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This EASY Fresh Strawberry Jam is so flavorful. There is no pectin – just strawberry goodness. Simple and fast, it’s ready in less than 30 minutes!
Fresh Strawberry Jam
I originally made this Strawberry Jam to use as a filling in a dessert. Since my recipe only needed about half the jam for the dessert, we used the rest all week on toast and biscuits. My daughters especially loved it on their peanut butter sandwiches! This easy strawberry jam recipe has now become one I use all the time. It’s so easy to make and full of flavor, we can enjoy fresh homemade jam all summer. We have a small batch of strawberry jam in the fridge all the time to spoon over oatmeal, cream of wheat, pancakes or waffles, and as an ice cream sundae topping.
For a more traditional freezer jam, try our yummy recipe here. You’ll also love our decadent Strawberry Syrup for pancakes and waffles. For a fresh dessert that tastes like summertime, make our fantastic Fresh Strawberry Pie.
Ingredients in this Homemade Strawberry Jam
This easy strawberry jam recipe comes together in just FIVE simple ingredients. There’s also NO PECTIN in this homemade jam unlike other strawberry preserves or jellies. Chances are you have all the ingredients for jam-making in your kitchen right now!
- Strawberries – I like to use about two pints of fresh strawberries, but you can use frozen berries too.
- Sugar – one cup of white granulated sugar for this recipe
- Cornstarch – this will thicken the jam up perfectly
- Water – to mix with the cornstarch
- Vanilla – adds a beautiful depth of flavor to the jam
Fruit Substitutions To Try
I made this Strawberry Jam using my food processor but you could also use a blender or mash the berries by hand in a bowl in small batches. You can also try adding other fruits; just take out some of the strawberries from the recipe to include other fruits. Strawberry peach, strawberry banana, or if you are from Idaho, strawberry huckleberry also makes delicious jam.
EASY Strawberry Jam
When I say easy, I mean this recipe is so easy to make! No worrying about getting a perfect seal on your jar lids, or worrying about a long cooking time or using a canner contraption.
- First, wash your berries and remove all the stems.
- Next, blend, mash or use a food processor to get your berries the consistency you like.
- Stir cornstarch and cold water in a small cup until smooth.
- Then place the mashed berries, sugar and cornstarch mixture in a saucepan on the stovetop on medium high heat.
- Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. It’ll thicken up nicely.
- Finally, remove pan from the heat and stir in vanilla. The jam will thicken even more as it cools.
- Ladle the jam into a jar and store covered in the refrigerator.
Can You Freeze this Strawberry Jam?
Even though this isn’t traditional freezer jam, it can be frozen for later use. It will keep in the freezer for several months. And believe me, there is nothing that cheers everyone up in the morning than pulling a jar of fresh Strawberry Jam out to spread over the morning toast. Or waffles. Or pancakes. You get the idea. Once thawed, this homemade strawberry jam stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.
This is the perfect recipe to use when you have really ripe strawberries that you don’t want to go bad. If you are short on time, freeze the strawberries, then thaw them when you do have time.
Spread It On What?
Need some help deciding what to spread the results of this delicious strawberry jam recipe? Let us help you. For starters. Bread. Of course. Like this amazing Honey Whole Wheat Bread. Fresh from the oven, you will love it smothered in this delicious jam. Or you can slather some on our Homemade Crescent Rolls, and on the Best Dinner Rolls from Scratch. Yum!
Fresh Strawberry Jam
Ingredients
- 2 pints strawberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Wash strawberries and remove stems. Put strawberries in a food processor and blend to desired consistency.
- Pour blended strawberries into a sauce pan.
- In a small cup, dissolve the cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of cold water. Stir until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the strawberries.
- Stir in the sugar. Place the saucepan over the stovetop on medium high heat.
- Bring mixture to a boil stirring constantly. The mixture will thicken.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla. It will thicken even more as it cools. Keep refrigerated.
Before I make this can Clear Gel be used?
Can I process this in a water bath to seal the jars and keep in the pantry?
We haven’t tested this recipe for canning, but you can freeze it!
Wonderful! Simple, delicious AND I didn’t need to run out for SureJel in order to rescue my strawberries!
Beautiful recipe, I made this for my toddlers and they love it. Despite the note about it continuing to thicken after you finish cooking, I was suspicious and cooked the daylights out of it. And then I ended up with something sort of rubbery that is still delicious! Next time I will trust and stop sooner.
Can I use this as a filling in my cakes?!
It looks awesome!!
Yes! That would be delicious!
Strawberry jam is one of my all-time favourites, I love how easy this recipe is. Saving this for strawberry season!
Jam is one of my favourite things to make and this sounds like such a delicious recipe!
Love homemade preserves especially when they are so easy and delicious like this one!
I love strawberry jam. This looked yummy and we loved it!
That jam looks so delicious and easy to make. Pinning it for later.
Can frozen strawberries be used?
Yes, you can use frozen strawberries. The jam will have a slightly different texture, but it will still be good. Make sure you use unsweetened, whole frozen strawberries – not strawberries that are sliced or frozen in syrup. Thaw the frozen strawberries in the refrigerator and then follow the recipe as outlined. Enjoy!
Yum! This turned out great! I used 4 cups of strawberries and cut the sugar down to 1/2 cup. It filled 11/2 pint size mason jars. Thanks for sharing!
So, can you freeze it? or put into jelly jars and keep indefinitely in the refrigerator?
Either freeze it or use it within 3 to 4 weeks.
I love this recipe!!! Yesterday I tried canning what I had picked the night before, and it was a mess! Wouldn’t thicken for the life of me, even after extra pectin. This is sooo much easier!
So glad that you liked it! Definitely easier than trying to can IMO!
Can you be specific as to amount of strawberries after processing. By weight or cups? The size of containers vary by grocery stores. This measurement could through off the jam.
Thank you
You need a 2 pint (4 cup) container of strawberries
I can’t believe how easy this is to make! Imagining everything I can spread this on, sounds so good!