Jump to Jam Recipe
This keto quick jam recipe uses frozen strawberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, and monk fruit sweetener to achieve a bright, lightly sweet, and tart jam that is perfect for pairing with your favorite keto bread or smearing on one of my keto vanilla scones!
Why You Will Love This Jam Recipe
- Quick! This literally came together while I was doing the dinner dishes one night!
- Only 3 Ingredients! Strawberries, Lemon, and monk fruit sweetener, that is it!
- Cheap! You can use frozen strawberries in this, and they are selling for $2.24 per pound at Walmart right now. You don’t need to purchase any specialized equipment (unless you plan to make a ton of jam and jelly in the future).
What You Will Need
- Heavy bottomed sauce pot for the fruit
- Large pot for boiling the jars and lids
- Jelly jars
- tongs or a jelly jar grabber for handling the hot jars and lids
- I use new discs when jarring jam and jelly to achieve a proper seal! You can grab replacement discs here!
- Zester
- Juicer
How to Make Keto Jam
Jarring and Canning
First of all, sanitize your jars and lids in boiling water. This keeps bacteria from making it into your preserves and it also activates the waxy substance on the canning lids ensuring a proper seal is achieved!
If you want to store your jam at room temperature, then you need to use new discs each time because of the wax that creates the seal, but you can reuse the jars and the rings.
For a comprehensive guide to canning safely check out the USDA’s Complete Guide to Home Canning!
Cooking Keto Jam
You will want to cook the jam in a heavy-bottomed pot to prevent scalding. I used my Chantal enameled cast iron Dutch oven for this. It is a heavy-duty Dutch oven that works beautifully for all kinds of soups, stews, jams, and pot roasts, on the stovetop and in the oven!
I made a very small batch, so it cooked down quite quickly. If you want to double (or triple or quadruple 😊) this recipe, then the jam will take longer to cook down.
Thickening a Keto Jam
Since keto jam uses a sugar substitute that won’t necessarily create a thick syrup like white cane sugar, I added a 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum to help this jam thicken up. When adding the xanthan gum I sprinkled it over the berry mixture in a very thin and very even layer to avoid clumping. If you are trying to make jam from a very low pectin fruit it may be necessary to add commercial pectin. Luckily pectin is keto-friendly!
For a Sweeter Jam
I love a sweet-tart jam, so I only added a 1/2 cup of sweetener. If you prefer a sweeter jam this amount can easily be adjusted to your taste!
I Used monk fruit sweetener in this quick jam because it does not have a bitter aftertaste or the cooling sensation that some sugar alternatives produce. I used monk fruit in my Keto Gooseberry Jelly Recipe with great success! I think I will try a keto raspberry preserve next…
Keto Strawberry Quick Jam
Keto Strawberry Quick Jam
Equipment
- 2 jelly jars (8oz)
- lids and rings
- jar grabber
- 2 large sauce pots
- zester
Ingredients
- 1 lb strawberries frozen or fresh
- 1 lemon juiced
- zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
Instructions
- Place your jelly jars, lids, and rings in a large pot. Cover them with water and bring this to a boil on the stovetop. Allow them to continue to simmer while you work on the jam.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepot combine the strawberries, lemon zest, the juice of one lemon, and the sweetener. Sprinkle the xanthan gum over the top of this in a very thin and even layer. Stir to incorporate.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over med-high and cover to help it reach a boil faster.
- Once the mixture reaches a boil, uncover it, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue to stir occasionally to ensure the jam doesn't scald. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the desired consistency is reached.
- Remove the hot jars and lids to a clean surface.
- Fill the jars leaving a ½ to a ¼ of an inch of space at the top. Seal the jars immediately, and allow them to cool completely.
- If you have sanitized your jars and lids in boiling water and used new discs, then you should be able to store your jam at room temperature. Once it is opened it should be kept in the fridge. Since this is such a small batch I store mine in the fridge once it is cooled, but if you make a larger batch follow the best practices for canning and jarring so that you can store it in dry storage!
Notes
Let’s Eat!
I hope you enjoy this keto quick jam! Let me know in the comments below if you try out the recipe. As always, happy snacking!
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Such a great recipe and so easy! Love the use of monk fruit. Made a few jars on the weekend and gave some to family.
This jam was so easy to make! Thank you!
Such an easy recipe for preparing homemade jam!
This homemade jam is so delicious!
Love homemade jam, and this recipe is super easy and so goos!
I love this small batch approach to making jam. Always fresh!
This jam is so delish and was easy to make!!
I love to prepare homemade jam and this recipe is excellent. Thank you.
You are welcome! I love filling the house up with the smell of fruit cooking away on the stove!
This keto version of strawberry quick jam is delicious.