When I was at the farmers market this last weekend, I picked up a large container of wild grapes. I had never had them before, and I love that they taste like an apple-grape hybrid. What came to mind immediately was fresh grape jam!
When I was growing up, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were always grape jelly. Now, I use tons of different flavors of sugar-free jelly to stir into my yogurt or spread on Quaker rice cakes. So, a sugar-free version of my childhood favorite was in order.
Making it in the slow cooker is so darn easy you have no excuse not to do it! Plus, I don’t use pectin or loads of sugar, so it’s just the pure fruit you’re tasting. I find that my fresh jams or sauces get thick enough after they cool that I don’t need pectin, but if you prefer it, please use it!
Slow-Cooker Muscadine Grape Jam (sugar-free, vegan)
(makes 1 pint jar)
4 cups halved muscadine grapes, de-seeded
¼ cup Splenda or stevia
~Mix together the Splenda and the grapes. Put them in your slow-cooker. Turn on high for three hours OR low for 8 hours. When time is up, uncover the slow-cooker and carefully blend the cooked down grapes with your immersion blender until you get the chunky or smooth texture you desire (if you don’t have an immersion blender, let the mixture slightly cool, then put it in your blender with the top OFF, the top of the blender covered with a towel, and pulse the mixture until your desired texture is achieved).
~Pour the hot mixture into a jar, apply the lid. Let the jar cool for 2 hours on the counter top before placing in the fridge. Enjoy on toast, in a peanut butter sandwich, or stirred into some nonfat plain Greek yogurt!
Strike up a conversation:How do you use jam and jelly in your kitchen? My favorite uses are: stirred into Greek yogurt, stirred into oatmeal, spread on rice cakes, spread on pancakes, or incorporated into a muffin batter!
This is so neat! I never even would have thought to make a jam in my crock-pot! Thanks so much for sharing this at Mom’s Test Meal Mondays!
did you leave in the seeds? I know they are good for you and was going to do the same…
Yes I did! I cut the grapes just in half before cooking just in case there were any seeds that were just too big.
ooohhh I see now where it says de-seeded at the top. How did you de-seed??
🙂 ok got it! Thanks!
how do you deseed??
On large muscadines, it’s easiest to cut them in half and pop out the seeds (there’s only a couple in each muscadine)
This is a very nice site! I, too, get “in and out of” running, and have run some local 5k’s. I am about to try muscadine jam in the slow cooker_I have an abundance on my acre in north central florida. I have made orange (clementine) marmalade in the slow cooker and it came out good (it softens the zest well. Thanks again.
I was looking for recipes to make for Christmas gifts. Your muscadine jam is appealing because it seems easy. Because you do not add lemon juice, I presume that it would also take less sugar or artificial sweetener to sweeten the mixture. But I am not clear about how long you can keep the finished product. You say to store it in the fridge. So I gather that this jam is made to be kept cold and eaten in a couple of weeks?
I am not an experienced canner, but for a product to be safe for longer without refrigeration I guess it would need higher heat & to have the jar sterilized. I think also having a higher acid content (hence maybe the lemon called for in the other recipes) helps keep the food safe.
So, it sounds like this would be a great recipe to make for us to eat at home during muscadine season, but not a way to extend the goodness of the fruit for longer?
That’s correct. If you go through the traditional high heat sterilization and canning process, it’ll be good to keep. If you want to keep it longer without doing that, feel free to put a few jars in the freezer! 🙂
can this be done on a regular stove? I do not have a slow cooker:(
Yes it can be done on the stovetop like other jams. Boil slowly for 20min+ watching for it to thicken and be glossy.
Do you leave the skin on?
Well I honestly don’t know how you would skin a grape 😉 so yes, leave the skins on.
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I guess that does sound like an odd question. But the muscadine’s that grow in North Carolina have such a thick skin that the flesh separates from the skin when you cut them. Since the skin is full of nutrients I guess it is good news that they can be included. Thanks for posting the recipe, I’m trying it today.
You know what, that is so interesting! Because the muscadines we have down south are thick and hearty, but their skins stay put. Plus, yes, I am a bit proponent for keeping as many nutrients as possible in the mix!
Hi there!
Do you have to add a sugar/sugar substitute? The muscadines I have are SO sweet! already!
Of course not! Feel free to leave it out! I would add juice from 1/2 a lemon, though, to help in the thickening process.
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hi, melissa, you did not mention removing the seeds? so you just cooked them and blended them too? please let me know, thanks! 🙂
The recipe says “halved, deseeeded ”
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i was wondering when you remove the seeds?
If you wanted to use regular sugar, how much would you use? Thanks very much
How long does it last in fridge?