Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Recipe: The Best Low-Sugar Jam for Your Snacks

If you haven’t tasted the balanced tart and sweetness of the strawberry rhubarb jam, then you haven’t explored. This recipe is one of my favorites and goes well with toast or pancakes for breakfast.

Although some people believe rhubarb to be a fruit, it is a vegetable with a tart flavor. Strawberries, on the other hand, taste sweet and juicy and are a little tangy. When combined, they produce a jam that is neither too tart nor too sweet.

What Is Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Made with?

Strawberry rhubarb jam is made with strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, pectin, lemon juice, and butter (optional) as the main ingredients. With these ingredients at hand, you can make your homemade strawberry rhubarb jam with ease.

Before I take you deeper, let’s first check on the ingredients and what they mean for your health and well-being. What nutrients do they hold, and are they healthy?

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is a nutritious and medicinal herb that is used traditionally in Chinese medicine for anti-inflammatory and antibacterial functions (11). It’s a rich source of vitamins A, C, and K, among other nutrients. This makes rhubarb great for skin health, bone health, and heart health. In addition, it’s a good source of fiber and antioxidants, making it potentially great for helping with digestion and reducing inflammation (6).

Strawberries

Strawberries are rich in minerals, vitamins, and non-nutritive bioactive compounds. Therefore, including strawberries in a healthy balanced diet may help prevent inflammation and reduce the risk of heart disease. The antioxidants in strawberries may also help protect against cancer (10).

There are different uses for strawberries, and you may also want to eat them whole or use them in your recipes. In addition, adding strawberries to drinking water is one of the healthy ways to flavor water.

Types of Berries to Use in Your Jam

There are different varieties of strawberries from all over the world that you can use in your jam. Common varieties include Chandler, Jewel, Allstar, Earliglow, Cabot, and Seascape. If you want to make the best strawberry rhubarb jam recipe, you need to get the best variety based on what’s available in your region.

Pectin

As a major ingredient in this recipe, pectin is a polysaccharide (soluble fiber) that is derived from fruits such as apples, plums, pears, guavas, oranges, or citrus. These fruits naturally have a high pectin content. When they’re heated in the presence of other liquids, pectin expands and forms a gel-like substance that makes it useful in jams (7).

Some research findings have suggested that like other soluble fibers, pectin may be helpful for lowering LDL cholesterol (9). Different studies have also found pectin to be useful in promoting gut microbial diversity (8). In addition, pectin has been found to be effective in increasing satiety in rats and decreasing calorie intake, which may help with weight loss (4).

Butter

This is an optional ingredient you can use in your jam. Some people will find melted butter delicious and it also helps keep the jam from being too foamy. It’s also worth noting that butter will solidify the jam when it’s completely cool and give it a rich mouthfeel.

Healthwise, butter is high in calories and saturated fat (2). This means that you should consume it in limited quantities. So if you want to use it in your jam, you should use it in small quantities.

Lemon juice

As a major ingredient in this recipe, lemon juice has several health benefits. It’s rich in vitamin C, which is a great antioxidant and is useful for preventing damage to cells that could otherwise be caused by oxidative stress (5). It also helps with the formation of collagen, a structural protein that supports your skin and other tissues.

Sugar

Sugar is also important as it works to provide the body with energy. It’s important to understand that pectin doesn’t always work alone – it needs sugar and other substances such as calcium and acid. The amount of sugar you need in your jam will depend on the amount of sugar you desire to consume and the level of sweetness you prefer in your jam.

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Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Easy Recipe

If you’re looking for the best strawberry rhubarb jam recipe, then this is the best and easiest one you can make at home. In our recipe, which is adapted from Allrecipes, we will use pectin, although some recipes omit it.

Here are the ingredients and instructions:

•         Servings: 96
•         Prep time: 30 minutes
•         Cook time: 15 minutes
•         Additional time: 12hrs
•         Yield: 6 jars

Ingredients

•         2 cups of diced fresh rhubarb
•         2 cups of sliced fresh strawberries
•         1 tablespoon of lemon juice
•         ­­­­A 1.75-ounce packet of fruit pectin
•         5 cups of white sugar

Instructions

1. Put the diced rhubarb, sliced strawberries, lemon juice, and fruit pectin powder in a large pan and bring them to a boil over medium heat.
2. Add sugar gently while stirring – half a cup at a time. Continue stirring while you add sugar until it dissolves properly and you start to see juice forming.
3. Increase the heat to medium-high, then continue heating until it boils. Next, stir for about a minute while cooking. Remove any foam that forms and you’re almost done.
4. Sterilize your jars and lids in hot water for approximately five minutes, then pack your jam into the jars while it’s still hot. You can use a soup ladle to pack your jam in your sterilized jars. You don’t need to fill them to the brim.
5. Now remove any air bubbles that are inside the jars and any food residue on the rims using a moist paper towel.
6. Cover the jars with the lids and screw the rings to seal them tightly.
7. When all the jars are filled, boil some water in a large stockpot and put the jars inside – the water should cover jars by at least 1 inch. Cover and leave for approximately 5 minutes.
8. Remove all the jars and leave them to rest for 12 to 24 hours. Press the center of each lid to ensure they’re all tightly sealed.

NB: This jam contains 56 calories per 20g serving (According to Nutritionix). To make low-sugar strawberry rhubarb jam, you can reduce the amount of sugar you use by approximately 50%.

Read more: Strawberry Diets: Fad or Sustainable Weight Loss Method?

Why Combine Strawberries and Rhubarb?

Strawberries and rhubarb are a perfect combination and you can mix them together if you want a jam that isn’t too tart or too sweet. As previously mentioned, strawberries are juicy and sweet with some tanginess. On the other hand, rhubarb has an incredibly tart flavor. So, when you combine the flavors, you get a perfect jam that is rich in nutrients.

How Many Calories Are in Strawberry Rhubarb Jam?

Strawberry rhubarb jam contains approximately 56 calories per 20g serving. This is according to Nutritionix findings as mentioned in the above recipe. When it comes to calorie requirements per day, this should fit into most people’s diets without a problem.

Regarding calories, it’s important to note that adult women need approximately 2,000 calories daily for weight maintenance or around 1,500 calories if they want to lose about 1 pound weekly. At the same time, adult men need to consume around 2,500 calories daily for them to maintain their weight. To lose 1 pound weekly, they need to consume about 500 fewer calories per day (3). However, these are generalizations and individual requirements will vary based on individual factors. 

Is Eating Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Healthy?

Eating strawberry rhubarb jam can be part of a healthy diet. This jam is low in calories (56 calories per 20g serving) and can easily fit into most people’s calorie requirements without a problem. In addition, strawberries, lemon juice, and rhubarb contain a lot of beneficial nutrients, plant compounds, and vitamins that are healthy and beneficial to the body in numerous ways.

What Is the Healthiest Way to Eat Rhubarb?

The healthiest way to eat rhubarb is to cook it with plenty of sugar or with no sugar. As previously mentioned, the flavor of rhubarb is quite tart and it may be difficult to eat raw. It is believed that when rhubarb is cooked, it becomes a great source of vital nutrients such as fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K1, calcium, and a lot of antioxidants.

When it’s used in jam and jellies, it’s often cooked with sugar and other ingredients as in the above recipe. This makes rhubarb sweet and nutritious while also being beneficial for the body’s health.

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How Many Calories in a Tablespoon of Rhubarb Jam?

There are approximately 56 calories in a tablespoon of rhubarb jam. However, this could be slightly more or less, depending on the amount of other ingredients such as sugar. When more sugar is used, the calorie level may become higher than this approximate value. fDrinking Water

FAQs

• Why can’t you eat too much rhubarb?

Rhubarb on its own is acidic and has an extremely tart flavor, so you can’t eat too much of it. It also contains high amounts of oxalic acid content, although more so in the leaves than the stalks. Eating too much may cause health problems such as kidney stones in some people (1).

• Does rhubarb have a lot of pectin?

Rhubarb naturally has low pectin content. The pectin levels in this vegetable aren’t enough to leave out the commercial pectin unless you want to make a jam without it – just with sugar and other ingredients. This is likely to result in a thinner texture. 

• Is jam empty calories?

So-called “empty-calorie” foods generally have little or no nutritional value, while being high in added sugar, sodium, or unhealthy fats. In jams, there are some beneficial nutrients from the fruit, but the calories from the sugar outweigh those of other ingredients. While not exactly being “empty”, jams are high in added sugar and should be enjoyed in moderation. 

The Bottom Line 

If you want to make a great-tasting strawberry rhubarb jam recipe, then you have it all in this recipe guide that also provides information about the associated health benefits.

This recipe will help you make the best jam that you can spread on your toast at breakfast time and it’s easy to make.