BJ’s Sugar-free Keto Strawberry Jam

Sugar-free Keto Strawberry Jam using your own sweetener and NO DEXTROSE. 

Hey, diabetic and keto folks…

Have you gotten tired of looking for a homemade jam recipe that can be preserved and does not use trash ingredients like (Sure-Jell which has DEXTROSE in it) and claim to be sugar-free or low sugar? My Sugar-free Keto Strawberry Jam is the answer.

One of my favorite things to can is strawberry jam, and this year, I have been waiting to do it until early fall (yes, early fall!) I collect strawberries at the height of their harvest season (June) and wash, trim & freeze them to capture their flavors, then in fall when things cool down, I make a dozen or so half pints of jam when it’s no longer hot and not so busy during the same late summer, which is the same time I have been canning other things like crazy (pickles, salsa, etc.).

One thing you might know about me is my sheer hatred for the kinds of fake ingredients marketed to diabetics and other people who want to keep their blood sugar at a normal level, but wind up having blood glucoses spikes and other problems due to consuming things that they were told were “safe for diabetics” or “keto-friendly,” I’m sorry, but anything that is designed for or has the potential to raising blood sugars is NOT keto friendly. 

End rant… I hope you like this Sugar-free Keto Strawberry Jam as much as I do, and my family does!

INGREDIENTS

1 1/3 cup Allulose
2 tsp Pomona’s Universal Pectin powder
6 cups thawed frozen strawberries (5 cups if using fresh)
2 tsp Pomona’s calcium water
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
1 tsp citric acid (or 4 tablespoons bottled lemon juice)

DIRECTIONS

Prepare jars for canning by checking all the rims for chips or cracks. Do not use these jars for canning. Use for something else, like storing leftovers in the fridge or non-food items, using in crafts, etc. Next, wash jars with hot, soapy water (and lids, if not using new ones), rinse well, and keep them in hot water until you’re ready to fill them. Alternatively you can run them through a hot rinse cycle in the dishwasher (not the lids). 

Prepare a water bath canner with enough water to just cover each jar by 1 to 1 1/2 inches. I don’t start cooking my jam until the canning water reaches at least 175-180 F. Otherwise, my hot jam starts getting cold! (see Notes below)

In a medium bowl, combine the Allulose and Pomona’s pectin powder and blend well using a whisk.

In a pot, measure out the strawberries, then add the calcium water, vanilla, and citric acid. Stir to combine.

Heat the strawberry mixture over medium heat, mashing gently with a wooden spoon or potato masher as they cook, once starting to get soft.

Increase heat and bring strawberry mixture to a boil, and stir in the Allulose/pectin mixture. Stir gently for about 2 minutes or until Alluse/pectin are dissolved.

Once the Allulose/pectin is dissolved into the strawberries, it will come back up to a boil. Continue to boil for a full minute.

Go to your prepared jars and dry a couple, then using a funnel and ladle, fill each one to have a headspace of 1/4″. At this time, you can also debubble your jars.

Clean the jar rims with a clean cloth (I dab it in vinegar), and place lids and secure jar rings to finger tight.

Add jars to water bath canner once the water has reached a full boil and process for 10 minutes (adding an additional minute more for every 1000 ft above sea level).

Remove jars once processed and place each jar gently onto a towel-lined flat surface in a place where they will not be jiggled or bumped for at least 24 hours.

To test for sealed jars by removing each jar’s ring and seeing if you can lift the jar just by the edge of its lid (carefully). If the lid is secure, the jar is sealed.

Store your Sugar-free Keto Strawberry Jam for 12-14 months in a cool, dark place (doesn’t need to be cold, but should not be hot).

Notes:

How much water do I need to put in the canner? 

I don’t know about you, but the thought of a completely-filled 21 quart canner of boiling water in my small apartment scares me, because I’m clumsy, and frankly, that takes a long time to boil. The level to fill the pot for canning depends on whether you’re using pint or half pint, though I prefer half pints for jam. It can be tricky the first time you do it, but you can figure it out after the first couple canning projects you do. I have placed canned goods or jars that already contain preserved goods in them into my rack and lowered it, then added enough water to cover those cans or jars, then removed them and becan heating the water.  Note: If you have access to one, get a steam canner instead. They require much less water and can be a bit cheaper, plus, they take the same processing time and instructions as you’d follow for a water bath method.

Fixing foam:

Strawberry jam, once boiled, may become foamy (same with other jams, as well as salsas, tomato sauces, and relishes). That’s OK, because the foam won’t affect the taste, texture, or shelf life of your jam, just rises to the top of each jar, and can be mixed in to be unnoticable once a jar is opened. .But if you don’t want foamy jam, you can add a teaspoon or so of butter or oil (olive, avocado, or coconut) and stir it in completely before canning. This small amount of oil will bring down the foam immediately but will not affect the taste or texture of the jam, and since it’s such a negligible amount of fat, will not make jam greasy or oily, either.

Do I need to de-bubble the jam?

To de-bubble means to eliminate any trapped bubbles in your jars once filled, by running a thin tool such as a butter knife, chopstick or thin dowel (or actual debubbling tool) around the center and inside of your jars’ contents before canning. I have never done this and never had an issue—some people do, some don’t.

Unsealed jars:

Any jars that did not seal you can eat the contents of right away, or keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Otherwise, if no more than 24 hours have gone by after processing, you can reprocess the contents of unsealed jars for 10 minutes again using new lids and clean rings.

Jam not gelled to your likeness:

If your jam did not gel to the consistency you like, you can reheat it, and can it again using the steps above. Make sure to use clean/new rings and re-cleaned jars.