Nothing adds a burst of fresh fruit flavors like a spread of jam or jelly, whether you prefer grape, strawberry, or fun and interesting flavors like fig, passion fruit, or mango. And it must be healthy, right? After all, it's made of fruit! Unfortunately, not all jams and jellies are healthy, and some barely even include fruit.
All jam and jelly have sugar on the nutrient label since fruit and fruit juice are naturally sweet, but some have more added sugars, artificial sweeteners, and flavors that can start to add up. The first ingredient in your jam should be fruit, and the first ingredient in your jelly should be fruit juice. (That's the difference between the two). We included all types of fruit preserves and jellies in our list of the healthiest jams and jellies to buy at the grocery store, and a few you may want to limit or avoid.
How we chose the healthiest jams and jellies
Lower added sugars: Sugar is added to most jams and jellies to help with stabilization, preservation, and overall flavor. While you don't need to avoid all added sugars, choosing jams and jellies with lower amounts is ideal. Whether the sugar comes from table sugar (sucrose) or high fructose corn syrup, too much can harm your health. Most of our healthiest jams and jellies have less than 6 grams of added sugar per serving.
Simple ingredients: A fruit spread is best when it's just that—fruit! We chose jams and jellies that have simple ingredients like fruit, pectin, sugar, or in some cases, natural sweeteners, and we avoided extra unnecessary ingredients like artificial sweeteners, flavors, and colors.
Delicious flavors:The serving size of jam and jelly is small, usually just a tablespoon. When the flavor is intense and concentrated, that's all you need! We chose jams and jellies that use real fruit and fruit juices to create a variety of concentrated and flavorful fruit spreads so you can easily stick to the serving size without feeling deprived.
8 Healthiest Jams and Jellies
1. Best: Smucker's Low Sugar Strawberry Preserves
Nutrition (Per 1 tablespoon):
Calories: 25
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 6 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 5 g)
Protein: 0 g
Smucker's Low-Sugar Strawberry Preserves has all the flavor and sweetness with less sugar. "It has half the calories of regular jam (25 versus 50) and just 5 grams of added sugar," says Lisa Andrews, MEd, RD, LD. Smucker's also offers a low-sugar concord grape flavor if you prefer grape jelly instead—perfect for a PB&J for you or your kids!
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2. Best: Polander Raspberry Fruit Spread
Nutrition (Per 1 tablespoon):
Calories: 35
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 9 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 8 g)
Protein: 0 g
"The Polander Fruit Spread checks all the boxes—free from corn syrup or artificial sugars, made from real fruit, and tastes delicious," says Lauren Mahesri, RDN from The Pediatric Dietitian. The 6 grams of added sugars come from fruit juice and includes real raspberry fruit. In addition to the raspberry fruit spread, there are 10 other flavors to choose from to find your new favorite.
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3. Best: Raspberry Chia Smash
Nutrition (Per 1 tablespoon (16 grams):
Calories:
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 6 g (Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 4 g)
Protein: 0 g
Chia Smash is made with just four ingredients and sweetened with dates so it has no added sugars or artificial sugars, explains Megan Byrd, RD. While most jams and fruit spreads have fruit, they don't have enough per serving to provide any substantial amount of fiber. Chia Smash has 2 grams of fiber per tablespoon and is also available in strawberry, blueberry, cherry pomegranate, concord grape, and apricot flavors.
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4. Best: Blake Hill Naked Blueberry Spread
Nutrition (Per 1 tablespoon:
Calories: 35
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 10 mg
Carbs: 9 g (Fiber: <1 g, Sugar: 8 g)
Protein: 0 g
Blake Hill Naked Fruit Spread uses fruit and fruit juices to create a concentrated fruit spread that's packed with intense flavor. "Each serving has just 8 grams of sugar that comes naturally from the fruit—no added sugars, no artificial sweeteners—just whole fruit deliciousness," says Stephanie Magill, MS, RD, CD, FAND, Owner of Soccer Mom Nutrition. From their Naked, no added sugar line, you can also get raspberry, strawberry, and peach fruit spreads.
5. Best: Good Good Cherry Jam
Nutrition (Per 1 tablespoon):
Calories: 5
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 5 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 2 g)
Protein: 0 g
Good Good Cherry Jam uses whole fruit and natural sweeteners like erythritol (sugar alcohol) and stevia extract to add extra sweetness without adding extra sugar. Each serving has just 2 grams of natural sugar from fruit and only 5 calories. This is a good option for people who are managing their blood sugars and want to enjoy jelly or jam on top of a carbohydrate like biscuits, bread, or bagels. If you're sensitive to sugar alcohols, you may still be able to enjoy this jam, as erythritol is generally better tolerated than other sugar alcohols like xylitol, mannitol, or sorbitol.
6. Best: Crofter's Superfruit Just Fruit Spread
Nutrition (Per 1 tablespoon):
Calories: 30
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 10 mg
Carbs: 8 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 7 g)
Protein: 0g
Crofter's Superfruit Just Fruit Spread has 33% less sugar than traditional fruit spreads and combines morello cherries, red grapes, pomegranate, and açai berries for a deliciously intense mixed berry flavor. Each serving has just 4 grams of added sugars from apple juice concentrate and it uses apple pectin for a vegan spread.
7. Best: Food For Thought Truly Natural Black Cherry Preserves
Nutrition (Per 1 tablespoon):
Calories: 30
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 8 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 8 g)
Protein: 0 g
Food For Thought Truly Natural Black Cherry Preserves are as simple as can be with just four ingredients—cherries, sugar, pectin, and citric acid. Each serving has 6 grams of added sugars and is loaded with intense flavor. Food For Thought has 23 flavors of fruit preserves ranging from basic strawberry to peach bourbon or cherry cabernet.
8. Best: St Dalfour Fig Royal Fruit Spread
Nutrition (Per 1 tablespoon):
Calories: 45
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 10 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 9 g)
Protein: 0 g
"St. Dalfour fruit spreads are fruit-forward and made of 100% fruit ingredients," says Jorie Walker MS, RD, LD. Of the 9 grams of sugar, 5 of them are added from the addition of fruit juice. "Unlike fruit spreads, jams and jellies by definition have sugar added like high fructose corn syrup or cane sugar. That's why I opt for St. Dalfour; I get all of the fruit flavors (there are 23 available) with no artificial additives, cane sugars, or corn syrups," says Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN award-winning nutrition expert and partner with St. Dalfour.
3 Jams and Jellies To Avoid
1. Worst: Great Value Blackberry Preserves
Nutrition (Per 1 tablespoon):
Calories: 50
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 13 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 9 g)
Protein: 0 g
Each serving of Great Value Blackberry Preserves has 50 calories and 8 grams of added sugars from both corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. That means just one tablespoon has 16% of the recommended daily limit for added sugars.
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2. Worst: Smucker's Squeeze Grape Jelly
Nutrition (Per 1 tablespoon):
Calories: 50
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 5 mg
Carbs: 13 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 12 g)
Protein: 0 g
"Smucker's Squeeze Grape Jelly is one of the least healthy choices due to its high sugar content, with 9g of added sugar," says Wan Na Chun, MPH, RD, CPT, owner of One Pot Wellness based in Indianapolis, IN. "This jelly is made from high fructose corn syrup, a sweetener that has been linked to various health issues when consumed excessively, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease," Chun adds.
3. Worst: Welch's Concord Grape Jam
Nutrition (Per 1 tablespoon):
Calories: 50
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 13 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 10 g)
Protein: 0 g
"Welch's Concord Grape Jam might be tasty and seem "healthy," but it contains high fructose corn syrup, which can cause a myriad of health complications in some people," says Kristen White, RDN, CLT, The Food Sensitivity Dietitian. People with digestive concerns who follow a low-FODMAP diet may need to limit high fructose corn syrup, as the digestive system can have a difficult time absorbing fructose when it's paired with a smaller portion of glucose (unlike table sugar, which is 50% fructose and 50% glucose), according to Monash University.
For icing on the cake, this jam also has 9 grams of added sugars, or 18% of the recommended daily limit in each tablespoon, making it one you'll want to limit.
