Description
Make fresh, bright strawberry freezer jam quickly without cooking or canning. This beginner-friendly recipe preserves the taste of summer strawberries for use on toast or yogurt.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and crushed
- 1 package (1.75 oz) powdered fruit pectin (like Sure-Jell)
- 5 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional, for brightness)
Instructions
- Prepare your jars: You need 5 half-pint (8 oz) freezer-safe jars with lids. Wash and dry them thoroughly.
- Crush the strawberries: Place the hulled strawberries in a large bowl. Mash them with a potato masher until you reach your desired consistency. You can leave some chunks for texture.
- Mix pectin and sugar: In a separate small bowl, whisk together the powdered pectin and 1 cup of the sugar until fully combined.
- Combine ingredients: Add the pectin-sugar mixture to the crushed strawberries. Stir well for about 2 minutes until the pectin is dissolved.
- Add remaining sugar: Gradually stir in the remaining 4 cups of sugar until it is completely dissolved. The mixture will look thin. Add the lemon juice now if you are using it.
- Fill jars: Ladle the jam mixture into the prepared freezer jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace at the top of each jar.
- Seal and cool: Wipe the rims clean, seal the jars with the lids, and let them cool to room temperature on the counter for about 30 minutes.
- Freeze: Place the jars in the freezer. The jam will be ready to eat once frozen solid, usually within 24 hours. It keeps well in the freezer for up to one year.
Notes
- For a lower sugar version, reduce the sugar to 3 cups, but note that the texture may be softer.
- If you skip the pectin entirely, you must use 6 cups of sugar and let the mixture sit for 24 hours before freezing for the best set.
- Using frozen strawberries works too: Thaw them completely and drain off any excess liquid before crushing.
- This jam is best used within 3 weeks once thawed in the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 0 min
- Category: Dessert Topping
- Method: No Cook Preservation
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
- Calories: 100
- Sugar: 25
- Sodium: 5
- Fat: 0
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 26
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 0
- Cholesterol: 0