This is an easy 3-ingredient strawberry jam recipe. It is gluten-free, vegan, and free of pectin. Thick, luscious, and full of natural flavors this homemade strawberry jam recipe is worth bookmarking.
Reasons to LOVE Homemade Jam
Ever since I started making fresh strawberry jam or mango jam at home, there is no going back to the readymade ones.
I will give you more than one reason to LOVE homemade strawberry jam.
- gluten-free & vegan
- 3-ingredient recipe
- no added pectin
- one-pot recipe
- zero thickening agent
- natural color & flavor
- chemical preservative free
- easy to make and store
What You Need
Only 3-ingredients, a chopping knife, saucepan, and a clean jar are required for this strawberry jam recipe.
Strawberry: The fresh, ripe, sweet-tasting strawberries work best for making jam. Frozen strawberries work too.
Sugar: Granulated fine quality white sugar always works best for making any fruit jam.
Lemon Juice: It balances the sweet flavor and acts as a natural preservative.
Saucepan: Use a non-stick, ceramic, or stainless steel saucepan to make jam. Cast iron and other reactive metals alter the color and taste of the strawberry jam.
Jar: Use a sterilized glass jar to store the strawberry jam. The glass is a non-reactive metal. Hence, best for storing perishable relish such as jam.
Strawberry to Sugar Ratio
The traditional strawberry jam recipes recommend following an equal 1:1 (fruit to sugar) ratio. Usually, it is always best to taste the strawberries to check the sweetness and tartness. Then add sugar accordingly.
I add 1 cup to 1 ¼ cup sugar to one kilogram of fresh strawberries.
Always keep in mind, a fruit jam with slight tartness is more delicious than the one tasting like a sugar syrup with no original flavor of the fruit.
Step-By-Step Cooking Method
Wash the fresh strawberries. Remove the green top (crown). Wipe clean and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Make sure they are not wet or moist (Image 1 & 2).
Next, finely chop the strawberries. Cut and discard the inner white part of the strawberries (Image 3).
Transfer chopped strawberries to a wide mixing bowl. Add granulated white sugar. Mix nicely. Cover and set aside for 20 – 30 minutes.
After 20 – 30 minutes, sugar granules will be completely dissolved with the berry and a pink color juice will be released. Do not rush this process (image 5).
Add lemon juice and mix nicely. Transfer the strawberries along with all the pink liquid to a saucepan. Turn on the stovetop heat to low.
Start cooking the jam. Stage 1, the jam will be watery, with big chunks of strawberry, and white foam on top (Image 6 & 7). Keep cooking on low heat, while stirring at regular intervals.
Slowly, the white foam will start reducing, the texture of the jam would thicken a bit. This is Stage 2. Use a potato masher or a ladle to gently mash the strawberries. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
After 15 – 20 minutes on low heat, the white foam on top will disappear, strawberries mashed up, and the jam will start sticking to the spoon (Image 8 & 9). Turn off the heat.
To check the consistency of the jam, spread a big tablespoon of strawberry jam on a metal plate. The strawberry jam should be thick, doesn’t drop off easily, and would stick to the plate. Else continue to cook further.
Allow the strawberry jam to cool down completely at room temperature before serving or storing
Storing Suggestion
Most of the time, homemade jam get spoiled because of the wrong storage.
I highly recommend storing strawberry jam in a glass jar rather than a plastic or metal container to avoid any flavor alteration.
Use a clean, dry sterilized jar for storing the fruit jam. Dirt or junk in the jar lid will also spoil your strawberry jam.
Store strawberry jam in the refrigerator. It remains fresh and tasty for 3 – 6 months.
Use a clean and dry spoon to scoop out the jam. Keep homemade jam away from moisture and water. One splash of water, and it takes no time to develop fungus.
FAQs For Strawberry Jam Recipe
Why do you put lemon juice in a strawberry jam?
A fruit jam is made by heating cut fruits with sugar. While you do this, a fiber called pectin from the cut fruits is released into the jam mixture. Unless you add an acidic agent like lemon juice the jam will not bind together. The other reason is lemon juice prevents bacterial growth in a jam by acting as a natural preservative.
Is this strawberry jam pectin free?
There is no added pectin or starch in this strawberry jam recipe. Only the natural pectin of the fruit is used to thicken the jam.
How to sterilize bottles for storing jam?
Most importantly, if you are using jars with rubber seals, be sure to remove them before sterilizing the bottles and lids.
Stove method: Firstly wash the lids, jars, in hot water with some soap, rinse well. Now place only the jars in a pot of boiling water upside down. Boil for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer until ready to use. Meanwhile, you can put the lids and bands in a separate saucepan of simmering water but do not boil them.
After sterilizing, dry the bottles nicely before transferring the jam.
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Strawberry Jam Recipe
- Saucepan
- Spatula or Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
1 Cup = 250 ml
- 2 Cup chopped strawberry (approx 500 gram)
- 1 Cup granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Wash the fresh strawberries. Remove the green top (crown). Wipe clean and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Make sure they are not wet or moist.
- Next, finely chop the strawberries. Cut and discard the inner white part of the strawberries. This step of removing the white part is called 'Hulling Strawberries.' If there is no white part inside the strawberries, no need to hull them.
- Transfer chopped strawberries to a wide mixing bowl. Add granulated white sugar. Mix nicely. Cover and set aside for 20 – 30 minutes.
- After 20 – 30 minutes, sugar will be completely dissolved with the fruit and a pink color juice will be released. Do not rush this process.
- Add lemon juice and mix nicely. Transfer the strawberries along with all the pink liquid to a saucepan. Turn on the stovetop heat to low.
- Start cooking the jam. Stage 1, the jam will be watery, with big chunks of strawberry, and white foam on top. Keep cooking on low heat, while stirring at regular intervals.
- Slowly, the white foam will start reducing, the texture of the jam would thicken a bit. Use a potato masher or a ladle to gently mash the strawberries. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
- After 15 – 20 minutes on low heat, the white foam on top will disappear, strawberries mashed nicely, and the jam will start sticking to the spoon. Turn off the heat.
- To check the consistency of the jam, spread a big tablespoon of strawberry jam on a metal plate. The strawberry jam should be thick, doesn't drop off easily, and will stick to the plate. Else continue to cook further.
- Allow the strawberry jam to cool down completely at room temperature. Store the cooled strawberry jam in a clean, sterlisied glass jar with a tight fitting lid.
- Serve strawberry jam immediately or store in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes:
- You can use frozen strawberries as well for this jam recipe. Thaw them at room temperature before combining them with the sugar.
- Use fine granulated white sugar for this strawberry jam recipe. And not powdered sugar, icing sugar, or big crystals of sugar.
- Make sure to use an enamel coated ceramic or non stick saucepan for making the strawberry jam rather than the cast iron pan, aluminum, or any other reactive metal cookware.
- Until and unless the white foam from the strawberry jam disappears keep cooking it.
- Do not add any water or strawberry juice/syrup while cooking the jam. The strawberries need to cook in their own natural juices and sugar.
kamal says
The jam came out awesome, thanks for the recipe. Love the color and the taste.
Hina Gujral says
Thank you so much for your feedback! Stay tuned for more delicious recipes coming your way.
kamal says
Jam came out awesome love the color ad the taste, thanks for sharing the recipe
Kiran Kalpathy says
How long can we store this ?
Hina Gujral says
You can store this jam for 3 – 6 months in the refrigerator.
Shruthi says
Hi Hina, this is such a wonderful recipe. Did not know making a jam is this easy.
Hina Gujral says
Glad you like it! Agree with you this recipe is extremely easy to follow.