Easy Strawberry Jam Recipe with no pectin
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Who’s ready to make an easy Strawberry Jam with all those sweet delicious strawberries in season right now? You’re in luck, this simple No Pectin Strawberry Jam Recipe is made with only strawberries, sugar, and a bit of lemon. Couldn’t be easier!
The Best Homemade Strawberry Jam Recipe
Have you ever wondered how to make Strawberry Jam? It’s surprisingly easy. I have an amazing small batch strawberry jam recipe to share with you today. I make this jam every year after we visit our local strawberry farm.
The beauty of this simple homemade strawberry jam recipe is in the use of fresh strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar instead of pectin to make the strawberry jam set.
Why this Easy Strawberry Jam Recipe Works
- Simple Ingredients – All you need is strawberries, sugar, lemon juice! The sugar and lemon juice work together with the natural pectin already found in strawberries and lemon to make the strawberry jam set. (Lemon juice also helps prevent the growth of bacteria.)
- Fast – Takes only about 20 minutes!
- Tastes amazing – The flavor of homemade jam just doesn’t compare to store-bought!
Didn’t the strawberry jam turn out gorgeous!? I’m not kidding when I say this jam recipe is easy. And only takes about 20 minutes to cook!
Ingredients in this Small Batch Strawberry Jam Recipe
Want to give this recipe a shot? To make the Strawberry Jam, you need 3 ingredients. (Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full printable recipe card.)
- Strawberries | Fresh or frozen berries work for this recipe, hulls removed. If you use frozen, thaw them first, or you will need to allow for extra cooking time since you will be cooking from frozen
- Sugar | Granulated sugar.
- Lemon juice | Fresh is best, but bottled works too.
That’s it! No pectin, no water, no extras. Making jam is super simple. All it takes is a bit of time stirring your pot on the stove.
Instructions to Make Strawberry Jam
- In a heavy bottom saucepan, mix strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice.
- Stir over med-low heat until the sugar is dissolved.
- Increase heat to med-high and bring mixture to a full rolling boil.
- Reduce heat to medium, stirring frequently, mashing the strawberries as you stir. Continue to simmer, until the jam is thickened and bubbles completely cover the surface of the jam. (about 10 minutes.)
- Transfer jam to a jar and let cool to room temperature.
- Seal jars and store them in the refrigerator.
FAQ’s
I’ve gotten a few questions and comments about this recipe over the years. I’ve tried to get them answered all in one place for you today, feel free to leave a comment if you have a question I have not answered. Also, be sure to check the comment section- tons of good info there!
How To Know When Jam Is Done
The simplest way is to use a thermometer to check the temperature. You will want the jam to reach 220°F. 220°F is the heat point at which the sugar bonds with the pectin and forms a gel. Keep in mind, it can take 24-48 hours for the jam to fully set up. So if your jam is still on the thinner side, don’t worry. Know that as it sits in the fridge it can set up more. (more info below on what to do if your jam never sets up.)
Another method to test if the jam is ready is the “plate in the freezer” method. (Remove jam from heat while conducting the test.) Place a small plate in the freezer when you begin cooking your strawberry jam. When you’re ready to test to see if the jam will set, remove the plate from the freezer and place a quarter size amount of the jam in the center of the plate. Place the plate back in the freezer for one minute. After a minute, run your finger through the jam on the plate. If it wrinkles and is gel-like, the jam is ready. If the jam “fills in” the line you made with your finger, you should cook the jam for another few minutes.
Can I Double this Homemade Jam Recipe?
Yes, you can double this Strawberry Jam recipe. Keep in mind you will need to cook the jam for longer if you increase the ingredients. (see tips above on how to know if your jam is done.
Can I make this recipe Sugar Free?
If using artificial sugar, you can help your jam gel by adding 2.5 tablespoons of chia seeds at the end of the cooking time.
Can I Freeze Strawberry Jam?
Yes, you can! The even better news is that you can freeze it right in the jar. Just make certain that you leave some space at the top as it will expand a tiny bit when freezing. This way, you can make several jars in batches and just pull one from the freezer to unthaw when you’re running low.
How Do You Can Strawberry Jam For Pantry Storage:
This recipe is perfect for water bath canning. I have the Ball Home Canning kit. It contains everything you need for water bath canning. How to can your strawberry jam:
- Wash jars and lids (I use the sterilize function on my dishwasher. Use whatever size jar you like. (I prefer the 8 oz jars for this recipe.)
- Spoon the strawberry jam to the jar, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Use a skinny spatula to help remove air pockets.
- Wipe down jar rims and add the lids. Seal to fingertip tightness. (Screw the lid on till you feel resistance. Too loose, jar won’t seal, too tight air won’t release properly.)
- Process for 5 minutes in the boiling water bath. Turn off the heat and let the jars sit in the water for another 5 minutes.
- Remove jars and let cool 12 to 24 hours. Check the seal by removing the band and pressing the center of each lid. If you are able to indent the lid, your jam did not seal properly. Store in a cool dry location for 1 for best quality, but maybe good for up to 2 years. Be sure to test your jar for spoilage before using it.
Keep in mind, higher altitudes affect boiling and you will need to process the jam differently. (I believe I read boiling points are lower at high altitudes.)
How Long Does Homemade Strawberry Jam Last In The Fridge?
For best results use the opened jar of jam within 10 to 14 days. Sealed and unopened, your homemade should keep in the fridge between 1 to 3 months. In the freezer, it should last about a year.
Can I Use Frozen Strawberries To Make Jam?
Yes, you will most likely need to increase the cooking time as frozen strawberries tend to be more watery (and they are frozen rather than room temp.) You can also use a thermometer to help determine when your jam is done. (When the jam reaches 220 F, it should be ready.)
Can I Use This Strawberry Jam Recipe With Other Fruits?
The cooking process of this jam will work fine with other fruits, but you will need to take into consideration the sweetness level of whatever fruit you are using. If it’s not very sweet fruit, you may need to increase the amount of sweetener that you’re adding during the cooking process. Check out my Blueberry Jam Recipe and my Peach Jam Recipe.
Why Didn’t My Strawberry Jam Set Up? (And How To Fix It)
There can be varying reasons as to why your jam didn’t’ set up properly.
- Your Strawberry Jam most likely needed to cook longer or there is a small chance that the strawberries didn’t have enough natural sugar for the jam to set. It’s a combination of cooking time, sugar, and lemon that makes this recipe gel. (Lemon acts as a natural pectin in this recipe.)
- If you followed the directions and it didn’t set up properly, let the strawberry jam sit overnight in the fridge. If that step still doesn’t get it to stiffen up and set, you can try re-cooking it for a bit longer and either 1. adding in a bit of pectin or 2. adding a bit more sugar and lemon (not much, just give it a taste test.) For best results though, I recommend using a thermometer and making sure your strawberry mixture reaches 220 degrees F.
- Another method to test if the jam is ready, is the “plate in the freezer” method. (Remove jam from heat while conducting the test.)
Place a small plate in the freezer when you begin cooking the jam. When you are ready to test to see if the jam will set, remove the plate from the freezer and place a quarter size amount of the jam in the center of the plate. Place plate back in the freezer for about a minute. Run your finger through the jam on the plate. if it wrinkles and is jell-like the jam is ready. If the jam “fills in” the line you made with your finger, you should cook the jam for another few minutes.
Simple Ideas to Use Strawberry Jam
In no time at all, you can have a sweet and simple strawberry jam that you’ll want to put on everything. My mind can probably go on forever when thinking of ways to use homemade strawberry jam but some of my favorites are:
- crusty bread with cream cheese
- on top of pancakes or waffles with whipped cream
- over plain or vanilla yogurt
- drizzled over ice cream or cheesecake
- a filler for homemade muffins or cupcakes
- DIY Christmas or hostess gift
My entire family thinks this strawberry jam is the best thing ever. I also have a great peach jam and easy blueberry jam recipe, if you want to try making jam using different fruit.
Pin this recipe for later
More Fresh Strawberry Recipes For All Those Strawberries:
- Easy Strawberry Trifle with Pound cake
- Strawberry Chocolate Hazelnut Bites
- Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
- Strawberry Mini Pies
Tried this Strawberry Jam Recipe?
Print
Easy Strawberry Jam Recipe with no pectin
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 20
- Yield: about 1 3/4 cups 1x
- Category: jams and jellies
- Method: stovetop
Description
An Easy Strawberry Jam Recipe with no pectin!
Ingredients
- 16 oz strawberries, hulled and coarsely chopped
- 3/4 cup of sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- In a heavy bottom saucepan, mix strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice.
- Stir over med-low heat until the sugar is dissolved.
- Increase heat to med-high and bring mixture to a rolling boil.
- Stir frequently mashing the strawberries as you stir, continuing to boil, until jam is thickened and bubbles completely cover the surface of the jam. (about 10 minutes.)
- Transfer jam to a jar and let cool to room temperature.
- Seal jars and store in refrigerator for about 10 days (or freeze)
Notes
Makes about 1 3/4 cups
Additional tips: If you have a candy thermometer when the jam reaches 220 F, it’s ready.
If you want a less chunky jam, you can process fruit in a food processor before cooking or use an immersion blender while fruit cooks.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tbs
- Calories: 27
- Sugar: 66
- Sodium: 0
- Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 7
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 0
Keywords: strawberry jam recipe, strawberry preserves, how to make strawberry jam, strawberry jam no pectin
Enjoy! What are some of your favorite uses for jam?
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Hi. Can you double to triple this recipe and it still set up? This looks amazing and easy. I hope lol
You can, though you might need to cook it longer. Use a thermometer (when the jam reaches 215 F, it’s ready.)
Hi! After it sits in fridge or freezer for 10 days do i leave it there or can i remove it and place in pantry for later use? Or do i just leave it in freezer until i use it? Thanks!
If you freeze it, leave it in the freezer til ready to use. Then once opened keep it in the fridge.
This is my go to recipe, hubby loves this jam!
★★★★★
Hello!! If freezing without canning, how long is the freeze life? Thanks
Jam in the freezer should last about a year.
I have never done any “canning”. If I make this recipe, do I have to do anything specific to the jars, or can I just put them in mason jars that I haven’t done anything to and put them in the refrigerator? Thank you! (Also, how long does it keep in the refrigerator?)
Sterilize the jars before using, leave 1/4 inch headspace in the jar and make sure to wipe any excess jam from around the edges before sealing the lid. This homemade jam should keep in the fridge between 1 to 3 months. If you can it properly using the hot water bath method, it should last about 2 years when stored in a cool, dry place.
Good Luck.
We came home after picking strawberries and realized we had way more than we could eat as a fruit. So, I googled and was fortunate to land in your site. I followed your recipe to a T and the jam was DELICIOUS. I followed this with a larger batch of four pounds. The only modification I made was to boil for about half an hour. This too came out superb. Thank you.
I’m so glad you liked it!
This recipe was super easy & super tasty! We love it! I made 12 jars!
★★★★★
This is great! Came out better than I expected. (I’ve never made any jams or jelly’s before).
I used my candy thermometer and let it boil forever, because the temp wasn’t going past 150*, I took it out and put a new one in I had bought recently, I’m glad I did, because the old one was not working correctly!! (Trashed it LOL) Got it up to temp, cooled a bit then put into my quart mason jar. ( hadI doubled the recipe since I had 2 lbs of fresh strawberries that were in sale at Sprouts last weekend). Even added a little lemon zest too. Thanks for such an easy, I mean easy recipe for Strawberry jam! Can’t wait for hubby to try it. 🙂 Oh and yes, it set up and it’s still warm on the counter.
★★★★★
I love it! I bought strawberries at sprouts last week too, lol! (made a trifle- it was amazing) Sent the hubby back yesterday for more (double ad wednesday) so I can make it one more time and get it photographed for the blog.
This recipe is awesome; thank you so much for sharing it. I made 3 half-pint jars in 45 minutes this AM, using a generous pound of fresh strawberries, about 2/3 cup drained crushed canned pineapple, a full cup of sugar and 3 T. lemon juice. I cut up the berries and mashed them with a potato masher, and followed your directions for boiling time and temp. I used a candy thermometer to ensure the correct temp. I prepared the jars for freezer/refrigerator storage since I did not have enough time to water-bath process, but would have processed them for 10 minutes as Ball’s “canning Bible” suggests. The jam set up well and is delicious! I needed to use the berries up today and had no pectin, so your recipe was perfect. I will definitely be using it again!
★★★★★
What is so awesome!! Thank you for stopping by with a comment. I love the idea of adding pineapple. We are heading out to our local strawberry farm this weekend and I am excited to get some fresh strawberries.
Thank you for posting!!! This recipe is DELICIOUS!!!
★★★★★
Made it tonight. It was delicious. It was my first time and so I thought I would try it before I attempted canning. I will definitely be making it again, canning it and giving it as gifts!
I cooked it for about 40 minutes. It just won’t reach 215F. I just wasn’t sure if I was doing something wrong
Hmm…could be a couple of things. You might need more sugar ( Maybe your strawberries didn’t have enough natural sugar) or more lemon juice.(has natural pectin) You might need to just turn up the heat… it’s hard to know without being there. I googled why won’t my jam reach 215 and I found 2 articles with some great information. Here they are: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/jam-reaching-220-degrees-dsvw-vd~1951674 and https://www.nigella.com/ask/how-do-i-know-if-my-jam-has-reached-setting-point.
Good luck.
My son and husband love this paired it with my homemade whole wheat and oat bread it was delicious thank you for this easy recipe
★★★★★
Just finished making this jam and it is delicious. I will be maling some more for sure. Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Made a batch because I had a ton of strawberries in the fridge. This recipe is so easy and delicious! May neighbors weren’t quite sure what to think of the female mechanic next door bringing them homemade jam!
★★★★★
Omg just made this it is so yummy won’t last long in the fridge I’ll be gone
Could you use honey instead of sugar?
I don’t know, you might be able to Google that question. If you do you might need pectin.
Has anyone else used this recipe with other fruit? I have 20 lbs of nectarines coming and want to make jam
I was wondering the same or can you mix fruits
Can you use a hot water bath to Can it?
Yes!
So u can put it on the shelf instead of fridge
Only if you properly can it, otherwise it needs to go in the fridge or freezer.