Fruit Spreads

Fruit spreads are like jam or preserves, but sweetened with concentrated fruit juice syrup instead of sugar. Usually these syrups are made from grape, apple, pear, or pineapple juice, or some combination of these. These are all natural, unrefined fructose. They are delicious and taste even better than the sugar-sweetened variety because the sweetener is more harmonious in character with the natural fruit.

In the past, the term "fruit spread" seemed to have been reserved for these all-fruit products. Now, though, some "fruit spreads" contain cane sugar. Unfortunately, the fruit spreads that contain organic fruit are sweetened with sugar, and the natural fruit spreads are sweetened with fruit. I haven't yet found a fruit spread that is fruit-sweetened and made with organic fruit.

Be sure to read labels carefully, as some brands sell both sugar-sweetened and fruit-sweetened spreads, and you can't tell which is which from the front label.

Recipes made with Fruit Spreads: