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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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
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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!