Strawberry Jam Recipe without Pectin — Tiaras & Tantrums (2024)

This Homemade Strawberry Jam Recipe without Pectin uses only strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. The entire process takes less an hour, start to finish - minus the time it takes to travel to a strawberry patch and pick your very own fresh grown strawberries! You may not want to head out to the grocery store and purchase a jar of jam. If you have fresh fruit in your home, you can easily make your own jar of homemade jam.

You will be able to make the BEST Homemade Strawberry Jam that is literally the most flavorful Strawberry Jam that will have you craving a spoonful all hours of the day. The flavor is amazing and so fresh! We literally hardly ever purchase jam any longer because it is so simple to just make our own jars.

We then came home and decided to make a couple of jars of Homemade Strawberry Jam without Pectin. Since these strawberries were literally just picked, they were the sweetest and most delicious and really just the perfect strawberries for homemade strawberry jam.

Strawberries do not have a lot of natural pectin and because of this reason - you will need the lemon juice and the lemon zest to add back in some natural pectin. If you don’t add the lemon juice, the homemade jam will not be very thick like store-bought jam. If you happen to like really thick jam, toss in more lemon peel (which you can pull out prior to pouring the homemade jam into a jar). I simply zested one lemon and my consistency was perfect.

I normally make a double or triple recipe versus just a small jar of jam. in the winter, I usually just make one jar at a time. For some reason, my children eat homemade jams more often in the summer months than in winter months?

Now, since this recipe is just a simple creation versus a canning recipe (which is below if you are interested in canning the jam versus just straight popping the finished product into the fridge) Keep in mind, it won’t last in your fridge for months on end. Our homemade strawberry jam never lasts longer than a few weeks, so I don’t normally boil it in a canning pot.

This recipe is super simple and if you have strawberries on hand, you can make it with staple pantry items! It takes zero pectin and you just need strawberries, sugar, and lemons (or lemon juice). And, if you don’t have lemon juice, it really can be made with just sugar! It is that simple!! I add lemon zest and tell you the reason why a bit further down, but the lemon zest is not mandatory either.

This Strawberry Jam is so delicious, you can et it right out of the jar!

INGREDIENTS FOR STRAWBERRY JAM

• STRAWBERRIES– Approximately 1 pound (4 cups whole) of fresh strawberries. If using frozen, let them thaw first.*

• SUGAR– 2 cups of Granulated sugar works best in this recipe, but any sugar will do.

• LEMON– 1 freshly squeezed lemon. Fresh squeezed is best, but you can use bottled as well. If using bottled, use 1/4 cup)

• LEMON ZEST - Zest from one lemon (optional, but recommended)

*If you are using frozen strawberries that are whole from the grocery store, use 3 heaping cups thawed. If you are using fresh-picked strawberries as I did, the strawberries tend to be a bit smaller than the fresh strawberries sold in the clamshell plastic packaging. I used around 35-40 of the smaller sized strawberries we freshly picked from the strawberry patch. If you are using a medium-sized strawberry, simply adjust the number of strawberries to around 25 or so.

This recipe can also be doubled or tripled if you want to gift some fresh strawberry jam to your mother in law for bonus points or to your neighbor who gives you the stink eye every time your kids kick their ball into their yard! My neighbors adore me right around the first day of summer as this is in the height of the strawberry season and when I make my yearly delivery of Homemade Strawberry jam to their doorstep!

HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY JAM

1. Rinse the strawberries, remove the hulls and green leaf tops. If using large strawberries, you may want to slice them.

2. add the lemon juice and lemon zest.

3. Add them to a saucepot, and smash the strawberries with a potato masher. You do not need to smash the strawberries to a liquid. I just quickly smash into chunks.

HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY JAM CONT

5. Bring the strawberries to a rolling boil over medium heat, and stir frequently.

6. Once the strawberries release their natural juices and become soupy, add the sugar to the pot.

9. If your jam is not getting thicker, you can add more sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and turn the burner down a bit and continue to simmer.

10. Turn off heat and let the mixture cool a bit before pouring into a jar or container.

11. Cover and refrigerate or alternatively, you can freeze.

This jam will keep in the refrigerator for up to three weeks without pectin.

HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY JAM

This delicious homemade strawberry jam is perfect for when you don’t need 10 jars of jam or you want to stock up on a bit of jam without making a purchase OR if you have some fruit in your fridge that is super ripe and you don’t want to toss it because no one is eating it yet.

EQUIPMENT:

• Potato masher

• Large saucepan

• Glass Jars, seals and lids (makes 8 pint-sized jars)

• Spoon

• Measuring Cup

SECRET INGREDIENTS:

• Instant Coffee Granules (1-1/2 tsp dissolved in 1 Tbsp water)

• Lemon Zest, Lime Zest, Orange Zest (2 Tbsp)

• Balsamic Vinegar (2 Tbsp)

• Freshly Ground Black Pepper (1/2 tsp)

• Mint Extract (1/4 tsp)

• Minced Crystallized Ginger (3/4 tsp)

• 1 Jalapeno Pepper (seeded and finely chopped)

• Vanilla Bean (take a half of a Vanilla Bean Pod, and split in half lengthwise, scrape seeds from the middle)

INGREDIENTS THAT REPLACE 1 CUP OF STRAWBERRIES:

• 1 cup crushed Red Raspberries

• 1 cup crushed Blackberries

• 1 cup crushed Blueberries

• 1 cup finely chopped Mango

• 1 cup finely chopped Kiwi

• 1 cup finely chopped Peaches

• 1 cup crushed Bananas

HOW TO CAN STRAWBERRY JAM

To can Strawberry Jam at home, simply prepare a water bath canner before you start preparing to make your very own homemade jam. Follow the same exact steps as above, but when you begin filling the jars with the finished jam, do not fill the jar entirely full. Leave approximately 1/4 inch headspace at the top of the jar(s). (make sure your jars are covered with water) Then seal the jars with canning lids and twist tops. Place the jars in the boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Turn the heat on the burner off, but allow the jars to sit in the water canner for an additional 5 minutes. Then remove them to rest on a towel or cloth on your counter. Don’t skip this step, your jars need to gently cool down a bit before exposed to the cool air in your home.

Once the jars are completely cool, double-check that all the jars sealed by gently pushing on the seal. Press the center of the cooled lid. If sealed, the lid will not move up and down. Place any jars that did not seal in the refrigerator. Place your sealed jars in the cupboard for later use. They will stay in your cupboard for approximately 12 months. A bit longer if your kitchen is not too hot.

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