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Home / Ingredients for home canning / No Sugar Needed Pectins / Bernardin No Sugar Needed Pectin

Bernardin No Sugar Needed Pectin

Bernardin offers a “no sugar needed” pectin for use in jams and jellies.

Normally sugar is required to get pectin to set, but this pectin requires no added sugar at all for the gel to happen.

Note: if you are in the States, this pectin is sold labelled as “Ball.” See here.

Bernardin-No-Sugar-Needed-Pectin-001

This pectin will give you a good old fashioned, hard set.

While some no sugar needed pectins will give a bit of a soft set, Bernardin’s gives a good, old-fashioned “an earthquake wouldn’t move it” set. Notice how you can’t even make the jam move by turning the jar upside down.

Nutritional information and ingredients. There are added preservatives to help keep your jam safe, plus citric acid to help ensure a safe, low pH.

Nutritional information and ingredients. There are added preservatives to help keep your jam safe, plus citric acid to help ensure a safe, low pH. (The per ¼ teaspoon unit is bizarre, though.)

The back of the box gives a general guidelines recipe, which is helpful. It also gives nutritional information, and ingredients. Note that it lists dextrose (aka glucose) as its first ingredient, which is essentially a form of sugar (dextrose plus fructose = sucrose) so it could be debated whether the pectin itself is sugar-free.

It is not cheap, though, that's for sure: at 4 bucks a pop per box, it could cost more than the fruit you are using for your batch of jam.

It is not cheap, though, that’s for sure: at 4 bucks a pop per box, it could cost more than the fruit you are using for your batch of jam.

It is pricey, there’s no two ways around that.

Bernardin-No-Sugar-Needed-Pectin-003

Each box contains a limited recipe leaflet, and the actual packet of pectin. There’s a few more recipes on Bernardin’s web site, and nine more in the Bernardin 2013 guide, but that’s about it. For the most part, Bernardin’s recipe developers are pretty set in their old-fashioned, high-refined sugar ways. It would be nice if eventually all their jam and jelly recipes provided optional directions for using this pectin instead of their regular pectin which requires the added sugar.

Bernardin-No-Sugar-Needed-Pectin-005

There’s a glimpse of the leaflet above.

Bernardin-No-Sugar-Needed-Pectin-006

There’s the pectin.

Bernardin-No-Sugar-Needed-Pectin-007

There’s a close-up of the pectin. Notice the brown granules in it.

Bernardin-No-Sugar-Needed-Pectin-008

A photo of the sides of the boxes, showing their help line. Note that you can use reduced sugar, no sugar, or an alternative sweetener.

Bernardin-No-Sugar-Needed-Pectin-009

The pectin is made by Newell down in the States, presumably in the same factory as the Ball pectin whose ingredient list is identical, and then shipped to Canada for bilingual and metric packaging there.

Bernardin Pectin - No Sugar Needed
Bernardin Pectin - No Sugar Needed
Price: $24.13 ($24.13 / Count)
Price Disclaimer
Tagged With: Bernardin

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gloria Riesen

    July 27, 2020 at 6:18 pm

    I have purchased Bernardin sugar free freezer jam pectin. There are no directions for use on or inside the packet.
    Please provide instructions for sugar free raspberry freezer jam using the afore mentioned product.
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      September 24, 2020 at 5:37 pm

      Hi Gloria, please contact Bernardin directly to ask them. https://www.bernardin.ca/en/contact-bernardin.htm

      Reply
    • John Alexander Sitwell

      October 25, 2020 at 6:21 pm

      I wish to make grape jelly using bottled grape jounce and Bernadine no sugar added pectin but cannot find a recipe.

      Reply
      • Healthy Canning

        June 21, 2021 at 12:50 am

        Ask Bernardin directly. Here is the Bernardin Contact Form.

        Reply
    • Lori

      July 01, 2021 at 4:41 pm

      I have an expired pkg of the older sugar free freezer jam pectin pkg Here’s what it says:
      Crush fruit, measure 4 cups fruit . Add sugar free jam pectin , stir 3 minutes
      Ladle into clean jars leaving 1/2” headspace chill or freeze
      Yield: approx 4-250 ml jars

      Reply
      • Lori

        July 02, 2021 at 5:58 pm

        I made my strawberry freezer jam per the instructions on the expired Bernardin package , I used a new pkg not the expired. The jam turned out perfect! Not sure why Bernardin couldn’t put the jam directions on their new packaging

        Reply
      • Alma

        July 19, 2021 at 6:58 pm

        Thank you for sharing the instructions, made the process much easier. Many thanks again…cheers A

        Reply
      • Tina

        May 24, 2022 at 1:42 am

        Thank you Lori! You’d think they’d put the instructions on the pkg. They would sell more if people knew how to use it.

        Reply
  2. Mikaela

    July 08, 2020 at 7:59 pm

    Hi!
    The recipe for freezer jam that comes with the no sugar needed Bernardin pectin, calls for unsweetened cranberry or apple juice. All I have is sweetened cranberry juice. Will it still work?

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      September 26, 2020 at 7:34 pm

      Yes, that would still work.

      Reply
  3. Cheri Lauterio

    July 26, 2019 at 4:38 pm

    Can I use the low sugar pectin in a regular recipe? I accidentally grabbed the wrong one when shopping until I prepared the fruit

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      September 09, 2019 at 12:33 am

      How did it work out?

      Reply
  4. Stephanie

    June 18, 2019 at 9:20 pm

    What kind of artificial sweeteners can I use with this pectin?

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      September 09, 2019 at 1:47 am

      Any at all, or you can use natural sweeteners such as honey, stevia, etc.

      Reply
  5. mary graham

    February 24, 2018 at 6:02 am

    How can I buy it in USA?? Please advise

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      February 26, 2018 at 10:22 pm

      Hi Mary, in the States, the parent company (Newell) sells this same pectin under the Ball label: https://www.healthycanning.com/no-sugar-needed-pectins/#ball-bernadin

      Reply
  6. mary graham

    February 24, 2018 at 4:32 am

    How can I buy it in USA??

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      April 22, 2018 at 3:31 pm

      In the US, look for it being sold under the Ball brand name.

      Reply
  7. sr

    July 05, 2017 at 12:50 am

    Can you use the regular Bernardin no sugar added pectin for freezer jam instead of the sugar free freezer jam pectin?

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      July 05, 2017 at 8:25 pm

      Hmm, not sure, ask them directly via here: https://www.bernardin.ca/en/contact-bernardin.htm

      Reply
  8. Kathy Naharney

    May 19, 2017 at 1:36 pm

    What stores in Canada carry your no sugar needed pectin?

    Reply
    • Healthy Canning

      May 29, 2017 at 7:53 am

      Home Hardware and Canadian Tire are two of the stores that do.

      Reply
  9. Maija

    November 15, 2016 at 7:47 pm

    Thank you!
    I’ve been trying to find out if Bernardin No Sugar Pectin is MADE in Canada.
    So, no, it’s not. It’s a little deceiving when you buy something “packaged in Canada”.
    Oh well.. better than nothing, I suppose.
    I’ve noticed it’s hard to find recipes other than the limited ones on the box.
    I’m happy to pay the amount charged in order to make jellies and jams with much
    less sugar. (none, in my case)
    Thanks again.

    Reply
If you need FAST or relatively immediate canning help or answers, please try one of these Master Food Preserver groups; they are more qualified than we are and have many hands to help you. Many of them even operate telephone hotlines in season.

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