This “Strawberry Jam Recipe” is one of our family’s favorite things to eat! When made with homegrown berries, it’s even MORE of a treat! Let me show you how to make perfect strawberry jam every time!
Making fruit jam is one of the first canning skills I learned because it’s so simple.
Strawberry jam is simply a proportionate combination of fruit, juice, sugar and pectin. Different fruit requires different amounts of sugar, depending on its sweetness and juice content. Some fruit can be made into jam without pectin, but the strawberry jam is best made with it.
Here’s everything you’re going to need:
- 8 cups of strawberries, washed and ready to cap (Which should equal 5 cups of crushed strawberries)
- 7 cups of sugar
- Good paring knife
- 1 box of Sure-Jell pectin
- At least 4 pint jars (16 oz) or 8 jelly jars (8 oz) clean and sterilized
- 4-8 lids and bands, I keep my lids on low to medium heat in a saucepan filled 1/3 with water
- A couple of medium-sized bowls
- Funnel
- Water bath canner
First, cap your strawberries. I take the cappings out to my chickens, they love them!
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Next, mash your berries until the fruit is barely recognizable. I prefer to do this by hand when I’m making this Strawberry jam recipe – why?
Well, I like slow food and I refuse to rush when making food, it produces negative energy.
As I mash my berries, I like to think about the people who are going to be enjoying my homemade strawberry jam recipe!
However, you are welcome to gently pulse your fruit in a blender (here’s the one I use) if you want to.
Once your berries are mashed, put the fruit and all of the juice into a pot.
When making this Strawberry Jam recipe, use the pot with the widest base that you have.
This allows the water to boil off faster.
Add your pectin and slowly bring the mixture to a boil while you stir.
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Once the strawberry jam recipe reaches a boil that won’t stop when you stir, it’s time to add the sugar.
I recommend pre-measuring your sugar so that it’s ready for this step. Dump the entire amount in at one time.
Bring the strawberry jam recipe mixture back to a boil and turn the heat down slightly to medium-high heat.
Once you obtain a full boil again, let the strawberry jam boil for one full minute. I recommend setting a timer.
How Can I Be Sure that My Strawberry Jam Recipe Will Set Up?
I want to share a little “canner’s secret” for making sure your jam sets up.
Keep a small plate in the freezer.
When your jam has finished boiling, take the plate out of the freezer and put a spoonful or two of your jam mixture on the plate.
Within a minute or so, the jam should set up and develop a skin.
If it does this, you can be almost certain that it will set up!
Once the minute is up, remove the strawberry jam from the stove. I like to put it on potholders on my counter, so that I can fill jars.
Slowly, fill your jars up with the jam, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. After this, using a clean cloth dipped in hot water, wipe the rim of your jars clean.
This recipe easily makes 8 cups of strawberry jam, so have your jars ready. However, if you have some leftovers, we like to put them in a bowl to enjoy right away and store them in the frig.
Using tongs, remove the lids from your saucepan and gently lay them on the jars, then add the rings to seal.
How to Process Strawberry Jam in a Water Bath Canner
Place your sealed jars into a water bath canner, making sure your jars are covered with 2 inches of water, then bring to a boil. Let jars process for 10 minutes, and then remove and let them cool on the counter.
You should have perfect jars of strawberry preserves to enjoy, barter with or sell!!
Strawberry Jam Recipe with Pectin
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Prep Time: 2 hours hours
Ingredients
- 5 cups crushed strawberries (8 cups whole strawberries)
- 7 cups sugar
- 1 box Sure-jel pectin
- 1 good paring knife
- 4-8 pint/jelly jars, washed and sterilized
- 4-8 lids and bands
- 1 funnel
- 2 medium-sized bowls
- 1 Water-Bath Canner
Instructions
Cap strawberries and smash them in a bowl.
Once your berries are mashed, put the fruit and all of the juice into a pot.
Add your pectin and slowly bring the mixture to a boil while you stir.
Once the mixture reaches a boil that won’t stop when you stir, it’s time to add the sugar.
(I recommend pre-measuring your sugar so that it’s ready for this step. Dump the entire amount in at one time.)
Bring the mixture back to a boil and turn the heat down slightly to a medium-high heat.
Once you obtain a full boil again, let it boil for one full minute. I recommend setting a timer.
Slowly, fill your jars up with preserves with 1/2 inch of head space. After this, using a clean cloth dipped in hot water, wipe the rim of your jars clean.
This recipe easily makes 8 cups of preserves, so have your jars ready. However,
if you have some leftover, we like to put it in a bowl to enjoy right away and store in the frig.
Using tongs, remove the lids from your saucepan and gently lay them on the jars, then add the rings to seal.
Place your sealed jars into awater bath canner, making sure your jars are covered with 2 inches of water, then bring to a boil. Let jars process for 10 minutes, and then remove and let cool on counter.
You should have perfect jars of strawberry preserves to enjoy, barter with or sell!!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
This Post Has 15 Comments
LISA From SW PA April 21, 2021 Reply
Hi Kelly,
I’ve been enjoying your blog🙂 thanks for the tip on strawberries & chives. I have both but in separate places. Once the weather warms I’ll move the chives!
I’ve been making strawberry jam for decades, but I’ve never used a canner. Why do you?admin2 May 4, 2021 Reply
Hi Lisa,
Using a canner insures that your jam will last at least a year without spoiling. I know there are many who don’t take this extra step because the amount of sugar in the recipe itself is a preservative. However, since I gift and sell my jam, I want to make sure. Great question!
Emily May 29, 2021 Reply
Super easy and delicious recipe! FYI: I used my Instapot as my water bath canner and also to sterilize my jars and keep hot until ready to use. My 6 quart pot holds 7 half pint jars.kmorris May 30, 2021 Reply
Hi Emily!
That’s so awesome! I haven’t used my Instapot for canning just yet, sounds cool!
linda morris May 17, 2021 Reply
i added some crushed red pepper to jar
just becauseMarsha May 18, 2021 Reply
Followed directions but mine didn’t gel. What happened?
kmorris May 21, 2021 Reply
Hi Marsha,
It happens to the best of us at times. Probably what happened is that your juice/pulp ratio was a bit off, which can happen with extra juicy fruit.
Empty all of your jars into large pot, bring to a boil, add another box of pectin, boil again for another minute and it should set up in your jars this time!
Kelly
Rita Kehoe May 23, 2021 Reply
I can’t find an option to print the recipe. Am I missing something?
kmorris May 24, 2021 Reply
Hi Rita!
I’m so sorry, the printable recipe is at the bottom of the post! Hope this helps!
Sharon Blancarte May 27, 2021 Reply
This is the second time I have made this and it didn’t gel. What is the berry juice ratio? All mashed 8 cups went in at the same time. I don’t know if I have it in me to all start over. Should I add 2 boxes next of pectin? It tastes great but you to use a spoon instead of a knife?
kmorris May 27, 2021 Reply
OH my goodness! I’m so sorry, Sharon, that’s so frustrating!
First off, please know this happens to even experienced canners. I had a batch of pineapple jam this year that simply would not set after two tries! I finally changed my expectations and decided to call it topping for ice cream.
As much as I hate to say it, making jam isn’t just a matter of following the recipe. There are many factors that go into making jam gel, not just sugar/juice ratio.
Everything from the size of your pan, humidity and even elevation can influence whether your jam sets up or not.
For now, I would use your runny batch as ice cream topping.
But in the future, I want to encourage you to use the “plate test” to insure success in your jam making, described below.
Don’t give up, it’s unlikely to happen often.
https://foodinjars.com/blog/canning-101-how-to-ensure-that-your-jam-sets/
Robin June 19, 2022 Reply
I made my jam I had 19 cups of strawberries I used 3 packs of sure jell and my sugar 9 cups didn’t want it to sweet. 2 days later it was still liquid. I emptied all 16 jars yesterday into a more shallow pot an added 3 more boxes of sure jell powder. Brought to a boil like said to and then recanned and water bathed them again. Im Praying it sets. It just looked the same as first time so i am worried it wint set.. What am I doing wrong? And if it doesn’t set this time how can I fix it again? I don’t want 16 jars of syrup lol
Kelly June 19, 2022 Reply
Hey Robin,
Oh my! Let’s see what we can do to figure this out together! We all make canning mistakes, even the veterans!
The recipe called for 8 cups of strawberries, ready to wash and cap (which is 5 cups crushed), one box of pectin and 7 cups of sugar.
It looks like maybe you were trying to double the recipe and perhaps misread that you would need 14 cups of sugar, rather than 9? Your problem is definitely lack of sugar. I wouldn’t add any more pectin, it’s not going to help in this situation.
If it doesn’t set this time, and I’m thinking it won’t, I still think there’s hope.
Before we begin, put a small plate or saucer in your freezer, we’ll come back to this.
First, how many cups of crushed strawberries did you add? If you had 19 cups of strawberries and you crushed them down to 10 cups (which would be correct), then I would empty the jars out again (sorry!) into your pot, bring to a boil and add 5 cups of sugar. Return to a boil for one minute. Then remove pot from heat and let sit for a couple of minutes.
Grab your plate from the freezer and carefully take a tablespoon full of jam and place it on the plate. Within a minute or so, the jam should start to set and develop a “skin”. If this happens, you can be almost sure that your jam will set up.
If it doesn’t pass the plate test, put the jam back on the burner and bring to a boil for another minute and try the plate test again.
It can take a full 24 hours for jam to set up, once in the jar, so just let them sit and check the next day.
Let’s hope for the best! Please let me know how it turns out!
Lisa September 15, 2022 Reply
Made this today, and I used a plate to test for setting and it was fine. Jarred, processed and it won’t set.Kelly September 16, 2022 Reply
Hi Lisa! I’m hoping by now that your jam has set up for you, sometimes it takes overnight to completely gel. Canning isn’t a perfect science and sometimes jam won’t set up for various reasons. In this rare case, you just have to repeat the process by adding another pack of pectin but no sugar. It’s happened to me too with other recipes! Please let me know your results!
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