Homemade strawberry jam, sweetened with honey, is one of our favorite ways to enjoy those sweet summer strawberries all year long. It’s the ultimate way to top freshly baked bread or biscuits.
Strawberry jam perfectly encompasses the flavors of summer that we all love so much. It is without a doubt the best way to use all of those fresh you-pick and farmers market strawberries that are abundant in the warm and sunny months. Plus, this recipe is made with honey which makes it a great option if you want to limit the amount of sugar you use in your kitchen, or even just prefer recipes with less sugar!
Fresh strawberry jam is so versatile, and the ways that you can enjoy it are endless. If you need a good reason to whip this recipe up, you can use a little jam to top freshly baked sourdough bread or fluffy sourdough biscuits. Slather it over hot sourdough buttermilk pancakes or to fill delicious tender sourdough crepes. Take this jam to the next level by using it to fill hand pies, homemade pop tarts, or strawberry yogurt popsicles for a special treat that your family is sure to love!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Make strawberry season last – This recipe leaves you with a thick jam that will last a long time past strawberry season, preserving fresh strawberry flavor to use even in the coldest months.
Flavorful – The combination of ripe berries and fresh lemon juice in this perfect strawberry jam, has just the right balance of fruit with the added sweetness from the honey. Once you have a taste of homemade jam, you’ll never want to reach for a store bought jar of jam ever again.
Simple preserving – If you are newer to home food preservation, this is a great recipe to start with. Water bath canning is simple and non intimidating. You don’t have to be a master food preserver to stock some mason jars full of fresh jam in your home!
Ingredients
Strawberries – We love to do pick your own strawberries when they are available in our area, but this jam is great for farmers market berries or even fresh strawberries from the grocery store. If you are on the hunt for more recipes to make with an abundance of strawberries, try making sourdough strawberry cream cheese cobbler, strawberry stuffed French toast, strawberry cheesecake ice cream, or sourdough strawberry shortcake.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Tools You May Need
- Jars, lids, and rings
- Large pot – for water bath canning you just need a large pot with a lid
- Canning rack
- Jar lifter
- Funnel – (optional) can make it easier and less messy
How to Make Strawberry Jam
Step 1: Rinse strawberries and trim off greens.
Step 2: Blend in a blender until smooth.
Step 3: Pour into a large saucepan or pot, add honey, pectin, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer. Stir constantly with the lid off, until thickened. About 30 minutes.
Step 4: While this is cooking, make sure your jars are clean and sterilized. Place clean jars into a large deep pot and fill with cool water until the water is covering the jars about 3 inches. Cover the pot and place over medium heat until the water is simmering. Make sure not to bring to a full boil. Wash lids and bands in hot soapy water. Rinse with hot water and dry.
Step 5: Carefully take out the jars of simmering water, pour the water out of the jars and back into the pot. Place jars on the counter.
Step 6: Ladle the strawberry jam into the clean, sterilized jars leaving about 1/4 inch headspace.
Step 7: Slide a rubber spatula down the inside of the jars a few times to make sure to remove any air bubbles.
Step 8: Wipe jar rim and threads down with a damp clean cloth. Add lids and rings, then add the jars to the pot.
Step 9: Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes over high heat (it should be a rolling bowl before starting the timer).
Step 10: Remove the canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars of hot jam from the canner. Place on the counter to let the jam cool for 24 hours without disturbing them. Check that the jars are sealed by pressing on the middles on the top of the jar.
Tips
- Cleanliness is very important. Make sure your jars are sterilized and cleaned, and lids and rings are washed with hot soapy water.
- For water bath canning, you just need a large pot with a lid. Nothing special.
- When making strawberry jam, I find it easiest to just puree the strawberries in the blender. You could also use a potato masher and try to get it as smooth as possible.
- Since strawberries are a low acid fruit, you will need to add lemon juice to the mixture.
- With canning anything, you will want to make sure there is at least 1/4 inch head space (space between the jam and the top of each jar).
Recipe FAQs
This strawberry jam is made with four simple ingredients: strawberries, honey, pectin, and lemon juice. The natural flavors of the strawberries really shine in this recipe!
Pectin is a thickener that reacts with the sugars and acid in recipes to thicken, help reduce the cooking time, and preserve a fresher flavor. Since strawberries are naturally low in fruit pectin, adding pectin during cooking ensures the jam thickens and gels. While strawberry jam can be made without pectin, it will leave you with a different texture and flavor than if pectin is added.
Pectin is a thickener that reacts with the sugars and acid in recipes to thicken, help reduce the cooking time, and preserve a fresher flavor. Since strawberries are naturally low in fruit pectin, adding pectin during cooking ensures the jam thickens and gels. While strawberry jam can be made without pectin, it will leave you with a different texture and flavor than if pectin is added.
Not only does it add a bright flavor, but it also adds crucial acidity needed in recipes made with fruit that is low in acid. To make homemade jam safe for water bath canning, an acid – in this case, lemon juice – must be added.
More Delicious Ways To Preserve The Harvest
- How To Make Fermented Fruit
- How To Make Fermented Carrots
- How to Make Raw Milk Butter in a Blender
- Lacto Fermented Salsa Recipe
- Homemade Fermented Pickles
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Homemade Strawberry Jam Sweetened with Honey
Equipment
- 1 Large Pot
Ingredients
- 1/2 gallon pureed strawberries
- 2 cups honey
- 1/3 cup pectin
- 1 lemon juiced
Instructions
- Rinse strawberries and trim off greens.
- Blend in a blender until smooth.
- Pour into a large saucepan or pot, add honey, pectin, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer. Stir constantly with the lid off, until thickened. About 30 minutes.
- While this is cooking, make sure your jars are clean and sterilized.
- Place clean jars into a large deep pot and fill with cool water until the water is covering the jars about 3 inches.
- Cover the pot and place over medium heat until the water is simmering. Make sure not to boil.
- Wash lids and bands in hot soapy water. Rinse with hot water and dry.
- Carefully take out the jars of simmering water, pour the water out of the jars and back into the pot. Place jars on the counter.
- Ladle the strawberry jam into the clean, sterilized jars leaving about 1/4 inch headspace.
- Slide a rubber spatula down the inside of the jars a few times to make sure to remove any air bubbles.
- Wipe jar rim and threads down with a damp clean cloth.
- Add lids and rings and process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes over high heat (it should be a rolling bowl before starting the timer).
- Remove the canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars from the canner.
- Place on the counter to cool for 24 hours without disturbing them.
- Check that the jars are sealed by pressing on the middles.
Notes
- Cleanliness is very important. Make sure your jars are sterilized and cleaned, and lids and rings are washed with hot soapy water.
- For water bath canning, you just need a large pot with a lid. Nothing special.
- When making strawberry jam, I find it easiest to just puree the strawberries in the blender. You could also use a potato masher and try to get it as smooth as possible.
- Since strawberries are a low acid fruit, you will need to add lemon juice to the mixture.
- With canning anything, you will want to make sure there is at least 1/4 inch head space (space between the jam and the top of each jar).
- There should be at least 1 inch of water above the jars during processing.
- Higher altitudes will have to adjust and add processing time.
- You can tell if the jars have sealed if they don’t give or pop at all. Store all unsealed jars in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hey Lisa could I use maple syrup in place of honey?
Yes!
Just wondering what brand of pectin you use?
Looking forward to trying this today! How do you store the jars after they are filled? New to canning 🙂 Thank you!
Store them in your pantry or in a dark, cool place. They are shelf stable with the water bath canning process.
Hi,
Lemon is not required. Have made jam for years like 60. Secondly, you have to skim off the foam that forms when making this. You never leave to do jars. They should be ready as this is not a slow process.
Our recipe:
Betty Crocker Strawberry Jam
2 pints strawberries
7 cups sugar
1/2 bottle Certo (liquid pectin)
Wash, remove stems/core and slice or chop strawberries into a large bowl. Should be about 4 cups.
Measure 4 cups of strawberries into a large saucepan Add one cup sugar, and let stand for 15 minutes.
Add remaining sugar and mix well.
Place pan on burner and bring mixture for a full, rolling boi; boil hard one minute, stirring constantly with a large spoon.
Remove from heat and stir in Certo pectin. Stir and skim off light pink foam that forms for about 5 minutes. Try to get as much of the foam off.
Pour jam into hot sterilized jars and and seal at once.
Makes 7- 1/2 pint jars.
Note: this is jam not jelly so contains seeds.
Turned out way to thick and not sweet enough.
Would be nice to know the kind of pectin used for this recipe.
Everyone who tried the jam loves it! Easy to make keep for several months in the pantry unopened.
What type of pectin do you use in this jam? Powdered or liquid? Can Pamona’s pectin be used? Thank you!
Powdered typically.
I only use Pomona’s Pectin since it is a better option for pectin. If this recipe doesn’t work, check out the Pomona ones. This one might but make sure you use the calcium water too.
A+
New to canning – would frozen strawberries (out of season) work as well? Also, can you use chia seeds instead of pectin?
I have used chia seeds and it works great!
How much chia do you use?
Hi there, I did turn recipe as indicated and it’s so runny. What could I be doing wrong or how can I fix it?