Easy Strawberry Jam Recipe [+Video] 🍓 MasalaHerb.com (2024)

The BEST Strawberry Jam without pectin.

Only natural organic ingredients make this beautiful strawberry jam.

I share my tips, tricks and complete recipe, so that you can make your own strawberry jam asap!

I hope you are ready for strawberry season because I have got you covered already with my strawberry rhubarb jam.

BUT I'm not done because one of my all-time favorite jam recipes is the bright red and complex fruity Strawberry Jam (without any other fruit).

🔪 How to make it?

To prepare this easy Strawberry Jam, you will need to follow these 3 simple steps:

Step 1

The fruits are washed, stems removed, and the fresh Strawberries are cut small.

Sugar and Lemon are added to the Strawberries in the jam pot and brought to a rolling boil.

Step 2

Bring to a rolling boil, stir, reduce heat and leave to simmer until it's set.

Test jam if set with thermometer or cold plate method (see recipe card below).

Step 3

Blend jam with a hand blender to desired consistency.

Pour into clean jars, close with lids and store in coold and dry place.

🌡️ Jam setting temperature

The Strawberry jam is set when the candy thermometer has reached 220 Fahrenheit/ 105 Celsius.

How else can I check if my jam is set?

Your jam will be very hot and in it's hot form, it will always look liquid (even when it's set).

Think candy, it's stone hard when cold but melted when hot.

So, this is how I check if my strawberry jam is set:

• Keep a plate in the freezer before you start cooking jam
• When you want to test the setting temperature, take a drop of simmering jam and drop it into the cold plate.
• Move the plate around. If the jam runs, it's not set, if it doesn't move it is set.

Because the plate is ice cold, it instantly cooles down the hot drop of jam on the plate, which enhances us to determine if the jam is set.

If you are new to preparing homemade jam, use the thermometer and the plate setting test.

💭 FAQs

Preparing and canning strawberry jam is easy but I know it can be tricky when you havn't had someone show you in person or when this is your first time.

These are some of the questions that have been asked over the year on my other jam recipes.

Please red through properly and sent me a mail if something is still unclear.

Why is my jam runny?

Your jam is runny when it didn't set.

You didn't cook it long enough and perhaps your fruit is not that rich in natural pectins.

Some fruits are more suitable then others for jams. Fruits high in acidity such as green apples, citrus fruits, lingonberries and red currants are rich in natural pectins.

Strawberries do not contain all too much pectin.

We remedy this by adding lemon juice and I like to add lemon peel as well during the cooking process.

Citrus fruit peels are high in natural pectin!

In away this is a strawberry lemon jam.

How to fix runny jam?

Take it back to the jam pot and cook until. It's easier to fix runny jam then hard jam.

Why is my jam stone hard?

Your jam is stone hard if you over cooked it.

This can happen, especially if this is your first time and you get stressed out about the setting point.

That is why you should test if your jam is set.

Don't over cook.

Jam appears liquid, even when set, which is misleading and the chance that you over cook your strawberry jam is great.

How to fix over cooked jam?

That's literally a tough one!

Either you find uses for your overcooked jam in your cooking and baking, or you add it back to the pot and cook it a bit with water to turn it a bit liquid again.

You would have to use it sooner than later because you added water. Water reduces the shelf life. Store the fixed jam in the fridge and use within weeks.

If the jam is not only hard but tastes over cooked, it might not make sense to cook it again with some water.

Some readers simply mixed this jam into their foods with other ingredients to not let it go to waste.

Why don't you add pectin to your jams?

I don't add artificial pectin gelling sugars to my jams because my recipes are from my French heritage and we don't add artificial preservatives.

We can do without pectin sugar because we add regular sugar and another ingredient that adds natural pectin.

Besides I don't enjoy jams that contain pectin.

It tastes weird and the consistency looks unnatural.

Why do you add so much sugar to your strawberry jam?

The sugar in your jam helps to preserve the fruits for months to come.

Don't ever reduce the sugar amount in my strawberry jam recipe without pectin.

This would reduce the shelf life of your jam and you would end up with mold on your jam.

One batch of jam equals about 3 small jars, which in turn results in about 70 servings.

1 Serving in my book is 1 Teaspoon.

1 Teaspoon jam is less than 100 calories, less than most cream cheese pies and pancake breakfast servings.

French people are mostly healthy and they eat a lot of homemade jams.

Nobody adds 2 tablespoons of jam on their bread, that just isn't healthy.

Remember Paracelsus's saying: The dose makes the poison.

⌛ Cooking duration

Your jam will take +30 minutes to cook.

It can even take an hour.

Don't look too much at the time, but keep an eye on the setting point instead.

🍱 Storing

Store your jam always in clean sterilized jars. To sterilize your jars and lids, keep them in boiling hot water or place into the oven.

That way all germs are killed.

Fill your jar up to the rim.

This is important because when you lock it with your lid, you don't want air inbetween.

When there is air, there is germs.

Another trick is to pour a few drops of vodka/rum/ or whatever neutral drinking alcohol into the lid to kill remaining germs.

I used a strawberry Schnapps in my strawberry jam.

Close your jam jar with the lid well, and quickly turn it upside down to create a vacuum.

Leave it upside down until the next day.

Once you have opened your jam, it turns into a refrigerator strawberry jam.

Don't risk and leave it out.

The more humid your environment, the more likely your jam will grow mold.

Don't store your jam in humid places such as a cellar.

🥣 Uses

• Over your breakfast bread roll (my favorite)
• Strawberry Jam Tarts
• Strawberry Jam Cheesecake
• Jam Swiss Roll
• Thumbprint Cookies or other Sandwich Cookies
• With Crackers and Cream Cheese (Paul's favorite)

👁️ More jam recipes

• Blackberry Jam
• Raspberry Jam

Dear Reader, How are you planning to use your Homemade Strawberry Jam?

📖 Recipe