Homemade Strawberry Jam

Last updated on June 29th, 2020

Homemade strawberry jam recipe in 30 minutes and just three ingredients. With this recipe you will be able to make perfect jam with season’s best strawberries. No pectin, preservatives are any fillers 🙂 Best for your morning toasts! Vegan and gluten free recipe.

Strawberries are one of our most favorite fruit. My daughter and I simply love the slightly tart taste of this fruit and we cannot get enough of it during season. Smoothies, ice creams, milkshake, cheesecakes, this fruit is yum in all forms 🙂

Apparently I end up with boxes of berries more than we can consume in short time. That’s when I make this super yummy strawberry jam or this sauce or this strawberry syrup. All these recipes let you enjoy your favorite fruit a little longer.

I am big fan of DIY condiments. Not only I completely detest the preservatives or fillers in store bought jams, they are also overly sweet. I mean you will only taste sugar and not the fruit.

While making jams at home you can totally control the amount of sugar. For instance in this homemade strawberry am recipe, I have used 1.5 cups sugar for 300 grams berries. This jam has the right amount of sweetness and not overly sweet at all.

Having said that, you also need to know that sugar along with lemon juice helps in setting any homemade jam. So if your fruits are very tart or less in natural sugar you might want to add few more tablespoons of sugar.

Apart from taste, making jam at home is real fun and can be a good activity of stirring for kids. What can be a more special breakfast or snack for them other than buttered toast with a hearty spread of homemade jam?

I hope you will try this easy recipe, this will get you started on homemade jams if you haven’t tried yet.

This Homemade Strawberry Jam Recipe Is

Super easy to make, just mix and stir

Only three ingredients, no pectin or preservatives

Absolutely flavorful and delicious

Clean fruit flavor and not covered with sugar

Vegan & gluten free

Good alternate to store bought jams for kids.

Ingredients You Will Need

Strawberries– Yeah our star of this recipe. I have used tiny oddly shaped organic berries that were sweet with slight tartness. You can use organic or regular berries. You can also use frozen strawberries but you will have to cook them a bit longer.

Sugar– Sugar along with lemon juice helps in setting the homemade jam. You can use any type of sugar here. For this recipe I have used organic non refined sugar. I do not prefer jaggery for this recipe. I have tried strawberry jam with jaggery once and the flavor was not good.

Lemon juice– lemon juice along with sugar helps in setting the jam.

Before going to the recipe here are few tips and frequently asked questions answered that will help you make this jam perfectly.

Strawberry Jam Recipe FAQs & Tips

How to test if the jam has set? there are two ways you can test of your jam has set or “gel”ed.

• plate test- before you begin with the recipe, put a small plate in the freezer. After making the jam and it has reduced considerably, bring out the plate and drop a bit of jam on it. If the drop sets and is not runny after cooling a bit, your jam is done. Else return to heat and cook for few minutes.
• Drop test- Let the cooked jam fall from the ladle into the pan. if the jam falls slowly as thick droplets it is set. if it falls very fast and runny, it needs few more minutes of cooking.

How long does this jam last? this is a jam made without any preservative or pectin. this lasts for about 20 daysdays in refrigerator. I can’t say beyond that as I ours have never lasted more than that 🙂

Can You freeze this jam? yes, freeze in small batches and remove as you need. The jam freezes very well and wil last for 6 months in freezer. Keep the batch you are using in refrigerator.

Can we can this jam? yes, you can if you are familiar with canning jams. I have not tried to can this personally.

What to do if my jam is runny? If you find your jam to be on runnier side while doing the plate the test, just cook it for few more minutes and test again. Also note that the jam will set some more as it cools down. So you don’t want to over cook it.

More uses for this jam? Yes I get it, it is so tasty and you want to use it in more ways that t just spread on toast 🙂 My most favorite way to use this strawberry jam is to make thumbprint cookies or jam swirled cookies.

You can also use it to fill donuts, custard cookies, french toast rollups etc. This jam tastes wonderful as your ice cream topping, with waffles, pancakes or layers in your sundaes, trifles etc.

Now that you are armed with all the tips, tricks and ways to use this jam, let’s see how to make strawberry jam recipe at home 🙂

Step By Step Method

Wash, hull and roughly chop the berries. if you want very smooth jam you can chop the berries finely. I always chop them roughly and mash the berries here and there as the jam cooks. This yields a wonderful chunky jam.

Combine chopped berries and sugar in a heavy bottomed pan.

Mix well and add lemon juice. Start cooking in medium flame.

After 5-7 minutes, the sugar will dissolve and the mixture will froth a lot.

At this stage using a masher mash the berries here and there.

Continue to cook in medium flame for 15-20 more minutes or till the jam reduces well and leaves the sides of the pan.

Once the jam has considerably cooked and reduced, the color will turn dark.

At this stage bring out the plate from freezer and pour few drops of jam on it. If it sets well on cooing, the jam is done.

Let the jam cool thoroughly before storing in clean jar.

Store strawberry jam in refrigerator and use as required.

I hope you will try this vegan homemade strawberry jam recipe and enjoy as much as we did. Please give a star rating ★ in the recipe card below. Follow us on Pinterest , Instagram, Facebook   for more recipes and ideas.