Making strawberry jam is surprisingly simple and absolutely delicious! With just three basic ingredients, this easy recipe lets you stock your pantry with a homemade spread bursting with fresh fruit flavor. It’s the perfect way to make the most of strawberry season.
Making jam from scratch doesn’t have to be technical, time consuming, or require a long list of ingredients, which is exactly why I love this easy strawberry jam. It’s also:
Making your own strawberry jam is not difficult at all. In fact, you only need three ingredients! Make sure to check out the recipe card below for full details:
Sterilize jam jars. Cut the strawberries to desired size or mash them for a smooth jam
Add the lemon juice and sugar to the large pot with the strawberries
Bring to a boil while stirring. Cook for 1-2 minutes more, turn off heat and let it settle briefly
Pour hot jam into the jars, seal, turn upside down for 5 minutes, then cool completely upright
Once you start, you’ll find the process of making jam quite addictive. But why stop here? Go on and try these other delicious jam recipes:
Once cooled, you can store your jam-filled jars in a dry and cool place. Unopened jars of this strawberry jam will keep for up to a year!
Opened jars must be stored in the refrigerator and used within a few weeks.
Absolutely! Store it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Freezing your jam in small portions makes it easier to thaw only what you need.
Add fresh strawberry jam to crackers with cheese, slather it on a slice of this yogurt cake or Greek yogurt bread, or use it to make strawberry thumbprint cookies and other delicious baked treats. Strawberry jam is a very popular pairing with Homemade English scones and whipped cream.
Get even more creative and swirl this strawberry jam through your homemade ice cream like in this raspberry ice cream.
While possible, I do recommend making this simple strawberry jam with fresh seasonal strawberries. The advantage of frozen strawberries is that you can make this jam all year round.
If you do use frozen strawberries, make sure to thaw and drain them properly before use, otherwise the jam may not set.
In the Netherlands, we use gelling sugar or jam sugar (geleisuiker) to make jam because it gives the jam a firmer consistency. It also makes the jam last longer. It’s basically granulated sugar with added pectin and citric acid.
If you don’t have this, use a powdered pectin instead. Follow the proportions and cooking instructions on the package of your choice.
It’s quite easy to test if your jam is ready. Run a spoon through the jam and draw a line across the back of the spoon. If the line remains visible, your jam is ready. If the jam runs directly over the line, it needs to boil down a bit longer.
Labelling the jars with the date of preparation will help you to know how much shelf-life they have left so that you can enjoy your homemade jam before it expires. Feel free to use a stick-on label and marker or a label-maker machine for added convenience.
Yes, you can make perfect strawberry jam without the added pectin in liquid or powder form and also without adding gelling sugar. It’s essentially how old-fashioned jams are made.
Strawberries are naturally low in pectin, so the quickest way to thicken the jam is by adding a fruit that is naturally high in pectin. Since lemons are high in pectin, adding the juice of an extra lemon to this small-batch strawberry jam recipe works great. You should also let the jam simmer for half an hour longer.
In addition to the extra lemon juice, I also soak the strawberries in sugar for several hours (or overnight), and then use these soaked strawberries and the liquid they release to make the jam. And that’s it!
If you, like me, prefer a smooth jam, simply mash the strawberries beforehand with a potato masher or an immersion blender.
After opening, keep the jam in the refrigerator.
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