No-Sugar Triple Berry Jam with Xylitol
No-Sugar Triple Berry Jam is a cooked jam made with xylitol and Pomona’s Universal Pectin. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener. This recipe was created and contributed by Moníca Pugh, the jam maker behind Níca’s Jams & Jellies in Sioux Falls, SD, and earned Moníca a Blue Ribbon at her local Fair.
Servings 6 cups
Ingredients
- 2½ cups mashed strawberries
- 1½ cups mashed raspberries
- 1 cup mashed blackberries
- ½ teaspoon butter to prevent foaming
- 3 teaspoons calcium water see step #1
- 1½ cups xylitol
- 2½ teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin mixed with sweetener
Instructions
- Before you begin, prepare calcium water.To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
- Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Wash lids and bands and set aside.
- Wash, mash, and measure mashed strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. Put measured fruit and butter into sauce pan.
- Add calcium water, and mix well.
- Measure xylitol into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into xylitol. Set aside.
- Bring fruit mixture to a full boil. Add pectin-xylitol mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jam comes back up to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
- Remove hot jars from canner and fill jars with (marmalade/jam/jelly), leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims and put on lids and screw bands, tightening bands only to “fingertip tight” (until resistance is met, and then just the tiniest bit more).
- Place jars in the hot water, on the rack inside the canner. (Make sure jars are upright, not touching each other or the sides of the canner, and are covered with at least 1-2 inches of water). Place the lid on the canner, bring the canner to a rolling boil, and boil for 10 minutes. (Add 1 minute additional processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.)
- Turn off heat and allow canner and jars to sit for 5 minutes. Then, remove jars from canner. Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Then, confirm that jars have sealed, then store properly. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.
would it be possible to dilute the berries with water, making a ‘lighter’ jam with less fruit? (and fewer carbs) maybe using only 50% berries, like ‘good good’ brand jam?
I had to give up sugar so was searching for a way to make my own jam with Xylitol. This recipe is perfect. I got the Xylitol on Amazon. I used the 8 cup recipe and for that I found that two pounds of strawberries, two 6 oz packets of raspberries and two 6 oz packets of blackberries was exactly correct. It filled 2 quart containers, and once they had cooled I transferred them into four wide mouth pint containers and refrigerated them. It’s honestly the most delicious jam I’ve ever had. My husband thinks so too. I call it Traffic Jam because it has three different berries in it.
May I substitute plums for the berries in this recipe?
You sure can! You will also need to add 1/4 cup lemon juice.
Can I substitute a 1/2 c. of honey for the sweetener and use cherries instead of blackberries? Thanks!
Hello Grace,
You sure can substitute honey in this recipe, you also sub the blackberries for cherries. We do suggest adding 2 tablespoons lemon juice to the batch if your cherries are sweet.
Can I leave the calcium powder out. It is not available in South Africa
If you have Pomona’s Pectin, it come with every purchase of pectin! Pomona’s Pectin will not work correctly without the calcium.
Just a note that Xylitol is highly toxic to dogs. Just a little can kill them so be careful not to let them have a taste of something with jam made with Xylitol on it.
When I have made jellies with xylitol it has crystallized after it sits a while. I tried recooking it and it would dissolve but again form crystals after setting a while. Any thought on how to prevent this?
Hello Gayle,
We do not have a ton of information about jamming with xylitol or a number of other alternative sweeteners that are new-er to the market. We do have some feedback that we have received from other customers that could be helpful for you. We have done some personal testing with Monk fruit, and have had pretty good success, with no crystalizing. These tips may be to thank…
1. What we have learned is that starting off with the smallest recommended amount of sweetener is the best bet (around 1/2 cup) . Then just before placing the jam into jars, you can add additional sweetener if you feel like it is needed.
2. Making sure that the sweetener is blended into small granules is also a great tip we received from one of our customers, as the larger granules are what is believed to be the culprit in creating the crystallization. Pulsing the sweetener with the pectin in a food processor for a few turns seems to work.
Happy jamming and please let us know if you have any more questions!
Will jams and jellies made with xylitol or stevia and no sugar have a shorter shelf life than that made with sugar?
Hello Joyce,
Great questions! No, the shelf life of the jams and jellies is based on the pH level.
Happy jamming!
can I use stevia????
You sure can! Simply follow the conversion suggestion on the back of your Stevia package.
Can I make this with just blackberries or a blackberry/boysenberry combination?
Absolutely! Happy jamming 😊
Xylitol raises my blood sugar. Can I make this without any sweeter? Most fruit is more than sweet enough for me without adding any kind of sweeter.
Absolutely!