Quick & Easy Homemade Fruit Jam (No Sugar or Pectin)

This quick and easy homemade fruit jam is sweetened with honey and uses a dash of gelatin to thicken it. Get your jam ready in minutes and enjoy this sweet treat on homemade bread!

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

You will love this recipe because it is quick and easy to make (15 minutes or less!). With this homemade fruit jam recipe, you can swap out the fruit for seasonal produce, choose frozen or fresh fruit, add seasonal spices to fit your taste, enjoy a jam that is sweetened with honey (not white sugar!), and overall, produce a delicious spread made with simple, whole ingredients.

Gelatin vs. Pectin

Pectin and gelatin are both naturally occurring gelling agents found in nature. Pectin is a plant-based thickener that is found in fruits and vegetables such as apples or citrus peels. Gelatin is derived from collagen found in animals such as cows.

Commercial pectin is filled with chemicals and additives that you do not want to put into your simple, whole-ingredient jam. You also do not want to use excessive amounts of sugar to get a nicely, gelled fruit jam. Therefore, avoid pectin or use fruits that are naturally high in pectin such as apples.

I prefer to use natural beef gelatin. It is healing for the gut, and a pure, simple ingredient that makes your jam more nutritious for your body, not harmful. Plus, it thickens your jam without using large amounts of sweetener.

Before You Begin

If you are using a fruit that has a peel such as apples or pears to make your jam, first peel the fruit and roughly chop it before throwing it in the sauce pot. You can use a masher to roughly match the fruit as it cooks, if you prefer a chunkier jam. If you want a smooth jam, run an immersion blender through the hot jam before pouring it into jars.

Ingredients

• Frozen fruit
• Honey
• Gelatin

Equipement

• Sauce pan
• Masher
• 4 oz glass jars

How to Make Homemade Fruit Jam

• Place the frozen fruit (berries work best!) into the sauce pan and place on medium heat.
• Add in the honey and stir the fruit so that it doesn’t burn at the bottom.
• Use a masher to roughly mash the softened fruit.

• When the fruit comes to a boil, sprinkle 1 tsp of gelatin over the jam and stir it in.
• Take the jam off of the heat and continue stirring to make sure the gelatin is dissolved.
• Pour the jam into 4 4oz jars and allow it to sit on the counter and cool.
• Once it has cooled, put a lid on the jars and put them into the fridge.

Storage

• Preserve this jam by canning the jars and storing on the shelf.
• Keep the jars of jam in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
• Freeze the jam for up to 6 months.

FAQ

• What type of fruit works best for this jam? I have found the berries work really well with this jam recipe. I love to grab frozen berries from my freezer to create a quick jam for the family.
• Can I use fresh fruit? Yes! You can use fresh fruit to make this jam instead of frozen fruit.
• Can I use some other sweetener besides honey? Yes, you could replace the honey with white sugar or pure maple syrup.

This delicious homemade fruit jam is quick and easy to make, does not use sugar or pectin, and is the perfect spread for your bread or biscuits!

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