Made using fresh juicy strawberries and no pectin, this delicious homemade strawberry jam comes together in under 30 minutes. Make a big batch, freeze and use the entire year.
You can also try my Mango Jam and Peach Rosemary Jam if you are looking to make your weekday breakfast even better.
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About This Recipe
There are some summer fruits, that I miss while the season is gone, specifically mangoes and strawberries. And therefore, I either freeze them or make recipes out of them that do stay for 3 to 4 months, so that I can enjoy them a little much more.
This homemade strawberry jam is one of those recipes, that I make sure to prepare and store in the fridge so that my weekday breakfasts become a little more easy and tasty.
The recipe yields 1 jar of jam but you can easily double or triple the recipe if you want to make a big batch.
My son loves strawberry jam and instead of using the store-bought one, I prefer to make one at home. The homemade one is super easy, fresh, and prepared with high-quality ingredients. There is no added pectin, preservatives, or color either. Better, right?
Along with the sour and sweet taste of strawberries, this jam also has a nice subtle hint of vanilla from the vanilla extract. You can even use a vanilla bean, which will give this jam a better vanilla flavor.
This Homemade Strawberry Jam is,
- One-Pot
- Vegan
- Gluten-Free
- Minimum Ingredients
- Made from scratch
- Super delicious
- Slightly tangy
Ingredients
You need just 4 ingredients (no pectin) to make this homemade strawberry jam – strawberries, lime juice, sugar, and vanilla extract.
Strawberries – While choosing strawberries, see that they are bright and red and doesn’t have black and mushy marks.
Sugar – I try to use organic sugar in my cooking which is slightly brown in color. But you can choose sugar that is available to you. Do not reduce the amount as we need it to set the jam.
Lime juice – Make sure you use freshly squeezed lime juice, as it adds the best flavor. Lime juice is a natural pectin source that helps to set the strawberry jam and also helps prevent the growth of bacteria.
Vanilla – I have used vanilla extract here, but you can also go for fresh vanilla bean.
How to make Homemade Strawberry Jam?
Start by pureeing the strawberries. I took approximately 500 grams of berries that gave me 2 cups of puree.
Wash the strawberries well to remove any dirt. Chop off the top with the green leaves using a sharp paring knife. Cut the strawberries into quarters and add them to the medium jar of a blender. Blend to make a smooth puree.
Measure 2 cups of strawberry puree. I made a small batch but you can easily double or triple the recipe if you want to make a bigger batch. Add the strawberries puree, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 2 tbsp lime juice in a medium-size non-stick pan.
Cook on medium heat till the jam thickens to the desired consistency, approximately 20-25 minutes. Keep stirring at regular intervals. If the mixture is spluttering too much, cover the pan with a lid.
To check if it has cooked to the perfect consistency, do a plate test. Take ½ tsp of jam on a plate and refrigerate for 5 minutes. If it sets properly, it is ready.
If you have a candy thermometer, check the temperature. It should reach 220 degrees F when it’s ready to set.
If not, cook it for another 5-10 minutes. Repeat the test again to check if it’s done. Do not overcook otherwise the jam will harden on cooling.
Once the strawberry jam has cooked to the right consistency, remove the pan from heat and transfer it into a clean glass jar. Refrigerate for up to 2 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
If the mixture is not cooked enough, the jam will not set. This is the only tricky part of this recipe. To make sure the jam is cooked enough, after 20-25 minutes of cooking, take ½ tsp of cooked jam on a plate and refrigerate for 3-4 minutes.
If it sets, you can stop cooking and remove the pan from heat. If it doesn’t set, you need to cook it for a few more minutes and then repeat the testing process until the jam sets on the plate.
To make NO COOK Strawberry Freezer Jam, pulse 2 cups of chopped strawberries until chopped into very small pieces. Add 4 cups of granulated sugar and mix well.
Heat ¾ cup water and 1 box (1 ¾ Oz. Size) SURE-JELL Premium Fruit Pectin in a pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour the pectin mixture over the strawberries and mix well until sugar dissolves.
Pour it into clean glass jars. Close the lid and refrigerate for up to 3 months or freeze for up to a year.
Variations
You can add other fruits and ingredients to this basic recipe and make variations of this jam. I like to add Blueberries, Peach, Jalapeno, Habanero, Rhubarb, etc for a taste change.
Go ahead and experiment with different flavors. You can even add chia seeds to this jam.
Serving Suggestions
This jam is a quintessential, soothing accompaniment that you can pair up with toast or bread and butter for good. I even loved eating it with pancakes and waffles, it tastes marvelously good.
You can fill it inside the cupcakes or use for layering the cakes.
Top it over plain or vanilla yogurt, ice cream, or even on breakfast parfaits. You can also top it over my slow cooker steel cut oats or instant pot oatmeal.
It also makes for a great holiday gifting option.
Storage Suggestions
Strawberry jam is best stored in clean glass jars. Refrigerate it for upto 2 months. Use a clean spoon or knife to take out the jam from the jar.
You can also freeze the jam. Transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to a year. make sure to leave some space at the top of teh jar for the expansion. Once ready to use, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and use it as desired.
If you are good with canning, this recipe can be easily canned. If the canning is done perfectly, you can store it for up to 1 year over the shelf also.
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Recipe Card
Strawberry Jam
Ingredients
- 2 cups strawberry puree
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp lime juice
Instructions
- Start by pureeing the strawberries. I took approximately 500 grams of berries that gave me 2 cups of puree.
- Wash the strawberries well to remove any dirt. Chop off the top with the green leaves using a sharp paring knife. Cut the strawberries into quarters and add them to the medium jar of a blender. Blend to make a smooth puree.
- Measure 2 cups of strawberry puree. I made a small batch but you can easily double or triple the recipe if you want to make a bigger batch. Add the strawberries puree, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 2 tbsp lime juice in a medium-size non-stick pan.
- Cook on medium heat till the jam thickens to the desired consistency, approximately 20-25 minutes. Keep stirring at regular intervals while cooking. If the mixture is spluttering too much, cover the pan with a lid.
- To check if the jam has cooked to the perfect consistency, do a plate test. Take ½ tsp of jam on a plate and refrigerate for 5 minutes. If it sets properly, it is ready.
- If you have a candy thermometer, check the temperature. It should reach 220 degrees F when it’s ready to set.
- If not, cook it for another 5-10 minutes. Repeat the test again to check if it’s done. Do not overcook otherwise the jam will harden on cooling.
- Once it has cooked to the right consistency, remove the pan from heat and transfer the jam into a clean glass jar. Refrigerate for up to 2 months.
