Kid-Approved Simple Strawberry Jam with 3 Ingredients and No Pectin

“Mom, your strawberry jam is the best!”. Words every mother loves to hear. If only it were about every meal I make, then I’d be getting somewhere with these kids of mine! I’ll take what I can get for now, though. In this recipe, you’ll find homemade strawberry jam isn’t very difficult to make. I admit it does take some time but the pay out is worth it.

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How is homemade strawberry jam made?

Fresh (or frozen) strawberries, sugar, lemon juice. Cook the heck out of them. Stir constantly. Ladle into jars. Water bathe to preserve long term. Done! Simple, right?

It is. You just need to commit the time to make it happen. You can give up a weekend Netflix binge to hand-craft some deliciousness for your family, right? Right. Now let’s go…

Strawberry Jam Recipe with no pectin

4 cups fresh strawberries (frozen okay but cook time is longer and you’ll need to add in thaw time too)

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1/4 cup of lemon juice

Instructions:

Put your strawberries in a large sauce pot and use a masher to smush your berries a little. Next, add sugar and lemon juice. Cook on medium heat, stirring often for about 5 mins, or until sugar is dissolved. Then crank up your heat to medium-high and bring to a rapid boil. At this stage, you will not want to leave your post as you will need to stir constantly or else your jam will stick to the pot. Continue to mash any chunky strawberry pieces.

Continue to stir until jam thickens and the top of your jam is completely covered in bubbles. This can take about 20 mins.

Plate test for readiness:

I highly recommend putting a small plate in the freezer before you start your jam process. When you think the jam is ready, remove the jam pot from heat, get the plate from the freezer, and drizzle a little jam on it, about a quarter sized amount is good. Put the plate back in the freezer for about one minute. Remove the plate again and run your finger through the jam (be sure to taste test!). If the line you made fills back in with jam, you should cook the jam a little longer and test again. Maybe about 5 minutes or so. If the jam feels a little like gel or jelly, it is ready to jar. You can also use a thermometer to measure to 220 degrees F.

When your strawberries are jammed up, turn off heat and ladle jam into sterilized jars. I prefer 8 and 12 ounce jelly jars as my family loves this jam so much, we eat it often. If I am gifting some, I will use 4 ounce jelly jars.

This recipe makes about three 8 ounce jars and one 4 ounce jar.

A note about mason jars

I love to thrift shop! Anytime I go into a thrift shop, I always check out their kitchenwares section, searching for jars. I am specifically looking or mason jars in brands like Ball and Kerr. Make sure to inspect each jar for cracks or chips. Bring them home and soak in a soapy mixture for 1 hour then wash like normal. Then I put them in the dishwasher for a sanitize cycle. I like to make sure they are EXTRA clean before I store them away.

Last summer I scored 69 jars of all sizes for less than $17 at my local thrift shop!

How do I store my strawberry jam?

This recipe can easily go straight to the fridge. I always let one 12 ounce jar cool and lid it to be used immediately. The rest I will water bathe for long-term pantry storage. You may also freezer-store this recipe too right in the glass jar! Just be sure to save headspace for expansion. At least an inch.

Water bathing jam

I love to make extras of this jam to have on hand so water bathing a few jars is important. Here’s how I do it:

• wash jars and lids. You can sterilize in your dishwasher or I like to bring my water canner to a boil while cooking my jam and sterilize my jars and lids in there. Make sure to allow time for them to dry upside down on a kitchen towel.
• Ladle jam into jars, leaving 1/4 headspace. Use a spatula to gently remove air pockets from the jam inside the jar.
• Use dampened paper towel or clean kitchen towel to wipe the rim of each jar.
• Add each lid and secure with a ring until fingertip tight. (Not too tight, not too loose.)
• Bring water canner to a rapid boil and process jars for 5 mins. Turn off the heat and let jars sit in water for another 5 minutes. (Know your altitude boiling points for lower/higher altitudes).
• Place kitchen towel wherever out of the way for your jars to rest. Put jars on kitchen towel then use another towel to cover the jars.
• Let jars sit for 24 hours.
• Test seal after 24 hours by pressing the center. If it is sealed, label jam jar with name and date then store in the pantry. If the metal bubble bounces back or you seal it yourself by pressing it, go ahead and add to the fridge for immediate use.

How long will my jam last?

If opened and using, in the fridge for 10-14 days is best (but we usually go longer!).

If sealed in the fridge, 1-3 months.

Water bath processed, sealed, and in the pantry, for 1 year. Be sure to look for spoilage before consuming. Mold growing on jam surface or lid top, smells bad, or just doubtful; do not eat. Discard immediately.

Ways to enjoy your Homemade Strawberry Jam

• on toast with homemade butter
• drizzle over vanilla ice cream
• in cheesecake
• in yogurt with granola
• on pancakes, skip the maple syrup!

Additionally, I like to undercook my jam to make strawberry syrup for pancakes and ice cream. I’ll ladle out on jar worth and then continue to cook down my berries. Let cool before storing in the fridge.

Save it to give it a try!

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More like this…

Like easy jams? Try apple jam or dandelion jam or blueberry jam!