Love raspberry jam but not the extra sugars that come with it? And what about those pesky raspberry seeds? No worries, our sugar-free and seedless raspberry jam recipe comes to the rescue! Try it out, and you won't go back to store-bought jam ever again!
Classic raspberry jam, like other fruit preserves, usually contains 50% fruit and 50% white sugar. Even if you use store-bought pectin, you'll still have to add some refined sugar to the jam, or it will be too tart. Well, we say no to this! And we have a fantastic 100% sugar-free, no-pectin jam alternative we want to share with you.
How did we do it? With erythritol and apples! Erythritol is a safe, natural sweetener that has zero sugars and zero calories. Yet, it tastes almost as sweet as sugar and looks exactly like it. This means you can use it to prepare this raspberry jam as you would do with regular sugar.
While erythritol will make your jam taste sweet without loading it up on sugars, apples will give it the perfect jelly look. Why? Because apples are naturally high in pectin! We already used them in most of our homemade jam recipes, and they're just perfect for the job.
When it comes to apples for jam-making, we recommend using underripe, slightly sour apples as they're higher in pectin. Good varieties include granny smith, gala, or golden delicious. In this raspberry jam recipe, apples also replace the berries' pulp, which we filter out to get rid of the seeds.
Removing the raspberries seeds for jam is super easy, and we'll show you how to do it in the steps below. All you need is a trusty cheesecloth or nut milk bag, but a fine-mesh sieve will work too. With the default ingredients, you'll get one jar of jam, about 300g (10oz). So you'll have plenty to keep you going for a couple of weeks. Let's get started!
Ingredients
| Raspberries | 600 g |
| Water | 120 mL |
| Apples (peeled and chopped) | 400 g |
| Erythritol | 120 g |
Step 1
Add the raspberries to a pot, followed by the given water.
Bring to a boil and simmer covered over low heat for 8 minutes.
While the raspberries cook, squash them inside the pot with the back of a spoon to extract as much of their juice as possible.
Step 2
Let the stewed raspberries cool down for 10-15 minutes before filtering them so you won't get burnt.
Now, line a bowl with a cheesecloth, pour in the raspberries and close the bag.
Squeeze it tightly to filter as much raspberry juice as you can, leaving the pulp and seeds in the bag.
If you don't have a cheesecloth, you can also use a fine-mesh sieve, but it will be less effective and require a bit extra work.
Step 3
Next, return the filtered raspberry juice to the pot.
Add peeled and chopped apples and sugar-free sweetener erythritol.
If you don't have erythritol, check our tips below for substitutions. As for the apples, we recommend using underripe, slightly tart apples. Good varieties include granny smith, gala, or golden delicious.
Bring all to a boil and simmer without the lid for 10 minutes or until the apples are soft.
Step 4
Now, use an immersion blender to blitz raspberries and apples right into the pot.
Blend them until you have a smooth and uniform pulp.
If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a food processor instead.
Step 5
Bring all back to a boil and simmer it over medium heat and uncovered for about 30 minutes.
Stir the raspberry jam regularly while it cooks as it will sputter.
By the end of the cooking time, the jam should be thicker and glossier and trickle when dropped from a spoon. Also, it should have reduced by almost half of its starting volume.
Step 6
Your apple raspberry jam is now ready.
Transfer it into clean jars and let it cool down completely before serving.
Then, store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
If you want to preserve it long term, use sterilised jars and fill them to the brim. Then, place the lid on, quickly flip the jar upside down, and screw in the lid tightly. Leave it for 30 minutes before storing it away; this way, your jars will have a proper air-tight seal.
Tips
Use erythritol if you want to make your raspberry jam sugar-free. Alternatively, replace it with 80g (2.8oz) of maple syrup, coconut sugar, and regular granulated sugar.
If you want to store the jam for more than a couple of weeks, make sure you properly sterilise the jars before pouring in the jam.