage, put the jam in freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 1 year.
How to Flash Freeze Strawberries
Time needed: 1 hour
During strawberry season, it’s easy to flash freeze local strawberries so you can enjoy them during the year. Here’s how to do it.
- Clean
Rinse the strawberries and pat them completely dry.
- Hull
Remove the strawberries’ stems.
- Freeze
Arrange the strawberries on a large baking tray lined with parchment paper so that they aren’t touching. Put the tray in the freezer and let the strawberries freeze completely (usually takes about 30 minutes, depending on the size of your strawberries and how cold your freezer is).
- Long Term Storage
Transfer the frozen strawberries to zip-top plastic bags and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Pro Tips For the Best Sugar Free Strawberry Jam Recipe
- Mash your strawberries, but don’t puree or fully blend them. This gives your jam a more rustic, homemade texture and results in some larger pieces of fruit for a fuller mouthfeel.
- Don’t skip the lemon juice! It brightens the flavor and helps the natural pectin in strawberries set better. This is especially important because we’re not using added sugar or boxed pectin.
- Experiment and try fun variations. Play with spices or herbs; for example, add a cinnamon stick or fresh basil while the berries cook. Or swap out the strawberries for any kind of berries you like!
Frequently Asked Questions
The ratio of sugar to fruit needed to make jam varies based on the sweetness level of the fruit and on the amount of pectin in the fruit. However, the base ratio is 1:1. (Read more on The Guardian and BBC.)
The answer is simple: we add minimal water! If using fresh strawberries, we add 4 tablespoons of water. And if using frozen strawberries, we don’t add any water (because frozen berries will release more water than fresh when they cook).
The terms jam and preserves are often used interchangeably, but there’s a subtle difference in texture and fruit content:
Strawberry jam is made by cooking crushed or mashed strawberries with sweetener. The result is a smooth, spreadable consistency with some fruit pulp but no large chunks.
Strawberry preserves contain larger pieces (or even whole strawberries) suspended in a thick, syrupy gel. The texture is chunkier, and you can often see the pieces of fruit more clearly.
This sugar free recipe leans more toward jam, but if you prefer a chunkier texture, just reduce the mashing and leave some berries whole. Voilà, strawberry preserves without added sugar!
More Fruity Sweet Treats with No Added Sugar
- Low Carb Strawberry Mousse Tartlets
- Fathead Low Carb Blueberry Cobbler Bars
- Almond Vanilla Chia Pudding with Peach Pie Topping
Let’s Connect
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below. You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media.
To stay up-to-date, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter!
Sugar Free Strawberry Jam Recipe (No Added Sugar or Pectin)
Email This Recipe
Get this recipe link emailed straight to your inbox!
Ingredients
- 4 cups strawberries hulled (use local in-season strawberries if possible; see Notes for fresh or frozen)
- 2/3 cup granulated monk fruit/allulose blend (see Notes)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Cook. Combine the strawberries, sweetener, salt, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Cover the saucepan and cook (covered) on the stovetop over medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Mash and cook briefly to thicken. Use a fork or potato masher to carefully mash the berries, leaving some larger pieces. Continue cooking (uncovered) until the sauce is thickened to your desired consistency, about 2 to 5 minutes more, stirring frequently.
- Add the vanilla. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Cool. Cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate to chill.
Notes
- Net Carbs: 3g per serving (2 tablespoons)
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe yields about 1 1/2 cups, or 12 (2-tablespoon) servings.
- Strawberries: When strawberries are in season, I use fresh strawberries to make this jam; however, frozen strawberries also work great (store-bought frozen strawberries are usually flash frozen at their peak ripeness). If you’re using fresh strawberries, add 4 tablespoons of water, and if you’re using frozen strawberries, don’t thaw them.
- Sweetener: In the original version of this recipe, I used 1/2 cup granulated erythritol and 14 drops liquid stevia. My preference now is to use 2/3 cup granulated monk fruit/allulose blend. You can use whatever you like or have on hand.
- Storage: Store in a covered glass jar in the fridge for up to 1 month. For longer storage, put the jam in freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 1 year.
- Canning: I haven’t tried canning this jam, but I found that it freezes very well!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
Share it with me on Instagram and leave a comment to let me know your thoughts!
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on May 13, 2019 and updated on June 16, 2025.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
Free Bonus
Soooo good. You would not know it was sugar free. This is the first time I have made jam. I will be making it a lot more!!! I am going to try blueberry next.
I needed a last minute birthday gift and really like to share homemade, so I made a batch of strawberry jam, using Bocha for my sweetener. Perfecto!! Fast, easy, and delicious. What in the world more could you ask for?! Thanks for the recipe, Faith. 💝
I need to make this recipe for Valentine’s Day gifts for friends that live in other States. Can you tell me how long it will last Please? Plan is to make it a week and a 1/2 before Valentine’s Day in order to have time to mail it to California Ohio Ohio Georgia and Mississippi I need your tips on what is best to do with your recipe. So much
Constance, Thanks so much for your comment! I find that it keeps well stored in the fridge for at least 10 days (I’ve even had success keeping it in the fridge for about 3 weeks). It also freezes well. If you want to ship this jam, you could freeze it in plastic tupperware containers, and ship them frozen packed with ice so they’re still cold when they reach their destinations. Let me know how it goes if you do this! :)
Made this, I added some lemon zest and strawberry extract. I added everything together at once, didn’t add stevia drops though, just 1/2 c powdered Swerve, I suppose granulated would work well in this also. It is amazing. Love making pbj’s with zero carb toast
Does this work without the granulated erythritol…or if I sub it with more liquid stevia? I’m trying to avoid sugar alcohols
Christine, I haven’t tried this recipe without granulated erythritol. However, I’ve used crystallized allulose instead of granulated erythritol (and kept everything else the same) and it worked well. Please let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
You say you haven’t tried to can this recipe yet, could you tell me if erythritol is can-able? I’ve been looking for a recipe I can can, as I have limited freezer space
Roberta, I haven’t tried canning this recipe because I really don’t know if erythritol is can-able. I’m curious about this as well! If you try to can this recipe, please let me know how it goes.
I needed to cook this longer than the directions said but it turned out delicious! I use it on toast, plain greek yogurt, oatmeal and more. Thank you for this recipe!