How Much Sugar Is in Jam?
A tablespoon of jam has about 10 g of added sugar — nearly half its weight, cooked in to preserve the fruit.
in 1 tbsp (20 g) · about 2.4 teaspoons
- Per serving
- 10 g
- Per 100 g
- 49 g
- Type
- Added sugar
- In teaspoons
- ≈ 2.4 tsp
Fine in a portion — worth keeping an eye on.
A single tablespoon of jam carries about 10 g of added sugar — roughly half the spread's weight, since sugar is what preserves the fruit and sets the texture. That's a similar hit to a tablespoon of honey, just with fruit pulp mixed in.
The fruit in jam has already given up its fibre and most of its water in the cooking-down process, so what's left behaves like added sugar with a fruit flavour rather than like the strawberries it started as. A slice of toast with two tablespoons — a common serving — is 20 g before you count the bread.
Lower-sugar swaps
- Mashed fresh or frozen fruit instead of jam on toast or yogurt
- A no-added-sugar or reduced-sugar fruit spread if you want the jar texture
Frequently asked questions
- Is jam healthier than honey?
- They're similar — both are roughly half sugar by weight per tablespoon, though jam contains a bit of fruit fibre and pulp that honey doesn't.
- How much sugar is in jam compared to fresh fruit?
- Far more per bite. A tablespoon of jam has about 10 g of sugar with the fruit's fibre and water cooked away; the same weight of whole strawberries has a fraction of that.
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Sugar values from USDA FoodData Central; actual amounts vary by brand, ripeness, and recipe. Last updated 2026-08-09.