Top 7 Homemade Strawberry Jam Recipe That You Must Try!

Nikhil Goswami

 Nothing beats homemade strawberry jam in the spring or summer when the berries are at their freshest. Unfortunately, the perfect recipe is hard to come by. This ultimate guide will teach you several ways of making delicious homemade strawberry jam. 

It does not matter whether you lack a few ingredients or are a newbie who does not know where to start. The recipes are well detailed and beginner-friendly. Plus, you can make various desserts using strawberry jam as it’s a versatile ingredient and can be used in different ways. Also, they are well varied, so you’ll find one that works for you. You’ll find a suitable one whether you are on a keto diet, a strictly vegan diet, etc. We made sure of this because we believe that everyone deserves to enjoy a delicious strawberry jam.

1. Basic Strawberry Jam Recipe (Four Simple Ingredients)

This recipe is simple and does not require many ingredients. Apart from the strawberries, you will likely have everything you need at home, so this recipe will also help you save. 

Prep: 10 mins 

Cook: 1 hour

Total: 1 hr 10 mins

Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients

Strawberries – 450 grams

Vinegar/lemon – ½ tablespoon

Sugar – 200 grams

Salt – less than a teaspoon (a sprinkle)

Directions

  1. Grab a colander and put your strawberries inside. Run it under cold water from the tap and wash the bodies of the strawberries with your fingers to clean them up.
  2. After washing, pat them dry with a clean towel or lay them out on the towel to let them dry. Then chop off the heads of the berries (the part with the leaves).
  3. Chop your strawberries into smaller chunks. You can make the chunks as large or small as you like depending on how smooth or chunky you want your jam to be.
  4. Put your chopped berries into a non-stick pan. Add all your sugar, the sprinkle of salt, and the vinegar to the strawberries and mix everything. If you use a lemon, squeeze some juice into your strawberry mixture. Then, turn on your cooker and put it at low heat.

NOTE: The vinegar/lemon will help your jam last longer. It will also enhance the look and taste of your jam, as will the stirring for the sugar to dissolve completely. Leave the mixture on low heat and stir intermittently. This step could go on for several minutes.

You will observe that your mixture is very watery, and your strawberries have softened. Mash them up with your stirring spatula to further break them down.

Phase 2

  1. After about 12 minutes of cooking at low heat, increase the heat to medium level and continue to stir intermittently. This process will cook your sugar properly and break down the strawberries. The mixture will also start to get thick at this point.
  2. Foam will begin to form on top of your jam as it thickens. Remove this foam gently with a spoon without scooping the jam itself. Then continue to cook this mixture until it looks thick, red, and has jam consistency. The entire stirring process may take about an hour before the jam is ready.
  3. To confirm if your jam is ready, scoop out a portion into a bowl and allow it to cool a bit. Then check whether it is runny or sticky. Your jam is ready if it is sticky.

NOTE: Jam thickens as it cools, so you don’t have to wait till it is very thick before putting off the cooker.

Phase 3

  1. If your jam is ready, get your storage jars and sterilize them with hot water. This will help your jam taste better for longer. You’ll want to leave the jars and covers in hot water for about 15 minutes to eliminate all germs. Ensure the jar you are using is heat-proof before sterilizing with hot water. 
  2. Finally, scoop your jam into the jars, close it up immediately and refrigerate it. Your delicious jam is ready to be eaten.

2. Sugar-free Keto Strawberry Jam

This recipe is great if you are living a keto lifestyle. It is also suitable for people with diabetes or people who are generally watching their sugar intake. You’ll be able to enjoy a tasty jam without sacrificing your health in the process.

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Total: 50 minutes

Yield: 2 cups/jars

Ingredients

Strawberries – 1 pound

Gelatin powder – 2 teaspoons

Lemon – a few tablespoons (a squeeze)

Natural Sweetener powder – ½ cup

Water – ½ cup

Directions

  1. Wash your strawberries properly. If they are frozen, you’ll need to defrost them. You could leave strawberries to defrost on their own, although this would take several hours. You may also decide to run the frozen berries under cold or hot water to fasten up the process.
  2. If the strawberries are still whole, cut them up into smaller pieces. At this point, you can use a food processor to grind your berries if you don’t have a tool to do this later on in the process. The consistency is up to you.
  3. Pour your strawberries into a pan and add your sweetener and water. You can add a dash of lemon juice here if you like. Also, you can add any other ingredients you’d like if you feel adventurous. For example, you can add other berries. Stir everything together and put it on the stove.
  4. Cook at low to medium heat, allowing the ingredients to combine and the strawberries to release their natural pectin. Leave for 20 minutes while stirring at intervals.
  5. While your strawberry broth is on fire, get a small container and put about two tablespoons of lemon juice. It could be fresh or a concentrate. Dissolve your gelatin inside it and let it sit. The gelatin will solidify as it sits, releasing its thickening properties.
  6. Scoop the gelatin and add it in small portions to your strawberry jam mixture. As you add it, stir the mixture to help the gelatin combine well. The gelatin will help thicken your mixture. You can remove the jam from the fire at this point.
  7. Get your sterilized jars and pour your jam into the jars. Then refrigerate your jam overnight or for a few hours. 
  8. Your jam is ready for consumption.

3. Strawberry Jam Recipe With Frozen Strawberries

It is not always summer or spring, so fresh strawberries are not always available. However, that does not mean you cannot enjoy this recipe’s nice homemade jar of strawberry jam.Besides this, you can also add a few drops of CBD oil to your strawberry jam to make it potent and to  attain its therapeutic benefits. 

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 30 mins

Total: 1hr30 mins

Yield: About 8 cups/jars

Ingredients

Frozen strawberries – 4½ pounds

Pectin -1 teaspoon                                                                                                                                                

Sugar – 3½ pounds (or less depending on your preference)

Lemon – Two

Apple Cider Vinegar – 1½ tablespoons

Directions

  1. Since this is a fairly large quantity you will be making, you need to use a pan containing everything. Bear in mind the foam made on top of your strawberry as it is cooking when choosing your pan.
  2. If you’ve not had a chance to defrost them, simply put them in the pan like other ingredients. 
  3. Juice your lemons very well and add the juice to the frozen strawberries. Lemon juice helps keep your jam safe from bacteria, so feel free to use it liberally. Add your sugar to the mixture as well. 
  4. Then put the apple cider vinegar (ACV). The ACV balances the taste of your jam so that it is not too sweet, considering the amount of sugar going into it. It will also help your jam to set well.
  5. Lastly, add your pectin powder.
  6. Stir all of this well, then put it on the stove and set it to medium heat. Stir your mixture at intervals so that the strawberry does not begin to burn. You must be patient to ensure that the jam cooks well before removing it from the heat. 
  7. You’ll notice the jam getting thicker. You can do the finger test to check if your jam is ready. This is basically you placing a salsa or bowl in the freezer for about a minute. After this, you bring it out and put some jam on it. You leave this for a minute or less, then run your finger through the jam on the plate to feel its consistency. If the jam parts without closing up back or feeling very runny, your jam is ready.

NOTE: Another way you can check your jam for readiness is by taking a metal spoon and using it to scoop out the jam. Hold the spoon over the pot vertically so that the jam on it falls back into the pot. If the jam is sticking to the spoon, it is ready. On the other hand, if it easily runs off, it might need to be boiled more.

Phase 2

  1. After your jam is ready, sterilize your glass containers by boiling them in hot water for 5 minutes. You need to ensure that the jars are heat resistant first. Boil your water before putting them inside the boiling water and allow the water to keep boiling for 5 minutes. Don’t forget to sterilize the covers of these jars as well.
  2. Put your jam inside the jars and cover the lids. Be careful with the whole process as the jam and jars will be very hot.
  3. When you are done, you can further tighten the seal of the jars and submerge them in a pan full of hot water for about another 10 minutes. This will help your jam last very long. After this, feel free to refrigerate and eat as you please.

4. Vanilla Strawberry Jam

Strawberry is an amazing flavor, but there is nothing better than combining it with the richness of vanilla. This recipe will help you create a rich, flavorful strawberry jam.

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 30 mins

Total: 1 hour

Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients

Fresh strawberries – 1½ pounds

Lemon – 1 whole one

Granulated sugar – 1 pound

Vanilla bean/vanilla bean paste- 1

Apple – 1

Directions

  1. Wash your fresh strawberries, removing all debris from them. Then hull the strawberries, careful not to remove too much flesh with the leaf. 
  2. Cut your strawberries into appropriately sized chunks for your jam.
  3. Put your strawberries in the freezer for about 20 minutes. This step will help to intensify the flavor burst in your jam. Also, the strawberries will break down and cook faster if you heat them while frozen.
  4. Put the strawberries on very low heat to allow them to begin to break down. Chop your apple up and add it in too. Leave on heat and stir a few times for about 7 minutes or less. 

NOTE: The apple will help with thickening since it is naturally high in pectin.

Phase 2

  1. Cut up your lemon and squeeze the juice into a bowl. Keep the lemon seeds as they will be useful for another step. You can tie them in a cotton muslin cloth or an empty tea bag. Make sure to squeeze both halves of your lemon to get all the juice.
  2. Put your lemon seeds in the bag inside the mixture and tie them to a string so that it does not get lost in the strawberry jam.
  3. At this point, get your vanilla bean, split it to remove the seeds, and put your vanilla in the strawberry. If you are using the paste, add it at this point too.
  4. Add the lemon juice and your sugar to the strawberries.
  5. Increase the heat from low to medium-high so that everything boils together. Stir everything well and keep stirring at intervals.
  6. The jam will slowly thicken after getting very watery. You may decide to remove the foam that forms on top of it as it is boiling. 
  7. To test if your jam is ready, you can use your thermometer. A temperature of about 220⁰F signals that it is ready. Alternatively, you can use the finger test to run your hand through the jam after it has cooled on a plate and see if it separates completely or comes back together. You can also decipher by looking at the texture of the jam on your spoon or spatula or putting it on a plate for a while and then tilting it to see if it runs. If any of the tests fail, you have to continue boiling your jam for a bit longer. 

Phase 3

From this method, by the time your jam is ready, you will have a rich flavor of strawberry with vanilla, lemon, and apple undertones. 

  1. Remove the vanilla bean before packaging it.
  2. To ensure that your jam lasts long, put the jam in sterilized airtight containers. Further, submerge the containers into boiling water after filling them with jam for about ten minutes. This will ensure an airtight lock and a fully sterilized jar of jam that can last well over six months if need be.

5. Classic Strawberry Jam

This recipe is for the regular strawberry jam, pectin, and all. So if you are craving that classic taste of thick and sweet strawberry jam, this is the recipe for you.

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 40 mins

Total: 50 mins

Yield: 2 jars

Ingredients

Strawberries – 1½ pounds

Sugar – 2 cups

Unsalted butter – ½ tablespoon

Classic Pectin – 2 tablespoons

Lemon/Lemon juice – 3 tablespoons

Directions

  1. Start by preparing your jars for canning. Wash the jars and their lids with clean, warm water and soap. Then heat the water in a suitable container – ideally a water bath canner. When the water begins to simmer, place your jars and covers inside. Keep your jars in this hot water to fully sterilize them while you begin the process of making the strawberry jam.
  2. Wash your fresh strawberries and cut them to your preference after hulling them. Then place them in a pan and put the heat at a low-medium level. 
  3. Add the lemon juice or squeeze your fresh lemon on the strawberries.
  4. Stir the mixture while adding in pectin slowly.
  5. Add sugar and butter, then increase the heat to achieve a full boil that will dissolve the sugar completely. 

NOTE: The butter reduces the amount of foaming when boiling the jam.

Phase 2

  1. Allow the jam to boil for several minutes, stirring it intermittently and checking its viscosity level.
  2. At this point, you can add some fresh black pepper (ground) for an added flavor burst. There is no need to cook it with the strawberries. Simply add it to the jam before packaging it. 
  3. To package your jam, you can use a jar funnel but be careful not to hurt yourself in the process. Do not fill the jars to the brim. Leave a space of about ¼ inches to the top. Make sure there are no bubbles in the jar. You can use a bubble remover to remove any ones you find. Then readjust the amount of jam in the jar.
  4. Check the tips of the jars to ensure there is no jam dripping, and wipe as appropriate. Then place the lid such that it is firm but not too tight.
  5. Put your jars into the canner carefully. They must all be covered by at least an inch of water. Allow the water to boil and leave the jars for 10 minutes. Then bring them out and allow them to cool. Usually, when the jars seal firmly, it would make a popping sound so you would know.
  6. Leave the jars for at least 24 hours without trying to manipulate or open them. After this, your jar will be all set for consumption and could last as long as a year.

6. Banana Strawberry Jam

One great thing about strawberry jam, and jam in general, is how creative you can get with the fruits and flavors. If your favorite flavor is banana, or you just love bananas, this recipe will help you create the most appetizing jam ever. 

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 30 mins

Total: 45 mins

Yield: 10 cups

Ingredients

Strawberries – 7 cups

Granulated sugar – 4 cups

Bananas – 3 cups when mashed

Seedless orange – One medium one

Lemon juice – ¼ cup

Directions

  1. Firstly, you’ll need to take care of all the fruits involved. Assuming you are using fresh fruits, wash all your fruits. Then, core and hull the strawberries as appropriate. 
  2. After this, chop them into smaller pieces in the pan you will use to make your jam. You can also leave them whole depending on how you like your jam. 
  3. Next, remove the skin from the bananas after washing the bodies. Put your bananas in a bowl and use a potato masher to mash everything. 
  4. Take your seedless orange and remove the skin. Then, using a food processor, chop it till it is very fine.
  5. Now that you have your fruits ready add the banana and orange to the pan where the strawberry is. Stir them together and put on medium heat. 
  6. Continue to stir at intervals until the mixture comes to a boil.
  7. At this point, carefully add the granulated sugar while stirring the mixture. Do not reduce the heat so that it does not stop boiling.
  8. Add your lemon juice as well. If you are using a fresh lemon, squeeze out the juice but be careful not to let any seeds fall into your jam.
  9. Stir the mixture on the stove as it thickens into a gel-like state. Test that your mixture has fully become jam with either the finger test or by simply confirming it visually. 
  10. When you are sure that you have your desired jam, sterilize your jam containers with hot water in a large pot or a water bath canner.
  11. Make sure that you leave a gap of at least ¼ inch between the top of the jam and the lid. Then, cover the lid.
  12. You can seal your lock by putting the jars in a hot water bath for five minutes. This will make the lock airtight and your jam container completely sterile. 
  13.  Leave the container untouched for at least a day. You can refrigerate it if you like. After this, your jam will be fully set and fit for consumption.

NOTE: You can adjust the amount of banana you use depending on how strong you want the flavor to be. The amount stated in this recipe will give a fairly pronounced banana flavor.

7. Vegan Strawberry Jam

This is the perfect recipe to enjoy the goodness summer has in store for you, vegan-style. 

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Total: 35 mins

Yield: 4 jars

Ingredients

Strawberry – 2 pounds

Chia Seeds – ¼ cup

Lemon – 1 lemon

Organic/unrefined sugar – ½ pound

Directions

  1. For the best result, it is better to use fresh lemons from a local farm or your garden.
  2. Rinse your strawberries. Cut off the strawberry leaves and chop them into the pan you want to boil. Slice the peel of the lemon into the strawberry. You will remove these slices later on. The lemon peel is good to add an extra level of acidity that will help your jam set. Also, lemon has some natural pectin that will help thicken your jam. Squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl as well.
  3. Mix the strawberry with the lemon well. Add sugar and mix well until it has visibly dissolved, then allow it to sit. You can put it in the refrigerator for about an hour before proceeding. This will ensure that your jam sets well.
  4. Bring the mix out and stir properly again for good measure before moving on to the next step.
  5. Put your pan on the stove and allow it to simmer. Remove the lemon peels at this point. Stir and allow it to continue simmering lightly for about 15 – 20 mins.
  6. Next up, add the chia seeds and continue stirring the mixture. This will thicken it up faster. It also has great benefits for your health as a bonus.
  7. Pour it into a sterilized jar and seal it as appropriate. Let it cool down, refrigerate it if you like and enjoy your jam. 

You can use it to eat your favorite vegan cakes and other pastries. You will find the unique and lovely flavor that your jam has from adding the chia seeds irresistible.

Conclusion: Will You Try This Classic Strawberry Jam Recipe ? 

There is no excuse for buying store-made and processed strawberry jam in the summer. This is especially true when you have everything it takes to make a better one on your own. Even if it is not summer, there is a recipe here for you that can help you take frozen strawberries and turn them into an amazing strawberry jam.

We have also included other flavors to make your jam delightful, like banana and vanilla. These recipes are not set in stone, so feel free to experiment with other flavors or fruits you might like.

One of the reasons so many DIYers love to make strawberry jam is that it is easy to make. It is also not time-consuming and very cheap to make. You’ll save a lot more when you make your jam than buying it. Hopefully, you find one of these recipes helpful and enjoy a nice homemade strawberry jam.

 

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