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Jam is a sweet, fruity spread that comes in many different flavours. It’s popular for sandwiches, toast and baking, but is jam vegan? Keep reading to find out!
There have been a good few times that I’ve posted a jammy dessert recipe on this blog, only for someone to tell me that it’s not vegan. It’s a common perception, but is that true? Is jam vegan? Let’s take a look.
What is jam?
Jam is a spread, made with fruits, sugar and a gelling agent. It was originally made as a way to preserve fresh fruit and people think it might have been invented as far back as the 4th Century!
Jam has always been available to buy in glass jars but nowadays, you can find it in squeezy bottles too. The consistency of jam is very gel-like, which may explain why it’s known as ‘jelly’ in the US. Other variations of jam are known as conserve and preserve.
Why wouldn’t it be vegan?
Some jams contain gelatine, which is an ingredient used to help the jam gel together. Gelatine is made from animal bones so obviously, this ingredient isn’t suitable for a vegan diet.
Other non-vegan ingredients you may find in jam are honey and some e-numbers used for flavouring or colouring, such as carmine.
Is jam vegan in the UK?
Yes, jam is almost always vegan in the UK. I have never personally come across any jams in the supermarket that were made with gelatine or honey. Instead, UK jams tend to be made with sugar as the sweetener (sugar is vegan in the UK by the way) and pectin as the gelling agent.
These are the ingredients of popular conserve brand Bonne Maman’s strawberry conserve:Strawberries, sugar, cane sugar, concentrated lemon juice, gelling agent (fruit pectin).
And here are the ingredients of Hartley’s strawberry jam: Strawberries, glucose-fructose syrup, sugar, gelling agent: pectins, citric acid, sodium citrates.
Most jams on the supermarket shelves in the UK have very similar ingredients. As you can see, there are no animal products or byproducts in the above jam recipes. UK jam companies typically use pectin instead of gelatine.
What is pectin?
Pectin is a soluble fibre that comes from fruit and vegetables- the most common type of pectin used in supermarket jams comes from apples and citrus fruits. It works similarly to gelatine, giving jam its jelly-like consistency.
Which jams are vegan?
Bonne Maman conserve. Bonne Maman’s fruit make all of their conserves with pectin and they do not contain any other animal products. I used their berries and cherries one to make my Cherry Bakewell tart.
Hartley’s jam. Hartley’s state on their website that all of their jams are suitable for vegans. I use their strawberry one often, especially for filling cakes like Victoria sponge. If you’d like to learn more about this brand, check out my post: ‘Is Hartley’s jelly vegan?‘
Mackay’s preserves. Mackay’s make their preserves with fruit pectin. Flavours include classics like strawberry, raspberry and blackcurrant, and more adventurous flavours like ginger, bramble and fig.
All of the following desserts are free from eggs and dairy and are suitable for a vegan diet.
Victoria sponge cake. Two sponge cakes sandwiched together with dairy-free buttercream and strawberry jam.
Cherry Bakewell tart. Shortcrust pastry, cherry jam and eggless almond frangipane.
Jam and coconut sponge cake. A classic school dinner dessert made with strawberry or raspberry jam.
Mini jam tarts. Fill these cute, mini shortcrust pastries with any kind of jam you like.
Summary
So, is jam vegan? Yes, most jams in the UK are made with pectin, which is a vegan ingredient that is used to help the jam gel together. It is rare to find jam made with gelatine in the UK but do make sure to double check the ingredients before buying. Bonne Maman jam, Hartley’s jam and many supermarket own-brand jams are vegan.
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The core ingredients of jam are plant-based, so most supermarket jams are vegan. However, a small number of brands also use gelling agents to hold the ingredients together. A common example is gelatin, which is made using animal products.
While the word gelatinous is often used to describe jellies, most jellies (even commercially produced jellies) do not contain gelatin. Instead, jellies (and jams, preserves and marmalade) get their firmness from pectin. Pectin is a natural product of certain fruits, making it both vegan and vegetarian.
Pectin, the gelling agent commonly used in jams, is derived from fruits and is inherently vegan. This makes many jams suitable for a vegan diet. At Good Good, we use pectin in our jams to ensure they meet vegan standards.
Yes, pectin is indeed vegan! This is because it is completely plant-based; it is extracted from the cell walls of plants only. Certain fruits have naturally high levels of pectin, like apples, which makes them ideal for creating the gelling agent. Pectin makes a great plant-based alternative in recipes to gelatine.
Since the addition of gelatine some 300 years ago, jelly generally hasn't been vegan-friendly. This is because gelatine is traditionally made from the bones and other off-cuts of livestock, making it without-a-doubt un-vegan.
Isinglass, a gelatin-based substance derived from fish, is used as a clarifying agent in some beer and wine. Other non-vegan ingredients sometimes used are casein (from milk) and egg whites.
Unless your bread is made with milk, butter or eggs (some enriched breads are) a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is vegan. Home made peanut butter and other nut butters are very easy to make in a food processor. Just take raw nuts and roast them in the oven.
The bottom line. Most types of peanut butter are free of animal products and can be enjoyed as part of a vegan diet. However, some varieties are made in facilities that also process animal products or contain refined sugar that was produced using bone char or non-vegan ingredients like honey or fish oil.
The bottom line. Vegans try to avoid or minimize all forms of animal exploitation, including that of bees. As a result, most vegans exclude honey from their diets. Some vegans also avoid honey to take a stand against conventional beekeeping practices that can harm bee health.
Why are Starbursts, marshmallows, and Jell-O not vegan? These seemingly innocent products contain gelatin. The use of this ingredient means these foods and others are not only unsuitable for vegans, but prohibited for vegetarians as well.
Pectin is also a natural ingredient suitable for Vegans & Vegetarians, Gluten Free, Non-GMO, Halal, Kosher. A soluble fibre which, when heated in the presence of liquid, pectin expands and turns into a gel, making it a great thickener.
The process of making gelatin begins by boiling collagen-containing animal body parts like tendons, ligaments, bones etc. mostly from animals like cows, buffaloes, pigs who are 'discarded' by the meat and dairy industries.
The core ingredients of both marmalade and jam are plant-based, so most supermarket marmalades are vegan. However, a small number of brands also use gelling agents to hold the ingredients together.
In terms of primary ingredients, Welchs Grape Jelly is vegan-friendly. The use of grape juice, corn syrup, and fruit pectin are all derived from plants. These ingredients are commonly found in many vegan-friendly products and are not directly derived from animals.
While avoiding all animal products like meat, dairy, and eggs, vegans often supplement their meals with plenty of fresh plant varieties. But there's one pesky fruit, the fig, that doesn't exactly fit into the "vegan-friendly" category.
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