Strawberry Jam - A Beautiful Mess

This homemade strawberry jam is probably one of my favorite recipes on our whole site. It’s simple, flavorful, easy to make and tastes like childhood to me. This strawberry jam does not contain pectin—no need! It thickens into a nice jelly consistency all on its own.

I love this strawberry jam spread over toast with cream cheese or Nutella. I also personally still love a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and this strawberry jam really steps it up for me.

Related: Next up, learn to make chia seed jam, blueberry jam or ricotta cheese.

Ingredients

Strawberries
Granulated white sugar
Brown sugar
Lemon

Directions

Remove any greens from the strawberries and cut into fourths.

In a medium to large pot, combine the strawberries, sugars, lemon juice and zest. Cook over medium heat until the sugars are liquid and the strawberries have softened (3-5 minutes).

Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture. I like my strawberry jam pretty smooth, but you can also leave the texture more chunky if you prefer.

Continue to cook on medium/high heat for another 10 minutes. The mixture should be at a low boil. It should reach between 210°F and 220°F. Keep an eye on it and continue to stir so it doesn’t burn the bottom of your pan.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. It will thicken as it cools. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks.

Tips for Making

I like the mixture of granulated white and brown sugar as it adds just a little depth and flavor without taking away from the strawberry flavor. But if you want or need to use all granulated white sugar you can.
Swap out the lemon for another citrus if you like—such as lime or orange.
You can add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or any flavored extract you like) if you want.
And if you want to add a little heat, try adding in 1/8 teaspoon cayenne before cooking.

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The best homemade strawberry jam with no pectin.

Yield 8

Prep 5 minutes

Cook 15 minutes

Total 20 minutes

Instructions

Remove any greens from the strawberries and cut into fourths.
In a medium to large pot, combine the strawberries, sugars, lemon juice and zest. Cook over medium heat until the sugars are liquid and the strawberries have softened (3-5 minutes).
Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture. I like my strawberry jam pretty smooth, but you can also leave the texture more chunky if you prefer.
Continue to cook on medium/high heat for another 10 minutes. The mixture should be at a low boil. It should reach between 210°F and 220°F. Keep an eye on it and continue to stir so it doesn’t burn the bottom of your pan.
Remove from heat and allow to cool. It will thicken as it cools. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks.

Notes

I use the zest from the entire lemon but juice from only half the lemon. Put the rest of the lemon in your water or use for something else.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, you could also add the mixture to a blender or food processor and puree, then return to the pot.
I like the mixture of granulated white and brown sugar as it adds just a little depth and flavor without taking away from the strawberry flavor. But if you want or need to use all granulated white sugar you can.
Swap out the lemon for another citrus if you like—such as lime or orange.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Strawberry Jam

Amount per Serving

% Daily Value*

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

Strawberry Jam – A Beautiful Mess