Is Jam Vegan Friendly? (Yes, Here’s Why)


Is Jam Vegan

Fruit based jams are an American food staple. Berries and stone fruit ripen at the peak of Summer. One of the best ways to preserve fruits is with a balance of pectin and sugar into jams, jellies, spreads, and preserves. Delicious, sticky, and sweet, is jam vegan-friendly?

Yes, jam is vegan. While some jams use gelatin to set their fruit, most jams use natural fruit pectin. Fruit pectin is a carbohydrate found in the skins and cell walls of fruit, acting as a binder. The best vegan and healthier jams include Crofter’s Organic Berry Harvest Fruit Spread, Good Good Sweet Blueberry Jam, and Oswald’s Raspberry Chia Smash.

In this article, we will discuss the nutritional value of a variety of jams. Get your spoons and spreaders ready to jam along with us!

Jams, Jellies, Fruit Spreads, & Preserves

What’s the difference between a jam, a jelly, a fruit spread, and a fruit preserve?

  • Fruit Jam: made with mashed fruit and fruit pectin. Needs a high sugar content to be considered jam.
  • Fruit Jelly: made with fruit juice. No fruit particles in jellies.
  • Fruit Spread: made with 100% fruit of choice and no added sugar. Sometimes with the addition grape juice as a sweetener.
  • Fruit Preserves: are made with larger whole fruit chunks, but may end of up more like a jam after the canning or cooking process.

Smucker’s Jam Nutritional Information

Smucker’s Seedless Red Raspberry Jam

Smucker’s has been making jarred fruit jams and spreads since 1897. Smucker’s uses 5 key ingredients to create their fruit jams. The main ingredients are: high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, fruit pectin, citric acid, and fresh ripe fruit.

The ingredients for Smucker’s Seedless Red Raspberry Jam:

  • Red Raspberries
  • High Fructose Corn Syrup
  • Corn Syrup
  • Fruit Pectin
  • Citric Acid

Nutrition summary:

  • Calories 50
  • Fat 0g
  • Carbs 13g
  • Protein 0g
  • Sugars 12g

There are 50 calories 20g or 1 tablespoon of Smucker’s Seedless Red Raspberry Jam. The use of fruit pectin rather than gelatin makes this raspberry jam vegan. The high sugar content and use of corn-based sugars are not a great health choice however. We will look at the other flavors of Smucker’s Jam to make sure they are vegan. And then we can give you some better jam options that are also vegan.

Smucker’s Strawberry Jam

Another flavor of Smucker’s Jam Strawberry! Peak strawberries made into a thick jam is a delight to the taste buds.

Here is the list of ingredients for Smucker’s Strawberry Jam:

  • Strawberries
  • High Fructose Corn Syrup
  • Corn Syrup
  • Fruit Pectin
  • Citric Acid

Nutrition summary:

  • Calories 50
  • Fat 0g
  • Carbs 13g
  • Protein 0g
  • Sugars 12g

There are 50 calories 20g or 1 tablespoon of Smucker’s Strawberry Jam. Smucker’s Strawberry Jam is vegan.

Smucker’s Concord Grape Jam

Here is the ingredient list for Smucker’s Concord Grape Jam:

  • Concord Grapes
  • High Fructose Corn Syrup
  • Corn Syrup
  • Fruit Pectin
  • Citric Acid

Nutrition summary:

  • Calories 50
  • Fat 0g
  • Carbs 13g
  • Protein 0g
  • Sugars 9g

There are 50 calories 20g or 1 tablespoon of Smucker’s Grape Jam. Smucker’s Grape Jam is vegan. Since concord grapes are naturally more sweet and less acidic than berries the sugar added is much less for grape jam.

Smucker’s Blackberry Jam

Blackberries ripen in late Summer and are picked when deep in color and bursting with juice.

The ingredients for Smucker’s Blackberry Jam:

  • Blackberries
  • High Fructose Corn Syrup
  • Corn Syrup
  • Fruit Pectin
  • Citric Acid

Nutrition summary:

  • Calories 50
  • Fat 0g
  • Carbs 13g
  • Protein 0g
  • Sugars 12g

There are 50 calories 20g or 1 tablespoon of Smucker’s Blackberry Jam. Smucker’s Blackberry Jam is vegan.

Smucker’s Red Plum Jam

This stone-fruit is deep red and earthy in flavor. When overripe plums become full of juice and are ideal for jam making.

The ingredients in Smucker’s Red Plum Jam are:

  • Red Plums
  • High Fructose Corn Syrup
  • Corn Syrup
  • Fruit Pectin
  • Citric Acid

Nutrition summary:

  • Calories 50
  • Fat 0g
  • Carbs 13g
  • Protein 0g
  • Sugars 12g

There are 50 calories 20g or 1 tablespoon of Smucker’s Red Plum Jam. Smucker’s Red Plum Jam is vegan.

Smucker’s Natural Red Tart Cherry Fruit Spread

On that note, Smucker’s does have a product line of fruit preserves and jellies. Smucker’s Natural Red Tart Cherry Fruit Spread is a more natural and healthier alternative to their jams. And it is still vegan.

The ingredients in Smucker’s Natural Red Tart Cherry Fruit Spread are:

  • Red Tart Cherries
  • Sugar
  • Fruit Pectin
  • Citric Acid

Nutrition summary:

  • Calories 40
  • Fat 0g
  • Carbs 10g
  • Protein 0g
  • Sugars 10g

There are 40 calories in 19g or 1 tablespoon of Smucker’s Natural Red Tart Cherry Fruit Spread. Smucker’s Natural Fruit Spreads are non-GMO, have no artificial additives, no corn syrup, and are made with 4 simple ingredients.

Healthier Vegan Jams

Crofter’s Jams

Crofter’s began as an organic fruit spread company in 1991 out of Ontario, Canada. They were going organic before it was cool. They source their fruit from all over the world from conscious growers.

Crofter’s Organic Jam Flavors

  • Strawberry Banana
  • Wild Blueberry
  • Peach
  • Pomegranate Power
  • Raspberry Seedless
  • Strawberry
  • Concord Grape
  • Four Point
  • Mango
  • Morello Cherry
  • Blueberry Blast
  • Blackberry Seedless
  • Apricot
  • Berry Harvest

Let’s check out the nutritional specs on one of their organic fruit spreads.

Crofter’s Organic Berry Harvest Premium Fruit Spread

Crofters Fruit Spread - Organic - Premium - Berry Harvest - 16.5 oz - case of 6 The ingredients for Crofter’s Organic Berry Harvest Premium Fruit Spread are:

  • Organic Strawberries
  • Organic Wild Blueberries
  • Organic Seedless Blackberry Puree
  • Organic Seedless Raspberry Puree
  • Organic Cane Sugar
  • Apple Pectin
  • Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
  • Citric Acid

Nutrition summary:

  • Calories 30
  • Fat 0g
  • Carbs 8g
  • Protein 0g
  • Sugars 7g

There are 30 calories in 18g or 1 tablespoon of Crofter’s Organic Berry Harvest Premium Fruit Spread. The cane sugar for their organic spreads is ethically sourced and fair trade certified.

Good Good Sugar Free Jams

Good Good’s mission is to make great tasting sugar free products. Their jams are diabetic, keto, gluten and vegan friendly. Good Good Jams are non-GMO and use natural sweeteners.

Good Good Jam Flavors

  • Sweet Strawberry Jam
  • Sweet Raspberry Jam
  • Sweet Apricot Jam
  • Forest Fruits
  • Blackcurrant Jam
  • Sweet Blueberry Jam

Good Good Sweet Blueberry Jam

Sweet Blueberry Jam by Good Good - 12 oz / 330 g - Keto Friendly - No Added Sugar Blueberry Jam - Vegan - Gluten Free - Diabetic - Good Good Jam with Stevia - Blueberry The ingredients for Good Good Sweet Blueberry Jam are:

  • Blueberries
  • Water
  • Erythritol
  • Stevia extract
  • Fruit Pectin
  • Citric acid
  • Potassium sorbate
  • Calcium citrate

Nutrition summary:

  • Calories 5
  • Fat 0g
  • Carbs 4g
  • Protein 0g
  • Sugars 1g

There are 30 calories in 20g or 1 tablespoon of Good Good Sweet Blueberry Jam. The blueberry flavor of Good Good jams has 3 grams of sugar alcohol (erythritol).

Oswald’s Chia Smash Superfood Jams

Oswald’s Chia Smash is technically not a jam at all. Since real jam needs a high sugar content to be considered such. Oswald’s does not add any preservatives or use sugar alcohols. They use real and natural occurring ingredients only. All the chia smash flavors are vegan, paleo, and keto. They also use upcycled ingredients to save unwanted and perfectly lovely fruit from going to waste.

Oswald’s Chia Smash Flavors

  • Strawberry Chia Smash
  • Raspberry Chia Smash
  • Blueberry Chia Smash
  • Cherry Pomegranate Chia Smash

Oswald’s Raspberry Chia Smash

Chia Smash - Raspberry Jam | No Sugar Added, Bold Raspberry Jelly | Keto Friendly, Low Calorie, Low Carb | Non GMO, Upcycled, Vegan, Plant Based, Paleo, Diabetic Friendly | Jar, 8oz The ingredients for Oswald’s Raspberry Chia Smash are:

  • Upcycled Raspberries
  • Organic Date Syrup
  • Organic Chia Seeds
  • Organic Lemon

Nutrition summary:

  • Calories 25
  • Fat 0g
  • Carbs 5g
  • Protein 0g
  • Sugars 7g

There are 25 calories in 20g or 1 tablespoon of Oswald’s Raspberry Chia Smash.

Bonne Maman

In a small village in the South of France a family with an heirloom of recipes became one of the most sought-after fruit preserves in the world. France has a reputation of excellent produce, especially berries.

Bonne Maman Fruit Preserve Flavors

  • Golden Plum Mirabelle
  • Four Fruits (Strawberry, Cherry, Red Currant, Raspberry)
  • Apricot
  • Apricot-Raspberry
  • Blackberry
  • Cherry
  • Fig

Bonne Maman Golden Plum Mirabelle Preserves is one of my favorites. Let’s take a look at the nutritional info for this flavor.

Bonne Maman Golden Plum Mirabelle Preserves

Bonne Maman Golden Plum Mirabelle Preserves - 13 Oz [Pack of 2] The ingredients for Bonne Maman Golden Plum Mirabelle Preserves are:

  • Mirabelle Plums
  • Sugar
  • Brown Cane Sugar
  • Concentrated Lemon Juice
  • Fruit Pectin

Nutrition summary:

  • Calories 50
  • Fat 0g
  • Carbs 13g
  • Protein 0g
  • Sugars 13g

There are 50 calories in 20g or 1 tablespoon of Bonne Maman Golden Plum Mirabelle Preserves.

Jamming along

If you love fruit jams there are so many great vegan options available. We love the sugar free option of Good Good. If whole fruit is more your thing and you don’t mind the sugar then Bonne Maman is a tasty vegan choice. Or go fully organic and vegan with a Crofter’s jam. If you don’t mind some textural seeds in your fruit spread then Oswald’s Chia Smash flavors are probably the healthiest and most natural vegan option to choose from.  

Smucker’s Jams are vegan. And if you must have Smucker’s we suggest choosing the Smucker’s Natural Fruit Spreads instead of their jams. The Smucker’s Natural Fruit Spreads have less sugar and no corn syrup. But whatever jam you choose to dollop on your next yogurt bowl or toast we hope this listing of jams helped you find your vegan jam winner.

Related Questions

Is Jam Gluten Free?

Yes, all fruit-based jams should be gluten free. There are no gluten or wheat based ingredients in fruit spreads ort jams.

Which Jam is lowest in sugar?

Of all the jams and preserves we listed the Good Good Sugar Free Jams are the lowest in sugar at 1 gram per tablespoon.

Is Jam and Jelly the same?

No, jam and jelly are not the same. Jelly is made from strained fruit juices, while jam is made from whole fruits.

Related Guides

Kari Rich

Chef Kari Rich is an award-winning fine dining chef with over twenty years of experience across the culinary field. Chef Kari enjoys studying and preparing foods for all types of diets and needs. Besides running professional kitchens, she has worked as a restaurant consultant doing business development and innovation, flow of food and menu development, food safety and cooking class instructor, ghost and copywriter for cookbooks and blogs, and research and development for health food companies and magazines. Chef Kari has appeared on a number of Food Network, Travel Channel, and Cooking Channel programs, she prefers the more personal connection that comes from preparing creative and well executed dishes. Chef Kari maintains a focus on the importance of local farms, food waste education, and good nutrition practices.

Recent Posts