Last Updated on March 25, 2024 by Share My Kitchen
This Low-Sugar Mango Jam is a delicious way to savor the taste of tropical paradise, which can be just what you need if you’re ready for a change. It’s packed with flavor and is sure to please family and friends on special occasions, or just as a special treat for yourself.
Around this time every year, a craving for tropical fruits, pina-Coladas, Hawaiian-style barbecues, reggae music, and a vacation on a beautiful beach in an exotic location arises.
When late February, or early March, rolls in it is perfectly okay to feel like you’ve had enough of winter. And, the thought of enjoying a tropical fruit platter with a cold adult drink on a sunny beach seems to be all that matters.
If going to the beach is not something you can afford, you can look for other ways to get away from the winter cold and trick yourself into believing you are swimming in a pool somewhere warm and sunny.
Bottling Some Tropical Vacation Flavors
Fortunately, this is a time when many tropical fruits are in season, so they’re usually much more affordable to buy at the grocery store.
Mangoes are tropical fruit that is in season at this time of the year. These fresh mangoes are absolutely lovely, so take advantage of the low prices this year, and stock up on enough mangoes for you to enjoy throughout the year.
You can definitely enjoy a few fresh mangoes, but save a few to preserve and keep.
You can slice them and keep them in liquid, similar to how you can preserve peach slices in liquid. However, if you forgot them and left them for a while longer, and many of them became soft, you can make mango jam instead!
Problem with Traditional Jam Recipes
Luckily, the recipe for mango raspberry jam can easily be converted into a mango-only jam recipe! But, it needs 3 cups of mangoes and 5 1/2 cups of sugar, which is insane.
The unbelievable amount of sugar needed to make jam is what makes standard jams so bad. Strawberry jam is wonderful, but it makes you think about the amount of sugar you’re adding to what you eat or serve your family.
Moreover, mangoes, especially the overripe ones, are sweet enough as is. So, adding too much sugar to the mango jam might make it sickeningly sweet.
But, of course, jam recipes require a lot of sugar to gel properly. And, you definitely want to get a thick jam at the end.
You can now stop looking for an alternative recipe as this will answer your questions. Pomona’s pectin is a low-sugar substitute that uses a combination pectin and calcium water that thickens jams and jellies without adding excessive amounts of sugar.
With that problem out of the way, let’s begin making low-sugar jam!
Make Jam with Pomona’s Pectin
Pomona’s is much easier to use than regular pectin. It also allows you to use less sugar (3 cups sugar to 12 cups diced mangoes), and it will give you a thick, beautiful gel without any issues.
Each box contains a package with pectin, and a small packet of calcium powder. Just mix the two together, then add it to your jam mixture to thicken it.
Pomona’s pectin also contains pure pectin. This is unlike other brands that are often mixed with dextrose. Therefore, this pectin is extremely potent, and it must be combined with the sugar before adding to the fruit mixture, or else it will begin to clump.
The brand’s own low-sugar mango jam recipe calls for 1/2 cup of bottled lime or lemon juice per 4 cups of mangoes. You may choose either, but because this recipe is all about the beach vibes, lime juice is the choice. You can also add the grated zest, and the juice of three fresh limes to enhance the lime flavor.
Lime juice is also a good addition to jam because of the high amount of pectin in citrus fruits. This helps create a thick, creamy gel. It also ensures safe final product, as mangoes are low in acid, so it is necessary to add lemon or lime juice to can them safely.
How to Enjoy Low-Sugar Mango Jam
- Spread it on top of toast
- Spread cheese and crackers
- You can use it as a condiment on a burger to try something a little different
- Combine it with yogurt
- Take a spoonful of it from the jar
If your jam is too thick to spoon over ice cream, you can reduce the amount of calcium water and pectin for a softer spread.
Homemade Low-Sugar Mango Jam Recipe
In order to make this low-sugar mango jam recipe, first, prepare the mangoes. Peel and dice your mangoes, and measure out 12 cups.
NOTE: The original Pomona’s recipe calls for 4 cups of mashed fruits. However, if you have enough, you can continue peeling and dicing them since you can just increase the calcium water and pectin to accommodate the amount of fruit you have.
Although you could get 4 cups of mashed mangoes from 6 cups of diced and peeled mangoes, that will yield only 4 pints. While this is fine if you have only enough to make a small batch, it will not yield as many jars. If you are already doing the work, you might as well make a larger batch and get more jars preserved from one canning session.
Once you have prepared the mangoes and measured out 12 cups, add them to a stainless-steel pot with 1 1/2 cups of bottled lime juice, and the zest and juice from three fresh limes. Stir everything to combine.
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat while stirring frequently to avoid burning.
Boil the mangoes for 20-25 minutes, and mash them as you go. You can also use a hand blender to make the jam smooth.
While you are boiling, mix 1/2 teaspoon of the calcium powder and 1/2 cup water in a Mason jar, or another container with a lid. Shake well to combine.
Then, add the 1/2 cup of calcium water into the fruit mixture. Stir well to combine.
Mix 6 teaspoons of pectin and 3 cups of sugar together. Then, bring the mango fruit to boil, and add the sugar/pectin mix. Stir continuously for approximately 1-2 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Take the pot from the heat. Your jam should now be gelling nicely. You can place a spoon in some ice water, drying it off quickly, then touch the jam with the bottom of the spoon to test the gel. If the jam sticks to your spoon and/or slides off the spoon in sheets, instead of dripping, then it’s a good gel. You can now can it!
How to Can Low-Sugar Mango Jam
First, use a canning spoon and a canning funnel to scoop the hot jam into your sterilized jars. Then, leave 1/4-inch headspace at the top.
To remove any air bubbles trapped in the jar, use a knife to skim around the inside of the jar. And, if necessary, adjust the headspace.
Next, wipe the rims, and put the lids on top of the jars. Screw the bands, and put in a hot water bath. Turn the heat up to full roiling boil, and let it process for 10 minutes. Don’t forget to add one minute of boiling time for every 1,000 feet above sea level if you are located at a high altitude.
Turn heat off, remove the lid off the canner, and leave the jars in it for 5 minutes more.
Take jars out of the canner, and allow them to cool completely on a tea towel placed on your countertop.
Finally, store it out of direct sun, in your pantry. You can enjoy it whenever you feel the need for tropical fruits (or when your bank account says “just eat this jam, you can’t afford a vacation”).
Low-Sugar Mango Jam Recipe
If you want to enjoy the taste of a tropical vacation while sitting in your kitchen, you can try making some low-sugar mango jam. It only requires a few ingredients, and it tastes just like real stuff.
Ingredients
- 12 cups mangoes, peeled and diced
- 1½ cups of bottled lime juice, plus the zest and juice from three fresh limes
- ½ tsp. calcium powder
- ½ cup water
- 6 tsp. Pomona’s pectin
- 3 cups sugar
Instructions
- Peel and dice your mangoes, and measure out 12 cups.
- In a large pot of stainless steel, add mangoes, and mix in lime juices and zest. Stir everything to combine.
- Bring to boil over medium heat. Don’t forget to stir frequently to avoid burning.
- Boil for 20-25 minutes, and mash the mangoes as needed. You can also use a hand blender to make the jam smooth.
- Meanwhile, add 1/2 teaspoon of the calcium powder and 1/2 cup water in a Mason, or another container with a lid. Shake well to combine.
- Then, mix in the 1/2 cup of calcium water into the fruit mixture. Stir well to combine.
- Mix 6 teaspoons of pectin and 3 cups of sugar. Bring the mango fruit to boil, then add the sugar/pectin mix. And, stir continuously for approximately 1-2 minutes until it is completely dissolved.
- Take the pot from the heat. Your jam should now be gelling nicely. You can place a spoon in some ice water, drying it off quickly, then touching the jam with the bottom of the spoon to test the gel. If the jam sticks to your spoon and/or slides off the spoon in sheets, instead of dripping, then it’s a good gel. You can now can it!
- Scoop the hot jam, and put them into sterilized jars. Then, leave a 1/4-inch headspace at the top. To remove any air bubbles trapped inside the jar, use a knife to scrape the inside of the jar. And, if necessary, adjust the headspace. Wipe the rims, and put the lids on top of the jars. Screw down the bands, and put in a hot water bath. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, and allow it to process for 10 minutes. Don’t forget to add one minute of boiling time for every 1,000 feet above sea level if you are located at a high altitude.
- Take jars out of the canner, and allow them to cool completely on a tea towel placed on your countertop. And, store it out of direct sun, in your pantry.
