How to make the Best Strawberry Jam without Pectin

I’ve said it once and I will say it again, homemade jam is one of the easiest things to make. You do not need to wait until strawberry season to make a delicious strawberry jam. You can make it any time of year with fresh strawberries from your local grocery store or farmer’s market.

However, I will warn you that strawberry jam does take a bit longer to make than blueberry jam. Yet, the ingredients are identical (with different measurements).

Strawberry Jam is probably one of the easiest jams to find in your grocery store. However, it is extremely difficult to find a store-bought version that does not contain any artificial sweeteners, ingredients, or coloring. The best thing about making jam at home is that with a little bit of time, some mason jars, 3 simple ingredients, and my simple recipe–you can have a delicious strawberry jam free of artificial ingredients that makes a great addition to toast, ice cream, or you can even gift for someone you love.

Why do I recommend using this Simple Strawberry Jam Recipe?

• This recipe contains only natural ingredients. That means no artificial colors or synthetic food dyes, no artificial flavoring (& you definitely do not need it), no high fructose corn syrup, no pectin, and no ingredients that you can not pronounce!
• You get to control how much sugar you use, meaning this could be a low sugar recipe if you wanted it to be.
• This will make a small batch of jam, so canning experience is not necessary. This delicious strawberry jam recipe makes approximately two cups of jam which really is the perfect amount.
• You only need three ingredients that you more than likely already have in your kitchen and the directions are incredibly easy to follow. Additionally, you do not need to purchase any special equipment.
• You do not need to wait until the summer months to make it. Although fresh-picked strawberries have the best flavor– fresh strawberries from your local grocery store or farmer’s market will also do. In fact, you can even use strawberries that are lightly bruised.

Ingredients Required:

• Fresh Strawberries
• Granulated Sugar
  • The amount of sugar is a personal preference. I highly recommend sticking to at least half of what the recipe calls for.
• Lemon Juice

Yes, that’s really all you need to make delicious Strawberry Jam at home!

Equipment Needed:

• Stock Pot
  • You could also use a Saucepan. Personally, I prefer the extra room that stock pot offers. The cooking time will vary slightly from person to person, but your jam will need to reach a full rolling boil, so the extra space is nice to have.
• Potato Masher or Food Processor
  • This will be a matter of personal preference. If you like chunky jam, a potato masher is what you will want to use. If you want a smooth jam, you will want to use a food processor for best results.
• Rubber Spatula
  • This is my preferred tool for stirring the jam, it will also be your best friend when getting the sugar off the sides of the pan.
• Ladle
  • This is my preferred tool for transferring the jam into your desired container.
• Thermometer
  • You will need this to ensure that you jam reaches the proper temperature to set. Using a thermometer is a great way to make sure that your jam has had the proper amount of cooking time. Some people use the frozen plate test basing their jams temperature on if it slides on the plate or not. In my opinion, this is a bit relative–therefore I highly recommend using a thermometer. There are so many thermometers to choose from and some children’s thermometers are able to detects the temperature of foods, you could also use a candy thermometer or meat thermometer! So just save yourself from the guess work, extra dishes, and extra work–just get the thermometer.
• (1) 16 ounce jar or (2) 8 ounce jars with cap
  • This recipe will make approximately 16 ounces of jam. So, you can either make one large jar of jam or make two smaller jars of jam. I recommend making two small jars, so you can keep one and gift the other. My personal preference is to use canning jars. But, you could also choose to use reuse jars from things like salsa, kimchi, or jelly. Just make sure you use clean jars. I would sanitize whatever jar you are using prior adding your jam to it.
• Funnel
  • Okay, this is not entirely necessary. However, I like to use one to make the transfer process a little less of a mess.
• Paring Knife
  • This is what you will use to cut the tops off of your strawberries and then dice them.
• Cutting Board
  • You will need something to cut the strawberries on. I definitely recommend a wooden cutting board, however if you heavily rely on a dishwasher this might not be the best choice for you.

Instructions

Note: I have included a printable recipe at the bottom of the page.

1. First you will need to prep your strawberries. This will include:
   • Washing your strawberries.
   • Removing the stems from your strawberries.
   • And dicing your strawberries. If you are choosing to use a food processor, you will add them to your food processor instead of dicing them. However, you will still need to remove the stems.
2. Place the prepped strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar into your stock pot.
3. Stir well to completely coat the strawberries.
4. Let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes. This will allow your strawberries to release their natural juice.
5. Turn the heat up to medium low and stir with your rubber spatula. You will need to ensure the sugar melts completely, be sure to scrape any sugar from the sides of the pan. It is very important that you get all of the sugar and that it melts completely to prevent your jam from crystalizing.
6. Bring your jam to a simmer and allow it to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. You will need to stir the jam frequently to prevent burning. As you are doing this you will need to use your potato masher to begin smashing the strawberries.
7. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, without turning up the heat, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F. Be sure to stir constantly in order to avoid burning the jam.
8. Remove from heat.
9. Ladle jam into your sterilized jars leaving 1 inch head space.
10. Cap and allow to cool to room temperature, undisturbed.
11. Refrigerate until the jam is completely set or firm, this can take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours.
12. The jam will keep for up to two weeks.

Notes:

• If you prefer to use frozen strawberries, ensure that they are completely thawed before beginning the recipe.
• Lemon Juice is used to activate the natural pectin within the strawberries. You cannot skip this ingredient, or your jam will not set. You will not taste the lemon juice.
• The jam needs to be stored in the fridge at all times after reaching room temperature. However, you can freeze it to have a freezer jam on backup!
• You can mix up the recipe and add raspberries, blackberries, blueberries or even peaches and oranges.
• If you are using fresh squeezed lemon juice (which is not necessary), you can feel free to add a bit of lemon zest.
• You could mix a bit of this jam with vinegar and oil to make a sweet and tangy strawberry sauce to use on your salad.
• Strawberry jam is a delicious topping for cheesecake, ice cream, pancakes, waffles, or mix some with your yogurt! It is also a great addition to toast and English muffins.
• If you prefer your jam to have less sugar than you can reduce the amount of sugar used.

Check out our Lazy Mom Cheesecake recipe here!

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