Strawberry jam is a springtime classic, and this easy strawberry jam recipe requires just three ingredients and comes together without added pectin.
Strawberries are what get my littles to the garden every spring, and they’ll pick their fill before spending the rest of the morning happily playing between the rows. Seeing their smiles meant that I never wanted to have a year without strawberries in the garden, and every year we add a new strawberry bed or two.
Over time we’ve added literally dozens of varieties, from classic June-bearing strawberries to day-neutral everbearing strawberries that fruit all summer long. We’ve got alpine strawberries, and even some exciting new pineberries (white strawberries with a tropical pineapple flavor).
With all these strawberries, we make a lot of homemade strawberry jam!
My preference is always simple, old-fashioned recipes without added pectin. I don’t like to use the boxed stuff if I can avoid it.
My main reason is quality and jams made the old-fashioned way usually taste better and have a better finished texture. Put a natural no pectin jam next to a boxed pectin jam and you’ll see what I mean…one is silky smooth and nicely set, the other one is not nearly as nice. In the worst cases, it’s more like gelatin than jam.
Beyond quality, it’s also about cost.
I’m making jam with strawberries from our garden, to fill jars that I bought a decade ago. Sugar is pennies a pound, and new canning lids don’t cost much either. If I can learn to how to make jam without pectin, it’s almost free.
It costs around $6 for a box that will only make 4 half-pint jars, which quadruples my cost per jar.
Ingredients for Strawberry Jam
There are plenty of different strawberry jam recipes without pectin, and most of them require strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. The relative quantities and preparation vary quite a bit between recipes, and some require macerating the fruit or roasting it.
I’m adapting a simple strawberry jam recipe from the book So Easy To Preserve, which is one of the best reference books on canning and food preservation available anywhere. It’s put out by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, and much of the National Center for Food Preservation’s canning research and advice comes directly from them.
I’m adapting their recipe slightly by adding lemon juice which helps the jam set and adds a lovely flavor. It also balances the sweetness from the sugar. (The original recipe just uses strawberries and sugar.)
You’ll need the following:
- 8 cups mashed strawberries (from about 4 quarts of fresh fruit, 2 kg, or about 4 1/2 to 5 lbs)
- 6 cups sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
In this recipe, feel free to use fresh lemon juice if you have access to good lemons. Most canning recipes specify bottled lemon juice, and that’s because it’s at a standardized acidity and it’s carefully measured to make the recipes safe for canning.
In this case, strawberries are acidic enough on their own for safe canning, so we’re using lemon juice for flavor and pectin. Use the fresh stuff, or bottled, your choice.
My setup for canning strawberry jam in my outdoor canning kitchen.
Some European strawberry jam recipes opt for equal parts fruit and sugar, which would mean 8 cups mashed fruit to 8 cups sugar. This recipe uses a bit less, and opts for a 3:4 sugar to fruit ratio, which lets you enjoy the fresh taste of the fruit a bit more.
This is the minimum amount of sugar you can use and still get the jam to set reasonably. I’ve tried, and even using slightly less sugar (4 or 5 cups) doubles the cooking time and results in a jam that tastes like fruit leather in a jar. It just cooks forever and there’s no fresh strawberry flavor left.
If you want to use less sugar, you’ll need to use low sugar pectin to get the jam to set.
I have a recipe for low sugar strawberry jam using Pomona’s pectin which works wonderfully, but it’s completely different than this old-fashioned strawberry jam. The flavor is less concentrated since it’s not cooked down at all. It’s less sweet, but also less flavorful (in my opinion).
I’d suggest trying this recipe as is and adding more lemon juice if you like a tart flavor to your homemade jam. Just double the lemon juice to 4 tbsp for every 8 cups of mashed fruit (or add even more if that suits you).
Best Strawberries for Jam
To make strawberry jam, start by choosing the freshest berries possible.
Avoid frozen berries, as freezing fruit for as little as a week can reduce the pectin content by half. Strawberries are already low pectin, so this just won’t work nearly as well with frozen fruit. If frozen fruit is all you have, opt for a recipe that uses pectin.
If you’re harvesting the berries yourself, try to pick ever so slightly underripe fruit, or a portion of underripe fruit. Most old-fashioned jam recipes without pectin suggest using 1/4 to 1/3 slightly underripe fruit, regardless of the variety.
Fruit loses pectin as it ripens, so just a tiny bit underripe will help the whole batch set. (Not too green obviously, as those berries are tough and not sweet.)
Making Strawberry Jam Without Pectin
Start by washing and picking over the fruit. Remove any spoiled fruit, or hard green fruit, but leave slightly underripe berries.
Hull the fruit to remove the greens and stem ends. Slice and mash the fruit, and then measure the mashed fruit.
You should have 8 cups (or 4 quarts) of mashed fruit. That’s about 4 pounds of prepared mashed strawberries.
Place the mashed fruit in a deep, heavy-bottomed dutch oven or stockpot. Add the sugar and lemon juice, then stir to combine.
Be sure that the fruit and sugar don’t come too far up the sides of the pan. The pan should be no more than half full, as this jam will foam as it cooks.
Bring the fruit and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Boil gently until the fruit mixture thickens, skimming if necessary. It should take about 45 minutes for this jam to set, but it could be longer depending on the fruit or the exact temperature of your stove.
I’m using a high output 3 burner outdoor stove in my outdoor canning kitchen, so it cooks a bit hot and finishes faster (but I have to be extra careful to watch it to avoid scratching and overflows.)
It’s convenient for canning, as it allows me to use my high capacity Amish Made Canner and I don’t heat up the house with the steam from making jam.
Cooking strawberry jam in an outdoor canning kitchen in a dutch oven on a 3 burner stove
The jam is ready when it sheets off a spoon, or sets when spooned onto a plate that’s been chilled in the freezer.
If you’re looking for a more exact measure, the setpoint of jam is 220 degrees F at sea level, or 8 degrees above the boiling point of water.
At higher elevations, subtract 1 degree for every 500 feet in elevation above sea level. For example, at 1,000 feet in elevation, the jam should finish at 218 F.
Once the jam is set, ladle it into prepared jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
Canning Strawberry Jam
It’s perfectly fine to make this strawberry jam recipe as a refrigerator or freezer recipe. It’ll keep for several weeks in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in the freezer.
Personally, I prefer to can my homemade jams because it saves freezer space and I can enjoy them year-round right from the pantry shelf.
If you’re not familiar with canning, I’d suggest reading this beginner’s guide to water bath canning before getting started, and make sure you have all the right canning supplies on hand as well.
To can strawberry jam, start by preparing a water bath canner, jars, and lids before you start making the jam.
When the strawberry jam reaches its set point, ladle it into prepared canning jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Cap with 2 part canning lids to finger tight.
Process the jam in a water bath canner for 10 minutes if below 6,000 feet in elevation. Above 6,000 feet, add 5 minutes for a total of 15 minutes.
Once the canning time is complete, turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit in the water for an additional 5 minutes before using a jar lifter to remove them. (This extra 5 minutes helps prevent thermal shock on the jars when they’re removed, which can result in siphoning.)
Remove the jars and allow them to cool undisturbed for at least 12 hours on a towel on the counter. Once cool, check seals and store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use.
Properly canned and sealed jars should maintain peak quality for 12-18 months on the pantry shelf.
Canning strawberry jam in our outdoor canning kitchen
Ways to Preserve Strawberries
Looking for more ways to put up a bumper crop of strawberries?
Old-Fashioned Strawberry Jam (Without Pectin)
Old-fashioned strawberry jam captures the essence of this short-season summer fruit, and it comes together with just three ingredients.
Ingredients
- 8 cups mashed strawberries (from about 4 quarts of fresh fruit, 2 kg, or about 4 1/2 to 5 lbs)
- 6 cups sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
Instructions
- Wash and hull strawberries to remove tops.
- Mash strawberries and measure the fruit. You should have about 8 cups.
- Add strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a deep, heavy-bottomed dutch oven or jam pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat on the stove, stirring frequently to prevent scorching or overflows.
- Boil gently over medium heat for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the jam reaches its set point. The time will vary based on the water content of your strawberries and the exact heat from your stove.
- Test for set using a plate that's been chilled in the freezer, or using an instant-read thermometer. The set point of strawberry jam is 220 F at sea level, and drops by 1 degree for every 500 feet above sea level. For example, at 1,000 feet in elevation the jam will set at 218 F.
- When set, ladle into prepared jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Seal with 2 part lids to finger tight.
- If canning, process jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes (or 15 minutes above 6,000 feet in elevation). Turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit for an additional 5 minutes before removing them with a jar lifter to cool on a towel on the counter.
- Check seals after 12-24 hours and store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use.
Properly canned and sealed jars will keep for 12-18 months on the pantry shelf. Refrigerate after opening. If not canning, this jam will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator, or 6 months in the freezer.
Notes
Lemon Juice - The lemon juice in this recipe is optional, and not required for canning safety. Feel free to use fresh lemon juice or bottled. It improves the flavor, balances the sugar and helps the jam set by adding extra pectin. You can add more lemon juice (4 to 6 Tbsp) if you like your jam tart.
Sugar - This recipe will not cook properly with less sugar. If you want to reduce the sugar, you'll need to use low-sugar pectin to set the jam. I'd suggest either sure jell low sugar or Pomona's pectin.
Old Fashioned Jams without Pectin
Strawberries aren’t the only fruit you can make into a tasty old-fashioned jam without pectin…
Summer Canning Recipes
Putting up more than jam this season?
Natalia
I learned so much from this article, thank you!
Administrator
You’re very welcome. We’re so glad that you enjoyed it.
Carolyn Renehan
Where can I buy your book. I’ve gotten to hate pectin, it never seems to work.
I’ve used apples, they were great, but i like the idea of just cooking the fresh fruit.
Thank you
Administrator
You’re very welcome. We’re so glad you enjoyed the post. We don’t have a book at this time but thank you for asking.
Em
How much does this make?? Sounds delicious
Administrator
If you scroll down to the bottom of the post, you will see the recipe card. The yield for the recipes is usually on the image for the recipe card. This particular recipe should give you 7 or 8 half pints.
Joi
Followed directions and reached temperature and of 225. Canned it. But the jam is not set.
Administrator
Has it set up yet? How long has it been sitting?
Penstemon
Ashley says: “It’s perfectly fine to make this strawberry jam recipe as a refrigerator or freezer recipe.” I’ll bet some of her readers don’t know what that means. With the freezer recipe, there is no heating and no cooking whatsoever. You mix the mashed berries with the sugar and the lemon juice, then let the mix stand at room temperature for a few hours, and then store it in the freezer. Some months later, you defrost it and eat it as a jam. The taste has more taste of fresh strawberry, compared to the old-fashioned jam made by boiling. Ashley mentioned “jam that tastes like fruit leather”. She wants to avoid such jam, yet she boils her fruit for 45 minutes. It’s easy for me to believe that her end product tastes good. But I believe the freezer recipe is a bigger and better step away from “fruit leather”. Another relevant thing that you can meet at this site is that the freezer is not a big drinker of electricity.
Steph
Can you use frozen strawberries for this recipe?
Administrator
You can use frozen berries. Frozen fruit tends to give off a bit more water so you may need to increase the cooking time a bit.
M
I just made this jam today and absolutely love it. I added two extra tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice and two lemons worth of lemon seeds in a tea ball as they are supposed to help with jelling for pectin free jams. This jam set up better than any I’ve made before.
I’m allergic to apples and oranges so I can’t eat commercial pectin. Lemons and limes aren’t in the same botanical family so I can eat them. So I have been making my own jams for a while.
Definitely use a bigger pot than you think you need. My jam boiled up a lot at first, and I would have been in trouble if I used my smaller pot.
Administrator
Thanks so much for sharing. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Mercedes
Funny but I love the Pomona’s version because it’s so flavorful and tastes so fresh compared to traditional jam! I bet it has something to do with the type of berries.
Brian
Up there it says “8 cups or 4 quarts.” That’s an error, right?
Administrator
No, that is correct. 1 quart of strawberries is going to give you about 4 cups of whole berries. 1 cup of whole berries will end up being about 1/2 cup by the time you mash them. So you will get about 2 cups of pureed strawberries from each quart times 4 quarts is 8 cups of pureed strawberries.
Dana
Can you use raw sugar for this?
Administrator
Yes, you can.
Amber
If you were planning to freeze the jam and not can it, do you let it cool for a little while and then put in the freezer or do you wait the full 12 hours before putting in the freezer? I’m sorry if I missed this in the post somewhere but I don’t think I saw how long to let it sit out before putting in the freezer. Thank you!
Administrator
You can put it in the freezer as soon as it has cooled to room temperature.
Farmwifetwo
Easy. Now… how to stop the fruit from floating in the jars???? Mom didn’t know either. I keep dipping into the leftovers in the fridge.
Administrator
Did you cook it until the jam thickened? If the jam was thickened properly, there shouldn’t be an issue with the fruit floating.
Farmwifetwo
I made 6 jars and the remainder went into the fridge. Thinking next time will take the immersion blender and puree it. Mashed wasn’t fine enough. That’s probably the floating fruit in the jars.
Administrator
Yes, I would say you are correct.
Diana Hansberry
Would combining the grape and strawberry jam be ok? Or maybe rhubarb?
Ashley Adamant
Yes, all of those are fine safety wise, as they’re all acidic enoguh for canning on their own. The trick is, they all have varying amounts of pectin, so getting it to set might be a gamble. But if you literally just added the two recipes together, it should work. Best of luck.
Sandy Helmers
My jam didn’t set after 24 hours. Can I recook it and can it again? Any tricks?
Administrator
I would normally recommend waiting at least 48 hours because sometimes it takes that long for it to fully set. You can also try sticking it in the fridge which sometimes helps. Otherwise there is a great article here about saving your jam. https://foodinjars.com/blog/canning-101-how-to-save-runny-jam/
Marian C Greely
Hi,
I’ve been to making strawberry jam with SC local sweet, super ripe berries for the last couple of weeks.
It takes hours & I mean hours to get it to 220. I have to keep constant watch so it doesn’t burn. You don’t give any hint of how long it takes to get to 220.
Am I making too big a batch? I’m using 3.5 lbs of berries, 3 cups sugar & 1/4 cup lemon juice.
I even invested in a digital candy thermometer.
HELP!!
Please respond quickly. I’m spending waaaaay to much time over a very hot pot of jam.
Administrator
It’s really hard to give a time on cooking jam because it is so different every time. There are so many factors that can determine the time that it takes including the weather. If it is incredible humid then it can take longer for the water to cook off. The amount of juice and pectin in your fruits can also be a factor. Your batch isn’t too big, so that’s not the issue. You can try turning the temperature up a little but be sure to be extra careful to that it doesn’t scorch.
Marian Greely
Thank you so much for your help. I did turn up the heat one time & scorched a batch. Very upsetting!
I’m wondering if I”m not using enough sugar. Would that make a difference? For 3.5 lbs of strawberries, I use 3 Cups of sugar. Some recipes suggest twice that much. I don’t like a super sweet jam so I cut it back. Is it possible that’s a problem?
Administrator
Yes, less sugar will definitely affect the gel.
Kathi Oxenreider
Thank you for the recipe. I made it last week and canned. I made exactly as yours except I added 1/2 tsp of butter to lessen the foamy. This was my first time ever without the pectin! It’s very gooooooood. More tasty strawberry. I’ll try to make with black raspberry soon. Again thank you!,,!
Kathi
LuAnn
Great recipe! I followed it exactly. Weighed 4.5 pounds of strawberries, which came out to 8 cups hulled and mashed. I yielded 7 half pints. And they all set up perfectly! Thanks!
Administrator
You’re very welcome. So glad you enjoyed the post.
Victoria Beckford
Could I add jalapeños to this recipe?
Administrator
You can make a strawberry jam with jalapenos but you want to make sure that the acidity is correct for water bath canning. You could probably search and find a tested recipe.