Canning Strawberries – 30+ Creative Recipes

Strawberries are one of the first fruits of the summer, and these strawberry canning recipes are a great excuse to dust off your canning equipment and get jammin’!

Strawberries are naturally high in acid and high in sugar, making them perfect for water bath canning.  Strawberries don’t need anything special added for canning.  It can be as simple as 1 ingredient strawberry jam, cooked down to thicken.

Want to can without pectin?  No problem.

Sweeten with honey, maple or Splenda?  Go right ahead.

No sugar instead?  That works too!

Try mixing in other fruits, spicing things up with herbs, or making a creative strawberry syrup.

Whatever you do, don’t limit yourself to just jam.  There are dozens of creative ways to can strawberries.  My favorite is a simple low-sugar strawberry jam. 

If you’re lucky enough to come upon a patch of wild strawberries, those little beauties can be made into a wild strawberry jam to preserve their intense flavor for the winter months.

Canning Simple Strawberry Jam

If you only make one strawberry canning recipe, I’d start with a simple strawberry jam.  It’s a bit tricky to get the jam to come together without added pectin, but in my opinion, it’s worth the effort.

Adding pectin means that the jam gels before the flavors are fully concentrated, and it’s not nearly as intense as old-fashioned strawberry jam.

• Strawberry Jam (No Commercial Pectin) – Practical Self Reliance
• Old Fashioned Strawberry Jam (Low Sugar, No Pectin) – Melissa K. Norris
• Simple Strawberry Jam, European Style – The View from Great Island
• Strawberry Jam (Honey Sweetened, Pectin Free) -Texan Erin
• Simple Strawberry Jam – Beyond the Chicken Coop

Strawberry Jam with Powdered Pectin

Powdered pectin is one of the most common methods for ensuring a good set in jam. 

Most types require at least 50% sugar by volume, unless you use “low sugar” pectin types.

• Sure-Jell Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Jam with Pomona’s Pectin

Pomona’s is a type of low sugar pectin that works well even with no sugar recipes.

It’s also perfect for honey-sweetened strawberry jam, and other alternative sweeteners.

• Strawberry Jam with Pomona’s Pectin – Boulder Locavore
• No Sugar Added Strawberry Jam – Practical Self Reliance

Strawberry Jam with Liquid Pectin

I generally avoid liquid pectin because it contains preservatives, and it requires the most sugar for a proper set.  (Usually, you need around 7 cups of sugar to 4 cups of fruit or juice with liquid pectin.)

That said, a lot of people prefer to work with liquid pectin because it’s pretty foolproof.  It’s added after the sugar, so it’s also a great way to “save” jams that fail to set.  (Other types of pectin must be added before the sugar, so there’s no way to re-cook a failed jam unless you use liquid pectin.)

• Homemade Strawberry Jam – She Loves Biscotti

Strawberry Jelly

Skip the seeds and try homemade strawberry jelly!

Believe it or not, without the seeds and pulp distracting your palate, strawberry jelly actually has a much more intense flavor than jam!

• Strawberry Jelly – Practical Self Reliance

Canning Strawberry Jam with Other Fruits

Once you’ve made simple strawberry jam, why not mix it up a bit with other seasonal fruits?

Rhubarb and lemon are classic combinations with strawberry, but really the sky’s the limit.

• Strawberry Rhubarb Jam – Practical Self Reliance
• Strawberry Rhubarb Jam (Apple Juice Sweetened) – Common Sense Home
• Strawberry Banana Jam – Healthy Canning
• Christmas Jam (Strawberry, Cranberry, Orange) – Creative Canning
• Strawberry-Rhubarb-Pineapple Jam – Blessed Beyond Crazy
• 15 Minute Strawberry Peach Jam – Brooklyn Farm Girl
• Strawberry Lemonade Marmalade – One Acre Vintage Homestead
• Strawberry Lemon Jam – Simple Seasonal

Canning Strawberry Jam with Herbs & Spices

Herbs can enhance the flavor of strawberries, and really create something unique.

I love rosemary and balsamic strawberry jam variations, and roses are simply amazing, too.

• Strawberry and Thai Herbs Jam
• Strawberry Vanilla Jam
• Strawberry Thyme Preserves
• Strawberry Jam with Rosemary
• Balsamic Roasted Strawberry Preserves
• Strawberry Rose Jam

Canning Strawberry Syrup & Sauce

Once you’ve had your fill of every type of strawberry jam imaginable, branch out into simple strawberry syrup and sauce.

It’s lovely on ice cream, and syrup is perfect for making summer drinks later on in the season.

• Chocolate Strawberry Sauce
• Strawberry Sauce
• Healthy Strawberry Applesauce
• Simple Strawberry Syrup

Canning Strawberry Pie Filling

We put up lots of different types of home-canned pie filling each year.  Canning apple pie filling in the fall means I have ready-made apple pies later in the winter, and canning peach pie filling in my outdoor canning kitchen means I can have luscious peach pies in January (and I don’t heat up the house during the peach season).

Strawberry pie filling is an equally good idea, and can be used for pies later, or simply eaten right out of the jar.

• Strawberry Pie Filling – Healthy Canning
• Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Filling – Bewitchin’ Kitchen

Canning Whole Strawberries

Once all that’s set and done, if I still have homegrown strawberries I’ll just can them as they are!

Believe it or not, strawberries hold up pretty well to canning as whole fruits, and they’re lovely in muffins and quick bread.

• Canning Whole Strawberries – Practical Self Reliance

Canning Recipe Ideas

Looking for more ideas?  I have plenty of canning recipes to keep you busy!

• 30+ Tomato Canning Recipes
• 12+ Apple Canning Recipes
• Zucchini Canning Recipes
• 50+ Pressure Canning Recipes

Summer Canning Recipes

Looking for more ways to keep your canner full this summer? 

• Canning Peaches
• Canning Corn
• Canning Plums
• Canning Blueberries