Wondering how to make strawberry jam? All you need to do is boil a few ingredients you probably already have! This easy, pectin-free and lower in sugar homemade strawberry jam can also be sweetened naturally and is paleo and vegan. With a how-to recipe video.
Every year after going strawberry picking, we come home and I immediately get started making this amazing strawberry jam recipe. It’s so simple and is a great way to use up a few pounds of strawberries.
Not a fan of strawberries? Then try my honey-sweetened apricot jam! Everything I say in this post is valid for that recipe. Meaning you can also make it with maple syrup, it’s pectin-free, etc.
You can also use other types of berries or stone fruit but you’ll almost definitely have to increase the sweetener – especially for fruit that’s not too sweet, like raspberries or apricots.
Unlike most of the other strawberry jam recipes I’ve seen, this one doesn’t have an absurd amount of sugar. It’s really very little!
But keep in mind that if you don’t use sweet and flavorful strawberries, your jam isn’t going to be very good. I’ve tried this recipe with frozen strawberries, which were lacking in both taste and sweetness, and the result was almost bitter.
For two pounds of strawberries, there’s only 1/4 cup of sweetener called for so you need to use naturally sweet strawberries or add more sweetener. Other recipes use 2 pounds of strawberries and up to FOUR cups of granulated sugar!
It makes me wonder if I’m crazy and I don’t know what strawberry jam is supposed to taste like. But I promise you, this is delicious! As long as you use sweet berries. ;)
I usually use honey to sweeten this strawberry jam (it’s also great in this Rose Jelly), but for a vegan version, you can use maple syrup. I recommend using the lighter Grade A variety instead of a darker, more maple-y type so that the maple flavor doesn’t overshadow the strawberries.
By the way, this strawberry jam would be great on these vegan and gluten-free strawberry chocolate scones!
If you’re worried that this homemade strawberry jam won’t taste as good as a granulated sugar-sweetened recipe (you can also use granulated sugar in this recipe, if you prefer!) – don’t be! When you mix everything together, you can taste the honey or maple syrup. After a few minutes of boiling, all you can taste is strawberries with a lemony zing.
If you prefer a recipe a recipe that already calls for granulated sugar, try this Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam!
And don’t leave out the lemon juice! It’s necessary due to the lack of pectin. Or at least that’s what I’ve read.
Whatever I don’t eat after about a week, I freeze in 1/4 or 1/2 cup portions and use in recipes like these strawberry white chocolate cheesecake bars and strawberry oat bars. I think this jam would also be great in this gluten free pop tarts recipe!
Questions about how to make strawberry jam?
- Can I use another type of sweetener?
I don’t think the slightly caramel-like taste of coconut sugar would blend so nicely with the strawberries and lemon. Brown rice syrup (for a non-paleo version) would be great. I think dates or date syrup would be odd. And I unfortunately have no clue when it comes to low-carb sweeteners.
- Can I use another type of juice / zest?
I think any citrus juice + zest would be great!
- Can I use another type of fruit? Another type of berry or stone fruit should work just fine. But you’ll likely need to increase the amount of sweetener quite a bit, unless you’re using something that’s really sweet, like peaches. I actually have made spiced peach jam using this recipe, and still had to increase the honey to 1/3 cup.
- Can this homemade strawberry jam recipe be canned?
I have to admit that I don’t know a thing about canning. Here’s a step-by-step guide on canning that might be of some help to you!
- I didn’t use sweet berries and now my jam isn’t sweet enough. Can I add more sweetener now? I haven’t actually tried this but I’m pretty sure it’d be ok.
- Can I use frozen strawberries? Definitely! As long as they’re actually tasty + sweet. I make this all the time using berries I froze after berry picking. I’ve also made it using store-bought frozen strawberries (that weren’t any good to begin with) and it was awful.
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: A 600ml (20oz) jar
- 2 pounds (907 grams) (~6 1/2 cups smashed) rinsed, hulled really sweet strawberries
- 1/4 cup (80 grams) honey or Grade A maple syrup for a vegan version (1/3 cup or 67 grams granulated sugar for a non-paleo version also works but you'll need less cooking time)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Place the strawberries in a large pot and crush with the bottom of a glass. Add the sweetener, lemon zest and lemon juice and heat over medium high.
- Boil, stirring every now and then, until the mixture thickens. With my really soft and juicy strawberries, this took about 45 minutes. It could take more or less time depending on your strawberries.
- To test, put some of the jam on a clean spoon and then put the spoon on a plate in the freezer. Let it sit in there for five minutes and then take it out. If the jam doesn’t fall easily off the spoon when you turn it to the side, it’s ready and you can take the pot off the heat. If it does pour off easily, continue cooking for another 5 minutes and try the test again.
- Let cool and then pour into jars and store in the fridge and for up 1 week. Freezes great.
Homemade Strawberry Jam (naturally paleo and vegan)
Ingredients
Directions
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101 comments on “How to Make Strawberry Jam” — Add one!
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Hello! Thanks for this AMAZING recipe! LOVED the flavor AND color! Thanks again!
Hi there! I’m happy you enjoyed the jam. :) Thanks for your comment!
I made this as a single batch and it tastes kind of sour. Any way to fix it and make it a little sweeter? It’s not awful but would love to try and fix it verses making a new batch. Thanks!
I used very sweet summer berries for this jam so if your berries aren’t very sweet (ours are just awful right now!), I can see that happening. You can add more honey or some granulated sugar until it tastes sweet enough. :) I hope it’ll taste better then!
Hello from Australia, googled ‘excess strawberries’ and found you jam. I have previously made marmalade but now put off by the amount of sugar used – do you have any ideas for reduced orange/citrus marmalade/jam?
And hi back from Germany! :) I’ve never made orange or citrus jam but I found two honey-sweetened orange jam recipes that sound good (though they use a lot more honey than this strawberry version). Honey-sweetened cara cara orange jam and here’s another one. I hope that helps!
Hello, I noticed you interest in orange marmalade. I made my marmy using navel oranges, honey (no particular flavour), fig infuse balsamic vinegar.
Peel the rind and cut into 1inch pieces, tumble in honey, place on a tray and bake at 350 till golden brown. Take all orange pulp and cook with 1/4cup honey, pass thro a sieve to remove membrane. Return to pot adding toasted rinds add additional orange juice and honey if needed, add 1tablespoon of balsamic for colour and taste. I like dark tangy marmalade. I sorry I can’t give you precise amounts, I cook from scratch, never the less this was good Marmalade.
Peter, thanks for sharing your ‘recipe’ for dark marmalade – a very original take on traditional loads of sugar and long simmering style of marmalade. I would never have thought of roasting the peel in honey. You have encouraged me to experiment. Best wishes from Oz.
Help! I added too much lemon juice! I didn’t have enough lemon zest so I put in extra lemon juice to make up for it…the finished product has a great consistency but it too sour. Can I add more strawberries/honey and cook the mixture again?
I’d make more jam without any lemon and then mix it in with the lemony jam! I think that’d work better than adding more berries and honey and then cooking it all together. Good luck and enjoy! :)
I LOVE your photography! These beautiful jam photos drew me in like a bee to honey! I just shared your post on my FB page :) xoxoxo
Haha. I love this comment! Thanks. And thanks for sharing! :)
Hi, sounds wonderful, can you freeze this jam?
Hi there! It freezes wonderfully. Enjoy! :)
Strawberry stand just opened up this week! I’m stopping on my way home tonight so I can make your recipe!
Aww, yay! I hope you’ll enjoy the jam. :)
This is great recipe!
I made my first jam today following this recipe.
And the jam was made perfectly.
Thank you!
Oh, that’s great! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks a bunch for your feedback. :)
I was glad to stumble upon this page. I made my strawberry jam today following your recipe and it came came out perfectly…..Now I can make my own healthy jam
I’m so happy it came out well for you! Thanks a ton for your feedback and I hope you find some other recipes you like. :)
I live near Plant City Florida. – the “Strawberry Capital”. I just picked fresh strawberries last week. I love the pretty jars in the picture- can you tell me where you purchase them.
Lucky you! I have to wait until June for strawberry season. I hope you’re taking advantage of your location! ;) I got my jars in Germany from a German brand called Weck but apparently they’re easy to find in the US now. :) Here you go: Weck jars
I made this last night with strawberries from our garden. I followed the recipe exactly and I made 12 ounces of finished jam. (1 and 1/2 jelly jars half pint). The amount of honey is correct and I think I could have even used less if I wanted. It never really gelled up and I think mine turned into more of a strawberry butter (like apple butter) still taste great. I am going to can one of the jars and will let you know in a few months how it turns out.
That sounds amazing! Strawberry season hasn’t even begun over here so I’m super jealous. Thanks for experimenting with the canning! I hope it’ll be ok and can’t wait to hear if it comes out! Sorry that yours never gelled up but I’m happy to hear that it still tasted good. Thanks for the feedback! :)
Just wanted to say you can process this in a hot water bath for 10 minutes and keep the jars for a year or more as long as the jars are sealed.The jam may darken after a period but it will not effect the taste.A quick question where do you get the jars are they from Europe?
Hi Sue! Thanks for the tip. Have you tried this method with this recipe? Or recipes that just use a little honey? I’m still worried about that. But if you’ve tried it, I’ll give it a go!
The jars are Weck jars. They are German, but you can get them in the US too. :) http://weckjars.com/
I just made this twice. Once just strawberry and once with the combo below. I left some of the strawberries out and cut them in big chunks and added them into the rest after they were mashed. This let me have big chunks of strawberries…. yum. I didn’t have exactly enough strawberries for a double batch so I added a couple small oranges (without the white yucky stuff) and a little zest. I then ran into the ginger when I was getting the lemon out and thought… wow that would be good so minced up 1/2 in of ginger in it. This stuff is amazing.
Wow, Deb. Your version sounds amazing! I definitely want to try a strawberry ginger orange version next time. Sounds perfect! Thanks so much for your review. :) I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
i’ll be making this soon! as soon as our strawberries come in :)
i love finding new ways to make jam – and no pectin? that’s awesome!
would you be able to can this jam? and how long would it be good for?
sounds good!! really wanna try this out this weekend!
Sorry for the slow reply! I hope you saw the answer in the post. :) I don't have any experience with canning so I can't really help you there. And I kept mine in the fridge for two weeks but I picked the berries myself and so they were super fresh. I recommend one week just to be on the safe side. :) I hope you try it! It's really so delicious.
This jam is worth planning for…cannot wait for the early Spring harvest from Spain!..I was wondering just why pectin is not considered to be "good" for us or "healthy"?…I really do not know!….Also..I wondered if you might have a no-cook freezer strawberry jam recipe…as I have always loved my mom's version..alas with pectin added!…The vitamins and color are perhaps more easily retained?
At any rate…despite 45 minutes of cooking…this jam has the most gorgeous, vibrant red hue to it!
Thank you for all you do!
Oh my gosh. So sorry Donna! I just happened to see this now. I didn't get the usual notification. :(
Actually, I don't mind pectin. For me, the pectin-free thing is about not having to go buy something you probably don't have. :) I mean… I don't think most people have pectin at home, anyway.
Are you in Europe? The Spanish strawberries here! As bad as always but they're still here. :)
I've looked into this freezer jam thing and it appears that you need the special freezer pectin stuff. It's too bad because I'd love to try it! We just don't have freezer pectin where I live.
I hope you'll enjoy this recipe! I found some forgotten jam in the freezer recently and it was such a treat. :)
So sorry again for the slow reply and thanks for your kind comment!
Hi. I can’t wait to try your honey sweetened strawberry jam. While researching freezer jam recipes I found 2 brands of pectin that can be used for either cooked jam or freezer jam. I’m in the U.S.A. but
I believe both can be ordered on line through Amazon or directly from manufacture.
BALL PREMIUM pectin though this one indicates you should not make substitutions, hence low or no sugar but can’t use honey.
POMONA’S UNIVERSAL PECTIN —you may use honey to sweeten if desired. Freezer jam set up thicker than what yours did but does not require cooking. This pectin uses calcium water to adjust thickness. Calcium solution mix is included in the pkg with pectin. Will keep for a year in the freezer.
If I’ve done my research correctly, there is an inexpensive “small batch canning kit” that can be purchased from Ball, less than $15 US Dollars. Uses regular stock pot or large dutch oven, no need for huge pot & extra equipment. It even comes with 3 one pint jars & lids. Doesn’t seem as daunting the old fashioned methods I recall being used back in the 1950’s & earlier.
Hope this helps.
Hi, Lynn! Thanks so much for your helpful comment. I’ll look into those two types of pectin! The one I usually see around here already has sugar added and the proportion of sugar to pectin seems huge. The small batch canning kit also sounds good! I’m still scared to try canning and I really wish I weren’t. It’d be such a handy skill to have and that kit sounds like it’d be helpful for a beginner! Thanks again for your comment and I hope you’ll enjoy the jam if you try it. :)
I am super excited to try this. Finally a recipe for healthy strawberry jam.
Sonia – You don't use Google Reader? How do you do it?! I have like 150 new posts every day if I don't check for a full day (I only read a few) and I'd hate to get so many emails!
And OH MY GOD ginger! YES! Now I want to make this again but all I have are the lousy grocery store strawberries. :( They aren't even half as sweet.
Thank you for the pictures comment! Coming from you that really means a lot (not that it doesn't from a random person, but you know what I mean :))
And yay for love jar! I'll have to tell you-know-who that "HA! People on the internet love my jars!"
Forgot to say…
LOVE the jars! :)
Definitely, one can NEVER have too many jars!
Gee, where have I been the last few weeks, looks like I missed a ton of your posts!
Wait… I think I haven't received them by email like I normally do!
Anyway, this strawberry jam looks plain incredible. It really is my kind of jam. Loaded with fruit and fruit flavor, not pectin and sugar. Honey must bring such a great dimension ot it too! I'm thinking fresh vanilla and a hint of ginger must be absolutely fantastic in this.
Ooooh, I think I need to run to the store and buy a case of strawberries.
Thanks so much for all the inspiration!
Oh, and one more thing! Your pictures are plain amazing! Gorgeous! Brilliant! I'm drooling like all over my keyboard now, thanks to you!
Jennie – I hope you enjoy it! And I'm happy that you found me, too. Thanks for subscribing. :)
Wow! This jam is a beauty. I love that you used honey to sweeten it. I am so going to have to make this. Thanks for sharing.
BTW, I found your blog through fearless homemaker, and I'm so glad I did- I love it! I subscribed. Have a great day.
Aww, man. I spent ages replying to comments this morning and it appears as though I didn't actually submit them. Anyway!
The Baltic Maid – Thank you! :D
Jenny – Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your comment! That's really interesting that you only use 1/4 cup – 1/2 cup in your jam. I wonder why everyone else uses so much. Maybe our fruit is just exceptionally sweet? And that's a really good point about canning produce.
Three weeks is definitely better than one week! I froze my leftovers last night but kept some in the fridge to experiment with. We'll see how long it stays. :)
And that's another super tip with using some not so ripe strawberries. I'll definitely try that the next time I make jam! Thanks again for your lovely comment. :)
Katrina – Aww, that's too bad but there's always next time!
Valerie – Well hello! I hope you're enjoying some Speculoospasta. :) We still don't have it in Germany, which is too bad. Thanks for stopping by to say hey. :)
What fun to find your space today — I'm just one country over from you, in the Netherlands. (:
Awww, I REALLY wish I saw this last week when I was jam recipe hunting. I made some awesome stuff, but I love how this is pectin free! Next time…
Hi, I just stumbled across your site and this looks so good.
I have actually made all of my own jam for about a year now and have tried both with added pectin and without. I've canned what I've made and usually use only 1/4-1/2 cup of sugar (never tried honey–was a bit scared to, but now I'll give it a go).
My understanding is that canning is just the process of submersing your finished product in boiling water for a particular amount of time to seal them. I don't think it requires sugar at all–since I know you can can produce from a garden without adding sugar.
Also, I know that the canning company that sent me some tutorial information said the uncanned jams last 3 weeks in the fridge.
Finally, I read somewhere that strawberries do have pectin, though they lose it as they ripen. The suggestion was to use a handful of not-quite-ripe ones in with all the deliciously ripe ones to help with the setting of the jam.
This looks amazing! So beautiful and delicious!I love the vibrant colours!
My Italian Smörgåsbord – I'm honored that you'd comment over here on your vacation time. :) Tomorrow will mark the first full week of the jam being in the fridge. I'm going to freeze whatever I have left tomorrow and leave a little in the fridge to see if it stays another week. I didn't know that the long cooking time kills all the vitamin C. That stinks. But I suppose that's better than eating tons of sugar so I guess it's not too bad. I hope you do try it! And remember, use the sweetest strawberries you can find! Mine were insanely sweet. So sweet that they've ruined store bought berries for me. I bought a few kilos at different stores this week and they were all TERRIBLE. Hmp. Enjoy the rest of your vacation!
officially on holidays and not blogging but HAD TO comment on this :) wow. this is the most strawberryish thing I have ever seen… I am obsessed with strawberry jam and I have tried plenty of versions. never dared this sugar-free version for fear of food poisoning (the sugar makes the pulp last longer). but after all… I could well try your version and freeze what I cannot eat right away. the long cooking kills all the vitamin-c but on the other hand this recipe you posted is full of fibers… gonna try it as soon as I am back in Sweden!
Heidi – Thank you! Since you seem to know about canning, it requires a lot of sugar, right? That would be terrible if you couldn't can this. :(
Gorgeous jam! I love that color. Strawberry jam is my favorite, but I don't like all that sugar either, I find it masks the true taste of the strawberries so I prefer to make it with less. I haven't tried honey though because I'm not sure how to can it. I need to try just using honey :)
Lexi – I hope you enjoy it! :)
Honey – But it tastes all like strawberries. The honey doesn't distract from the flavor at all!
Jessica – I think so too! Not that I really bought it before, but I will never buy it again.
kj42 – I didn't can this and I will freeze any leftovers that I have.
Erin – I bet this would work with other fruit but I'll have to try it out! I imagine any other fruit would need waaay more honey. Thanks for the comment. :)
Ariane – But don't you need to have lots and lots of sugar for canning? Or am I making that up? I will do some research on the topic because I need to know how to can for next year's batch. :)
It wouldn't hurt to try to can it. Canng is really easy to do, and you should be able to find a book or something to teach you how.I knew there had to be a way to make jam without sugar!
I don't even like strawberries (or very many fruit jams) but I think this recipe is so interesting with the addition of honey and minus the pectin.
Can I freeze the jam instead of canning this?
Pretty sure I would be eating more by spoon than would be making it into the jars! Homemade jam is so much better than store bought!
oh my lanta, this looks amazing. Strawberry Jam with honey, delish!
I totally agree with you – jarred jams and jellies are FULL of sugar! I'll definitely be trying this! thanks!
♡ Lexi
FASHION: Glitter & Pearls
WEDDINGS: Glitter Weddings
Kathryn – Thanks! And it does. Really fresh and summery. :)
From Sugar Cookies to Peterbilts – Corn syrup?! That's kind of gross. I really have no idea why the other recipes use so much sugar. I've said it before, but I really hope I didn't have overly sweet abnormal strawberries. With 1/4 cup honey it was still pretty sweet! I hope you like it if you try it out. :)
Miryam – I wished you lived nearby too! It would be so fun to give each other half of whatever we bake so that we can have more variety. :) This was my first time making jam/preserves/anything like it but I wish I knew how to can! To have this stuff year round would be amazing.
Chung-Ah – I hope you do! It's really easy although it takes a while to cook it.
Frau Nilsson – Thanks for stopping by!
Purabi – Thanks a bunch. :) And I bet the kids would love it!
OMG! This looks absolutely amazing!! Your presentation is gorgeous and I want to devour this immediately! I think even my kids would love this…
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Oh man, I love the thickness of that jam! And I'm not much of a canning person so this here is just perfect! Can't wait to give it a try :)
Wow, I am pretty sure this tastes way better than the other versions out there. No pectin and honey? It can't get better than that!! I have never made jam, marmalade or anything like it before. I am a little bit afraid that it may turn bad because I have never done the canning procedure/methods required to keep them for long. Maybe one day!! I wished I lived near by so that you could share some :-)
Looks so good! I have been looking for jam recipes to try. This year will be my first attempt. Some of the recipes I have seen have so much sugar, then even corn syrup. LOVE your honey idea!
Look at that gorgeous colour, absolutely love this. I bet it tastes so wonderful and fresh and just lovely!
Marisha – Thanks! And if they're sweet, I bet they would. :)
Amy – Haha. Yay for icky free jam!
Cassie – That's what I've been doing. It's just too yummy to mix with other stuff. :) And thanks for the picture comment. It was raining and was really dark so I'm shocked that they came out okay.
Goodness, I think I would just eat this by the spoonful. Stunning photos Erin!
this sounds awesome + i love that, unlike most store-bought jams, it's preservative + icky-stuff free. yay for that!
What can you use to get the seeds out.
I’ve never heard of doing that with strawberry jam. For raspberry jam, I used a food mill but I’m pretty sure the seeds are too small in strawberries. Sorry about that!
Looks awesome! I'm thinking those sweet Texas strawberries I have will make some great jam. :)
Lauren – I looked at lots of recipes and was shocked by the amount of sugar in them. Some of them had even more cups of sugar than berries. I just hope my strawberries weren't some kind of freakishly sweet unnatural berries because the jam was sweet enough with only 1/4 cup of honey. Now that I think about it, it doesn't make sense. But I double checked every measurement and wrote everything down as I went. I hope you enjoy it! :)
LOVE this! I've always wanted to make homemade jam, but was turned off by the pectin and loads of sugar called for in most recipes. I can't wait to make this!