If you follow my blog then you know that my husband and I both avoid sugar. So I decided to come up with a really good blueberry jam, blueberries being one of my husband’s favorite fruits, that both of us could enjoy in our yogurt, on our toast, on top of a dairy-free slice of sugar-free cheesecake, and in our homemade dairy-free sugar free ice cream etc.

After trying several times to achieve the perfect consistency I think I have come up with what works for us and might possibly work for you. The end result is sweet but not too sweet. It has a great texture with some of the fruit remaining whole which gives it a preserve like feel. It’s not perfectly smooth like jelly which is not my favorite but they’re not completely loaded with whole fruit which could be difficult to spread on your toast.

In the summer time of course this can be made with fresh blueberries especially during blueberry season when they’re so available. But I have found that using bags of frozen blueberries works well and produces a great end product. Be sure to buy organic or wild locally grown or wild main blueberries. I have used these down through the years to make many things like my blueberry pie and other blueberry desserts and they have great flavor and a nice size.

The other great thing about this recipe is that it is very versatile. It is wonderful to turn into a sauce to pour over cheese blentzes, to blend in to yogurt which I love to do, I usually eat goat kefir or plain goat yogurt, and I like to blend this into my yogurt rather than adding a sweetener. This also makes a wonderful topping for a plain cheesecake either dairy-free like I enjoy or a regular dairy cheesecake.

Here’s the Recipe

5 lbs blueberries
1- 4.5oz container low sugar pectin
2 Tb butter
3 Tb lemon juice

Place all of this in a large pot and stir it up very well. Make sure there are no little globs of pectin left. You don’t want any pieces of pectin left because they will gel rather than dissolve. So, stir this up really well marking sure all the blueberries are coated with the pectin. Heat this over medium heat stirring occasionally to make sure that the bottom doesn’t stick or start to burn and bring this to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.

Next you add and stir in:

1 cup of a Stevia Erythritol blend

The reason I do not use monk fruit here is because I’ve had some trouble with monk fruit recrystallizing on me when I’m doing preserves. And, I hate to waste all this fruit and then end up with a batch where half of them turn into a crystallized sugary mess it’s awful. I find that erythritol or a stevia erythritol blend works beautifully. The one I have is a blend that is called Pyure Sweet and one cup of this equals two cups of regular sugar.

Make sure to taste your berries at this time because you want to make sure they’re sweet enough but not too sweet. So, if they are not sweet enough carefully add small amounts of your sweetener at a time just until they reach your desired sweetness, I mean maybe 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time. That’s how touchy it could be at this point you could over sweeten easily if not careful.

Bring this to a full boil again and time it for 1 minute exactly. Turn off the heat, take off the lid and go ahead and ladle this into your prepared sterilized canning jars.

After you have carefully filled all the jars and put on all the lids to seal them up you’re going to be placing them in a water bath.  Place them in a water bath that covers the jars at least up to their lids. Bring this to a boil and boil for 8 to 10 minutes. I like to do it until the jars have sealed. I can usually hear them pop when they seal sometimes it’s 10 minutes sometimes it’s 8 minutes. Once you’ve done this turn off the heat, take off the lid and allow them to cool in the pot for at least 20 minutes before you remove them and place them on the counter to cool You will actually notice them thickening and firming up as they cool.

Store them in your pantry for up to one year. Now, remember you can use these for all kinds of things. Don’t forget they’re in there and don’t just use them for toast get creative and let me know what you think of the recipe.