Side by Side Comparison of Traditional and Low Sugar Pectin Recipe for Grape Jelly

It’s been an incredible summer for grapes.  They love it hot and dry. There is much less disease this way.  I got a hold of enough grapes to make two batches of jelly.  I decided to do one traditional Sure-Jell Premium Fruit Pectin jelly and then for my second I tried Sure-Jell Pectin for Less or No Sugar Needed Recipe.  Now I can show you how the two types of pectin compare and whether or not the low sugar pectin is worth trying. 

I followed the recipes as exactly as I could in my home kitchen so that this could be a true side by side comparison. 

The methods for both recipes were almost identical.  The only difference was adding a quarter cup of sugar in with the pectin packet to the cold juice for the low sugar pectin recipe instead of waiting for the juice to come to a full rolling boil to add all the sugar like you do in the traditional pectin recipe. 

From what I understand traditional pectin binds the acid of the fruit to the sugar which is why you need an exact amount of sugar while the low-sugar pectin binds to the calcium so the quantity of sugar doesn't matter as much.  In fact, there is even a recipe in the box for substituting in Splenda™ if you are into that kind of thing. I hear stevia also works. 

Be careful if you have hard water there could be calcium in there and you could wind up with jelly that is too stiff when using the low sugar pectin.  Also low sugar jelly must be processed in a boiling water canner or frozen for long term storage as sugar is a preservative and since there is less sugar the jelly will mold more easily.  

Here's the break down of the sugar to juice for each pectin and then nutritional information:

If I get out my calculator, that equals the low sugar grape recipe is about 1/3 the calories and sugar of the traditional recipe. 

Both jellies set up well.  By looking I could tell the difference between a spoonful of one or the other.   When I looked really close the traditional pectin set-up with slightly firmer edges and is lighter in color. 

The jellies do have slightly different flavors.  Both of them are plenty sweet in my book.   The low sugar jelly tastes more like grape juice, while the traditional pectin tastes like my grandma’s jelly.  The low sugar reminds me of a grape Jell-o shot without the alcohol.   Both are excellent. 

If I had to choose between the two, I would go for the Sure-Jell Pectin for Less or No Sugar Needed Recipe.  I like that it has fewer calories and the purer grape flavor. 

My sister recently brought to my attention that jelly can be made with no added pectin at all.  Simply use the fruit’s natural pectin to thicken the preserve by boiling down the juice.  She’s been trying it out and says is not as fool proof as store bought pectin and it doesn’t  gel as hard, but it works.  It involves using a technique called sheeting to tell when it is done or a candy thermometer.  The next time I make jelly I’ll have to give that a try.

Here are some links if you would like to know more:

• LOW SUGAR JAMS AND JELLIES - Oregon State Extension
• Notes About Pectin for Making Homemade Jam - Pick Your Own
• How To Make Pectin-Free Jam: Ditch The Box and Increase The Creativity In Your Preserves - Northwest Edible Life

I know there are lots of other options out there to make jams and jellies.  What do you use?