Strawberry Jam recipe that doesn’t require pectin. This easy jam is soft and spreads smooth on toast. Includes refrigerator, canning and freezer instructions.
Make Strawberry Jam Without Pectin
Do you grow strawberries in the garden and now you’re picking them by the bucket? Or maybe you found a deal at the farmers market and couldn’t resist buying 10 pounds. Hey, it happens to us all. Tip: Here’s how to store strawberries.
I wanted to share with you my favorite strawberry jam that’s the perfect companion to my breakfast toast or scone. The jam is smooth, spreads beautifully, tastes sweet and I find myself sometimes just craving a spoon of it! And if you’re looking for this recipe’s spicy sister, make sure to check out my strawberry jalapeno jam next!
This easy strawberry jam recipe doesn’t require any pectin. Like my other jam recipes (like bread machine raspberry jam and blueberry jam!), instead we’re using lemon juice. I prefer making jam without pectin. This method will leave you with a delicious jam that you can eat straight from the refrigerator, can or freeze for later usage.
How to Make Homemade Jam
Prep. Clean and hull your strawberries. Measure sugar and lemon juice.
Mash. In a large bowl mash your strawberries until they are mashed up. I like to use a potato masher for this. You can use a food processor or blender, but I don’t find it necessary and you have to be careful not to liquefy the strawberries.
Boil. Add the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice to a medium sized pot. Don’t use a small saucepan, it will boil over. Heat over low heat until the sugar dissolves completely. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a full rolling boil. Stir the jam very often for a full 20 minutes while it’s boiling. If you want to get exact you’ll want the temperature to be 220 degrees while boiling.
Jam is Ready. Place the jam in mason jars and put in refrigerator if you’re going to eat it immediately (or within the month). It will turn into a thicker jam consistency overnight.
Canning/Freezing
To can, transfer the jam to sterile jars, leaving about 1/2 inch on top and seal the jars in a water bath. To freeze, place jam in freezer bags after cooking and place in freezer.
I hope you like this easy to make Strawberry Jam without pectin!
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No Pectin Strawberry Jam
PrintIngredients
- 2 pounds strawberries cleaned and hulled
- 3 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large bowl mash your strawberries until they are mashed up. I like to use a potato masher for this. You could throw them into the food processor to make it really easy, but you don't want them to liquefy so I find that doing it by hand is best.
- In a medium sized pot add strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Heat over low heat, stirring, until the sugar breaks down completely. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a full boil. Stir the jam often while boiling for a full 20 minutes – you'll want the temperature during this time to be 220 degrees.
- Transfer the jam to a mason jar and store in refrigerator. This will turn into a thick jam consistency overnight. To can, transfer jam to sterile jars, leaving about 1/2 inch on top and seal the jars in a water bath. To freeze, place jam in freezer bags after cooking and place in freezer.
Tina Price says
If canning once the water bath is finished can you store on a shelf or do the jars have to go to the freezer?
Michael says
Amazing, super simple, fast, and this recipe is written very well, easy to follow. 5 stars!
Pamela says
Can I use Swerve for sugar free?
Pamela Reed says
You sure can. We also like it with honey instead of sugar. Hope this helps!
Lonna Willis says
Can I use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh?
Pamela Reed says
Yes, you sure can!
Nicole B says
Very easy recipe. Yet somehow I messed it up. My jelly turned out rockhard. Any idea where I went wrong?
Pamela says
Hey Nicole, my best guess is that it was overcooked – that usually results in a hardened jam. Hope this helps and you’ll try again!
Shelley Leavitt says
How many jars does this make?
Pamela says
This makes 2 pints of jam, but can easily be adjusted to make more or less. Hope that helps! Enjoy the jam!
Linda says
How long do you cook in wath bath canner?
abby says
can you tell me how many ounces this recipe creates? it only says serves 36? I would like to make several small jars, and need to know how much to buy etc based on volume. thank you
Don Pers says
Hello . I ‘m in the UK and so I ‘d like to ask if you could give me more precise measurements instead of cups for the sugar? What is 3 cups of sugar in terms of ounces or grams and the same with the lemon juice? How much do I add to make strawberry jam? Please and Thank you.
Pamela says
Hey Don, I don’t provide conversions incase they’re inaccurate. If you go to Google though you can easily find a cooking measurement conversion tool. Hope this helps! 🙂
Charlotte says
Can you use frozen berries? Also how do you freeze? Do you have to do the water bath first?
Pamela says
Hey Charlotte, you can use frozen strawberries if that’s all you have, but I’d recommend trying it with fresh if you can – tastes better in my opinion! If you’re using frozen berries, it will take a bit longer to cook. For freezing, just cook as instructed and then place in freezer bags. The water bath is just if you’re canning them. Hope this helps!