Homemade Strawberry Jam made with just 3 ingredients and NO store-bought PECTIN. Making strawberry freezer jam has never been easier or more delicious!
Why do you put lemon juice in strawberry jam?
Lemon juice plays two parts in a strawberry jam recipe. First, it prohibits bacteria growth, so your jam lasts longer. Second, it is a natural pectin booster. Fresh berries have pectin that’s released when we heat the jam. However it’s not able to help the jam set without the addition of an acid, enter lemon juice! Neat, huh? And so tasty!
Can you use frozen fruit to make jam?
Yes! You absolutely can use non-sweetened frozen fruit to make jam. Just run it under warm water to thaw, then cut into chucks and proceed with the recipe. Frozen fruit usually gives off a bit more water than fresh fruit, so you may have to add 5 minutes to the cooking time.
Help! My freezer jam didn’t set! What did I do wrong?
Nothing. I’ve been making jam for years and years and I’ve decided that sometimes, jam just doesn’t set. The good news is, you can fix it! First, remember that freezer jam is often softer and needs 24-48 hours to properly set. If you’ve waited that time and you still don’t like how thin your jam is, use a rubber scraper and place jam back in a medium sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 2 tsp cornstarch. Whisk together and add to jam that’s just barely come to a boil. Boil another 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit the 24-48 hours again.
Remember too, that even if your jam is a little thin, it still tastes great! Sometimes it happens to me and I don’t even bother to fix it. We just use a spoon when spreading jam to make sandwiches.
Easy No-Pectin Strawberry Jam Recipe ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this strawberry jam:
–strawberries- the more ripe, the better! Ripe strawberries are the sweetest!
–sugar (about 3/4 cups of sugar for each cup of berries)
–lemon juice (2 TBSP lemon juice per cup of berries)
How to make Strawberry Jam without pectin
- Smash cut strawberries with a potato masher or a Chop Stir. Or use a hand blender to blend strawberries to your desired consistency.
- Put all ingredients into a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Place on medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and boil about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and transfer to glass canning jars, leaving 1/2″ of space from the top of the jar for expansion when frozen. (You’re welcome to use any other jar or container you’d like!) Cool to set.
- Place one jar in the fridge to use immediately and place the other jar in the freezer. Will keep for 4-6 weeks in the fridge and 2-3 months in the freezer.
Enjoy Strawberry recipes? Here are more to try:
-
- Easy Strawberry Trifle recipe
- Strawberry Jello Pretzel Salad recipe
- Easy Strawberry Crisp recipe
- Strawberry Shortcake Cake recipe
- Mini Glazed Strawberry Cupcakes
- Strawberry Ice Cream Pie
- Glazed Strawberry Fruit Pizza
- Frosted Strawberry Cookies
- Strawberry Cheesecake Bites
- Easy Strawberry Butter
- Quick Strawberry Ice Cream recipe
- Strawberry Crumb Bars
Easy No-Pectin Strawberry Jam Recipe
Homemade Strawberry Jam made with just 3 ingredients and NO PECTIN. Making strawberry freezer jam has never been easier or more delicious!
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Servings: 24
Calories: 106kcal
Ingredients
- 4 cups cut strawberries
- 3 cups sugar about 3/4 cups of sugar for each cup of berries
- 1/2 cup lemon juice 2 TBSP lemon juice per cup of berries
Instructions
- Smash cut strawberries with a potato masher or Chop Stir. Or use a hand blender to blend strawberries to your desired consistency.
- Put all ingredients into a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Place on medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and boil about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and transfer to glass canning jars, leaving 1/2" of space from the top of the jar for expansion when frozen. (You're welcome to use any other jar or container you'd like!) Cool to set.
- Place one jar in the fridge to use immediately and place the other jar in the freezer. Will keep for 4-6 weeks in the fridge and 2-3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 16.1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @jessicalovesbutter or tag #jessicalovesbutter!
Homemade Strawberry Jam made with just 3 ingredients and NO store-bought PECTIN. Making strawberry freezer jam has never been easier or more delicious!
Lacie says
Mine didn’t set up at all and I followed it all. What did I do wrong? How do i fix it. It was way runny
Jessica says
Try cooking it longer.
Jarrod says
it turned out good. the family likes when i make this. i boil it longer than 20mins, caramelize it, hmmm. easy simple recipe for a guy like me. B)
Tracy says
This looks incredible! Can I use frozen strawberries and halve the recipe?
Jessica says
Yes, you can use frozen strawberries but you might have to cook it longer since the tend to be more watery once defrosted.
G.G. says
I’ve made this twice and we just love it. My husband has eaten a 4 oz jar by himself with a spoon. Omgosh, I’m very grateful that you showed us how to do this.
Peaches go on sale tomorrow, I’d like to try the same thing. Have you ever made peach jam?
Jessica says
I absolutely ADORE peach jam, but they have to be very ripe/ sweet in order to make it without pectin. Just fyi.
Nikki says
Idk why but my jalapeño jam hardened up.
Nellie says
I’ve never tried jalapeno jam before so I’m not sure either!
Carol says
Can you can this recipe successfully? I want to have some on the shelf and save freezer space.
Jessica says
I’m not sure Carol!
Lynn says
Absolutely delicious. My girls love it on waffles and the 2 year old says “Mmmmmmmm” with every bite! Could I add mint to the mix for a little different rendition?
Nellie says
Mint sounds like a great idea!
Missml10772 says
This was so easy to make! I made one batch using regular sugar & one batch using 4/5ths Truvia & 1/5 regular sugar. * Both were delicious but we actually preferred the batch using Truvia as the one with regular sugar was a little too sweet for us. I will be making this recipe many more times & plan to try different flavors as well. Delicious!!
*Be sure to follow the Truvia directions as it does not take an equivalent amount as regular sugar.
Shelli says
LOVE this recipe! It’s wonderful on toast, yogurt and even banana splits! The first time I made it, it was delicious (although I probably should have cooked it an additional 5 minutes to firm it up a bit more, although I really didn’t care if it was a little thin). The second time, due to my slight food sensitivity to lemon, I decided to try using apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice (I read that you put half the amount, if using vinegar instead of lemon juice). I noticed it foamed up a lot, so I had to watch it VERY carefully. I also cooked it about 25 minutes, and it seems to be a bit thicker. The taste is much sweeter this time, but that could be because these strawberries didn’t taste quite as good as the first batch, so I am noticing the sugar more. NOTE: I would not recommend actually “canning” this for cupboard storage with the vinegar. For safety, I would only can, and store in the cupboard, the lemon juice version. I will be freezing this, and it never lasts long, so it will be fine. All and all, great recipe! Will make it many more times!
Deb says
Just tried this and it appears to be thick enough. But When you say “cool to set” what exactly does that mean? How long before placing in fridge or freezer? Should the lid go on the jar right away?
Jessica says
I let the jars sit on my counter for a day. It really only needs a few hours! The sweeter the strawberries, the more the natural pectin and the more set the jam gets. : )
Donna says
Is it possible to use half strawberries half blueberries? Does that change it at all?
Jessica says
It shouldn’t change it, but just make sure your fruit is ripe since that’s where the natural pectin comes from!
Lynn Howes says
When you leave the jars out on the counter should they be lidded? I didn’t lid them and am nervous about making people sick. I left them on the counter for a couple hours until they were cool enough to handle the. I popped them in the fridge/freezer.
Jessica says
I tend to leave mine on the countertop for 24 hours, but yes, I do have a lid on them. Oftentimes they even partially seal from the heat! I think you’ll be fine!
Jammin in NC says
Best strawberry freezer jam I’ve made. Will not use any other recipe ever again. Thank you!!! It was easy and tastes so delicious I’m not sure we’ll need to freeze any. This will go perfectly with your easy homemade bread recipe, which we also love!
Kaylie says
Thank you! So glad you like it as much as you do!
Susan says
Simple and simply delicious. I used raspberries instead of strawberries and the jam came out perfectly.
Alison says
Yes, Raspberry jam is another favorite of ours! I’m so glad it was great for you too!
Alison Harris says
Yes i made jam today. Fiest time wirhout pectin.. Iwas cery nervous, that it wouldn’t set. It came out gteat with amore intense flavour. Love it, will doitthis way again for sure.
drew says
Great recipe! Gonna try w/ guava’s any advice?
Alison says
Hey Drew! I haven’t tried it with guava but let us know how it goes for you!
Kathy says
First time ever making jam. Made both raspberry and strawberry jam. Both came out fantastic, will never again buy jam. I am 66yrs old so never to late to try new things.
I will give it 6 out of 5 star’s. Thank you Kath.
Alison says
Wow thank you so much Kathy! That is high praise! You are absolutely right, it is never to late to learn something new. I hope you enjoy this recipe for a very long time!
Del says
Followed the recipe using raspberries, wild blackberries and Marion berries from our garden. I’m not a big jam eater but this is delicious! Making another batch as I type …
Kim says
Thank you! First time ever making jelly and this was so much fun!