How to Make Fruit Spread with No Sugar
August 25, 2024
Hello there! Today, I’m excited to share a recipe for a 100% fruit spread or jam that’s as wholesome as it is delicious. This recipe features only three ingredients: strawberries, peaches, and dates—no added sweeteners, honey, or sugar. We’ll start by making our own liquid pectin from apples, which will give our jam the perfect texture without any artificial additives. This naturally sweet and flavorful spread is sure to delight your taste buds. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do—I promise, it’s absolutely delicious!
Homemade apple pectin is a natural thickening agent often used in jams, jellies, and preserves. Pectin is a type of soluble fiber found in the cell walls of fruits, with apples being particularly high in it, especially in their skins and cores.
Making your own apple pectin at home allows you to harness this natural substance, free from any additives or preservatives that commercial pectin might contain. This homemade version is particularly beneficial if you’re looking to create jams and jellies with a more natural or organic approach.
Pectin is not only useful for its thickening properties but also has health benefits. As a soluble fiber, it can help lower cholesterol levels, improve blood sugar control, and promote digestive health by feeding beneficial gut bacteria. When used in recipes, apple pectin provides a gel-like consistency without the need for additional sugar, which is advantageous for those looking to reduce sugar intake.
Using homemade pectin in your liver-cleansing juice or other recipes adds an extra layer of health benefits and supports the natural detoxification processes in the body.
All Fruit Spread Recipe
Liquid Apple Pectin
Yield: About 1.5 cups
Ingredients:
3 apples (preferably less ripe)
6 cups water
Instructions:
1. Prepare the Apples: Wash the apples thoroughly. No need to core or seed them. Chop the apples into pieces and place them in a pot.
2. Cook the Apples: Add water to the pot, covering the apples. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 2 hours, or until the apples turn amber in color.
3. Strain the Pectin: Place a colander over a bowl, and line the colander with two pieces of cheesecloth or two cotton dish towels. Pour boiling water over the colander to sterilize it. Pour the cooked apples into the colander and let the liquid drip into the bowl for 2 to 3 hours without pressing the fruit.
4. Reduce the Pectin: Transfer the collected liquid pectin to a heavy saucepan. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until slightly reduced. Remove from heat.
5. Store the Pectin: Sterilize a container with boiling water. Pour the hot liquid pectin into the container, let it cool, and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks or freeze for up to 6 months.
Fruit Spread
Yield: About 2 cups
Ingredients:
3 cups chopped strawberries
1 large peach, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup of fruit)
6 dates, pitted and cut into strips
1 cup liquid apple pectin
A squeeze of lemon juice (about 1 teaspoon)
Instructions:
1. Combine Ingredients: Place the chopped strawberries, peach, dates, liquid apple pectin, and lemon juice in a heavy pot.
2. Cook the Fruit: Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, mashing the fruit as it cooks.
3. Blend the Spread: Use an immersion blender to blend the fruit spread until the dates are fully incorporated, leaving some fruit chunks for texture. If you don’t have an immersion blender, blend half of the spread in a regular blender, then return it to the pot.
4. Sterilize Containers: Sterilize your containers and lids with boiling water. Fill the containers with the fruit spread.
5. Store the Spread: Refrigerate the spread for up to 6 weeks.
Enjoy your delicious, naturally sweetened fruit spread!
Nutritional Breakdown (Per 2-Tablespoon Serving of Fruit Spread)
Calories: 40 kcal
Carbohydrates: 10 g
Fiber: 1 g
Sugars: 8 g (naturally occurring from fruit)
Protein: 0.5 g
Fat: 0 g
Vitamin C: 20% of the Daily Value (DV)
Vitamin A: 2% of the DV
Calcium: 1% of the DV
Iron: 1% of the DV
This all-fruit spread is a wholesome and delicious way to enjoy the natural sweetness of fruit, with no added sugars or artificial ingredients.