You might not have thought about it a lot when you were going about your usual day, but the moment you started keto, things started to change. That once boring, globby stuff you paid little attention to is now the one and only thing you want.
The problem is – you can’t just enjoy any jelly when you start keto. Regular jelly is laden with sugars and preservatives. While they might be downright delicious, they will do absolutely nothing for your keto diet. Nothing good, that is.
If you’ve found yourself longing for some jellies, just hang in there. We’ve got a pretty great list of keto friendly jellies lined up for you today. Hopefully by the end of the list, you will have some new favorite jellies stocked in your house.
Are Sugar Free Jellies and Jams Considered Keto Friendly?
That depends. Unfortunately, there is no “one size fits all” for this question, because the thickeners and sweeteners used play a huge role.
You might have a jelly that says it’s sugar free, but that doesn’t mean that it is keto friendly. It might not even be low carb.
When it comes to judging whether things are keto friendly or not, the best thing you can do is take a look at the label and check the nutrition and serving size. That will reveal everything.
The names of labels aren’t enough (or shouldn’t be enough, anyway) to convince you to buy something. Marketing is pretty smart, and companies have learned all the words we love, especially when it comes to being healthy.
Instead of relying on the fancy sounding name on the jar or bottle, take the time to check every ingredient. There’s nothing worse than getting home only to find out that the “sugar free” jelly you bought is something that’s a whole lot worse in it.
The Many Uses of Jelly
Okay, yes, we all know about peanut butter and jelly as a great combination, but what else can you do with jellies? Jellies and jam are also great on toast, which is obvious, but you can also use jellies for baking.
Even regular “savory” recipes can use jellies, so you don’t have to try and contain your creativity with this stuff. Let your imagination loose, and you will discover a number of wondrous dishes!
Okay, enough of that. Let’s take a look at some great keto friendly jams you can try out.
Good Good is a pretty fitting brand name, because this stuff is good. Hailing from Iceland, you already know that you won’t be disappointed in the texture or flavor.
What’s so great about these jams? Well, Good Good uses simple ingredients that we’re all pretty familiar with. The fruit is the main ingredient, as you would expect, then they use some sweeteners that are keto friendly, and some pectin.
In terms of preservatives, only a tiny amount is used, so they barely have an effect on anything but the jelly’s longevity.
The sweeteners used for these jams are stevia and erythritol. Luckily, both of these have no impact on GI. If you’re wondering how these jams can have as little as 0.5 grams of net carbs per tablespoon (with a maximum of 1g), it’s because they don’t use unnecessary additives!
If you’re in Europe, there’s a good chance that you’re already familiar with this one (lucky you!), so you know just how good it is. You might also recognize their keto Nutella. If you’re in the US, don’t worry – you can easily order this jar of deliciousness online.
This brand also has flavors that include:
Raspberry – 0.5 g net carbs per tablespoon
Concord grape jelly – 1 g net carbs per tablespoon
Low sugar, low carb jam needed? Check out Nature’s Hollow Sugar Free Jam Preserves. You will know from the first taste that these products are super high quality and are superior in taste.
Since xylitol is used as the sweetener, you get a great taste along with some health benefits.
For those of you who aren’t very familiar with xylitol, it’s a sugar alcohol with a super low GI (not not 0). Compared to regular sugar, xylitol has around ¼ of the glycemic index, which is pretty impressive! To save you the math, that’s a GI of around 13 for xylitol, which is pretty good!
If you want some delicious, low carb preserve, you will definitely want to try out this stuff. From the flavor to the texture, you’ll be impressed. There are also a bunch of flavors to try out, so you won’t get bored any time soon.
Onto number three on the list! Polaner Sugar Free with Fiber Fruit Preserves is a nice option if you want to feel like you’re enjoying something a little more familiar (think Smucker’s).
This product’s ingredients are almost identical to Smucker’s, but there’s more fiber to be found here. Why is that? Because there’s more fruit in it!
With the added fruit fiber, the net carbs are brought down to an impressive 2 grams per serving for every flavor. That’s pretty hard to beat (unless you’re Good Good, that is).
Although this jam might not be as ubiquitous as Smucker’s, it’s a super impressive option, and a very popular one. When you look at the net carbs in a jarred Smucker’s compared to this, you’ll quickly notice that this one is a lot lower. So, despite it being less well-known, Polaner takes the cake between them.
Okay, this is the real deal when it comes to low carb jams. Why? Well, they have seven, yes, seven flavors that have zero net carbs. It’s magic, we know.
Walden Farms uses that farm magic to produce super low carb products that are pretty much unbeatable. Sure, the texture might be a little different, but that isn’t the end of the world, is it?
In terms of flavor, there’s absolutely zero compromise. It’s amazing what people can do with fruit now, huh? This is the ideal option if you are someone who cannot or doesn’t want to allow any net carbs into their diet.
Next up, Xyloburst Jams! As you might have guessed by the name, Xyloburst uses xylitol as its sweetener, just like Nature’s Hollow.
As a result of the xylitol content, you can enjoy these jams without having to worry about getting cavities – not because it isn’t sugar – but because xylitol helps prevent them. How? We don’t know, we’ll leave that to the fancy scientists.
This product is great, but if you looked at the ingredients on the back of the jar, you would notice something pretty unusual.
Fruit isn’t the main ingredient in this product. Xylitol is! That means that there isn’t as much fruit in this jam as there is in the others. Why does this matter?
The fruit content of jams and jellies have a significant impact on the texture. So, if you’re looking for something with a super fruity texture, this might not be the jam for you.
Ever been to eat at a restaurant? Literally any restaurant? You will have come across Smucker’s jam at least once in your life just by being alive.
If you love those little jelly packets you find at your table at restaurants, you will love their sugar free option. They’re sugar free and low carb, but still have that well-loved texture and flavor.
If you want to bring that flavor home, why not buy some? Leave the jam at the table, and get on the internet to order yourself some!
It might be delicious, but these jams do contain maltodextrin as the sweetener and thickening agent. Why does this matter?
This is important because maltodextrin has the same effect as glucose on your blood sugar levels. So, while it isn’t technically a sugar, it’s doing exactly what you don’t want it to do while you are on keto.
With that being said, if you stick to the little packets you can buy, you will be alright! Each packet only has around 2 grams of net carbs.
By using these little packets, you will easily be able to control the portions you have. Not to mention, they’re just super handy and great to carry around in case you feel like a spontaneous slice of toast on your travels. Everyone wants spontaneous travel toast… right?
If you want the jar, you can get those, too. They aren’t as easy to work with as the packets (can’t carry jars around now, can you?) because of portion control.
Since this brand contains maltodextrin, it can be easy to go a little overboard with these. Every tablespoon contains around 3 grams of net carbs, so just work carefully!
The first thing you’re probably wondering is = what the heck is pectin?
To answer that question: pectin is actually found in fruit. It’s a dietary fiber that is soluble, which makes it a popular gelling agent when you make jellies or jams at home.
Pectin is a prebiotic, which is a good thing, but when it is bought as a powder, it is a little different. Powdered pectin is typically mixed in with different thickeners, such as cornstarch. This is done to increase the net carb count – which we do not want.
Brands like Certo sell jars of liquid pectin. Thankfully for us, this pectin doesn’t have any of the thickeners (which increase the carb count).
These jars of pectin have the same carbohydrate count, but it gets used in tablespoons. This means that when it gets used, the carbs get spread across what you’re making, lowering the whole macro count.
When you do that, the resulting net carbs are incredibly similar to those that are listed in the other products mentioned in this list! Pretty cool, huh?
Since this isn’t an actual jelly or jam like everything else on the list, it’s a little weird. To use the pectin, you will need to use your own fruits or berries to make the jam.
This might sound a little daunting, but it’s actually perfect. Doing this allows you to control everything about the jam and make it perfect for you and your taste buds. Why? You will be able to control how sweet your jam is, as well as the overall taste and quantity you need.
This brand also has flavors that include:
Whatever you want!
Final Thoughts
You got through the list – well done. Are you thinking about jelly now? Are you craving the peanut butter and jelly sandwich we mentioned? If you aren’t, you are probably an android, but that’s okay. Even androids can appreciate jams and jellies, right?
How do you feel about the jellies mentioned on this list? Have you ever tried any of them before? If you have, what do you think of them?
It’s always nice to hear about other peoples’ experiences with things that come up on these lists. Not every item will be your favorite, and what you might hate, someone else is bound to love. That’s the magic of being unique, isn’t it?
Hi, my name is Anna Kadance and I have been following a keto diet, on and off, for just over two years now. When I first started, I was in a deep depression due to my weight and the fact that I just couldn’t seem to get rid of it.
My body had given me two beautiful children, but now that our family was complete, I wanted to take it back as my own and get my pre-baby body back. I tried diet after diet, exercise program after program - nothing worked!
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