Strawberry Honey Jam Recipe - No White Sugar, No Pectin (2024)

FAQs

Can I use honey instead of sugar to make jam? ›

One cup of sugar can be replaced by one cup of honey in recipes that yield small batches of five to six glasses. Some commercial pectin companies have honey-only jam and jelly recipes.

The secret ingredient to making jam without pectin is time. The fruit and sugar need plenty of time to cook and thicken. A long, slow boil drives the moisture out of the fruit, helping to preserve and thicken it at the same time.

No extra pectin– You may wonder if strawberry jam is better with or without pectin. Strawberries are naturally low in pectin, so some people prefer to add additional pectin to jams and jellies. However, I actually prefer homemade jam without extra pectin. They are a bit softer in texture, making it more versatile.

When making jams, jellies and preserves from fruits that contain natural pectin, it's not necessary to add additional pectin. These products are cooked to the desired consistency.

Whole Fruit Jam: Save the Sugar

Besides, replacing white sugar with brown sugar is only a relative improvement. Whole or raw sugar (evaporated juice from sugar cane) would be a better substitute, but its strong flavor often masks the taste of the fruit.

Lemon is crucial to balancing those sweet flavors, but it also helps the pectin to firm up the jam.

Although we are not adding powdered pectin, we will add citric acid or lemon juice to the jam. This gives an additional pop of pectin but also some acidity that balances the sweetness of the jam. Citric acid provides very consistent results, which is why I like to use it.

Cornflour (or cornstarch) combined with lemon juice is a great alternative to pectin. It thickens up jam really well, combined with the sugar and heat. Also, this recipe is gluten free! There's so many way to use this homemade strawberry jam, it probably won't last you more than a month.

Adding acid in the form of fresh lemon or lime juice is important for two reasons: First, it makes for a more well-balanced jam, returning some of the acidity lost with the addition of sugar. Second, pectin needs acid to properly activate, or firm up.

What not to do when making jam? ›

You can skip the commercial stuff altogether and make your own pectin using a high-pectin fruit like apples to make a stock that can be used instead of commercial pectin. If you can, use crabapples, which have lots of natural pectin and are less sweet than other varieties.

The earliest fruit preserves would be made by mixing fruit pulp with honey and allowing it to dry in the sun, creating a texture more like that of a jellied sweet. The high-pectin quince lent itself to making this well-set fruit preserve.

Some people use it to good effect, but I tend to avoid it because I have gotten much better results by just using pectin-rich fruit that is just ripe enough, and then dialing in on the sugar and acid and heat. Jams that I've made with added pectin have often turned out too thick and rubbery, with a dull flavor.

Citrus Peels - Naturally high in pectin, you can substitute citrus peels for pectin. Cornstarch - Another plant-based thickening agent, cornstarch is a great substitute for pectin. Gelatin - For non-vegan menu items, you can substitute gelatin for pectin, but it will yield a different consistency.

Here are some things to remember when you substitute honey for sugar in your canning recipes. Honey is a stronger sweetener than sugar. 3/4 cups honey will equal 1 cup sugar. Adjust your measurements accordingly.

Honey is a popular, versatile sweetener that can be used instead of white cane sugar in baking, sauces and hot drinks. Honey works well in moist, dense, full-flavoured bakes. It is sweeter than sugar, so you'll need to use less and because honey is liquid, you'll need less fluid in the recipe too.

Sugar may not be required when certain starches or gums are used to thicken or gel the final product. In addition to sweetening and helping with gel formation in regular jams, jellies and preserves, sugar plays a very important role in preventing spoilage.